Knew that this would not last!

[KCcarguy]

Yep, it was a '99 Ranger 4x4 with the "off road" package. It had the 4.0......gutless, but reliable. The problem was with the transmission, transfer case, power windows, fuel pump.....can't remember what else?

Those Cayenne Turbos are awesome. My wife and I test-drove a used one and it was ridonculous. She wanted it bad, but I knew it would be a money-pit. Fact is, people buy German cars for the feel/ dynamics, etc. They're willing to accept a few trips to the dealer for electronic glitches and higher maint. costs. The difference is German cars, despite there "fondness for the dealer", hold up well structurally/ mechanically. As you know, there are a ton of older, great looking and driving Porsches and BMW's out there.

As far as American work trucks, it's pretty hard to beat a Superduty or Cummins, no doubt. Lots of good ol' boys driving those around here with several hundred thousand miles. Of course, a lot of those same guys have an old Toyota 4x4 pickup for hunting, etc. too. :thumb3:

 

[offroadingatc]

when my girlfriend and i first got together she had a 2001 civic, and i had a 2001 ranger. My ranger was trouble free to 175K, hardly touched it, just routine maintenance, brakes etc. Her civic was a nightmare, at least once a year there was some significant issue with it, granted her mileage was higher, she drove it to about 250K. We sold them both in 2008, the ford for 5000$ and the civic for 500$

So why do I own 2 Japanese cars now? because individual experiences have no impact on statistics. I understand why you have an aversion to Ford, I personally have a slight aversion to Honda, but i understand that its not logical. Don't write off American manufacturers for life because you had one bad experience (not that Im saying your doing that)

Its the 'black swan' theory. You can observe unlimited numbers of white swans but that does not prove that there are no black swans, however the observation of one black swan proves that not all swans are white. Ie: a bad experience with a manufacturer does not prove that all experience are bad, just that not all experiences are good.

 

[KCcarguy]

when my girlfriend and i first got together she had a 2001 civic, and i had a 2001 ranger. My ranger was trouble free to 175K, hardly touched it, just routine maintenance, brakes etc. Her civic was a nightmare, at least once a year there was some significant issue with it, granted her mileage was higher, she drove it to about 250K. We sold them both in 2008, the ford for 5000$ and the civic for 500$

So why do I own 2 Japanese cars now? because individual experiences have no impact on statistics. I understand why you have an aversion to Ford, I personally have a slight aversion to Honda, but i understand that its not logical. Don't write off American manufacturers for life because you had one bad experience (not that Im saying your doing that)

Its the 'black swan' theory. You can observe unlimited numbers of white swans but that does not prove that there are no black swans, however the observation of one black swan proves that not all swans are white. Ie: a bad experience with a manufacturer does not prove that all experience are bad, just that not all experiences are good.

Well, my personal experience is just an example. But the statistics are out there regarding reliability, and Toyota is still superior to GM/ Ford. Honestly, there are American cars out there I like. I like Corvettes (almost bought one in '07), chevy full-size trucks, Mustangs, Wranglers. After my Ranger, I felt I'd been ripped-off and swore-off Ford. It was the Bail-outs and worse yet, the advertisements lying about the bail-outs being paid back, that made me swear-off GM. Not to mention GM building plants in Mexico after taking American tax money to "preserve American jobs". Anyway....I do still like Jeep Wranglers/CJ's. I had a TJ as my first car and it was great. I'd consider buying an old Wrangler as a toy some day. Of course, Chrysler isn't really and American company anymore, so I've left them out of most of this conversation.

 

[tjnaples]

In regards to the sticking gas pedal: It is very difficult for a car to go fast in neutral!

 

[ClockWork]

In regards to the sticking gas pedal: It is very difficult for a car to go fast in neutral!

It was also proven that even on high-performance cars applying full brake force easily overcame the power from the engine. On most cars - the stopping distance increased only a marginal amount.

Some people are just dumb.

 

[Balcs1]

You should have bought a Dodge Truck Cummins

I admit, I have a personal grudge against "American" car companies. I bought a new Ford pickup after college. I had it narrowed-down to a Toyota or Ford, and I specifically chose the Ford because it was American. After 85k miles the truck had so many issues I sold it because I couldn't tolerate any more repair bills. It was a huge mistake and I lost a ton of money on repairs and depreciation. Unlike Ford, Toyotas last far beyond 5 years and you can count on several years of trouble-free driving after the car is payed-off. My Tacoma didn't have so much as a rattle when I traded it this year after 107k miles. It looked and drove like new. I work hard for my money (and I made a lot less money right out of college when I had the Ford). People can say whatever they want about Ford/GM improving their quality, I'm not going to be a guinea pig with my money. I feel these companies have taken advantage of American's loyalty (and tax dollars) and I will do my very best not to make the mistake of buying American again.

I have a 04 Dodge Club Cab with a staight 6 Cummins deisel Motor chipped with 425 Horsepower and 600 ft lbs of torque I get 18.5 mpg and have 200k on it. I do preventative maintenance on it and keep up on it and pay attention to service. I pull a 12,000 lb Toy Hauler all over the place and it has also been a daily driver. I will be able to get 500k-1,000,000 miles out of that motor, sure I will eventually need to replace things around the motor as things wear out but a Tundra aint capable of what this Trucks capacity is. Yes I think the Tundra is a sweet truck but until Toyota makes a 3/4 Ton tuck with a deisel motor, I will be running the Hell out of this American Dodge Truck. I ALSO HAVE AN 11 4RUNNER TE.

I have 4 American and have tons of experience with Toyota over the last 30 yrs, I have owned 2 celicas, 2 4Runners, 1 Pickup and 1 Van. EVERYONE of those vehicles had issues along the way, it's luck of the draw too, sure I believe Toyotas are awesome and reliable, there is a place for American made too so put this USA Bashing to rest you Ignorent Fools. There is room for all Manufacturers. There are way more problems you guys are facing in this country then weather or not we make a good car. Wake up!!! Move on...

 

[1engineer]

You guys are killing me! You are making something simple really complex. If you want to know where and who has the best quality for any vehicle in the world simply look at one thing and one thing only: Resale value. Never forget that the auto industry worldwide is driven by consumers and it is all aquestion of bang for the buck, slick advertisments and brainwashing aside. Just look at resale values. The higher they are, the more demand there is, which usually means (95% of the time anyway) the quality of the vehicle in question is better. Do not try to lump "all Fords, or all Toyotas" into the quality catagory either.

 

[KCcarguy]

I have a 04 Dodge Club Cab with a staight 6 Cummins deisel Motor chipped with 425 Horsepower and 600 ft lbs of torque I get 18.5 mpg and have 200k on it. I do preventative maintenance on it and keep up on it and pay attention to service. I pull a 12,000 lb Toy Hauler all over the place and it has also been a daily driver. I will be able to get 500k-1,000,000 miles out of that motor, sure I will eventually need to replace things around the motor as things wear out but a Tundra aint capable of what this Trucks capacity is. Yes I think the Tundra is a sweet truck but until Toyota makes a 3/4 Ton tuck with a deisel motor, I will be running the Hell out of this American Dodge Truck. I ALSO HAVE AN 11 4RUNNER TE.

I have 4 American and have tons of experience with Toyota over the last 30 yrs, I have owned 2 celicas, 2 4Runners, 1 Pickup and 1 Van. EVERYONE of those vehicles had issues along the way, it's luck of the draw too, sure I believe Toyotas are awesome and reliable, there is a place for American made too so put this USA Bashing to rest you Ignorent Fools. There is room for all Manufacturers. There are way more problems you guys are facing in this country then weather or not we make a good car. Wake up!!! Move on...[/QUOTE

As i said in a previous post, HD Dodges and Fords are great trucks, no doubt. Comparing a HD truck to a Tundra is apples to oranges. You know as well as I do HD trucks are built and engineered to a completely different standard than regular full-size trucks. As I said, my primary problem with "american" auto companies is the bail-outs, shipping jobs out of the country while trading on an American name, etc. How you justify that? And, BTW your '04 Dodge might be American, but an '11 Dodge (now owned by FIAT) is no more American than a Tundra.

My family and I have owned more American cars than Japanese, but we've converted to Toyota/Honda after learning our lesson the hard way. Everyone has a right to buy what they want, but I challenge anyone to go and test-drive a 10 year old 4runner or Tacoma and then drive a 10 year old Domestic competitor with equal milage. Which one looks better? Which has fewer squeaks/ rattles? Which has better resale? Any car can be kept running after 100k+ miles these days, but in my experience Toyotas hold-up better.

Again, I am not bashing American workers. There are plenty of great cars made by Honda, Toyota, and BMW just to name a few, here in the US. I'm bashing domestic auto-makers for their business practices, bail-outs, engineered obsolescence, and taking advantage of peoples' loyalty.