Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

28firefighter

stickguy said:

GG, I know you are fed up, but might be worth 1 more call directly to her (I assume you have her card and direct line?). Just say straight out you expected to hear, it has been a week, you hope to resolve this quick and painless but if she can't do anything, you have no choice but to escalate. Simply say that if she can't do anything, please just let you know now.

I agree with this, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

stickguy

also, if she shocks you by saying come on in tomorrow and pick up a replacement take it and drive right over to Honda, BMW, or whatever you want instead and trade it in, even with only 50 miles on it!

stickguy

28firefighter said:

stickguy said:

GG, I know you are fed up, but might be worth 1 more call directly to her (I assume you have her card and direct line?). Just say straight out you expected to hear, it has been a week, you hope to resolve this quick and painless but if she can't do anything, you have no choice but to escalate. Simply say that if she can't do anything, please just let you know now.

I agree with this, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

oh, I would not either. But knowing how painful the process is to file worth the time making a phone call!

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Looking for a bit of expertise.

A person on the QX60 leasing forum (https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/43191/infiniti/qx60/2017-infiniti-qx60-lease-questions#latest) by the name of methuenbuyer, placed an order for a QX60. He has signed the paperwork but not taken delivery. He discovered that the dealer had marked up the MF, adding $$$'s to the payment.

Dealer is refusing to back out of the deal, saying that IFS has approved the contract and paid for the vehicle. The poster is concerned that he has an account with IFS and if he doesn't make the payments, it will affect his credit.

Any thoughts? Can share here and I'll carry them over, or feel free to post them there yourself.

You may have to read back a few pages to see all of the posts.

I thought the deal wasn't done until the car rolled over the curb?

28firefighter

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Looking for a bit of expertise.

A person on the QX60 leasing forum (https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/43191/infiniti/qx60/2017-infiniti-qx60-lease-questions#latest) by the name of methuenbuyer, placed an order for a QX60. He has signed the paperwork but not taken delivery. He discovered that the dealer had marked up the MF, adding $$$'s to the payment.

Dealer is refusing to back out of the deal, saying that IFS has approved the contract and paid for the vehicle. The poster is concerned that he has an account with IFS and if he doesn't make the payments, it will affect his credit.

Any thoughts? Can share here and I'll carry them over, or feel free to post them there yourself.

You may have to read back a few pages to see all of the posts.

I thought the deal wasn't done until the car rolled over the curb?

Generally that is true, but generally what comes with that is signing the lease contract. In this case, he signed the lease contract as if he took physical possession, which really mucks this up.

houdini1

thebean said:

fintail said:

I could have pride in a repetitive assembly line job if I was working say in the AMG engine factory or even on the MB line (in Sindelfingen). There's also job rotation, and I suspect the bennies are pretty decent in that first worldest of first world areas, too.

Usually on German-made cars, the build quality doesn't disappoint. Bleeding edge beta testing engineering is often what gets to people.

Usually is the optimum word here.  Maybe they have improved, but both my 1996 C280 and my 1999 E320 had quite a lot of little defects that spoiled the ownership experience.  Maybe I should have considered it an omen when I was driving my E320 home from the dealership for the first time and tried to adjust the drivers seat at a red light and the entire adjustment mechanism (the one shaped like a seat) fell into the door panel.  It wasn't secured properly at the factory.  There was nothing major during the time I owned it - never stranded me - but lots of smaller things that required trips to the dealership.  So, pardon me if I'm not a fan of German cars.  I know this is a minuscule sample, but it was my experiences.

I went thru something very similar with my MB ownership.

graphicguy

Yeah...I guess I should be more upset than I am. But, as I said previously, I'm really just numb by the whole ordeal. It really is ridiculous. And, I wouldn't believe it if someone would have told me my own experiences. If any of us were treated the same way by a restaurant over a $100 meal, we'd see the manager, pronto. S/he would probably comp our meal as a result.

If any of us had a similar issue with a $100 tool we bought at Costco, they'd promptly refund the purchase price.

But, have the same thing happen on a $60K plus new car, more than once, in a relatively short period of time, Cadillac acts like I don't exist and stalls, fights, procrastinates to solve the issue.

As they say, it is what it is, I guess!

imidazol97

andres3 said:

The Panoramic Roof in the VW is leaking like a roof built by Cadillac!

You should have smeared VW or Audi or Toyota or Honda in this rather than Cadillac. Without repetitively listing some soft points in other car companies, it looks to me like they all put their wheels on one lug nut at a time. LOL

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

@imidazol97.....The Dealer's Service Manager showed me pics of the issue on mine. The wiring harness and all nearby (flammable) parts actually caught on fire. It was melted in a big, stinky glob.

I missed that in your description. The junction of the battery cable with other bundled cables could have a lot of plastic. I don't think I'd want the car back. Who knows what happened the other parts of the electric system while the arcing was occuring.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

The Panoramic Roof in the VW is leaking like a roof built by Cadillac!

You should have smeared VW or Audi or Toyota or Honda in this rather than Cadillac. Without repetitively listing some soft points in other car companies, it looks to me like they all put their wheels on one lug nut at a time.

Actually when I was watching one of those "How it's Made" factory shows, Audi has a robot arm a human pushes into the car wheel area, and it does all 5 nuts at the exact same time. They should bring these to the race track on pit row!

This "issue" has probably eliminated the All-Track from serious consideration, or at least hampered its chances of winning a sale (which was already unlikely; mainly due to the fact it's extremely similar to the one VW we already have).

imidazol97

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

While probably not a surprise to most, I've decided to pursue "Lemon Law" yet again for my CTS. It's just too ridiculous with the amount of issues I've had with Cadillac.

I really don't want to go through the months and months of trials and tribulations to get a total refund (although I do think I would prevail, if I did) but will if they give me even the slightest pushback. I'll contact the dealership, the Cadillac Customer Service people (who have not been kind to me in the past), and the Zone Rep I met last week.

If you don't want to get a refund, what do you want? The deal she hinted at last week?

At the risk of sounding obvious, have you tried to contact her since?

I rather doubt she has the power to put someone into a $60K car without approval from upstairs.

At this point? Just give me back the money I originally spent on the original CTS. To me, that's fair. They already said the only way they would do that is to sue them. So, not much joy there. But, if pushed, I suppose I will.

I don't know what Cadillac has that I would feel would be reliable at this juncture. I don't know what the Zone Manager had in mind. She hasn't shared a thing with me since we met.

To answer your question, I want to hear what Cadillac is willing to do. That's what I want right now.

What are you doing to get wheels (so to speak, another pun) in motion?

In other words, how are you going to light a fire under them? LOL

ab348

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

@imidazol97.....The Dealer's Service Manager showed me pics of the issue on mine. The wiring harness and all nearby (flammable) parts actually caught on fire. It was melted in a big, stinky glob.

I missed that in your description. The junction of the battery cable with other bundled cables could have a lot of plastic. I don't think I'd want the car back. Who knows what happened the other parts of the electric system while the arcing was occuring.

Not sure how that could happen. The stop/start system requires a working electrical system. If the battery cable shorts out you would lose all electrical power to the engine and it wouldn't be able to restart or be driven.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Looking for a bit of expertise.

A person on the QX60 leasing forum (https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/43191/infiniti/qx60/2017-infiniti-qx60-lease-questions#latest) by the name of methuenbuyer, placed an order for a QX60. He has signed the paperwork but not taken delivery. He discovered that the dealer had marked up the MF, adding $$$'s to the payment.

Dealer is refusing to back out of the deal, saying that IFS has approved the contract and paid for the vehicle. The poster is concerned that he has an account with IFS and if he doesn't make the payments, it will affect his credit.

Any thoughts? Can share here and I'll carry them over, or feel free to post them there yourself.

You may have to read back a few pages to see all of the posts.

I thought the deal wasn't done until the car rolled over the curb?

Has to leave the property before "possession" is considered!

oldfarmer50

Hey everybody I'm rich!

New cars for all of you! Just got this official email:

Atten :

The sum of $4.5 million. out of your over due total sum has been approved for
payment through ATM cash card system after all attempts to pay you through bank,
and diplomatic courier failed. The approved sum has been programmed into the ATM
cash card which will be dispatched to you through your address upon
reconfirmation. I have made several attempts to contact you and this is the 3rd
and perhaps the last email to you in respect to this matter. Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA purportedly issued
by you asking us to change the fund beneficiary to his name hence we are seeking
for your confirmation as soon as possible. to this end, you should Kindly
Re-confirm these information to me.

(1) Your Full Names:

(2) Address:

(3) Your Phone Numbers:

NOTE: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is just $120.00 nothing more
and no hidden fees of any sort! Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer
will ensure that your package is sent within 24 working hours. Because I am very
sure of everything I am giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not
receive payment/package within the next 24hrs after you have made the payment
for shipping.

Regards

Mr. Song Chen

carnaught

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey everybody I'm rich!

New cars for all of you! Just got this official email:

Atten :

The sum of $4.5 million. out of your over due total sum has been approved for
payment through ATM cash card system after all attempts to pay you through bank,
and diplomatic courier failed. The approved sum has been programmed into the ATM
cash card which will be dispatched to you through your address upon
reconfirmation. I have made several attempts to contact you and this is the 3rd
and perhaps the last email to you in respect to this matter. Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA purportedly issued
by you asking us to change the fund beneficiary to his name hence we are seeking
for your confirmation as soon as possible. to this end, you should Kindly
Re-confirm these information to me.

(1) Your Full Names:

(2) Address:

(3) Your Phone Numbers:

NOTE: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is just $120.00 nothing more
and no hidden fees of any sort! Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer
will ensure that your package is sent within 24 working hours. Because I am very
sure of everything I am giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not
receive payment/package within the next 24hrs after you have made the payment
for shipping.

Regards

Mr. Song Chen

Wow, a "100% money back guarantee"...how can you go wrong? Hilarious. And, WTH are they shipping the ATM card in, an armored boat from China?

Mr_Shiftright

I *TOLD* you not to trust that attorney...now look what happens.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey everybody I'm rich! New cars for all of you! Just got this official email: Atten : The sum of $4.5 million. out of your over due total sum has been approved for payment through ATM cash card system after all attempts to pay you through bank, and diplomatic courier failed. The approved sum has been programmed into the ATM cash card which will be dispatched to you through your address upon reconfirmation. I have made several attempts to contact you and this is the 3rd and perhaps the last email to you in respect to this matter. Meanwhile, I received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA purportedly issued by you asking us to change the fund beneficiary to his name hence we are seeking for your confirmation as soon as possible. to this end, you should Kindly Re-confirm these information to me. (1) Your Full Names: (2) Address: (3) Your Phone Numbers: NOTE: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is just $120.00 nothing more and no hidden fees of any sort! Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 24 working hours. Because I am very sure of everything I am giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive payment/package within the next 24hrs after you have made the payment for shipping. Regards Mr. Song Chen

I hate when they are poorly constructed. Per sentence 4, YOU gave Cambell Willie power of attorney, Making HIM the beneficiary. Why in the world would you do such a thing, OF?! ;b

abacomike

I got an email yesterday about my loan payment to the bank where I financed the CLS400.  That loan was paid off - I even looked up my loan on the computer and it showed a "0" balance.  So the email was bogus!  It's truly pathetic how these scam artists get away with all this cr-p!!!  

driver100

Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA

It sounds like a scam....who would ever trust an attorney with the name Cambell Willie?

ab348

driver100 said:

Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA

It sounds like a scam....who would ever trust an attorney with the name Cambell Willie?

I think he's just angling to pry the '04 Chevy van out of his hands...

graphicguy

ab348 said:

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

@imidazol97.....The Dealer's Service Manager showed me pics of the issue on mine. The wiring harness and all nearby (flammable) parts actually caught on fire. It was melted in a big, stinky glob.

I missed that in your description. The junction of the battery cable with other bundled cables could have a lot of plastic. I don't think I'd want the car back. Who knows what happened the other parts of the electric system while the arcing was occuring.

Not sure how that could happen. The stop/start system requires a working electrical system. If the battery cable shorts out you would lose all electrical power to the engine and it wouldn't be able to restart or be driven.

The way it was explained to me, if the electrical system faults, the engine will turn off when you stop, as in at a red light, stop light, etc. Then it won't restart because of the electrical fault.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA

It sounds like a scam....who would ever trust an attorney with the name Cambell Willie?

I think he's just angling to pry the '04 Chevy van out of his hands...

Good, maybe he'll pay to have the oil leaks fixed.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Meanwhile, I
received a power of attorney from one CAMBELL WILLIE from USA

It sounds like a scam....who would ever trust an attorney with the name Cambell Willie?

I think he's just angling to pry the '04 Chevy van out of his hands...

Good, maybe he'll pay to have the oil leaks fixed.

An 04 with oil leaks....you should call the Chevy hotline! Might be a recall.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

An 04 with oil leaks....you should call the Chevy hotline! Might be a recall.

>sarcasm on> GM with oil leaks. OMG. Things just have no reliability. Only 13 years old. I'm
sure other brands go up to 50 years without oil leaks. LOL >/sarcasm off/>

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

An 04 with oil leaks....you should call the Chevy hotline! Might be a recall.

>sarcasm on> GM with oil leaks. OMG. Things just have no reliability. Only 13 years old. I'm
sure other brands go up to 50 years without oil leaks. LOL >/sarcasm off/>

@imidazol97, calm down. I used to be a loyal GM only customer from my first used 1956 Chevy until my first throwaway in 2005, then I had a couple bad ones.

First was a '95 Bonneville that couldn't hold paint at around 50K miles in 1999 and Pontiac told me to get lost. Then there was my '95 Monte Carlo that had the infamous intake manifold problem that almost swallowed all of my good Prestone at 64K miles in 2005. When the factory heard about this they said, "it's way out of warranty, regardless of the miles and the history of this problem but we can arrange to get it repaired at a dealership of your choice and maybe they will give you a good price to fix it but we are out of it after we get you an appointment". Like I really needed them to make me an appointment.

GM had some bad years to be sure and customers meant nothing to them after the sale. They are much better today but they are still climbing up the latter maybe they will get to the top and maybe not but they have earned the bad rep that they worked so hard to get for a decade at least.

jmonroe

Sandman6472

Mother-in-law also had a Olds Cutlass Supreme from the late '90's that also couldn't hold it's paint. They did paint it again, gratis, but that also didn't take for long. It just peeled off and made the dark gray look horrible. She was t-boned around 2002 and then just gave up her license. Cutlass drove real nice but just looked horrible with the peeling paint.

The Sandman

suydam

My mother in law had an early 80s Cutlass Supreme. Dreadful car. Always something wrong with it. And remember the Chevy Citation? Shudder. They do have a lot to overcome. My two vehicles, on the other hand, are first rate. My son's LeSabre was a great car (if not one I would want to own) and so far his Impala is holding up well. Maybe Cadillac is a bit behind the others?

iluvmysephia1

To go back to the cellphone replacement story of mine, again...not going to be necessary. I started deleting unwanted e-mails and it took my phone's system a day or more to clear them out, still, after I deleted them, to register it. Then, yesterday, bing! New e-mails started coming in for the first time since November 17, 2016! I will keep my Motorola moto e and be content with it.

I'm off of work for a week, too! Gonna take the 2011 Kia Soul over to a service center to get an oil change, new wiper blades (I just need one but I think they only sell them in pairs) and a tire rotation. Then, time to go through the automatic car wash, again. I'm getting light brown washoff from our oak tree's (large!!!) leaves in our front yard. Might need to park the Soul in our garage during the rainy and snowy/icy time periods.

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

@imidazol97, calm down. I used to be a loyal GM only customer from my first used 1956 Chevy until my first throwaway in 2005, then I had a couple bad ones.

@j Chill pill yourself. LOL
Have you or anyone had any problems with other vehicle brands except GM? I recall friend's VW Jetta with the windows falling down into the doors early 200x's. That was minor because they, two different dealers, could never get the check engine light to stay off.
I see Hondas especially a few years old in the past with the clear coat streaking and coming off. Acquaintances down the street had one.

Check out the legroom on a Sonata/Optima 2014 and Malibu 2014: 34.6" and 36.8" (Edmunds figures). But with the stereotyping perpetuated by media and peer repetition many thing the Malibu was deficient in legroom. Not that it matters because they're both good cars, but my wife and I watched to see how many midsize vehicles had any adult in the rear at the drive through of the local ChickFilA--a thorough biased sample--and only 1 did. Others were empty or had children in rear. So legroom mattered little in rear.
I did have one car with an oil leak. My 98 leSabre leaked after 150,000 mi around the oil pan. May have been my fault because I had started using synthetic oil. It's an urban myth or reality that synthetic will open up seeps that had been sealed by normal oil.

Are there any stories of other cars, other brands?

If not, I'll tell you about the last Timex watch I bought...



I got interrupted watching the innauguration, here are links. Under the data click on show more.
https://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/sonata/2014/used/vin/?vin=5NPEB4AC9EH864247
https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/malibu/2014/used/vin/?vin=1G11B5SLXEF122218

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

@imidazol97, calm down. I used to be a loyal GM only customer from my first used 1956 Chevy until my first throwaway in 2005, then I had a couple bad ones.

@j Chill pill yourself. LOL
Have you or anyone had any problems with other vehicle brands except GM? I recall friend's VW Jetta with the windows falling down into the doors early 200x's. That was minor because they, two different dealers, could never get the check engine light to stay off.
I see Hondas especially a few years old in the past with the clear coat streaking and coming off. Acquaintances down the street had one.

Check out the legroom on a Sonata/Optima 2014 and Malibu 2014: 34.6" and 36.8" (Edmunds figures). But with the stereotyping perpetuated by media and peer repetition many thing the Malibu was deficient in legroom. Not that it matters because they're both good cars, but my wife and I watched to see how many midsize vehicles had any adult in the rear at the drive through of the local ChickFilA--a thorough biased sample--and only 1 did. Others were empty or had children in rear. So legroom mattered little in rear.
I did have one car with an oil leak. My 98 leSabre leaked after 150,000 mi around the oil pan. May have been my fault because I had started using synthetic oil. It's an urban myth or reality that synthetic will open up seeps that had been sealed by normal oil.

Are there any stories of other cars, other brands?

If not, I'll tell you about the last Timex watch I bought...

https://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/sonata/2014/used/vin/?vin=5NPEB4AC9EH864247
https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/malibu/2014/used/vin/?vin=1G11B5SLXEF122218

All true but did it go on for more than a decade?

You lost me, how did back seat leg room get into the discussion of reliability?

jmonroe

ab348

suydam said:

My mother in law had an early 80s Cutlass Supreme. Dreadful car. Always something wrong with it. And remember the Chevy Citation? Shudder. They do have a lot to overcome. My two vehicles, on the other hand, are first rate. My son's LeSabre was a great car (if not one I would want to own) and so far his Impala is holding up well. Maybe Cadillac is a bit behind the others?

FWIW, my ATS has been pretty much flawless. Sample size of one, like the other one.

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

You lost me, how did back seat leg room get into the discussion of reliability?

That's one of many quick criticisms of a GM product, deserved or undeserved, by media types and our peers.
The real difference is in the position of the C-pillar. The Malibu could have moved the pillar back, shortening the trunk lid, and put in a small window to soften the closed in effect. The effect is like some of the cars with opera windows to open up the view from the rear seat. Second factor is that GM dared to shorten the Malibu from its predecessor which was nice and roomy in the rear.

And my Timex watch ticked on and on many years after I stopped wearing it. Scratches, shocks, and all. It's still in my drawer. Put a battery in and it could replace my LG cellphone as a timepiece. LOL

stickguy

legroom is one thing where to me the numbers are meaningless, real world. Having a Sonata, and knowing how big the back seat area is, if the Malibu really has a couple more inches of legroom you should put in some jump seats like an old Checker and make a limo out of it.

where the front seat is set makes a huge difference. As does the height of the rear seat (do you legs go down, or out?). In reviews, they are not basing things on the numbers supplied, it is actually sitting in the car that matters. I like doing the "sit behind myself" test.

agreed though, you almost never see adults in the rear of a mid sized (well, full size to me!) sedan. One reason I am fine with something the size of the Jetta. still plenty of room in the rear for adults on occasion.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

@imidazol97, calm down. I used to be a loyal GM only customer from my first used 1956 Chevy until my first throwaway in 2005, then I had a couple bad ones.

@j Chill pill yourself. LOL
Have you or anyone had any problems with other vehicle brands except GM? I recall friend's VW Jetta with the windows falling down into the doors early 200x's. That was minor because they, two different dealers, could never get the check engine light to stay off.
I see Hondas especially a few years old in the past with the clear coat streaking and coming off. Acquaintances down the street had one.

Check out the legroom on a Sonata/Optima 2014 and Malibu 2014: 34.6" and 36.8" (Edmunds figures). But with the stereotyping perpetuated by media and peer repetition many thing the Malibu was deficient in legroom. Not that it matters because they're both good cars, but my wife and I watched to see how many midsize vehicles had any adult in the rear at the drive through of the local ChickFilA--a thorough biased sample--and only 1 did. Others were empty or had children in rear. So legroom mattered little in rear.
I did have one car with an oil leak. My 98 leSabre leaked after 150,000 mi around the oil pan. May have been my fault because I had started using synthetic oil. It's an urban myth or reality that synthetic will open up seeps that had been sealed by normal oil.

Are there any stories of other cars, other brands?

If not, I'll tell you about the last Timex watch I bought...



I got interrupted watching the innauguration, here are links. Under the data click on show more.
https://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/sonata/2014/used/vin/?vin=5NPEB4AC9EH864247
https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/malibu/2014/used/vin/?vin=1G11B5SLXEF122218

Oh I agree, every brand has it's own unique problems. 1990s GM products did peel psint but so did my 2004. Most had AC compressors that died early. Son's LaSabre had the intake problems. Chryslers, Fords had their own particular problems too.

But the worst by far was the 80s Toyota that chewed up head gaskets and alternators like candy. Not to mention rusted out in three years. Cheaply built too. Once bounced it off the front of my F-150. Didn't even break the plastic grill of the Ford but near demolished the bumper and grill of the Toyota.

sda

I may be an exception concerning back seat room. It is important to me as I shuttle my daughter and friends around frequently and often give my parents a ride. Ease of entry and exit is important especially since mom had hip replacement surgery and doesn't have the flexibility that she once had. Years ago, '95 or so, I considered buying a Mercury Mystique. It and the Contour received good reviews and I wanted a V6 and 5 speed. However the lack of room in the back seat, a crime in such a large car, was a deciding factor that kept me from that purchase.

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

You lost me, how did back seat leg room get into the discussion of reliability?

That's one of many quick criticisms of a GM product, deserved or undeserved, by media types and our peers.
The real difference is in the position of the C-pillar. The Malibu could have moved the pillar back, shortening the trunk lid, and put in a small window to soften the closed in effect. The effect is like some of the cars with opera windows to open up the view from the rear seat. Second factor is that GM dared to shorten the Malibu from its predecessor which was nice and roomy in the rear.

And my Timex watch ticked on and on many years after I stopped wearing it. Scratches, shocks, and all. It's still in my drawer. Put a battery in and it could replace my LG cellphone as a timepiece. LOL

Like I said, not relevant to reliability but I can understand "features" that some car buyers want more than others. Me, reliability is more important than rear seat leg room.

A few years ago I went to Myrtle Beach with my youngest Brother who had an Impala at the time, not sure now what year it was, but I was shocked by how little leg room there was in the rear. I sat behind my SIL who had the seat pretty far back because she had a bad hip at the time (replaced 2 years ago). Mrs. j sat behind my brother who had his seat pretty far back because he wanted the comfort for the long drive but not as far back as his wife's seat. Mrs. j had more of a problem than I had.

When I got home I put both front seats of my old '09 Genny at the position I would set them at if I were in them, at least as far back as the trip in the Impala, and Mrs. j sat behind both seats and was not bothered by either seat she sat behind.

I don't know what that test means to someone who wants reliability but not too many people could complain about rear seat leg room of an '09 Genny. FWIW, my '15 Genny seems to be the same with the mini test I did.

jmonroe

abacomike

My twin brother just arrived in Costa Rica at his best friend's new home right on the Pacific Ocean with a private beach. He called me on "FaceTime" this morning and did a walk-around the house and the grounds for me to look at. Unbelievable - there were hardly any waves from the Pacific - much calmer ocean than the Atlantic. The living quarters in the house are 50% outdoor with roof structure to shield rain and 50% indoors. Their dining area is literally outdoors.

The private beach area is gorgeous. According to my brother, it took 3 years to build the house once the property was acquired - $3.7 million including the land. I guess if you want to live in Costa Rica, you might as well do it the right way. My brother had to bring down 6 bottles of good wine (that's all customs would allow) to celebrate their new home.

Truly a scenic and beautiful place to live, that's for sure. But even with the small town of Tamarindo close by, there doesn't seem like much to do except sit, drink yourself blind, and pass away with a big smile on your face!

driver100

Large back seats.....the Passat is hard to beat, it was like a limo in back. The downside for the Passat, was lack of power for todays highways, otherwise a fine car.

Most cars today are pretty good, it just depends on what is important to you and what your budget is.

Most of my GMs from 1979 Cutlass to 92 Cavalier were OK, no major problems, but the 88 Corsica kind of fell apart at 50k miles. It was very minimal and cheap too. The 92 Cavalier was not an engineering masterpiece, but it was pretty good for a minimal model car....the 6 cylinder engine helped.

But we all had our bad experiences with Big 3 cars in the 80s and 90s, because most of us owned them, and it wasn't the golden age of auto manufacturing.

abacomike

I remember taking delivery of a brand new 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Coupe in Maroon with black interior. I was at the dealership when they took it off the truck. I had waited 4 months for the car, which was a special order, because of the union strike against GM that year. It had the 327 cubic Inch V8 with red-stripe Tiger Paw Tires.

As they took it into the shop to have it PDI'd, I noticed that the car didn't "shine" right in the sunlight. I walked over to the car and the paint all over the car had lines and indentations in it like someone had walked around the car with a towel and it brushed up against all the paint when it was still wet - it was smeared - trunk, hood, sides, etc.

So I went to the General Manager who was a friend of my Dad's and he came out and looked the car over. All he did was shake his head. He checked to see how long it would take to get a replacement car built and delivered, and he told me it would take 3 months due to the backlog of orders they were trying to fill due to the strike.

He told me he would strip off all the paint and repaint the entire car for me. He gave me a car to use and a week later, I got a call from him telling me the car was ready. I drove over to the dealership and the car was sitting out in front. The overspray on the tires and parts of the chrome got my blood boiling. I showed the General Manager and he said there was no excuse for the way they repainted the entire car. He said he would have it done again. I called my Dad and he came over to the dealership, got his money back for what he paid for the car, and that was the end of the personal relationship between the General Manager and my Dad.

I drove an old Ford waiting for the body change on the Pontiac GTO in 1966. Dad and I went over to the Pontiac dealership and we bought a new 1966 Pontiac GTO 4 speed in red with black interior. That made up for the mess with that Chevy Dealership. I don't think my Dad ever spoke to that guy at the Chevy Dealership again. He seemed even more upset that I was.

sda

abacomike said:

I remember taking delivery of a brand new 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Coupe in Maroon with black interior. I was at the dealership when they took it off the truck. I had waited 4 months for the car, which was a special order, because of the union strike against GM that year. It had the 327 cubic Inch V8 with red-stripe Tiger Paw Tires.

As they took it into the shop to have it PDI'd, I noticed that the car didn't "shine" right in the sunlight. I walked over to the car and the paint all over the car had lines and indentations in it like someone had walked around the car with a towel and it brushed up against all the paint when it was still wet - it was smeared - trunk, hood, sides, etc.

So I went to the General Manager who was a friend of my Dad's and he came out and looked the car over. All he did was shake his head. He checked to see how long it would take to get a replacement car built and delivered, and he told me it would take 3 months due to the backlog of orders they were trying to fill due to the strike.

He told me he would strip off all the paint and repaint the entire car for me. He gave me a car to use and a week later, I got a call from him telling me the car was ready. I drove over to the dealership and the car was sitting out in front. The overspray on the tires and parts of the chrome got my blood boiling. I showed the General Manager and he said there was no excuse for the way they repainted the entire car. He said he would have it done again. I called my Dad and he came over to the dealership, got his money back for what he paid for the car, and that was the end of the personal relationship between the General Manager and my Dad.

I drove an old Ford waiting for the body change on the Pontiac GTO in 1966. Dad and I went over to the Pontiac dealership and we bought a new 1966 Pontiac GTO 4 speed in red with black interior. That made up for the mess with that Chevy Dealership. I don't think my Dad ever spoke to that guy at the Chevy Dealership again. He seemed even more upset that I was.

You've had more than your share of bad luck of special ordering cars and having issues at delivery or soon there after! I've never special ordered a car. The closest to that I've experienced was having a dealer find a car in the color and equipment I wanted at another dealer in Atlanta and having them drive it up to Charlotte for delivery.

jipster

suydam said:

My mother in law had an early 80s Cutlass Supreme. Dreadful car. Always something wrong with it. And remember the Chevy Citation? Shudder. They do have a lot to overcome. My two vehicles, on the other hand, are first rate. My son's LeSabre was a great car (if not one I would want to own) and so far his Impala is holding up well. Maybe Cadillac is a bit behind the others?

My 1979 Olds Cutlas Supreme was a gift from heaven. Bought from private seller around 1986 for $1,500. Had new tires, 6 cylinder, very good condition. Kept 9 years with just basic maintenance. Suspension and a/c breaking down the last year. Leaked oil down on the exhaust pipe. Smoked a bit. Probably should of had that fixed. Sold for $900.

And oddly enough, Mrs. Jipster owned a Chevy Ciation when we were dating. Worse piece of junk known to mankind. Literally replaced just about every part in that car...some twice. :-(

imidazol97

driver100 said:

But we all had our bad experiences with Big 3 cars in the 80s and 90s, because most of us owned them, and it wasn't the golden age of auto manufacturing.

Well made point and understatement of Golden Age not being the description, GM included. But things have changed.

jipster

Do we now have a new format with this forum? Or, maybe my tablet is just now catching up? Now when I quote someone their post is highlighted above mine. A nice gray line separating posts. Nice. Much easier to read. As it should be. Before everything was jumbled together. 

   Now about the emotorcons, still need a microscope to see them. 

sda

jipster said:

suydam said:

My mother in law had an early 80s Cutlass Supreme. Dreadful car. Always something wrong with it. And remember the Chevy Citation? Shudder. They do have a lot to overcome. My two vehicles, on the other hand, are first rate. My son's LeSabre was a great car (if not one I would want to own) and so far his Impala is holding up well. Maybe Cadillac is a bit behind the others?

My 1979 Olds Cutlas Supreme was a gift from heaven. Bought from private seller around 1986 for $1,500. Had new tires, 6 cylinder, very good condition. Kept 9 years with just basic maintenance. Suspension and a/c breaking down the last year. Leaked oil down on the exhaust pipe. Smoked a bit. Probably should of had that fixed. Sold for $900.

And oddly enough, Mrs. Jipster owned a Chevy Ciation when we were dating. Worse piece of junk known to mankind. Literally replaced just about every part in that car...some twice. :-(






I bought an '82 Buick Skylark V6 to use as my driver to work and back in '89 with 75k It was well maintained and drove nicely. I sold it for what I paid for it at 99k. It then needed a/c work, trans work and the rack and pinion replaced as it had morning sickness and the steering was stiff for the first block or two of driving in the morning. It was truly a 100k car

abacomike

sda said:

abacomike said:

I remember taking delivery of a brand new 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Coupe in Maroon with black interior. I was at the dealership when they took it off the truck. I had waited 4 months for the car, which was a special order, because of the union strike against GM that year. It had the 327 cubic Inch V8 with red-stripe Tiger Paw Tires.

As they took it into the shop to have it PDI'd, I noticed that the car didn't "shine" right in the sunlight. I walked over to the car and the paint all over the car had lines and indentations in it like someone had walked around the car with a towel and it brushed up against all the paint when it was still wet - it was smeared - trunk, hood, sides, etc.

So I went to the General Manager who was a friend of my Dad's and he came out and looked the car over. All he did was shake his head. He checked to see how long it would take to get a replacement car built and delivered, and he told me it would take 3 months due to the backlog of orders they were trying to fill due to the strike.

He told me he would strip off all the paint and repaint the entire car for me. He gave me a car to use and a week later, I got a call from him telling me the car was ready. I drove over to the dealership and the car was sitting out in front. The overspray on the tires and parts of the chrome got my blood boiling. I showed the General Manager and he said there was no excuse for the way they repainted the entire car. He said he would have it done again. I called my Dad and he came over to the dealership, got his money back for what he paid for the car, and that was the end of the personal relationship between the General Manager and my Dad.

I drove an old Ford waiting for the body change on the Pontiac GTO in 1966. Dad and I went over to the Pontiac dealership and we bought a new 1966 Pontiac GTO 4 speed in red with black interior. That made up for the mess with that Chevy Dealership. I don't think my Dad ever spoke to that guy at the Chevy Dealership again. He seemed even more upset that I was.

You've had more than your share of bad luck of special ordering cars and having issues at delivery or soon there after! I've never special ordered a car. The closest to that I've experienced was having a dealer find a car in the color and equipment I wanted at another dealer in Atlanta and having them drive it up to Charlotte for delivery.

The Mercedes CLS400 I bought in 2015 (2016 car) was in dealer's stock, so I had no problems with that car. This 2017 BMW 740iL was dealer traded from another dealership, but it had the exact color and interior and equipment I wanted. No problems with the car.

But you are correct - The 2015 E400 that was special ordered came in with missing "standard" equipment. It seems that whenever I order a car from the factory (which is very rare - I usually try to take a car in stock - you get your best pricing on in-stock inventory) I have problems with it - whether it be in build, paint, equipment, etc. Usually something is wrong with the car.

This last car, even though dealer traded, was just exactly what I was looking for if I had ordered the car. But, as I stated in a previous post, I had no idea that the "L" or long wheel base 740/750 is all they make available in the United States. Car is very long and very wide. But it is a dream to drive, that's for sure. And there is no problem getting in or out of the front or the back of the car.

fintail

Funny that a pic that has an old Astro van and a Mercury Topaz in the background now says "vintage" to me

When I was still a teen anyway, 1996, my brother's friends (twin brothers) were gifted an 81 Skylark sedan like that, it was pristine with like 20K miles on it, dark blue with a plush blue bordello velour interior, and it was well equipped. Those kids ran it into the ground, and even then when it wasn't an ancient car, that really irked me - it was just such a nicely kept older car.

Never had a bad experience with a late model/new GM car, my family seldom bought them. My dad was mostly a Ford guy. My mom had a 3.8 Taurus that puked up a head gasket at 80K miles, she walked away from it, Toyota ever since. My dad had an expensive late 90s T&C van with a transmission that failed in the first 6 months - but he liked the van so he wasn't upset. There was also a Tempo in the family that got to 190K before it was sold, so things can be hit and miss. I also remember a Horizon that my dad loved, and an S10 Blazer that definitely felt like the "old GM". I've had several MBs now, none with any particularly bad problems, just maintenance spikes here and there.

roadburner

sda said:

jipster said:

suydam said:

My mother in law had an early 80s Cutlass Supreme. Dreadful car. Always something wrong with it. And remember the Chevy Citation? Shudder. They do have a lot to overcome. My two vehicles, on the other hand, are first rate. My son's LeSabre was a great car (if not one I would want to own) and so far his Impala is holding up well. Maybe Cadillac is a bit behind the others?

My 1979 Olds Cutlas Supreme was a gift from heaven. Bought from private seller around 1986 for $1,500. Had new tires, 6 cylinder, very good condition. Kept 9 years with just basic maintenance. Suspension and a/c breaking down the last year. Leaked oil down on the exhaust pipe. Smoked a bit. Probably should of had that fixed. Sold for $900.

And oddly enough, Mrs. Jipster owned a Chevy Ciation when we were dating. Worse piece of junk known to mankind. Literally replaced just about every part in that car...some twice. :-(

I bought an '82 Buick Skylark V6 to use as my driver to work and back in '89 with 75k It was well maintained and drove nicely. I sold it for what I paid for it at 99k. It then needed a/c work, trans work and the rack and pinion replaced as it had morning sickness and the steering was stiff for the first block or two of driving in the morning. It was truly a 100k car


My wife had a 1984 Skylark T-Type when we got married. It was a surprisingly decent car. We traded it for a Merkur Scorpio- in retrospect he only time I ever regretted trading FOR a German car...

jmonroe

abacomike said:

I remember taking delivery of a brand new 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Coupe in Maroon with black interior. I was at the dealership when they took it off the truck. I had waited 4 months for the car, which was a special order, because of the union strike against GM that year. It had the 327 cubic Inch V8 with red-stripe Tiger Paw Tires.

As they took it into the shop to have it PDI'd, I noticed that the car didn't "shine" right in the sunlight. I walked over to the car and the paint all over the car had lines and indentations in it like someone had walked around the car with a towel and it brushed up against all the paint when it was still wet - it was smeared - trunk, hood, sides, etc.

So I went to the General Manager who was a friend of my Dad's and he came out and looked the car over. All he did was shake his head. He checked to see how long it would take to get a replacement car built and delivered, and he told me it would take 3 months due to the backlog of orders they were trying to fill due to the strike.

He told me he would strip off all the paint and repaint the entire car for me. He gave me a car to use and a week later, I got a call from him telling me the car was ready. I drove over to the dealership and the car was sitting out in front. The overspray on the tires and parts of the chrome got my blood boiling. I showed the General Manager and he said there was no excuse for the way they repainted the entire car. He said he would have it done again. I called my Dad and he came over to the dealership, got his money back for what he paid for the car, and that was the end of the personal relationship between the General Manager and my Dad.

I drove an old Ford waiting for the body change on the Pontiac GTO in 1966. Dad and I went over to the Pontiac dealership and we bought a new 1966 Pontiac GTO 4 speed in red with black interior. That made up for the mess with that Chevy Dealership. I don't think my Dad ever spoke to that guy at the Chevy Dealership again. He seemed even more upset that I was.

You're holing out on us Mike.

You didn't tell us about the rear seat leg room but if I had to bet, I'd say the GTO was terrible.

jmonroe

thebean

jipster said:

Do we now have a new format with this forum? Or, maybe my tablet is just now catching up? Now when I quote someone their post is highlighted above mine. A nice gray line separating posts. Nice. Much easier to read. As it should be. Before everything was jumbled together. 

   Now about the emotorcons, still need a microscope to see them. 

Yes, I can see a difference also.  It looks like it used to a year or more ago.  Welcome improvement.  Now, the pics posted aren't GIANT SIZE.  Thanks to whoever got this done.

ab348

jmonroe said:

You didn't tell us about the rear seat leg room but if I had to bet, I'd say the GTO was terrible.

The '66 GTO had a 115" wheelbase so the legroom wasn't horrible. My Cutlass is 112" and if the front seat is all the way back, the rear seat is very tight.

What gets me is that I remember the 1960s compacts - Falcon, Valiant, and Nova - weren't bad in terms of back seat room.