What Kind of Car do You Drive?

Lee wrote on another thread about looking for a new car, and I got to thinking -- what kind of transportation do the GWW'ers use?

I have a 2005 Ford Ranger Edge supercab and a 2007 Honda Rebel motorcycle.

In the past 9 years, I've had a 2 Dodge Dakotas, 2 GMC Sonomas, a GMC Sierra 2500 turbo-diesel 4x4, a Chevy Silverado 2500 4x4 diesel, a Ford F150 4x4, a GMC Sierra supercab 4x4, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe, and 2 Chrysler Sebring convertibles. I've not had any real problems with any of them.

Right now we're in a Sebring convertible, thatll be changing soon though :)

Regards,

Lee

Jeez man, whattya do, haul a freaking entourage around with you everywhere you go? Thats a lot of steel.

I drive a honda accord that's getting older but still performs beautifully, and I plan to keep driving it until it dies a natural death.

I bought it used and paid cash.

I wouldn't buy an american vehicle - too much trouble, too many repairs, too many lemons.

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Originally Posted by chadknowslaw

Lee wrote on another thread about looking for a new car, and I got to thinking -- what kind of transportation do the GWW'ers use?

I have a 2005 Ford Ranger Edge supercab and a 2007 Honda Rebel motorcycle.

In the past 9 years, I've had a 2 Dodge Dakotas, 2 GMC Sonomas, a GMC Sierra 2500 turbo-diesel 4x4, a Chevy Silverado 2500 4x4 diesel, a Ford F150 4x4, a GMC Sierra supercab 4x4, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe, and 2 Chrysler Sebring convertibles. I've not had any real problems with any of them.

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Wow, how butch!

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Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam

Wow, how butch!

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When I say I am just an Iowa farm boy, I am telling the truth! The GMC turbo diesel was an ungodly beast and I loved it :-) The Escalade was the most comfortable vehicle I have ever owned but I just felt it was not right for me -- I am not an Escalade person. My compact truck I have now fits me quite well, and I love the little motorcycle. It took me awhile and I had to try a lot of them before I found what I liked.

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Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam

Wow, how butch!

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I'm guessing that's what he's going for.

The whole Paladin hired-gun lawyery thing, macho dangerous backed up by big steel.

It comforts the clients, hahhahah.

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Originally Posted by Bill

I wouldn't buy an american vehicle - too much trouble, too many repairs, too many lemons.

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Your Honda was made in Ohio, wasn't it?

And most Toyotas are built in the US, Nissans built in Tennessee, Mercedes Benz has a plant in Georgia. Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura are still true Japanese cars though.

I've had good luck with trucks and since I don't like slowing down for speed humps I need to stick with vehicles that have tough suspensions.

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Originally Posted by Bill

I'm guessing that's what he's going for.

The whole Paladin hired-gun lawyery thing, macho dangerous backed up by big steel.

It comforts the clients, hahhahah.

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:-)

I thought I was just naturally butch!

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Originally Posted by chadknowslaw

Your Honda was made in Ohio, wasn't it?

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Well, I'd be the first to admit it's an emotional decision on my part.

When I was young I owned construction and landscaping companies - terrible businesses to be in, but thats another story - and I bought ford f-150 pickups for them.

And had problem after problem with those trucks. Miserable things. Of course I did buy them cuz they were cheap.

And about ten years ago I bought a ford escort as a vehicle for my partners business. That car caught fire and burned up.

The toyotas and hondas I've owned have never given me a peep of serious trouble. The japanese made toyotas I've owned did rust out, but the engine and drive trains were working just as well on the day I retired them as the day I bought them.

So at this point it's a visceral thing. As they say, your milage may vary, but I'm wary of american vehicles now.

I've heard they are building them better, but my gut says no way.

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Originally Posted by Bill

I've heard they are building them better, but my gut says no way.

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Our issue with American vehicles is that we really do feel the US automakers are going to be non-existant in the next 5 years, even with the bailout monies they are getting, plus, parts are going to become virtually impossible to get for American cars.

Regards,

Lee

1993 Nissan extended cab Pickup Truck. It has less than 34,000 original miles and the only things I've had to do with it so far was a new set of tires and a new muffler, and a battery one year. (Of course there are regular oil changes, and new wires one time, and a couple headlight replacements).

AJ drives a Mercedes 2 seater sports car (don't ask what type, I don't remember) and has, but doesn't drive, an ML-350 SUV.

I drive what my friends refer to as the Jankymobile, a 92 Civic VX, the ultra-fuel-efficient model that gets about 50 mpg. It is the 2nd '92 civic VX I've owned. The first one, after 185,000 miles, got rear-ended and then I rear-ended someone else a few months later, so I ended up with an accordion. I bought an Acura and drove it for a year or two, then I found a used Civic VX (same year as my original one) in 2005 with a very low 80,000 miles (low for a 13 year old car) and have driven it ever since. (I sold the Acura.)

And I agree with Bill that, for whatever reason, American cars (i.e., cars made by American auto companies, regardless of where they're actually built) seem to consistently have significantly higher incidence of repair issues and quality issues than foreign cars, even those foreign cars built in the US.

I think it's a mindset... the Japanese manufacturers have an obsessive focus on quality, and so perhaps it's the systems, quality standards, or whatever in Japanese-owned plants in the US that seems to enable them to produce cars with fewer quality and repair issues than their American counterparts.

BTW, my Civic was built in Canada. Go figure.

oh god the US Escort was CRAP! And Taurus. And Tempo. And a few others. I think the Escort Ford has been building for Europe is the car it SHOULD have built as the Escort in the US -- a much better car!

Hmm -- to add to the "crappy" list how about the Chevrolet Corsica and Cavalier. The Dodge Omni. And the fabulous Pontiac Aztec.

I think the lighter 1/2 ton trucks and even the light 3/4 tons were not built the way they should have been. The heavy 3/4 ton trucks (there is a big difference between a heavy 3/4 ton truck and a light 3/4 ton but that is a long explanation and better to just accept it as true) I had were indestructible beasts. Nothing broke, quit or stopped on them. Ever. I used one to pull a porch off my house in Iowa (it seemed easier to snake a log chain through it and pull it down than to tear it down by hand) and could put a ton of brick in it without strain.

Currently, and this is certainly subject to change, Nissan tentatively plans to have Dodge build its next big truck, replacing the Titan. The F150 of today is light years ahead of the old ones and the GM full-size trucks are great vehicles saddled with ugly, overdone bodies that I think are conclusive evidence that their designers spent too much time playing with Transformers as kids.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee

Our issue with American vehicles is that we really do feel the US automakers are going to be non-existant in the next 5 years, even with the bailout monies they are getting, plus, parts are going to become virtually impossible to get for American cars.

Regards,

Lee

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But Ford of Europe financially OK isn't it??

You can ALWAYS get parts at JC Whitney.

Toyota Yaris, Red, I call it my jelly bean, gas lasts forever, I love it.

Land Rover Discovery - Second One
Land Rover Discovery
Volkswagon GTI
Volvo 240
Mercedez Benz SLK
Chevy Celebrity
Nissan 4x4 Truck
Nissan Sentra

God now I feel old after think about all those!

I have a Infiniti G35 coupe. Love it! :broccoli: :broccoli:

Right now there is not a single new car that I lust for. I've always been a car fan, but nothing on the market excites me.

I went through my vintage car faze - three times - and I learned my lesson each time. My favorite care ever was a 63 Corvair convertible. Loved it but it was the worst car ever. The ad campaign for Corvair used the slogan "Growls for guys, purrs for girls."

Cool!! The Corvair was a cool looking car!

One car I really enjoyed was a Plymouth Duster. I swear it was indestructible but in order to start it in the winter you had to pump the gas 4 times and then turn the key. My dad bought it brand new and I gave it up at 155,000 miles. Now I can't find one for less than $5,000 and they sure are not worth that. It had skinny tires, bad breaks, and would lose power going hard around corners. Modern fuel systems, modern suspensions, modern brakes are a good thing.

There is not really a new car I would want right now either.

I have a boring Honda Accord, but boy, is it reliable. I've only had to do routine stuff on it the last 4 years and it has 120K miles. I'm actually thinking about getting another Accord since I like the redesign better than mine. But I've heard a lot of great things about the Chevy Malibu too so I'll probably check that out.

The inner butch in me really wants a truck (love the Nissan Frontier) but the practical side of me always wins... I can't live with a vehicle that gets less than 25 MPG.

Toyota may have something for me in the future. If they could clean up the design so it does not look like a Godzilla movie prop, the A-BAT truck might be something I could buy.

From my first, to my current...

71' Chevy Nova, 7o' Ford Granada, 81' Buick Regal, 84' Chevy Blazer, 06' Toyota Scion and now a 08' Toyota Tocoma Prerunner

I have a 2008 VW R32. Yeah, it looks like a Golf/Rabbit, but it's actually a limited edition car (5,000 every 4 years) with a 250hp engine, all wheel drive, racing suspension, low profile tires, etc... It's a blast to drive.

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Originally Posted by Lee

Right now we're in a Sebring convertible, thatll be changing soon though :)

Regards,

Lee

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Ha that's what I have! I also have a Kia Sportage. In Australia had a BMW 535i, loved it

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Originally Posted by rawTOP

I have a 2008 VW R32. Yeah, it looks like a Golf/Rabbit, but it's actually a limited edition car (5,000 every 4 years) with a 250hp engine, all wheel drive, racing suspension, low profile tires, etc... It's a blast to drive.

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I looked at one of those R32s in Portland while shopping around for a more fuel efficient vehicle. That thing is a little rocket. I almost bought one of the new 4-door GTIs but then moved back to Colorado and am glad I kept the Land Rover.

I drive a hearse (just in case)

and Cam likes plug-ins...

and of course, I still have my 14 yo jeep which is being converted into a hybrid with a new conversion kit made in Santa Cruz, CA - I'll double the mileage while cutting back on emissions

That little tiny car is really cute! I saw cars like that when I was in Japan and always wanted one :)

My car is a black 2000 Ford Mondeo Mk2 hatchback, currently under discussion to be replaced by a new Skoda Octavia hatchback or extended by another two years.

Just today our government announced that, as part of a program to strenghten the economy, we get € 2.500 government money if we replace a car of nine years or older with a new one. I think this just comes right since my car will be nine years old next month. So I guess I will be off to see some Skoda dealers later this week to see what they can offer.

Before my current car I had a 1997 Ford Escort hatchback which I lost in a head-on collision, and before that one a VW Golf, a Ford Fiesta, an Opel Acona B, an Opel Kadett C and my first was an Opel Ascona A.

Tony--

Hearse = Cool


Smart Car = Big Eye Rolls from Chad



:-)

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Originally Posted by chadknowslaw

Tony--

Hearse = Cool


Smart Car = Big Eye Rolls from Chad



:-)

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Big Eye Rolls? Chad - how about big egg rolls - the little bitsy car from China gets about 90 miles on one charge which is about 10¢ a mile... which leaves plenty of $$$ left over for the boys with the big toys...

check out this 57 t-bird Cam was checking out at our annual car show - pretty cool and very red

one of about a dozen cars I'd mortage the house for... but we're in an energy and earth friendly mood these days and since we can do something, we are...

we leave all the rare beauties for show only - (and no need for mortages at this late stage in life) - where's my hearse man! I feel a twinge cumming back on the board...

The T-Bird is very cool!!

Tony, you are a classic treasure, not an unknown flash-in-the-pan!

Chinese motor manufacturers do not have a good reputation at all. Chinese scooters are being sold in the US and breaking down at record pace. (you can buy them over the internet, have them shipped to you in a box and then you can try put them together and hope all the parts are there).The belts go bad, replacement parts hard or impossible to find and no dealer support. I don't know anyone who has gotten one to run for a full 1000 miles without a catastrophic breakdown and non-working used ones are being sold for pennies on Craigslist by severely disappointed owners. No matter how cheap a vehicle is does not make a difference if it is not working! Besides, a micro car like that just does not fit your image! If you insist, a Nissan Micra or Honda Fit seems a better choice -- still a low price and good mileage plus they will keep running for as long as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th owner wants to fill the tank and change the oil. They may not be 90 MPG, but overall cost per mile over the life of the car is probably lower -- and much lower down-time, than any Chinese micro.