We have temporarily turned off the ability to post while we deal with a massive spam attack. Thank you for your patience.

GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda...Who will sell you your next car?

1141517192061

Comments

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,043
    to remember when it first came out on tv, but I did grow up on the Incredible Hulk episode where they robbed a bunch of stock footage from "Duel", used one of the surviving trucks to stand in for new footage, found a Valiant or two that they spray-painted to match the original, and made everybody in that episode wear a blue shirt so that the old footage of Dennis Weaver would sort of match up.
  • petomlinpetomlin Member Posts: 103
    THAT is one intimidating looking truck! It's so cool how the inside of the cab can't really be seen from the outside - giving it that, sinister "who's up there" feel. Great movie too. Very tense theater of the mind. Excellent stuff! :D
  • turboshadowturboshadow Member Posts: 338
    This friend of mine actually collects antique fire trucks. he has 8 or 10 that go back to the 30's. We drive several of the for the towns founders day parade

    Here's some firetruck trivia for you:

    The Seagrave V-12 is actually a Peirce Arrow design that was bought by Seagrave after P-A went belly up.

    The American LaFrance V-12 was an designed for Auburn by Continental.

    This information came from The V-12 Engine, by Karl Ludvigsen. It is a great book and I highly recommend it.

    Turboshadow
  • booyahcramerbooyahcramer Member Posts: 172
    Another strange, unreadable thread. Host!
  • jimlockeyjimlockey Member Posts: 265
    Build good diesels like they do in Europe. All I see is the same old same old poor mileage or the play electric things.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,792
    the Duel truck is still around, how about a sequel? one picture had in it a family loading up their Pilot.
    I am thinking a prius. they can show the power graphic as it limps uphill in fail-safe mode. it is a lot more modern that a temperature gauge.
    what do you think?
    based on what i just paid for a brake job on my explorer, i'm keeping it a while to recoup some of the expense!
    it does stop better, though.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • jvprjvpr Member Posts: 48
    BMW M3! like nothing else!
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,792
    my neighbor has an M3 that he has let me drive a few times. :)
    i don't know how he keeps himself out of trouble.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    Just a minor point. "Duel" was the first movie that Steven Spielberg had directed. I believe he was 22 years old at the time. Just a prelude to the great movies he would direct.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    Sorry I like my CTS-V better, but I will admit the M3 looks nice in my rear view mirror. ;)

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jvprjvpr Member Posts: 48
    BMW M3 will eat a Cadillac V for breakfast! LOL! No comparison in handling and power- and specifically the ride.
  • scott1256scott1256 Member Posts: 531
    1.5% year to date. I hadn't noticed that.

    A good start for 2006: better yet for GM if it keeps up.

    http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/84/84530/sales_production/Deliver- ies_0306.xls
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    What is significant is big profit vehicles like the Tahoe are up by 35% over last year.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    Lets see

    M3 333 HP
    CTS-V 400 HP

    M3 262 lbs torque
    CTS-V 395 lbs torque

    M3 0-60 around 5 seconds
    CTS-V 0-60 around 4.5 seconds

    See you and your M3 in my rear view mirror.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    rented Cavalier again, hopefully for the last time ever. It almost begs for me to take some parting shots at it, but I will resist temptation! Only because the Cobalt is such an improvement. But let me just say that at 37K miles, it is the highest-miled Cav I have ever had from Enterprise, and the miles do nothing good for matters!

    I finally had a look inside the new Tahoe the other night - WHOA! Is that ever an improvement! They seem to have hardly changed the look at all on the outside. And glory be, my local Chevy dealer is finally stocking cars, although mostly Cobalts which I suspect is a response to the national TV ads for that model. With the early '06 price adjustment, those cars finally seem to be priced right. Would certainly seem a better deal right now than the similarly-priced Focus.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,507
    With a .5 second gap in 0-60, a simple driver error could easily make the 'slower' car the victor. That chip on the shoulder should probably decrease in size...
  • scott1256scott1256 Member Posts: 531
    Yes, the high profit vehicles are doing well. The Tahoe and other redesigns are just what the doctor ordered.

    It has been a while since GM started a year on the upswing. I had missed it.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    Yep and driver error could also make the slower car even further behind. So whats your point?

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,507
    Don't get ahead of yourself, you don't want to end up like some of these old guys in Vettes and Porsches etc who are so off the mark that a V6 Camcord could take them.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,043
    even the time of day, altitude, temperature, humidity, etc can make a difference in a car's acceleration time. And the effect is going to be different from car to car, so if, say, a CTS-V and M3 were tested on the same day, it's not to say that they would both perform the same way on a different day.

    I'd say with a .5 second difference in 0-60 times, it's pretty much a draw. Unless they test and re-test a whole bunch of times, and consistently get those same times.

    Also, while the CTS is priced about the same as a 3-series, isn't it really more apt to compare it to the 5-series? It's sized more like the 5, even if the price is more like the 3.

    A 1985 Caprice priced out about the same as a 1985 Camry, but did any magazine ever pit the two head-to-head in a teardown? :P
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    I am not a head of myself, I know the car and know how to make it perform. Now I may not drive it all the time and I may use all that power an rare occasions, but I will still smoke that M3 if I so desired.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • xrunner2xrunner2 Member Posts: 3,062
    See you and your M3 in my rear view mirror.

    That's on a straight road. How about the M3 over the Caddy in the twisties?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,507
    If you're a mere .5 sec ahead in 0-60, you must have a long straight stretch of road capable of getting you to felony-worthy speeds to be able to see the opponent in the mirror. You won't "smoke" anything if you're half a second ahead. You might nose ahead, if everything works out.

    Seems very impractical for someone who thrives on the economy of Hyundais...
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    I enjoy economies of smaller economy cars as a daily drive when my daily drive is over 70 miles a day through heavy traffic.

    I enjoy the luxury of a luxury car when the wife and I go out on the town, to a party, wedding or the like.

    I got the high performance simply because it was a steal.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    It handles very well on the twisties.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • b3nutb3nut Member Posts: 83
    I don't like SUV's as a rule, but that thing is superb. 21mpg highway, and can run on E85 85% ethanol fuel. My boss is considering one for that reason (I rode along for the test drive). Very smooth ride, all but shrugged off the fierce crosswinds we had in Wisconsin yesterday.

    The new Cobalts are really nice cars, I drove a coupe and really liked it. The sedan's more useful, however, if you need to actually put people in the back seat - the cobalt coupe made my old '93 Toyota Paseo seem easy to get in the back of. If I didn't need a hatchback I would be all over the coupe...dang it's a sharp car! The optional Pioneer stereo has a spacious, open sound...much better than the Bose systems GM usually uses for premium sound, which I find tonally and dynamically constricted. They got the ergonomics right too. Lots of hard plastic, but no more so than the Focus (and higher-quality than the Focus, too). If they made the Cobalt available as a hatchback (a la the Opel Astra) the Cobalt lineup would be complete.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    I don't like SUV's as a rule, but that thing is superb. 21mpg highway, and can run on E85 85% ethanol fuel.

    I would stay away from the E85 unless its a lot less than gas. With E85 you will most likely lose about 25% or more of your mileage. So your 21 MPG will drop to something like 15 MPG.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • maple2maple2 Member Posts: 177
    I'd say with a .5 second difference in 0-60 times, it's pretty much a draw. Unless they test and re-test a whole bunch of times, and consistently get those same times.

    sorry but .5 seconds is not a draw in fact .5 seconds is a lot in a 0-60 sprint if we were talking about a 3hr race then no .5 is not a big deal but in a race that only lasts between 4-5 sec it is huge

    Also, while the CTS is priced about the same as a 3-series, isn't it really more apt to compare it to the 5-series? It's sized more like the 5, even if the price is more like the 3.

    yeah id compare it to the 5 as well... if it were priced with the 5 but its not and im sure there were probly lots of comparisons between 85 caprice and camry done by the consumers, if they were the same price, which is kind of the same comparison being done here between the caddy and the m3, when im shopping for veichles i know how much i want to spend and i look at veichles in that price then i dont go and compare them to veichles that cost 30% more
  • de4golfde4golf Member Posts: 9
    Toyota in the next year or two will exceed car sales of GM according to recent reports. Their market share is increasing because they have cars that are very reliable although some are lacking in the styling department.

    Toyota is the manufacturer of choice for today and into the next decade.
  • pmerk28pmerk28 Member Posts: 121
    A lot of Toyota buyers- like my wife and her whole family are enamored with their products.

    M
  • goodegggoodegg Member Posts: 905
    Wow...really do ya think?
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Toyota is the manufacturer of choice for today and into the next decade.

    That may be, however they are not starting off 2006 with a bang. If it were not for truck sales they would be lagging 2005 sales numbers. Their cars and SUVs are flat to negative sales figures.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    2-week down-time in production of Camry while they retool from the old model to the new? ;-)

    "Toyota is the manufacturer of choice for the next decade"?

    Hehe, sounds like a sound bite from a press release. Toyota is the manufacturer with the best business plan and the most money right now, might be what I'd say.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Is that why they only had 6500 Prii available to the buying public in Feb? They may have a good plan, but pride cometh before a fall. The American public is getting fed up with imported goods from everywhere. Makes no difference if it is assembled here. It is still parts from somewhere else. The tables could turn at a moments notice. The name most recognized could be the target of our frustration with all imported goods. Call it fickled and you are correct. The American buyer is fickled, and upset....
  • dino001dino001 Member Posts: 6,191
    None of them offer a decent midsize wagon (NOT SUV, not "crossover" - wagon) or hatchback, manual transmission is a long unfullfilled dream with V6, their handling is usually so-so.

    For now
    My first choice : Subaru - almost all I want at a very reasonable price; a few irritating idiosincracies and issues as it is a small company and cannot offer all the stuff I want
    My second choice: Audi - all stuff I want, just too expensive to both purchase and maintain and reliability at best spotty
    My third choice: BMW - see Audi
    My forth choice: Mazda - good handling, great price, but recent IIHS tests show they have work to do on their lineup.
    My fifth choice: Saab - very nice looks, nice features, but FWD does not make me lust them and of course reliability is an issue.
    My sixth choice: Volvo - see Saab, except AWD is available, but it is not the kind I would want (not a Haldex fan).

    2018 430i Gran Coupe

  • de4golfde4golf Member Posts: 9
    In my Opinion

    Sources like Consumer Reports for New Cars and Used Vehicles pretty much shows the reliability of the Toyota-Lexus line has been and continues to be the benchmark.
    Not sure how much the price difference is between the Tacoma and the Colorado, but the Toyota on an average will last longer with less repair expense than the GM product, and when the wheels are ready to fall off and it is time for trade in there will be more value in the Toyota.
  • de4golfde4golf Member Posts: 9
    The Subaru line should show some changes in the future. Toyota just bought over 8% of GM's shares of Subaru, and announced yesterday they will begin to assemble Camrys in the Indiana Subaru plant.
    Toyota buys into Subaru as GM drops its share.
    You may also want to look at the Mazda 5 Multipurpose
    Vehicle. Doesn't have a 6 cyl, but has a lot of flexibility. Or the new Toyota Rav 4 that does have
    the largest 6 cyl in class.

    By Yuri Kageyama / AP Business Writer

    Comment on this story
    Send this story to a friend
    Get Home Delivery


    TOKYO - Toyota has agreed to buy 8.7 percent of the shares General Motors holds in Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries, Toyota and Fuji officials said Wednesday.

    The purchase by Toyota Motor Corp. will make it the top shareholder in Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., said Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita and Fuji Heavy President Kyoji Takenaka at a joint news conference.

    Toyota will spend $310.5 million.

    General Motors Corp. will sell its remaining 11.4 percent of Fuji, which makes Subaru cars, in the market.

    GM and Fuji agreed to dissolve their alliance and capital relationship, the two officials said.

    Toyota and Fuji are setting up a steering committee to try to reach an agreement on future collaboration as soon as possible, the companies said.

    Toyota has been on a roll lately, boosting sales in North America, Europe and other parts of Asia and recording booming profits. GM, based in Detroit, has been in trouble, losing $1.1 billion in the first quarter.

    GM and Toyota have a long-standing partnership to share environmental technology, and they run a car assembly plant in California together, although the ties do not involve holding stakes in each other.

    Toyota Chairman Hiroshi Okuda has expressed worries lately about a possible political backlash from U.S. automakers because of Toyota's bright results at a time when GM and Ford are faltering.

    He even suggested Toyota raise the price of car models in the United States. Toyota raised prices soon after, but denied the move was to placate U.S. automakers.

    Toyota, based in central Japan's Toyota city, holds stakes in two Japanese automakers, Daihatsu Motor Co., which makes small cars, and Hino Motors, which makes trucks.
  • de4golfde4golf Member Posts: 9
    GM is in trouble - Bankruptcy is a possibility, but I hope
    they survive. They are needed in the marketplace.
    They have a large amount of short term cash and cash equivalent, that if they manage wisely can help them survive. Short term sale increases can evaporate very quickly.
    They seem to have a better line up of current and future cars than Ford.
    They are dragged down financially by a huge amount of expenses related to pensions and healthcare.
    If auto work unions continue to insist on the pay levels for their workers in the future, Ford, Chrysler, and GM all three are in for some rocky times.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Not sure how much the price difference is between the Tacoma and the Colorado,

    You can buy a fullsize Silverado for less than a Tacoma comparably equipped. My experience with 5 GM fullsize trucks is much more positive than the one 1994 Toyota PU truck I owned. Plus gas mileage is almost identical. Why Toyota cannot build a high mileage PU is beyond me. I have always had great resale with my Silverados.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,043
    I thought the newest Tacomas were pretty economical, because I took a quick look at the fuel economy ratings and saw that the V-6 is rated 21/26 with an automatic. Then I went back and looked again and saw that's 21/26 with a 2.7 V-6. With the 4.0 it drops down to 18/22.

    In contrast, the Silverado 4.3/auto is 16/21, and even the 4.8 V-8 is 16/21! I think my old '85 Silverado 3.5/3-speed automatic is something like 14/16. I only WISH it did that well these days! :sick:
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    My experience with 5 GM fullsize trucks is much more positive than the one 1994 Toyota PU truck I owned. Plus gas mileage is almost identical.

    Identical? Either you had the very best trucks GM ever built or you had the very worst truck Toyota ever built.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,043
    will open up like a tin can if you hit them just right with a '68 Dart. :P Although when you figure how thin they roll sheetmetal these days, just about anything would, I guess!

    Traditionally, GM trucks, at least the bigger ones, usually got very good fuel economy. The construction company my uncle works for would usually buy GMs because they got the best economy, and tended to be the most durable for their needs. When it came to smaller trucks they'd go with Toyota. I think one reason there though is that Toyota was the only maker to offer a small truck in the 1-ton series.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    In real world driving a GM small block V8 will get 13-15 MPG. The 4C MT Toyota PU I had was lucky to get 15-17 MPG. Not enough difference for the problems I had with that engine. The reason I bought it was for gas mileage. It was rated 22/27 MPG. It never hit 20 MPG on the highway. Maybe some place where you drive 45 MPH tops it would get good mileage. Not on So. CA freeways.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,043
    I could actually get my '85 Silverado (well back then it was Granddad's) to break 20 mpg on the highway. I thought that was pretty good for something that didn't have an overdrive tranny. Nowadays though, it gets around 10 mpg around town. It hasn't been on a long trip in ages, but I think the best I've been able to do in the 3 1/2 years I've had it is 14.
  • scott1256scott1256 Member Posts: 531
    We (auto buyers and enthusiasts) benefit when there are 3 or 4 big market movers along with many niche players.

    Toyota, Ford, GM and D/C are the current big 4. Competition is wonderful: it is unbelievable how much cars have improved in the last 10 years.

    Toyota has kept the bar moving and the other companies now have very competitive vehicles to offer.

    One dark horse in this race is Hyundai/Kia. They could be one of the big players within 5 years.
  • ubbermotorubbermotor Member Posts: 307
    And that truly is the best reason to buy a Maytag, er I mean Toyota.
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    The 4C MT Toyota PU I had was lucky to get 15-17 MPG.

    Wow, you did get the worst truck Toyota ever built. Something was seriously wrong with that one, unless you were riding around in 3rd gear hauling a bed full of gravel in it every day.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Ugh, Maytag's aren't what they used to be...

    Yeah, back to cars... :blush:
  • w9cww9cw Member Posts: 888
    anythngbutgm wrote: "Ugh, Maytag's aren't what they used to be... "

    I would concur. One could also make the argument that some Japanese car brands aren't what they used to be as well. But, this could also be said of a number of marques. Every company eventually tends to rest somewhat on their laurels.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    If that's your opinion great, I respect that. My experience with asian brands (And MB)has been extremely positive, nothing short of what I expected. My experience with Maytags... not so good :lemon: They were supposedly the most reliable on the market and I found that to be a crock o' dung.

    Toyo is to Maytag as Buick is to youthful buyers :P
This discussion has been closed.

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.