What do you drive?

[Bubba Wheels]

More and more bad news coming out from Detroit about the woes of the U.S. auto industry. Seems the Big 3 are heading for some bad times, as this one story from among many is talking about. My question is, knowing that many of the traditional 'foreign brands' have U.S. factories and employ Americans...what do you drive and does the brand of vehicle (company that makes it) make a big difference to you. I know that Toyota has an extremely loyal following of customers. http://www.detnews.com/2005/insiders/0503/20/C01-122312.htm

Our own 'family car' is a Chevrolet Blazer. I'll add while its not a bad vehicle, Chevrolet dealers in general inhabit the bottom of the list in the J.D. Powers Customer Satisfaction surveys and my own experiences support that. Doubt if I would get another Chev.

[gi]

After suffering through 4 GM products and 1 Chrysler, I switched to a Toyota Echo sub-compact. The lowest cost of ownership of any vehicle as rated by Consumer Reports. Haven't had one problem with it which is a nice change of pace from the GM and Chrysler products I've had. I would probably buy Toyota or (if my MBA generates more money for me) Lexus again. My satisfaction experience with Toyota is very high.

[Bubba Wheels]

After suffering through 4 GM products and 1 Chrysler, I switched to a Toyota Echo sub-compact. The lowest cost of ownership of any vehicle as rated by Consumer Reports. Haven't had one problem with it which is a nice change of pace from the GM and Chrysler products I've had. I would probably buy Toyota or (if my MBA generates more money for me) Lexus again. My satisfaction experience with Toyota is very high.

More bad news for the Big 3, given you happen to live in Michigan. I've noticed most living in Michigan do tend to drive Big 3 autos with a healthy mix of others being seen, but as you get out-of-state the drop-off in Big 3s seen is significant. Going into Columbus or Chicago may even see more Hondas, Toyotas and Hyundais than Big 3s.

[gi]

More bad news for the Big 3, given you happen to live in Michigan. I've noticed most living in Michigan do tend to drive Big 3 autos with a healthy mix of others being seen, but as you get out-of-state the drop-off in Big 3s seen is significant. Going into Columbus or Chicago may even see more Hondas, Toyotas and Hyundais than Big 3s. I've seen the same trend. Detroit being a Union town, loyalty towards GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler (Can we stop calling this company USA based yet?) is strong.

They will have to increase their value and reliability for me to consider one of their products again. With Toyota catching fire and on pace to surpass GM as the #1 automaker, it is hard for them to compete. They have this huge albatross over their neck, health care of workers.

[Ksyrup]

Most of my family on my mom's side have been in Big Three auto-related jobs since the beginning of time. And all are doing really, really poorly right now. My uncles worked in a car design company (one of them was part owner) that ended up closing shop, and one uncle had to let the other one go, then lost his company a couple of yerars later. Bad times. They always take it, even now, as a personal affront when we don't buy American cars.

My dad was in the same boat as they were, working for Ford, but after the recession in the early 80's, he got the hell out of that business and Detroit altogether. Even though we lost our shirt on the house we owned at the time, that was one of the best decisions my parents ever made.

[Huckleberry]

1996 F150

Has worked great considering it's been on the minimum maintenance plan. I wish I'd taken better care of it.

After moving to Houston, next vehicle will be purchased with gas mileage considerations first and foremost. My commute has gone from 4 miles with no traffic to 13 miles with heavy traffic each way.

[rkmsuf]

Taylor Made

[Bubba Wheels]

Most of my family on my mom's side have been in Big Three auto-related jobs since the beginning of time. And all are doing really, really poorly right now. My uncles worked in a car design company (one of them was part owner) that ended up closing shop, and one uncle had to let the other one go, then lost his company a couple of yerars later. Bad times. They always take it, even now, as a personal affront when we don't buy American cars.

My dad was in the same boat as they were, working for Ford, but after the recession in the early 80's, he got the hell out of that business and Detroit altogether. Even though we lost our shirt on the house we owned at the time, that was one of the best decisions my parents ever made.

I remember the early 80s, when the slogan around here was 'Last one out of Michigan turn off the lights." Starting to look pretty bleak for this state once again.

[miked]

I drive a Toyota Corolla and my experiences with the car would drive me (pun intended) to get another Toyota Corolla or Toyota in general. I'm not a fan of SUVs or trucks, so I can't gather any feelings toward a particular brand in that manner, but I also owned a Chevy Nova at one point, which crapped out at around 60k and a Dodge Taurus, which might have been the worst car I've ever owned. Given my experiences with the "big 3" compared to that of Toyota, Nissan (wife owns one) and Subaru (dad's), my inclination will be to buy one of these every time.

[Airhog]

A 1976 Chevy Impala.

[condors]

me-2003-dodge intrepid

wife-2002- hyundai sonata

i used to have an outback sport and i liked that ride and would consider getting another one

[sovereignstar]

I'll never put money into an American car ever again, not that anything is made in the country anymore anyways.

I drive a '94 Buick Regal. Not a bad car and it has one of the better engines, but it happened to have a lemon paint job like many GM cars in the 90s did. Had to repaint everything from the trim up (cost around $1500). The paint literally flew off in sheets while I was going to college at St. Cloud State. Not too appealing to chicks. The warranty had expired by then. What a warranty has to do with a fucking lemon paint job beats the hell out of me.

Fuck GM. Hello Honda/Nissan.

[Chubby]

2002 Honda Civic SE

Honda all the way!

[Raiders Army]

Me: 2000 Pontiac Firebird
Wife: 2002 Pontiac Montana

Not really satisified with the level of maintenance support at the dealerships with either of the cars. When we had Mitsubishis (Eclipse and Montero Sport), they were much better.

[Apathetic Lurker]

A 1985 Mercury Marquis gas pig (6+- mpg)

[KevinNU7]

1995 Nissian, my fiance beat the shit out of it in college though so I'll probably be in the market in a year or so

[Peregrine]

2001 Nissan Maxima

[wade moore]

2003 Toyota Celica

I'm all about helping out American Businesses, but there comes a line when quality overpowers loyalty...

[JeeberD]

'97 Toyota Corolla

It's either Japanese or German for me from here on out. You couldn't pay me enough to drive an American car...

[Eaglesfan27]

After suffering through 4 GM products and 1 Chrysler, I switched to a Toyota Echo sub-compact. The lowest cost of ownership of any vehicle as rated by Consumer Reports. Haven't had one problem with it which is a nice change of pace from the GM and Chrysler products I've had. I would probably buy Toyota or (if my MBA generates more money for me) Lexus again. My satisfaction experience with Toyota is very high.
I also drive a Toyota Echo and I'm very happy with it. I'll be buying some form of Toyota when this car dies in 5-10 years.

[MacroGuru]

Wife: 2000 Pontiac Grand Am (Great Car, Love it)

Me: 1991 Honda CRX (Looks like a POS, runs well, and gets good gas mileage)

I am looking to purchase a new vehicle within the next 5 months as the addition of a little one in August will force me to ditch the CRX. I am looking American made first, as I have had nothing but issues with the 2 Toyota's and 2 Nissans we have owned.

[Chubby]

Wife: 2000 Pontiac Grand Am (Great Car, Love it)

Me: 1991 Honda CRX (Looks like a POS, runs well, and gets good gas mileage)

I am looking to purchase a new vehicle within the next 5 months as the addition of a little one in August will force me to ditch the CRX. I am looking American made first, as I have had nothing but issues with the 2 Toyota's and 2 Nissans we have owned.
yet you have a 91 Honda that you said runs good lol

[SunDancer]

2003 Toyota Celica

I'm all about helping out American Businesses, but there comes a line when quality overpowers loyalty...

American businesses? Sure, they are "headquartered" here, but the foreign cars are more "American-made" then the Big 3.

[Pumpy Tudors]

My car is a 1999 Mitsubishi Mirage. I don't know a damn thing about cars. I just know that this one was fucking cheap when I bought it used in 2002.

[Schmidty]

2003 Dodge Viper GT - 950 hp of ground burning heaven. But that's only in GT4. :(

In real life, I drive a '99 Ford Ranger and my wife drives a '93 Isuzu Trooper.

[Desnudo]

More and more bad news coming out from Detroit about the woes of the U.S. auto industry. Seems the Big 3 are heading for some bad times, as this one story from among many is talking about. My question is, knowing that many of the traditional 'foreign brands' have U.S. factories and employ Americans...what do you drive and does the brand of vehicle (company that makes it) make a big difference to you. I know that Toyota has an extremely loyal following of customers. http://www.detnews.com/2005/insiders/0503/20/C01-122312.htm

Our own 'family car' is a Chevrolet Blazer. I'll add while its not a bad vehicle, Chevrolet dealers in general inhabit the bottom of the list in the J.D. Powers Customer Satisfaction surveys and my own experiences support that. Doubt if I would get another Chev.

Maybe if they didn't make really ugly cars with plastic interiors, they'd sell more.

I drive a Toyota Landcruiser, but I don't feel any particular loyalty to Toyota, having driven too many rental cars. Although I do feel loyalty to the Landcruiser.

[MacroGuru]

yet you have a 91 Honda that you said runs good lol

Yeah...but I haven't included the fact that my Sis in laws Honda has given her nothing but grief.

I have a heard a lot of pro's on the Honda's, mine has verified it. BUT, they are just not big enough for the family growth.

[Flasch186]

me = Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo

GF = 97 toyota Corrola

Our Mechanic said her car is the best car ever made. Should run for upwards of 300K miles.

Wow....I desperately want the new Cadillac CTSV wow. but probably cant. oh well.

[Fritz]

delorean

[Logan]

99 Altima

[JeeberD]

delorean

RIP :(

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1058221.cms

[Its Vanilla]

I drive a 1992 Dodge Daytona. http://www.cardomain.com/id/itsvanilla

I've had no problems with it other than what was caused by me or what comes with 12 years of wear. Car has 91,000 miles on it. It has the same engine used in the earlier minivans. They have been known to get well over 250,000 miles.

Dad drives a 1992 Dodge Dakota. Only problem he's had is with the paint wearing off. Used to drive an 86 S10, which was a pile, and a 1979 Trans Am. Still has a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda 440.

Mom has a 2001 Chrysler Town and Country. That thing is indestructable. Visibility is a bit hampered by the large D pillars, but we've had no problems with it at all. Before that she had a 1991 Plymouth Voyager and a 1987 Dodge Caravan.

[hitmanwa]

2005 Tundra and 2003 Camry. I used to be all into the buying American, that is until it started costing me money. This is key for most IMO. The last American made vehicle I had was an S10. They put the damn plugs under the engine block. I'm sure they had their reasons but I had to change them out every 4-6 months due to rust. It was either that or don't drive in the rain. As is, I love Toyota now and will never buy anything else unless their quality/service drops dramatically. We are very happy with what we've seen so far and encourage all of our friends to go the same route as we did.

[Kevin]

2003 Intepid. The nice thing about the Intrepids is that they are way undervalued on the used market because of some known issues, mainly transmissions. The price for a used Interpid is cheaper by about double the cost of a full transmission replacement than a comparable import car. Even if you have the transmission problem, you still come out ahead. My 94 Intrepid was the best car I've ever owned.

I will acknowledge though, that noone builds a tougher small engine than Toyota. Once the rest of a Tercel gives up the ghost, you can drop the engine in a newer chassis and get lots more miles out of it.

[Blackadar]

1998 Subaru Forester, which is a good, solid car/SUV.

2003 Subaru WRX, which is friggin' awesome to drive.

As for American cars, many foreign cars are built - in part or in their entirety - in the USA. I'd go for American-owned, but I'm not paying more to get less just to have an American car.

[Crapshoot]

delorean

damnit- beat me to it.. :D

[Vince]

1994 Honda Accord -- runs like a champ even though it has 160,000 miles on it now.

I love Toyota -- my dad worked for Toyota dealerships for 18 years, and I've owned Toyotas before this Honda, and I think they have a phenomenal product.

[Anthony]

2002 Hyundai Elantra 5 door hatchback. love it. it could fit a small family of Mexicans, that's how much room it has in there. it's deceptively big.

[Fonzie]

1999 VW Passat - an extraordinarily luxurious car for the price. We've had some problems with it that were (mostly) covered under warranty, but overall it has been a solid car. I don't know that I'd buy it again though.

2004 Honda CRV - lovely vehicle. We haven't had it long enough to comment on its durability, but it is thoughtfully designed and very refined for a small SUV.

We used to own a 1995 Toyota Corolla, and only sold it because we were making a cross-country move and didn't want to transport two cars. Now that was a fine vehicle - never any problems worse than replacing a starter motor or alternator in nine years of ownership, and it got excellent mileage. I'd buy a Toyota again in a heartbeat, and almost did before deciding on the CRV over the RAV4 last fall.

[Fritz]

damnit- beat me to it.. :D

I am sure I am not the only one. Where do you get your parts?

[Solecismic]

More bad news for the Big 3, given you happen to live in Michigan. I've noticed most living in Michigan do tend to drive Big 3 autos with a healthy mix of others being seen, but as you get out-of-state the drop-off in Big 3s seen is significant. Going into Columbus or Chicago may even see more Hondas, Toyotas and Hyundais than Big 3s.

Growing up not too far from a plant, the reason behind that is that you used to stand a pretty good chance of having your car vandalized if you drove an import. Today, that's pretty much limited to those who work for an auto company and drive their import on to the parking lot. Brand loyalty is hard to break, though.

So, those of us from Michigan who drive quality small cars today owe that to the brave pioneers of the '70s and '80s who were among the first to embrace the Toyotas and the Hondas.

Of course, the lesson here is that the union folk would rather resort to minor forms of terrorism than take any kind of pride in their work. I've had friends acutally shot at for working a non-union job in a field where union is the norm - at least in Michigan.

Realizing that, today, the "foreign" designation on a car doesn't mean a whole lot, I'd still never buy a big-three car. I'll hold to that bias at least until they catch up and produce a quality competitor. But never a Ford, even though they're probably the closest to competing.

[Crapshoot]

I am sure I am not the only one. Where do you get your parts?

Dr. Brown :D

[Crapshoot]

Growing up not too far from a plant, the reason behind that is that you used to stand a pretty good chance of having your car vandalized if you drove an import. Today, that's pretty much limited to those who work for an auto company and drive their import on to the parking lot. Brand loyalty is hard to break, though.

So, those of us from Michigan who drive quality small cars today owe that to the brave pioneers of the '70s and '80s who were among the first to embrace the Toyotas and the Hondas.

Of course, the lesson here is that the union folk would rather resort to minor forms of terrorism than take any kind of pride in their work. I've had friends acutally shot at for working a non-union job in a field where union is the norm - at least in Michigan.

Realizing that, today, the "foreign" designation on a car doesn't mean a whole lot, I'd still never buy a big-three car. I'll hold to that bias at least until they catch up and produce a quality competitor. But never a Ford, even though they're probably the closest to competing.

That's really interesting Jim- thanks. I realized that unions treated non union members or "scabs" differently - didnt realize that you could have your car vandalized.

[Ajaxab]

My wife and I have a 1993 Accord with 238,000 miles on it. We've had to get the timing belts done once and needed the right half-shaft replaced, but that's the only major repair needed. Pretty impressive given the amount of miles we've put on it. We're looking at getting a Civic or a Corolla in the next few months though. The Accord has given us solid use.

[Cringer]

We have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Van (ful size van) Nice little 5.9 liter V8 in it, needless to say we are thinking it may be time to get something atleast a little better on gas.

I think I may go Dodge again, I have had a good experience with this van, and my mom has done well with her Durango.

We also have a '93 Chevy Blazer, that is kind of crappy. It is my "Drive it to the yard to get on the truck and leave it there all week" vehicle.

When International Harvester starts making Scouts again, someone let me know.

[Franklinnoble]

97 Dodge Dakota - Piece of shit. 2 bad catalytic converters, bad power steering pump, two bad water pumps, blown freeze plugs, etc., etc., etc. I will never buy another Dodge small pickup again (I hear the large Ram diesels are OK).

99 Dodge Neon - Piece of shit. Rattles at high speeds. Noisy on the freeway. But, actually no major mechanical problems... just generally a shitty little car. Wish I had a bigger sedan.

[bosshogg23]

2005 Chevy Equinox that we bought last week.

1995 Dodge Caravan that looks like crap but runs great.

[paperstreetsoap]

96 honda accord

[Cringer]

97 Dodge Dakota - Piece of shit. 2 bad catalytic converters, bad power steering pump, two bad water pumps, blown freeze plugs, etc., etc., etc. I will never buy another Dodge small pickup again (I hear the large Ram diesels are OK).

99 Dodge Neon - Piece of shit. Rattles at high speeds. Noisy on the freeway. But, actually no major mechanical problems... just generally a shitty little car. Wish I had a bigger sedan.

Well, there is a nice post to counter my like of Dodge's right before it. :D

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Don't own a vehicle. Every one that I ever did own was an American car though. I would never own an import. There should be a tarrif on all imported cars, including those that wear Chevy bowties and Ford emblems. You want to own a Honda that badly? Pay $35,000 for a Civic.

Out of the remaining two U.S. automakers, Ford is the only one that has even a hint of a clue. GM is too big and spends too much time and effort into every single aspect of the company other than designing and building good cars. What they do build they concentrate too much on building a car that can be sold as 3 different Pontiacs, 4 Buicks, 7 Chevys, and a Cadillac. Where the foreign companies do it right is by making relativly few models. Then they can concentrate more on quality than quantity.

If I had to buy a vehicle today, it would be a Ford Escape Hybrid. I hate SUV's, but I have difficulty getting in and out of cars with my back. A friend has a Jeep Liberty and it's a nice little vehicle. Easy to get in and out. But it sucks too much gas. At least it's built here by a company that still pretends to be American.

Yup. I'm one of those commie-liberals who is into conserving energy. Or is it conservatives who conserve, and liberals who use a liberal amount of energy?

[Franklinnoble]

Well, there is a nice post to counter my like of Dodge's right before it. :D

Different experiences, I suppose.

The Dakota is notorious for catalytic converter problems - I've commisserated with dozens of other owners online about this. I don't know what the deal is with the chronic engine cooling system problems, though.

The Neon was re-designed in 2000 to make the windows less noisy, so that's just a flaw that I bought a year too soon.

[Crapshoot]

Don't own a vehicle. Every one that I ever did own was an American car though. I would never own an import. There should be a tarrif on all imported cars, including those that wear Chevy bowties and Ford emblems. You want to own a Honda that badly? Pay $35,000 for a Civic.


I hope you're joking.

[randal7]

1998 Chevy Blazer

1985 Chevrolet S10 - 37,xxx original miles - bought it from my grandfather in 1994 when he wanted a bigger truck. The poor thing has that heinousy ugly color gradient decal that covers half the side that Chevy put on their S10's in the mid-80's, but I still like it.

Despite the fact that I own 2 Chevys, I will never do business with a Chevy dealer again. I had a 1989 Camaro that had the defective paint someone else mentioned and they wouldn't fix it because the warranty "doesn't cover paint". And I had a 1996 Neon. That was a good little car. Yes, it was a cheap-looking, but what do you want for 11 grand? The thing got 35mpg on the highway, and I put a 27" TV in the box in the back seat.

[Franklinnoble]

I hope you're joking.

He's from Detroit. What do you expect?

[Crapshoot]

He's from Detroit. What do you expect?

Well, I'm from Delhi, India initially - but that doesnt mean I think you should only buy Indian items, and screw everyone else by forcing them to buy overpriced stuff- that seems to be cutting the nose to spite the face.

[thealmighty]

Me- 2004 Sebring Convertible

Wife- 2002 Grand Cherokee

[cmp]

1997 Dodge Stratus

[lytic]

2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab... love it.

My wife is in between cars right now... our '79 Wagoneer just died.

I'd go with Dodge again, I had a Chevy S-10 and will never go back. My first car was an 86 Ford Tempo which I did a complete overhaul on. I loved (and now miss) my souped-up Tempo.

[SunDancer]

Don't own a vehicle. Every one that I ever did own was an American car though. I would never own an import. There should be a tarrif on all imported cars, including those that wear Chevy bowties and Ford emblems. You want to own a Honda that badly? Pay $35,000 for a Civic.

Out of the remaining two U.S. automakers, Ford is the only one that has even a hint of a clue. GM is too big and spends too much time and effort into every single aspect of the company other than designing and building good cars. What they do build they concentrate too much on building a car that can be sold as 3 different Pontiacs, 4 Buicks, 7 Chevys, and a Cadillac. Where the foreign companies do it right is by making relativly few models. Then they can concentrate more on quality than quantity.

?

Like someone else said, I hope your joking. And how would tariffs, that make "foreign" cars more expensive, help American cars? It would allow them to not be competitive, and I couldn't imagine the quality and safety of cars if that occured. Also, you do realize that companies such as Nissan, Toyota, Honda, are more "American" then the Big 3. Alot more of the foreign cars are built here then the Big 3. Also, is DaimenChrysler even a fully "American" company? Isn't it a merger between Mercedes-Benz and the old Chrysler company? While I do agree with your GM's assessment to a point, I just think do not understand how to produce and market them. They are doing very well with the rise of the Cadillac brand (and I must say, they do look pretty sharp). Look at Toyota. They have a very successful Toyota brand, and a Lexus brand. The secret in today's automaker industry is component and platform sharing, and keeping costs down. Alot of companies use platforms for all differnet brands and lines.

I think Cadillac and Chrysler are offering hope for the American-"made" products. They seem to be sharp designs, solid quality and price.

[mhass]

Varies. But one of these quite often.

http://www.rbauction.com/auction_catalog/thumbs.jsp?auction_id=2005167&industry_id=1&equip_id=1055573&picture_id=2&Search_type=Other&Search_results=All&class_cd=HEX&vc_make=KOMATSU&vc_model=

[Craptacular]

Me (most of the time): 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT sedan (almost 30K miles and zero problems)

Wife (most of the time): 1996 Geo Prism (aka rebadged Toyota Corrolla) -- she'll drive it into the ground

Us (some of the time): 2004 Mazda 6 Wagon -- we got this to haul our Siberian Huskies (and eventually kids) around, and in case her car decides to explode. For a wagon, it's very fun to drive.

Next car (when we have a couple of kids): likely a Toyota Highlander or Ford Freestyle type of vehicle. I don't like SUVs, but like the versatility of those crossovers. Hopefully there will be a hybrid with decent horsepower (like the new hybrid Accord) in such a vehicle by the time we're looking.

[Phoenix]

2005 DODGE MAGNUM - (least expensive car that the valets park at the front of the restaurant!) - chicks dig it too!

[Rizon]

Me: 84 Firebird (244,000 miles)
Wife: 03 Saturn

[Airhog]

You people drive some wussy cars. My car has more american steel in the body, then your whole car has :D

[Peregrine]

I guess I need to change my earlier entry, since I just traded in my Maxima yesterday for a new Mazda RX-8.