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

rockylee

I doubt that but yeah it's possible.

Rocky

dromedarius

That goes for the Stratus as well. That's about as discreet as it gets.

snakeweasel

Don't bet your rent money on that.

rockylee

LOL, but it sure seems like it's shaping up that way. :surprise:

Rocky

snakeweasel

How could it be, they are not even selling in the US right now, nor do I think in most of the world. How can you say its shaping up that way when in the largest markets they have exactly 0 cars sold? Sure they are coming over but so were Yugo and Daewoo at one time. Tell me 20-25 years ago were you saying that Daewoo, Yugo and Sterling were shaping up to be the big three?

rockylee

No, but under this administration a Chery, Brickland, Geely, might be all that us middle class will be able to afford within 10 years. :P

Rocky

snakeweasel

Again an opinion not based on facts.

lemko

Looks like somebody slapped a Crossfire front end on a Nissan Altima and used Acura taillights. Don't like it.

lemko

Doesn't matter. By that time most Americans won't be driving cars. We'll be walking along those crumbling interstates and cratered secondary roads and risking our lives on those collapsing bridges, (that can't be repaired due to a non-existant tax base) to our fast food jobs or the mega Wal-Marts. Maybe a few more affluent people will have bicycles. Oh there will still be some really awesome cars - mostly Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes, Bentleys, and Rolls-Royces driven by our managers. They won't be using our crumbling infrastructure as they'll have their own sleek gleaming private turnpikes. They wouldn't want to share the road with us riff-raff.

anythngbutgm

Ever think about writing Sci-Fi? You have an interesting imagination...

gagrice

Both are out of hand. Someone, please end the madness!

I agree. I like $6 replacement sealed beams and 360 degree visibility. Tough to find in the cars and SUVs today.

gagrice

No, but under this administration a Chery, Brickland, Geely, might be all that us middle class will be able to afford within 10 years

With the alternative administration you would already be riding the bus. Remember the campaign theme book. NO internal combustion engines allowed and tax gas equal with the EU.

The Chinese automakers will be aligned with GM more than likely. And brought in as small GM cars. They are not real fond of the Japanese in China. They have a longer memory than us.

snakeweasel

They are not real fond of the Japanese in China. They have a longer memory than us.

Not that they have a longer memory but we only had a little scuffle with the Japanese, Japan and China have been at each others throats for centuries. And of course we weren't subjected to Shiro Ishii either.

jefferyg

Looked at the pictures from the earlier post. Are you sure it's not just a Kia Amanti with modified sheetmetal?

I think one issue with Chrysler is that this bold look thing worked for them with a couple of cars like the 300 and the Magnum. And apparently in keeping with American Automaker tradition, they feel that if they've got a good horse, then ride him. That creates a couple of problems though. First of all not everyone wants the same kind of horse. Secondly, really fast horses have really short careers.

rockylee

With the alternative administration you would already be riding the bus. Remember the campaign theme book. NO internal combustion engines allowed and tax gas equal with the EU.

Working on getting rid of the internal combustion engine is a bad thing ? :confuse: Sure I'm not one to make it happen over night, but it would be someday nice that future generations could buy a new Geely that uses fuel cells :P

Rocky

m1miata

If it doesn't growl like a Mustang GT engine, it's just another appliance. :shades: It will be a sad day when we no longer have the internal combustion engine, for those that fell in love with the automobile. Yes, transportation will live on, but that may be the extent of the relationship. A real car doesn't need cup holders, it needs good tires. Don't need a fancy radio. It needs a nice tone coming out the pipes. The real experience in an auto doesn't include a video screen. The view along the road, is the movie at hand, and an ever changing experience. A real car is not a telephone booth, a dinner, bar, or a motel. OK, maybe they were motels :P Gotta get back to the drive!
-Loren
P.S. 4, and 6 cylinders are fine too. Trying to make too much noise out of 4 or 6 banger can lead to a whole lotta racket, and not too much sweet tone however. A little restraint please Now back to regular programming.... I don't have a clue as to who will see me the next car. Could be Ford, Hyundai, Honda.... always looking and comparing. I've got plenty of time.

rockylee

I love the sound of a muscular V-8. OTOH Loren I love the sound of a loud raspy high reving 4 and 6 cylinder. The G35 has a nice voice. I guess I'm also odd because I like the sound of a turbo whine like found on the Audi A200 Quattro, or supercharger whine of my 92' Bonneville SSEi I guess I'm not picky, but prefer engine noise over silence in most cars when I'm hustling them. :shades:

Rocky

gagrice

Working on getting rid of the internal combustion engine is a bad thing ?

When an alternative is found. Not by taxing it out of existence. I think even as young as you are we will both be long gone when fuel cells power the average car. We haven't done our diesel period yet. That should last 40 years.

rockylee

Well you could be right unfortunately

Rocky

nvbanker

I don't think it's that bad, Loren....I've seen worse from GM, Ford and Toyota, even Honda in the past.....

carguy58

"Well I don't know about that, but it looks like Hyundai will knock out Nissan."

No Hyundai isn;t going to pass Nissan in sales in the US anytime soon I think.

nvbanker

Nissan should be VERY scared of Hyundai..... Actually, so should Honda & Toyota.

carguy58

"Nissan should be VERY scared of Hyundai..... Actually, so should Honda & Toyota."

Yeah but Hyundai is very far back in total sales so far for the 2006 calender year in the US from the Japanese Big 3. Also, Hyundai sells more to rental fleets than the Japanese Big 3 do. Finally, the Sonata was a top 10 rental fleet car from the Oct 05 to Jan 06 period.

nvbanker

I understand - however Hyundai has made more year over year progress with their car line in the past 10 years than anybody has - partly because of where they started at. They can undercut the Japanese big 3 in price, so if they continue to improve their cars, they're going to win over more customers. You look at the new Azera, and tell me you'd rather have an Accord or Avalon for the price differential. I don't own a Hyundai, and probably never will, but if I needed a car for a kid, that's exactly where I'd tell them to look now. The value proposition is there. That's why Japan should be scared of them. The products are getting pretty comparable, the warranties are superior, and the prices are much lower.

jefferyg

To further play the devil's advocate on this one - How much difference would there be if you took away Nissan and Toyota's truck sales? I know Honda has the Ridgeline, but is it really a truck? And are they selling enough of them to make any real difference? AND, isn't Hyundai supposed to introduce a truck in the not-too-distant future?

I don't think any of the three Japanese companies are in any danger of going out of business, but I do see the playing field leveling as Hyundai and Kia offer more and better cars and trucks.

kdhspyder

The Hyundai/Kia's are right there to take business from any of the manufacturers that slip up. Nissan, Chrysler, Ford and GM in that order i believe.

Minvans are a dead issue with GM/F, the apparently very good Sedona should take a lot of this business; Midsized autos are DC's weakness, the Sonata/Optima should take lot of these clients unless the new Sebring is outstanding.

The small auto's are all pretty good lead by the new Civic.

Corolla, Sentra, Elantra, Mazda3, Focus, Cobalt

nvbanker

Is a competent and affordable minivan. No better than the Freestar or GM's 6 identical vans (SAAB didn't get one yet, did they?) Actually the Sedona is quite heavy for a minivan, and the mileage is correspondingly poor.

nippononly

Ahh, but not the NEW Sedona, and its little Hyundai buddy, the Entourage. Light is the new name of the game, as are comparable power and fuel economy. And the price? Lower than all the main minivan players, although I don't know how they compare to Freestar and the UpReMoTe (those are the four GM minivans, right?!).

And didja notice? Sedona just won the IIHS crash testing.

jjaxon

"American cars are just not well built to keep more than four years." you have to be joking..are you really serious??? all you have to do to is look at the cars on the street and you will see many many more mid 80's and up american cars than any other make.. in fact im amazed at all the old mid 80's Buicks still on the road today..they have to be nearing 300,000 miles..

bumpy

Not around here they don't. There are basically two sets of 7-year-old+ domestic cars here: the little old ladies who bought them new, drive them to church, the grocery store, and the Women's Club, and put maybe 3,000 miles a year on them. The other set is worn-out, ratty-looking beaters one stop away from the junkyard, driven by people who simply can't afford anything better. 15-year-old Hondas are nigh on indestructible, by contrast. I see piles of early-90s Accords and Civics in better shape than domestics half their age.

lemko

Shenanigans! Most 7+ year old domestics I see are in just as good or better shape than the imports. Heck, I own one of those mid-late '80s Buicks and I'd have to deliberately set out to destroy the car to kill it. My cars have lived in a tough urban environment their whole lives and they look better than most people's new cars.

snakeweasel

Shenanigans!

Well, that settles it! Everybody grab a broom, it's Shenanigans! (he says in his best Officer Barbrady voice)

gagrice

Toyota for one does not hold up well on salted roads. In Alaska you see many rusted out 4Runners that are less than 10 years old. If the Japanese were serious about rust they would give at least a 10 year rust warranty.

jjaxon

A USED car is worth what ever some one will pay for it.. kinda like everything else.. an antique is worth the high bid.. a house is worth what the owner will take... car dealers arent dummies.... high priced used japanese cars are a scam that nets big bucks for dealers... if you think your foreign car is worth a lot.. try selling it to a dealer...

nvbanker

"I don't know how they compare to Freestar and the UpReMoTe (those are the four GM minivans, right?!)."

Thought Cadillac had one now, called the SEX.....

nippononly

LOL! :-)

The day that Caddy gets a minivan.....

It's bad enough they have an Avalanche!

jjaxon: I did just that last fall, got 78% of the price I paid 2 years and 25K miles before. 22% depreciation in the first two years aint too bad in my book.

nvbanker

"The day that Caddy gets a minivan....."

That SRX is darn close.....

SAAB has a Trailblazer! Not a big stretch!!

socala4

A USED car is worth what ever some one will pay for it.

Nope. Value is determined by the market. Someone who pays at the highest end of the range for a given car is ignoring the market in that instance.

if you think your foreign car is worth a lot.. try selling it to a dealer

Industry leasing guides make it pretty clear that your typical domestic depreciates more rapidly than does the typical import or transplant.

rockylee

That is true Socala, on average a foreign nameplate is more valuable than a domestic. He needs to pick up a
Kelly "Black Book" the bible of car dealers. I've been to a few dealer car auctions in my life
(cousin owns a used car lot) and that was the way I got my 93' Bravada back then. I almost came away with a 94' Mustang GT convertible with a 5.0 in it. :shades: Yeah some don't remember that in 94' and I beleive a few 95's the 5.0 was still available. I despised the 4.6 V-8.

Neways the residual value of a certain car, in a certain location is what a cars true market value worth is. i.e. A used Oldsmobile Aurora is worth $3-5K more in Western Michigan, than here in West Texas.

Rocky

rockylee

Smart car zips to U.S. :P

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060626/AUTO01/606260351/- - - 1148

Rocky

rockylee

First Look: 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=115911

What do you think about this new Benz ?

Rocky

rockylee

Wow, BMW finally made a nice vehicle and didn't ruin the interior either :surprise:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/GeneralFuture/articleId=115885#8

Rocky

nippononly

will DCX announce they are going to bring the Smart cars to the U.S. before they actually do it?

And not through Smart dealers, of course, but through distributorships, in the latest plan. That's a bad idea. They should follow the Mini plan, and sell Smart franchises to existing MB dealers, as long as they build a separate showroom.

snakeweasel

A couple of weeks ago we had one parked in our parking lot for about a week, small car but holds a lot of promise. Depending on the price and how it fits around me I would seriously consider one as the second "commuter" car for myself.

rockylee

ARE you serious ? I can't picture a CTS-V driver in a Smart Car :surprise:

Rocky

snakeweasel

I am serious (and don't call me Shirley), the Caddy is for doing things with the misses, like when we went to see "the Lake House" this weekend (well she saw it I slept through it) or going out to dinner. I have a daily drive (a Hyundai Elantra) that I use for commuting, running errands and taking the dog for her long walks (we drive to the woods). So when it comes time to replace the Hyundai I will look for something economical, the Smart would fit that. Not that it would be set in stone but it would be up for consideration.

Anyway I can't use the Caddy to its full potential in rush hour traffic.

rockylee

Okay. I could see you in a Acura RSX or Civic, something other than a VCR on wheels.

Rocky

snakeweasel

yeah but those cars would cost more (at least the Acura will, depends on the Civic) and both get much poorer gas mileage than the Smart.

nippononly

it's "smart" (:-P) to have a super-frugal commute car and another car for driving on weekends and to shows and stuff. I think, anyway.

rockylee

Well one won't look so "smart" when he collides with a Dodge Mega Cab 1-ton diesel. :P

Rocky