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No question about that. That 07 Malibu was a fleet queen and it showed up in resale value.
I don't know how aggressive Honda is on pricing now, but I know my Dad bought his 09 Accord Ex-L v6 (no NAV) which listed for around $29k for $26k in January of last year.
Now I'm not blaming Toyota for this, as any car will do that if you let it run out of oil. But it is kind of a wakeup call to some of the Toyota huggers who swear that you might as well weld the hood shut, because they don't need maintenance!
I'm also curious as to why he was driving his mother's car and not his own. He has a 1995 or so Camry himself, that's all beat to hell and leaking oil like it belongs in Exxon's shipping fleet, but it must be pushing 200,000 miles. Maybe he finally killed that one?
Something else that I thought was interesting. He took some pics of the hole in the engine block of his Mom's car, and it actually looked like it had rust on it! I would've thought Toyota would've been using an aluminum block by 2001? :confuse:
No doubt. Oil is just a little bit important. But you don't see thrown rods everyday.
LOL, yeah I too laugh at those that say stuff like that, "Heck at 100K miles they're just getting broken in".
Well, we started talking about the "good old days" and how things have changed. The shop owner mentioned a Colorado he was doing work on because the 4wd went out on it. The part that failed was some little modulator that's mounted under the seat. Lightweight little thing that he said cost him $179, but I think the retail price is close to $300. Stamped on it was "DENSO"
Yup, it's definitely a global economy!
Oh, just for kicks, I asked the guy how much it would cost to rebuild the transmission in my Silverado, if it ever needed it. He said about $650. So, there were some things good about the "good old days"...the simplicity, at least. For comparison, he said the tranny in my Park Ave would run around $2200, and even that is probably cheap compared to a lot of these complicated 5/6/7 speeds, AWD units, etc.
Are CVT's expensive to replace, I wonder?
I'd figure it would be more than that.
I had the trans in my '00 Suburban rebuilt at a independent shop for about $1600, he could have done it for about $1,200 with a cheap after market rebuild kid.
I due cringe to think what the 6 speed in my expedition could cost to have rebuilt. I do a fair amount towing so a rebuild sometime in the future is certainly a possibility.
I almost did a double-take though, when the guy at the tranny shop said he could rebuilt the THM350 in my truck for $650. That's exactly what it cost when I had them rebuild the Torqueflite in my '79 Newport, nearly 13 years ago! I know those 3-speed automatics aren't all that complicated by today's standards, but I figured that over the course of 13 years, there'd be SOME inflationary adjustment!
Some are are, but their are several different types of CVTs. Nissan's latest CVT uses disks and power rollers. It't pretty neat how it works. cvt
My wife had an 06 Ford 500 with a CVT for a company car for a while. She had 40k w/o any problems. That was an Aisin CVT I believe that was belt/chain type. It felt awkward when taking off from a dead stop, but from about 30 mph up it was great. No surges or lurching, or nasty kick downs to deal with, just smooth power. It was neat to punch it at any speed above 30 and the tach would immediately peg at 6k rpm or so and just stay there while accelerating. Definitely made the old Duratec snappy once under way. Above 40 it felt quicker than the 3800/4speed in her Grand Prix.
Labor rights remain the last frontier of change in. China, and the Communist Party is growing resistance to labor reform indicates that conditions for Chinese workers are likely to become worse before they get any better. This is a grim prediction for a country where independent trade unions are already banned and millions of workers go to bed every night in over crowded dormitory rooms after having worked fifteen to eighteen hours a day in Dickensian factories where some workers are literally worked to death. This phenomenon has added a new word to the Mandarin vocabulary - guolaosi which means "death from overwork." Global consumers have been shielded from knowing about the human cost of the Chinese products they purchase, as the press has been relatively tame in covering labor rights in China.
Which prompts the following quote/cliché:
There are those among us who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
He is gonna need to remove that weld on the hood too.
Those Japanese cities must be rolling in $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ NO infrastructure here!!!!!!! Their cities are not falling apart like here in the USA.
Its going to be interesting to watch the Japanese fight it out with the Chinese and Indians for dominance in the American market.
What does Matt Dillon's deputy from "Gunsmoke" have to do with any of this? :P
I don't know about the other models from Ford and GM but there's definitely a lot of promise there.
The Fusion looks fine to me, except for the BIG BUTT it has. Handling is OK too. Forget where the parking brake is placed on that one. It has good quality ratings, make in Mexico, which supports North America. Also really like the Mustang, once it gets the new turbo V6 in her. Taurus looks good, though it suffers small slit for a window syndrome as well as so many do these days. I am thinking, why not try out the Subaru, and get AWD for the price of FWD? The boxer engine is unique too. As for some of these cars nearing the $30K mark or better, I am thinking throw in some more bucks and consider a Bimmer or Mercedes. Ever look at the cost of a CTS these days -- whoa! New Euro Fords hold some promise as well, for those wanting tiny cars. Then there is Mazda to consider -- aren't some American built as well? The silly grin Mazda3 handles well, but oh that front -- wowie! :surprise:
menards They are not down in Florida, but they definitely give the likes of Home Depot and Lowe's good competition here in the midwest.
I didn't know they could find so many things made in the USA...I thought all the US made anymore was corporate clowns and pickups :shades:
And that leaflet would be printed in China with paper harvested from a rainforest, and the ink would be a combination of lead-based paint and baby harp seal blood...
http://www.madeinusa.org/
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
http://www.madeinusaforever.com/index.html
Faced with striking workers at its Chicago factory, Schwinn suits outsourced manufacturing to Taiwan, choosing the aptly-named Giant Bicycle Company to fill the demand. And there is simply no better example of letting the fox guard the henhouse. Since bicycles are a simple technology, labor is the highest cost, and Giant’s Taiwanese workers are the cheapest anywhere. Giant to this day builds 90% of all bikes in the world at the same factory, often storing finished units of competing brands side-by-side. For Schwinn, the Giant outsourcing worked so well that when the strike ended, they continued outsourcing and didn’t upgrade domestic factories. Too bad they didn’t get a “non-compete” clause. Giant learned everything about Schwinn bikes and then some: they soon realized they were the tail wagging the dog. So Giant covertly sent sales reps to every Schwinn dealer in the US with the following sales pitch, in its entirety: “We know you like Schwinn, but we make Schwinn and we’ll charge you 30% less.” Schwinn dealers baled and a panicked Schwinn proposed a joint Schwinn-Giant brand, while pursuing a separate manufacturing deal with a Chinese manufacturer. But all leverage was gone– at the time of the offer, Giant was already selling 300,000 bikes a year under its own name. Schwinn declared bankruptcy in 1991, and today the brand is a shell of what it once was. Giant continues its uncontested reign as the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.
Long live the death of the union movement, may this nation thrive when the word "union" is struck from our vocabulary...
There's a guy over here who could use your advice. See post # 52555.
BTW, my Intrepid finally bit the dust. After 10 years, 12 days, and roughly 150,300 miles, someone pulled a hit and run on it while it was alone in a parking lot, and it was enough to total it.
I'm driving a 2000 Park Ave Ultra now. Nice, little-old lady car that only had 56,000 miles on it when I bought it. (up to 58,400 now). Good car, but I miss my Intrepid!
Have you ever driven the Honda Accord V6? I have
the '07 SE version and it is a great ride. I think you
would find the steering feel just right and the cornering
and balance pretty good for a FWD sedan. I have yet
to drive an Audi, but I am thinking Honda exceeds most
all cars in its class / price range. The V6 makes a wonderful
sound at full throttle. Mash the pedal, wait for blast off and
listen for Honda sweet engine sing. -Loren :shades:
I would not have minded testing out a Fusion and Mazda 6 but never got to it. The Legacy was too loud for her tastes.
For the first time in 9 years (well, except for the Celica) we bought a car without an American connection - it was built in Japan. Last time was the 02 Ody built in Canada. Current Ody was built in Alabama.
in china only the rich can drive their car freely,can you understand?
i am afraid not. why?the answer is blowing in the wind.
The difference between our recessions of the past and now is the absence of American industry. If you drive around the South there are factories everywhere that are empty. We bought the goods from China and Japan and the jobs are gone never to return. Just think of the American Industries that are now gone or nearly so: textile, automotive, electronics and now outer space jobs are being phased out in Florida at Cape Kennedy.
The story is the same with Japanese and Korean cars. Our fellow countrymen stood in line to buy first Volkswagens and then Toyotas and Kias. If asked these buyers of non-American good will tell you that it was made in Tenn or Ga. But the jobs are far and few between and then there is always the issue of "WHERE DID THE PROFIT GO"!
The money went back to Seoul or Tokyo where they built new roads, airports, libraries and other infrastructure. Now we are talking about rebuilding ours but its with BORROWED MONEY. The wealth of the USA has been sent overseas.
I realize that the unions are partly at fault because of their high salaries and Cadillac Health Care Plans. If you don't buy goods from American companies producing Made in the USA products you will be standing in the bread line with your fellow Americans.
China has too much influence on our country now but its only going to get worse. I look forward to the introduction of automobiles produced by China and India into the USA market. I should be fun to watch them muscle out the Japanese and Korean vehicles.
Well if it's any consolation, one job appears to be getting outsourced from Japan to the United States...figuring out why Toyotas have their sudden acceleration issue. I've heard NASA is going to try to find the cause!
It's a global neighborhood, after all.
Regards,
OW