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The Current State of the US Auto Market
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Comments
Even though I've owned two of them, an Intrepid and my Park Ave, I don't think there's really anything I'd want from that year, either. There have simply been too many years that have gone by, so even if it's a car that I might have liked when it was new, I don't know that I'd trust it anymore as a used car.
Maybe if I found a low-mileage Panther or something, but even there, you can get much newer ones at bargain-basement prices, so why settle for something almost 14 years old?
I'd be willing to go a few years further back though, and get something like a Roadmaster, Caprice, or RWD Fleetwood, though. And, even though I'm not exactly in love with my Park Ave right now, I might be willing to take a chance on a '95-99 Riviera.
2014 Chevrolet Impala--under the guise of it being for my wife.
Interesting look, though white really isn't the best color for that car.
What a relief!
Kia, Mazda and Honda since my recent experiences are the best I've experienced in my car-buying years. Lincoln would come after, as the 2 i've owned were particularly reliable and satisfying. BMW would be next for the performance but the costs are no longer worth it, afaic. :shades:
Absolutely! They should be voice-activated to answer your questions regarding using all that techno babble!
You're a genius!!
When he told here she PAST the limits of the display, she was very impressed!
She stated, "No wonder I kept passing cars like they were in reverse!!" :surprise:
The response that GM's President Smith gave to a reporter who asked how would GM compete with low priced Toyotas was very telling. Smith answered, with used Buicks." It seemed heThe exact wording of the question and answer may differ a little, but that was the essence of that exchange. I think that says a lot about the attitude of Detroit's management and the union leaders, since they also didn't get it.
Seriously, your Malibu was a home run from the prior 'Bu in 2008 and this Impala is yet another cut above.
At least the bailout is finally bearing some nice fruit!
They're in China.
http://www.messynessychic.com/2012/11/20/made-in-china-european-clone-towns/
And, if you liked the housing bubble in the US, you're gonna love it when the Chinese bubble pops.
And third world...many American standards are heading in that direction (public education and healthcare, socio-economic chasm, residential building standards, transportation infrastructure, immigration policy, crime and punishment, responsibility and ethics of the top few, responsibility of the public sector and corporate world alike, I could go on and on), as the idea of first world itself is on shaky ground thanks to the relentless race to the bottom afforded by globalization and the market oligarchy masquerading as democracy and capitalism that has evolved from it. But yeah. Other first world nations generally aid their industrial base more than us, anyway.
Part of the fracturing of the US as a whole - I could see it eventually breaking into several regionally based alliances.
And of course does the TL owner realize that's just one example, certainly not typical of costs.
I don't have my records with me to add them up, but it wasn't much since I don't go the dealer but to an independent.
That's great you've found the typical costs, do you have a link? I'm sure Chevy Escalades cost more.
I won't put in a reference to the "perfect" cars that some have always used in their anti-GM, anti-US manufacturer, postings in the previous forum, because I think some have come to understand that no cars are perfect.
Well my car is certainly not perfect. It has had dash rattles and a bit of a crunchy noise in the suspension. It should also have height adjustment on the passenger seat as it's too low. Only some people think certain cars are perfect. :P
There's a difference between being anti-US manufacturer and critical of GM. Even if my kid was a druggie and I was critical of them and tough with them, it might just be done because of concern rather than dislike.
Just trying for a bit of balance against those "perfect" statements!
That's because it's "Legend"ary!
I believe you have the years correct; mine is an '05. They have very high resale value, even though I'm not reselling anytime soon. Or at least until my tranny dies.
They would especially be lies if they supported my point of view and didn't support yours!
No matter, we get to play the same game as the competition, or not allow their game to be played on our playground. No other options.
Well, the other option is the way actually is -- there are two games and it's the option you say doesn't exist. Not that I agree with it, either. Perhaps you could fling some money at Congress to get them to consider a change. I'm sure only a few $billion would help them see your point of view.
Now that's reality from a car owner. Honesty.
>a bit of balance against those "perfect" statements!
You certainly have to admit there was trolling of the GM topic with anti-GM, if not anti-US, repetition to the point past boredom. And of course there have been through the decades all those reports from other owners of how perfect their foreign brand vehicles were. That didn't match with the vehicles I had driven when shopping or had ridden in with friends. It also didn't match with occasional posts, sometimes deridden by fans in protest, on those other brand's discussions even here on Edmunds.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Oh, and on the subject of Park Ave gauges, it turns out the fuel gauge needle did indeed go all the way around, and is on the wrong side of the peg. I tried the magnet trick to see if I could get it to move back around, but no luck. Got it to move about 1/2 inch, at least. I think if I can find a stronger magnet, it'll do the trick.
That may work. Or you can drill a small hole through the plastic cover so you can use a paperclip to lift it back into place.
This needle getting out of place happened when people had battery problems.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Extra costs to purchase, higher maintenance, less trunk space, and all for not any real significant increase in mileage.
And, if one thinks their dealership has difficulty repairing their traditionally-designed vehicle, just wait until they get ahold of a hybrid with a problem.
Seems to me like more of a feel-good, I'm environmentally conscious decision than a rational one, IMO.
I've said this before, but I definitely wouldn't pay for any fuel gauge repair without trying Techron (black bottle) first. It worked for me in our Uplander, and there are a bunch of things saying the same thing online, for all kinds of cars.
You read it here.
Same here. I wonder if GM should have simply bought the hybrid equipment from Toyota, like Nissan did with the Altima?
I thought some of those "mild hybrid" trucks were a good idea, under the right circumstances. You didn't get much mileage boost, but they were good for construction sites and places where a portable generator would come in handy.
The way it actually is (or has devolved to), according to our "I built it" pseudo-capitalists is a road to eventual ruin. It must change. My options are based on survival, which requires a more defendable playing field. A few billion? Chump change in 2013, just one beloved tax haven foreign aid dependent will suck down that much and more this year alone.
The modern base Lexus leather is nothing to brag about either, and I've read complaints about modern models with dashboard plastic that falls apart. Even the supposedly perfect have issues.
That mirrors the experience of what I've seen over the years.
American and European auto leather interiors seem to have had a significantly higher quality content than the Japanese leather.
Or, maybe the Japanese make owners I know just don't take as much care of their interiors.
One can certainly find legitimate faults with any car, but, for instance, if we go back to when Lexus beating the stuffings out of Mercedes in the early 1990s, they picked off a lazy, complaisant competitor----not with a perfect product, but rather one that hit that sweet spot of "bang for the buck".
Toyota figured that most Americans didn't care if the LS400 hugged the road like the Benz, or had that wonderful global reputation---they wanted a cushy, good looking luxury car that wasn't in the shop every month---in other words, there was an excellent opportunity to steal market share from Cadillac and Benz, both of which were vulnerable.
Introducing the Lexus was a very shrewd move, and by and large, the Japanese "did their homework" and did not introduce a half-baked product to market, like some people we know tended to do. :P
Regarding the original SC, a Lexus I like, especially if not wearing gaudy period-correct gold emblems. SC300 is an I6, hard not to like that. Very dated today, but was really something back in the olden days.
There's more than a grain of truth in that statement.
Marketers rely on that bit of human "self-deception" to sell us all sorts of products and services, not to mention politicians and the tactics they use to get votes.
That's why I really enjoy the show Brain Games now being aired on NatGeo. Watch a few of these 30 minute programs and one quickly realizes the extremes people and companies will (and quite often do) go to in order to manipulate us.
As it relates to your incident, usually all it takes is a single commercial viewing claiming car A has more interior room than car B to convince someone that car A excels in every aspect of interior room, not just total. Once that mindset is put into place, its very difficult to dislodge that misconception.
Politicians know this all too well, and its why they attempt to insinuate that an unpopular program or legislation implemented under their watch was really done under someone else's.
If you can get your idea placed into someone else's mind first, you've got the best chance of keeping it there.
I agree. It was definitely a better car than a Lincoln Mark VIII or Cadillac Eldo/ETC. Also, you could get the SC300 with a manual.
The SC300 in those days was probably a lot like the Hyundai Genesis of today. Sure, it might be a very nice car, and might be competitive, but when you get into this class, it's all about brand image. And back in 1995, that's something Lexus was still working on.
I'll say one thing for it...those SC's were much classier than that SC430 retractable hardtop thing that followed.
MB still had the CE (E class hardtop coupe) back then (through 1995 here), but no manuals for NA - however in Europe you could get it with a 4cyl and manual. Heck, in Europe today, you can get the current E (hardtop) coupe and cabrio as a manual and diesel. A diesel convertible with a stick. Unimaginable here.
The second SC is a ghastly thing.