Cars Part Deux
...On to the Swedes. They make some nice cars. I totally dig the Saab 9-3 for its power, features, personality, looks, somewhat decent reliability, comfort and handling. The reliability thing isn't that much of a problem, especially since GM took Saab and started giving them funding. Before they were funded by GM, Saab wasn't able to invest much into research and development (r&d). This is evident when you notice that the older Saab 900 and 9000 would go for a decade without much change. The older ones lasted forever, but not without dumping half your salary into them, plus Saab dealers are hard to find, not that you'd go to one after the warranty expires if there's a swedish and german car specialist in town, not that you'd go to a just german car specialist, though they would probably know how to work on them pretty good, better than most generic mechanics at least, and german car specialists can be found in most areas...just a thought...So Saabs are highly rated by their owners in the fun category. many people who buy saabs are coming from other luxury or entry level luxo cars, and they all like the saab better than all the other cars they have driven, even for reliability in many cases. On to Volvo. Ford took over these Swedes a few years back (along with a bunch of other brands). Volvo has always put out a very durable safe car, but they are not and never really were that reliable. I can't blame this on Ford since they have always needed a lot of work and have always had expensive parts, et cetera. they depend on the safety record to get people to buy their cars. as other cars are being made safe and more reliable and affordable, Volvo has to change their image to go with the times. from what i see (haven't read much on this), they are making their cars look and be sportier and sexier to lure in the drivers. i have never heard or read of a volvo driver praising how their car handled or how they beat a Saab 9-3 on the Autobahn, so i see no reason to waste my money on one. I'm not sure just how ford running Volvo has affected them other than a couple of models that share chassis with other ford corp. models across a few of ford's brands. It's kind of upsetting to me, at least at first (being reactionary) that ford shares chassis and other parts with the luxo companies, but it is very cost effective, and there really is nothing wrong with their chassis, mounts, et cetera, that I know of. Ford shares parts and chassis between both of its original divisions, Mercury and Lincoln, so why not share with Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin? I think Ford is capable of making a reliable product. As Neil points out, along with the reviews, the Lincoln Towncar is a very solid and reliable luxury car. Some will say it is not truly a luxury car, but I beg them to ask what makes a luxury car a luxury car?_? they're just being snots; the towncar is no less luxurious than any other luxury car. it's refined, ford has focused on the fine details for the most part, and everything about it screams smooth. some people just need to put down the good value to justify them spending 70k on a vw phaeTON. Let me go back to Ford's main models. I forgot to mention that the escort has been Ford's version of a subcompact, to go against the civics, sentras, proteges, mirages and corollas. the escort has proven pretty darn reliable. i think a lot of it is that it is kept simple and cheap. i have driven at least one escort, and it reminded me a lot of my mom's 98 corolla. sure, it wasn't as refined in build quality or ergonomics as the corolla, but i was impressed for what it was. The Ford Tempo was the compact model between the subcompact escort and the midsized taurus. it had decent reliability (mixed reviews), although it was underpowered (at least the 4 cylinder models), unrefined, bad on the skidpad and plagued with ford's tranny problems (though a tranny flush every 30k miles would probably keep the tranny going for at least 150k miles). the taurus had its proponents and adversaries since its inception in 85. Main problems that were never really addressed fully have been brakes (mazdas probably have or at least had the same brakes!), tranny, engine, parts falling off...this stuff doesn't go wrong on all tauruses (or is it tauri?) since proper (or close to proper) maintenance can help keep these problems from developing in some cases), plus some have been built better than others. It's interesting how what people consider true American cars are made abroad, while the japs are now all made in America. Maybe that explains why the jap quality control isn't there anymore, but eye digress. Why I wouldn't buy a Taurus is not just that I can't depend on it being reliable, but also since it is not designed to be a driver's car. the handling is not good enough for quick and precise maneuvering, the steering is not direct enough to have a feel for the road (it's fine for the highway but not for around town), and the brakes suck. what many people are brainwashed into thinking is a practical car for all purposes, is really designed with the family crosscountry roadtrip in mind. Even for that I don't know if it's good since the seats are not as comfortable as they could be (especially the 2k plus generation). the old ones were comfy and fast (with the old 3.8 litre v6), while the new ones only have a 3 litre v6 (in two variants-sohc and dohc), so they are no longer racecars. As for the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis, they are pretty much cheap lincoln towncars. they are not built as well as the towncar, which shows in their poor reliability record. It's sort of like Hyundai versus Kia when I think of Lincoln Towncar v. Ford Crown Vic and Mercury Grand Marquis, but the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis use the same engine etc as the towncar yet these same parts are the ones that have problems on the Ford and Mercury, while the Towncar stays on the road. My guess would be both quality control and the parts they don't share. The Towncar IS designed to last a long time; they have to to keep limo companies from jumping ship to Cadillac or another limo maker, amongst other reasons they have to make it last. the police issue crown vics (not detective cars though) are built to last. they have better and extra parts that last and keep other parts from faltering (tranny coolers come to mind). Just something to think about. It's all about the benjamins, and if the company can sell cars, why should the see the need to change anything? Only with relatively recent competition have the big three started to improve the quality (that's what matters most, right? or is it safety or useless features that most people value more than they have reason to?). Chrysler was putting out pieces of shit in the 80's and early to mid 90's. they were plagued with problems (i'm talking across the board, not just certain models) ranging from tranny and engine failure to power steering, electrical, brakes, suspension, you name it, they sucked. if you kept after maintenance, you could keep the engine and maybe tranny (they tended to be defective and some were recalled-not all-my dad's colt vista's 5 speed tranny was not recalled even though it was the same as the one in some dodges...) if you were lucky. Even into the late 90's when Chrysler started making their cars look like more quality, they were still having most of the same problems. I blame it on their shortage of flow. Once Mercedes took over, they started to look nicer and have fewer problems, albeit more than most Fords and even GMs in some cases (GM was funny for having some extremely reliable models amongst all the bad ones). Only now could I start to look closer into Chrysler for a decent car. They still have glitches, but i can foresee them getting much better by the end of this decade. I'm basing this all on what I've seen, heard and read in reviews. I know a Chrysler is coming when i hear a power steering pump cranking away (bad news). I still would put a late model chrysler above a Saturn. Let's just say they have their problems (engine failure is the big one)...I probably left a lot of things out, but I need to take a nap, so that's all for now! Any Questions?