Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

1371372374376377382

Comments

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165

    Wasn't there a "Frank Sinatra" version of that gen Imperial as well?

  • tlongtlong Member Posts: 5,194

    @fintail said:
    I like the tacked on "limited edition" badge - must be a dealer installed thing, right? Even though the bordello interior is plush, I'd think that's a base car with the hubcaps and no leather.

    Your humor is in full swing fintail! Too funny...

  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805

    I found that car on another forum. A poster there saw the "Limited Edition" badge and correctly identified it as a stick on sold at Wal-Mart.

    Check out the Carfax - only 2,000 miles put on it in the last 10-1/2 years.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092

    What can I say, it comes easy :smile:

    Wal Mart badges, not a good sign. Car looks nice, but is priced at least twice real world value. I don't think people line up for these things, especially basic models.

    And yes, there was a Sinatra edition. Maybe not the pinnacle of American cars - nice color anyway:

    image

    @tlong said:
    Your humor is in full swing fintail! Too funny...

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165

    Personally, I'm not that into bustle back styling, but I don't think Chrysler did a bad job with that design technique on this Imperial. And yeah, I much prefer the Sinatra blue to all of the ink or silver blue that is on cars these days.

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312

    The Sinatra edition also came with the complete Sinatra catalog on cassette.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    That is a pretty Imperial, and I've always liked that style. It's interesting how Ford, GM, and Mopar all did their own take on the bustleback theme. I thought the Seville had sort of a neoclassic/pimpy thing going on, while the '82-87 Continental was more conservative/stuffed shirt/old fogey. But somehow, the Imperial managed to come off sleek and futuristic.

    As for trim levels, according to my old car book, all '81-83 Imperials were just "Imperial". There were no model designations such as "Limited" or whatever...at least nothing that they kept enough track of to break out sales figures. So things like a leather interior, nicer wheels, the Frank Sinatra package, etc, were all just individual options.

    Last year, a local lot had an '81 or '82 Imperial for sale, asking $3995. It was painted FS blue, but wasn't an FS Edition. Can't remember which wheels it had. It looked like a nice car. And, I think it only had about 30,000 miles on it. However, it had a little rust in one of the lower rear quarters, and had been repainted. But, it was a nice paint job, and I didn't notice the rust at first. These cars also originally came with fuel injection, which was troublesome, and most were converted to 2-bbl carburetors at some point, which was the case with this one.

    It ultimately sold apparently, because it stopped showing up on their website. But the last time I drove past the dealer, it was back on their lot.

  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277

    Little humor for the day, never heard of this guy before this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6IZ2TroruU&feature=player_embedded

  • busirisbusiris Member Posts: 3,490

    He was a staple on the Daily Show for years. He's been around for a long time.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092

    Good observation on the bustleback styling differences. Chrysler probably pulled it off best. I always thought the Imperial looks like a big fancy R-body coupe, which isn't being said as a bad thing, especially if one likes angular cars. The Lincoln is kind of dowdy, and the Seville is ostentatious.

    Regarding the humor, that memo from GM was hilarious. The best part is that all of those terms had likely been used. Brakes like an X-car!

    @andre1969 said:
    That is a pretty Imperial, and I've always liked that style

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    @fintail said:
    Good observation on the bustleback styling differences. Chrysler probably pulled it off best. I always thought the Imperial looks like a big fancy R-body coupe, which isn't being said as a bad thing, especially if one likes angular cars. The Lincoln is kind of dowdy, and the Seville is ostentatious.

    Scary thing is, the '81-83 Imperial is really just a big, fancy Volare coupe! But, I guess that's not really a bad thing, considering a Mark VII was just a big fancy Fairmont, and from '75-79 at least, the Seville was just a big fancy Nova!

    I think the '81-83 Imperial (as well as '80-83 Cordoba/Mirada) did use a variation of the R-body dashboard. Or, at least they took some pieces from it.

    I'll admit though, I'm starting to like those '82-87 era Continental sedans more and more. It's hard to hide the fact that they're based on the fox body, but they're at least handsome, in a conservative way.

  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384

    Back on an earlier comment from Andre I would agree that Mopars survived the 57 into 58 difficulties pretty well. I liked the full light fins on the 67 Plymouth better but that's probably due to the fact that it made ours look slightly dated which, of course, was the idea.

    My aunt had a 59 or 60 Plymouth wagon. I'll have to look up and see which it was. I just remember it struck me as hideous but from the inside it was great!

    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • carnaughtcarnaught Member Posts: 3,497

    Like those old "newer" Imperials. There must not be many of them around but they'll still probably never become collector's cars.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    @fezo said:
    Back on an earlier comment from Andre I would agree that Mopars survived the 57 into 58 difficulties pretty well. I liked the full light fins on the 67 Plymouth better but that's probably due to the fact that it made ours look slightly dated which, of course, was the idea.

    I've also wondered if the taillight change for '58 was a cost cutting move on the Plymouth? Not only did they go from those full-height taillights to the little "lollipop" lights, but they also went from two backup lights to just one! It was mounted low on the bumper, under the license plate.

    My aunt had a 59 or 60 Plymouth wagon. I'll have to look up and see which it was. I just remember it struck me as hideous but from the inside it was great!

    My guess would be a '60? IMO at least, it was the more hideous of the two. The '59 was a bit garish, with an eggcrate grille and frenched headlights. But the '60 had a really overdone, hulking front-end, and had oddly-shaped wheel openings, and was just hideous in general. Although I think the fins were kinda cool...a bit Cadillac-ish.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092

    When I was a kid, I had an aunt and uncle who had a bustleback Continental, and it shared a garage with a Fox body Mustang with T-tops (probably no newer than 83 or so). Two Foxes in one garage. At the time, I was much more impressed with the Mustang. She's the one who won an electric "Citicar" in a mall contest, I remember I got a ride in it before it was sold - there's an American car seldom seen.

    I didn't know the Imperial was a Volare. It carries the R body theme well.

    @andre1969 said:
    I'll admit though, I'm starting to like those '82-87 era Continental sedans more and more. It's hard to hide the fact that they're based on the fox body, but they're at least handsome, in a conservative way.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    @carnaught said:
    Like those old "newer" Imperials. There must not be many of them around but they'll still probably never become collector's cars.

    >
    Well, Chrysler tried to give the car snob appeal by saying they were going to limit first year, 1981 production to "just" 25,000 units. Needless to say, they didn't have to bother, as only something like 7225 were sold that first year. And from there it went downhill fast.

    I still see them on occasion, but I also attend a lot of old car shows throughout the year, and hang with a lot of Chrysler people. So my experiences probably aren't the best gauge of what's still common and what isn't. For instance, I probably see more '57 Plymouths in a given year, than '57 Chevies. Mainly because there's always a ton of them at the Mopar show in Carlisle PA, but the the GM show has a much smaller turnout, in general. There's a show I go to in Macungie PA, that usually has a pretty good turnout of '55-57 Chevies...enough that they have their own class.

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481

    Here's an Imperial FS for sale:

    http://rustybuttrusty.com/2014/02/11/too-soon-for-irony-1981-imperial-frank-sinatra-edition/

    What a bizarre marketing angle. And look at that asking price -- $2650 !! You'd be rich if had held onto yours! :)

    Well I guess they still do occasionally name American cars after people---there was the Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorer, right? And the "Enzo". Will there be a Putin edition Lada?

    One problem with trying this in 2014 is that so many celebrities self-destruct that putting a famous name on a car could be very risky.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    Well, I think whatever fascination I once had with Nissan is pretty much over with. If y'all remember, they told my buddy with the 2006 Xterra that it will probably be needing a new timing chain soon. Well, they also said it could be needing new front wheel bearings, or hubs, or something like that soon as well.

    Now, to top it all off, the oil gauge is acting funny. When you first turn it on, it spikes all the way to the top of the range, and reads high the whole time it's on. However, I noticed that it reads high even when the key is turned to "on", but with the engine off...a time when you would have no oil pressure. So that suggests to me that it's something wrong with either the gauge, sending unit, or wiring or something, but the real oil pressure is most likely okay.

    Yesterday, I had him pop the hood just on the off chance that I could find the sending unit, and I noticed that the paint on the inner fenders in the engine bay is starting to peel off.

    I guess in its defense, the thing is 8 years old now. And nothing stays new forever. So maybe I am judging Nissan a bit harshly. Although some of y'all did warn me that their quality did start slipping around this timeframe.

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312
    edited May 2014

    Our 1993 Pathfinder was 10 years old when we sold it and it was chugging along fine. My knock on Nissan today is that-aside from the 370Z and Godzilla-everything they make is a snoozemobile of the highest degree...

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    I'll confess that I have a fondness for the Maxima, although I haven't driven one yet. I can't remember if I've ever even sat in one.

    Way back in 1993, I had just graduated college, got what I thought was a good paying job, and suddenly got on an SUV kick. I remember test driving a bunch of them, and I liked that era Pathfinder a lot. I think the one I looked at was around $26,000 or so, and one issue I had with them was that the Pathfinder didn't offer a sliding sunroof. I think it had some kind of internal rollbar, or something that made it impossible to have one. Out of the compact SUVs I drove, I think I liked the Pathfinder the best overall at the time.

    Ultimately though, that was a passing phase, once I realized that buying something like that would delay me moving out on my own.

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312

    What I really liked about the Pathfinder was that it had true off road capability but still drove like a car. Even back in 1993 it was available with four wheel disc brakes and cockpit adjustable shocks.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261

    I remember getting a Pathfinder as a loaner vehicle when my 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis was being serviced. It was kind of neat to drive for a day or two, but I couldn't see driving it every day in the city.

  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277

    http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140527/BIZ/305270020/0/auto01/Minivan-family-hauler-poised-rebound-U-S-

    Two brands that are perfect for this segment? Volvo and Subaru. Both of them have a history of top safety score and family oriented transportation. Heck, for Subaru I would put a minivan at the forefront of new products well before a new Tribeca.

    Nobody but Toyota (Chrysler doesn't anymore, do they?) offers a AWD minivan so the door is wide open there and a premium minivan from Volvo might give them a leg up on the Germans who other than the odd duck Mercedes R-Classe have note fielded in this segment here in the states...

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    Along those lines, "We know what we are and what we aren't," said Minyang Jiang, Ford's brand manager for the Transit Connect. "We're not a $40,000 people mover."

    She was referring to the cost of traditional minivans, which increasingly are difficult to keep under the $40,000 pricing threshold. Indeed, there are versions of the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey that push the big Five-Oh when loaded up with things like adaptive cruise control, rear-seat entertainment systems and even a vacuum cleaner. You can't get such luxuries on the Transit Connect, but there's still an ample amount of equipment available at a price that significantly undercuts the big boys."

    2014 Ford Transit Connect First Drive

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    I don't think the Grand Caravan or Town and Country have offered AWD for awhile, now. Looks like 1992-2004, according to Wikipedia. I had forgotten that they started that early on.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    Well, it looks like my Ram gets to have its first repair visit to the dealer. It got stuck in 4th gear again yesterday, for the 3rd time since I've had it, and this time it made the check engine light come on. I got the dash to display this:

    I looked it up online, and found this info...
    0876 UD PRESSURE SWITCH RATIONALITY
    When Monitored
    Continuously with the ignition on and engine running.

    Set Condition
    This DTC is set if the UD pressure switch is in the wrong state for the current gear. For example, this code would be set if the UD pressure switch remained off while the transmission was in second gear.

    Possible Causes
    RELATED TCM POWER INPUT DTCS PRESENT
    LOW FLUID LEVEL
    NO. 2 CHECK BALL CUT OR DAMAGED
    LOW LINE PRESSURE
    CRACKED OR MIS-INSTALLED SUMP FILTER OR SEAL
    STICKING MAIN REGULATOR VALVE IN PUMP VALVE BODY
    (T29) UD PRESSURE SWITCH SENSE CIRCUIT OPEN
    (T29) UD PRESSURE SWITCH CIRCUIT SHORT TO GROUND
    (T29) UD PRESSURE SWITCH SENSE CIRCUIT SHORT TO ANOTHER CIRCUITS
    TRANSMISSION SOLENOID/TRS ASSEMBLY
    POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE.

    Hopefully, it's nothing too serious. And I hope the warranty covers it, otherwise I'm dOnE!

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342

    So, you have an irrational pressure switch?

  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694

    @isellhondas said:
    So, you have an irrational pressure switch?

    I get that a lot...

    :D

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    Wonder who I should blame it on? The Mexicans, the Italians, or the Americans? There wouldn't be any German left in the Ram by 2012, would there?

  • tlongtlong Member Posts: 5,194

    @isellhondas said:
    So, you have an irrational pressure switch?

    I think it means that with another Chrysler problem, his head is developing irrational pressure. :o

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342

    @andre1969 said:
    Wonder who I should blame it on? The Mexicans, the Italians, or the Americans? There wouldn't be any German left in the Ram by 2012, would there?

    Oh, just blame it on George Bush!

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652

    @isellhondas said:
    Oh, just blame it on George Bush!

    Or to quote Jackie Gleason, from "Smokey and the Bandit"... "Goddang Germans got not'in t'do wit' it!!" Don't ask me why that popped into my head.

    Oh, saw something a little off-the-wall the other day, that caught my attention. A crash between an '03-07 generation of Corolla, and a Ford Escort ZX-2 coupe. The Escort had made a left turn and got hit by the Corolla. Corolla looked almost like the result of one of those NHTSA offset crash tests. The Escort? It had a big dent in the door, and the quarter panel just aft of it.

    Guess those old Escorts were tougher than I'd normally give them credit for. But, by that time, wasn't Mazda more responsible for them than Ford?

  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277

    http://www.leftlanenews.com/infiniti-to-build-europe-bound-q50-engines-in-tennessee.html

    Plant expected to produce 250,000 engines, add 400 jobs.

  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277

    http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/18/bmw-biggest-us-auto-industry-exporter/

    "According to a recent profile by Bloomberg looking at the plant's 20th anniversary, Bimmer's southern ops sends out more vehicles than all of Michigan combined."

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312

    Three cheers for the Blau und Weiss!!!

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481

    Often imitated but never duplicated! BMW taught the average American sedan buyer what "handling" meant.

  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729

    I saw an article the other day stating that the car brands with the worst loyalty and repeat buyers included Chrysler and Dodge. Well duh, who wants lemons two times in a row?

    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • tlongtlong Member Posts: 5,194
    I'd say that at this point the issue is amount of US content, minus the Canadian content that is included in the "domestic" number (with no offense to Canada). Nameplate really doesn't matter at all. How much does the construction, assembly, and sales of a vehicle add to the US economy? That is important for those who want it to benefit the U.S.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    I think assembly most definitely adds to the U.S. economy, although I might be misunderstanding your written word. The Lordstown GM assembly plant near me employs thousands of people, not to mention suppliers near the area. I'd still rather the management of the company be U.S.-based. I can't forget the deer-in-the-headlights look of Toyota's N.A. head when asked questions about their recalls. He deferred most everything to Mr. Toyoda. That's just a personal opinion of mine, nothing more.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    BTW, in response to the comment about Michigan above....most of the Big Three's assembly plants are outside of Michigan, in my memory, anyway.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I agree about manufacturing costs in content. I'm not clear on those content stickers though. Does NAFTA mean Canadian and Mexican components are included in domestic content percentages?
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    edited July 2015
    Cheers to the next 30 years!

    http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-marks-30years-of-engine-making-in-ohio-89160.html

    "The Anna plant had a rather humble beginning, with just 94 associates reporting to work on July 22,1985. Now the plant employs 2,800 workers and is capable of producing 1.16 million four- and six-cylinder engines per year. Those engines are distributed to Honda plants in Ohio, Indiana, Canada and the United Kingdom."
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312
    Nice to hear that every Focus RS will be built in Germany.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    What's with Ford's performance division in the US. Last I visited a dealership, they said the Focus ST was discontinued, and that it never came with a dual clutch auto, only a manual. Was I dreaming or didn't Ford make a bad attempt at copying VW's DSG unit?

    Seemed like it was swept under the rug. They had a Fiesta ST but that's too small for me.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,058
    andres3 said:
    What's with Ford's performance division in the US. Last I visited a dealership, they said the Focus ST was discontinued, and that it never came with a dual clutch auto, only a manual. Was I dreaming or didn't Ford make a bad attempt at copying VW's DSG unit? Seemed like it was swept under the rug. They had a Fiesta ST but that's too small for me.
    ST models only come with a stick. I've not heard anything about them being discontinued. Ford does offer a dual clutch transmission is other models. 

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4

  • scape2scape2 Member Posts: 4,123
    Older thread but I'll post. Trying to buy American is extremely important to you., your economic future, the future of your kids and grand kids. As the media pushes Honda/Toyota and Hyundia as being American this is wrong. Ask where their headquarters are? what stock exchange? The tooling of the plant? support? parts? Think long term, demand American
  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,311
    scape2 said:

    Older thread but I'll post. Trying to buy American is extremely important to you., your economic future, the future of your kids and grand kids. As the media pushes Honda/Toyota and Hyundia as being American this is wrong. Ask where their headquarters are? what stock exchange? The tooling of the plant? support? parts? Think long term, demand American

    So the Ford Fusion made in Mexico is more "American" than my Accord made in Ohio?

    Hmmm.

    We'll need to agree to disagree.

    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD (wife's)
Sign In or Register to comment.