| Author |
Message |
    
Bads1
| | Posted on Thursday, October 01, 2009 - 04:12 pm: | 
|
Heres why I bought the Durango. Mind you I like to drive it. Its quiet,smooth and functions well. But all the bullcrap problems really P me off. Anyways I had a 2002 4 runner. I needed larger. I would of loved a Toyota Sequoia but lil pricey. My Brother has retired Chrysler worker that gave me the Employee discount. It had a 7300 dollar rebate. Also 500 dollar because the new car autoshow was going on in Milwaukee. Add it all up I bought it 12,000.00 off sticker. Was it worth it??? |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 08:40 am: |
|
I know that Chrysler had an issue with transmissions, but I didn't know they were still an issue.
The only experience with a modern Mopar I have is an ex-girlfriend's Neon - I think it was a 2004, bought brand new. We called it quits in 2006 and it was a good car up until then. I have friends that are still in touch with her and she only got rid of it in the last 6 months or so - no idea the reasons.
I bought the Mazda. They had to locate one for me with the color and options I wanted - should have it less than a week. I feel a little dirty inside, but I'm excited about how well optioned this car is. |
Brumbear
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 08:43 am: |
|
my 1999 work van 4 transmissions
my 2003 work van 2 transmissions but most were warrentee |
Swordsman
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 08:52 am: |
|
If I'm not mistaken, Neons are all Mitsubishi under the hood. I know the PT Cruisers are.
~SM |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 09:37 am: |
|
They are not the same under the hood. Biggest giveaway is the exhaust points towards the front on a Mitsu and towards the back on a Mopar. They do share some compenents, I believe.
Want a bigger head scratcher? Open up the hood of a new Mini and open up the hood of a Neon. Things will look real familiar. |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 09:40 am: |
|
They are not the same under the hood. Biggest giveaway is the exhaust points towards the front on a Mitsu and towards the back on a Mopar. They do share some compenents, I believe.
Want a bigger head scratcher? Open up the hood of a new Mini and open up the hood of a Neon. Things will look real familiar. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 09:50 am: |
|
I'll never understand how Chrysler forgot how to design and build automatic transmissions. The old Torqueflites were utterly bullet-proof. Anybody remember the TV ads Chrysler had in the early 1970's with Arthur Godfrey? I remember one where he was outside talking to the camera as a test driver took a recent Chrysler product in the background and repeatedly burned out shifting from reverse to low again and again to demonstrate the durability of their transmissions. (Hard to imagine a car company ever had the balls to do ads like that.) I never heard anyone back then have a bad word about a Chrysler automatic.
Skip to the 1980's/1990's- I never heard of a single Chrysler mini-van (and I had many friends who had them) that didn't have to have the transmission completely rebuilt or replaced at around 80,000 miles. Sounds like they still haven't remembered how to build one. |
Buelltoys
| | Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 - 11:58 am: |
|
It is great to see people liking the Hyundais. I bought a Hyundai Elantra Touring and love the car. The ex has a Sonata and liked it enough to buy another after she totaled the first one.
I am a little bias since I do work for Hyundai but if you want to see a great car wait for the new Sonata to come out next June or July. The car looks just like the Genesis. It will have a 4 cylinder Turbo that creates the HP of a 6 cylinder.
The Genesis is a great car. Drove the heck out of it for a test session and loved it. Just did not want a large car payment or I would have bought one.
Thanks for being customers out there. Thought everyone was a Government Motors or Ford fans out there but maybe we are gaining some momentum.
Brian |
Darthane
| | Posted on Saturday, October 03, 2009 - 08:29 am: |
|
Ford owned 1/3rd of Mazda until last year. They sold about 20% of their stake, I believe, but are still the largest single stakeholder. There is a fair amount of collaboration between the two, and having spent much of a year working with Mazda in Hiroshima in collaboration for a Ford product, believe me when I tell you that they are an excellent influence on Ford, and thankfully not the other way around.
My 3 is a freaking awesome little car. I wanted a Speed, but they wouldn't let me test drive it, so I have the naturally aspirated version. I don't drive much, so it's not high mileage yet, but I have to say I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. I drove pretty much everything comparable a few years ago when I started looking in earnest, and the 3 was just the best overall package. I liked the way some others drove or their get-up-and-go better, I liked the styling on some others better, I liked the price tag on some others better, but the 3 pulled all aspects into one package.
It's nothing to feel shameful about. Either an American OEM makes something that you want, or they don't. The only thing you can do about it is buy something else and let them know why you didn't buy theirs - and perhaps in the future they will.
Hugh, my family had a 1985 Caravan that we finally got rid of with nearly 200K on it, and a 1994 with over 100K - neither required anything other than normal maintenance. -=shrugs=- YMMV, literally.
(Message edited by darthane on October 03, 2009) |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Saturday, October 03, 2009 - 10:58 am: |
|
My thing with the Mazdaspeed3 is that there are two domestic competitors to that car: the Dodge Caliber SRT-4 and the Chevy HHR-SS. The Dodge is more of a mini-SUV and as such doesn't handle nearly as well and the interior materials are much cheaper. The Chevy does everything just as good as the Mazda - handling, power, people and stuff space - but it does it a MUCH uglier package. I like the HHR in regular trim, I hate in SS trim.
The Mazda also comes with more options than either - kayless entry and ignition, on board navigation, automatic dual zone climate control. The rest is pretty standard stuff.
I still feel very weird about the purchase. There are a slew of American cars I'd rather have, but they either don't fit all the requirements I have, or they're just way too much money - or both. I don't expect this to be the first in long line of imported cars for me. I like American cars and I'd rather own one. Unless I'm looking in the same market segment next time and the domestic automakers still don't have good option, it will be an American car next time. |
Elsinore74
| | Posted on Saturday, October 03, 2009 - 11:31 am: |
|
It's nothing to feel shameful about. Either an American OEM makes something that you want, or they don't. The only thing you can do about it is buy something else and let them know why you didn't buy theirs - and perhaps in the future they will.
Couldn't agree more, but I know the feeling Brumbear had when picking the Camry over a Domestic nameplate car. Twenty years or so ago, I always felt a need to explain or justify my choice to others if driving an import (alternately owned both foreign and domestic cars and trucks over the years).
Now, f*** 'em; what I bought (two wheels or four), I bought for my own reasons. 
Enjoy what ever you drive or ride. |
Swordsman
| | Posted on Monday, October 05, 2009 - 11:36 am: |
|
"There is a fair amount of collaboration between the two, and having spent much of a year working with Mazda in Hiroshima in collaboration for a Ford product, believe me when I tell you that they are an excellent influence on Ford, and thankfully not the other way around."
The '05-'09 Mustangs have Mazda RX8 door handles. 
~SM |
|
