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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 20, 2007 18:55:15 GMT -5
The Charger and 300 are both solid hits -- they regularly sell the top of the line models for at or near sticker, and they've been out for a while. But the newer cars that Chrysler has come out with (the Jeep Compass and Patriot, Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Stratus (I think that's the name) are nowhere near as nicely executed. The Dodge Nitro is a fugly little car (and I love little cars), which has a cheap interior and doesn't drive that well. That's not the way to execute a comeback!
But Chrysler has forever been going from crisis to crisis. That just seems to be in its nature.
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Post by ScottsyII on Mar 29, 2007 22:56:53 GMT -5
I don't mind the Stratus, but the Dodge Avenger is a butt ugly piece of garbage - they just look god awful on the road, and the Nitro - what in God's name were they thinking??!!
I love the muscular look of the Charger though - has a real 70's throwback with a modern feel to it. Damn nice piece of styling work.
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Post by rocknroller on Feb 22, 2008 9:15:42 GMT -5
Went to the Toyota dealership yesterday and drove off in a brand spankin' new 2009 Toyota Camry LE. Decked out with all the options. LOADED BABY! Smooth ride. A friend's wife drives a Toyota van with nearly 300k miles on it and swears on Toyota's vehicles so I thought I'd try one.   |
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Post by Ayinger on Feb 22, 2008 12:23:51 GMT -5
Congrats there on the new Toy!! Not only sharp looking but a damn good car too. You'll find those babies will last and last and last. I've been a Honda man through two Preludes, one Civic, and just 3 weeks ago broke down and bought an Accord: Used, 2005 w/55k --- still, a change from the '94 Civic that I'd racked up 155k on. I feel I'm spoiled just having a CD player in a car now.... |
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Post by KooL on Feb 22, 2008 16:14:15 GMT -5
Honda's are the best Japanese cars. Beautiful car there Ayinger.
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Post by strat-0 on Feb 23, 2008 0:28:27 GMT -5
Yeah, congrats to you rice-burner drivers! The Toyotas and Hondas are extremely well built and will rack up multiple C-notes on the ticker! Trips to the moon and back (@240,000 mi each way).
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Post by strawman on Feb 23, 2008 1:11:08 GMT -5
I've had 2 Honda Accords.....one had done 350 000km and never had the engine touched...never used any oil between oil changes either....the Honda I have now has done 200 000km and its the same. I have friends with Toyotas and they are just the same. I have a Ford too, and it hasn't given me any grief either...but I have only done about 50 000km in the years I have owned that....Really I would find it hard to go past a Japanese car after the run I have had with them (and I'd probably stick with Honda just because I have had years of trouble free travel in them!!)......That Camry does look sweet though!!
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Post by Ampage on Feb 23, 2008 10:45:34 GMT -5
Loving this thread. So, I have a 99 Sunfire and it is very dependable, but I know that eventually I am going to have to buy another car. My plan though is to drive this baby into the ground as long as it keeps running well. This is the very first car I ever bought new and the very first car I had long enough (read: haven't totaled and/or abused) to go passed 100k miles.
First car ever - Datsun 200x or something, trashed it and sold it to some teen. Then had a Charger, nice car but totalled it. Then got a Regal and it got stolen and they found it and I took it back and the engine went out a month later. Then got a Fiero and totalled it. Then got a Hyundai Excel and that actually was a great car but I trashed it, then had a Corsica and I trashed it then got the Pontiac.
Any thoughts on a Prius? Also, any word on any bigger cars coming out green? I really want my next car to be a small SUV, but not at these gas prices.
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Post by rocknroller on Feb 23, 2008 16:29:20 GMT -5
First car ever was my brother in laws Volkswagon Bug. The 70's version of the bug. He went into Norad and I was the lucky recipient of his car while he was in the Air Force. I drove the car from Phoenix (where my family lives) to LA (where I was living at that time) and during the trip took my eyes off the road for a second and drove into the desert. The oil pan came off (unknowingly) and I drove and drove until the engine froze from lack of oil. Ofcourse I was in the middle of the desert when the Bug dies and spent a pleasant evening under the stars cursing God while detoxing from meth amphetamine. Alas. Replaced the engine (rebuilt engine) then ran into a corner USPS box one day and bent one of the wheels. Fixed that and was driving down the hollywood freeway and an entire wheel came off and rolled along with the car. It was surreal. I left the car on the highway and my sister and her husband eventually got an abandoned car letter from the CHP. Think Highway Patrol ended up auctioning it off as my sister and her husband were in Colorado Springs.
2nd car was a Cutlass Supreme. Totaled that when I ran into a tree drunk. Third car was a Mazda that I sold when the radiator blew. It had around 140k miles on it at the time.
Third car was a used Lincoln Towncar. A great car. Had 30k original miles on it and was an 87 model that I bought in '93. Was an old ladies car who never drove anywhere and was garaged the majority of her ownership. Sold that for 1500 bucks worth of drugs. Alas.
Next was a New Yorker 5th avenue used with over 100k on in when I bought it. Ran it to about 150k miles. Replaced the transmission during that time. Totaled it one night. Was driving on a really dark county road an a truck in front of me was towing a flatbed trailer with no brake lights on it that was impossible to see due to the absolute darkness of the road. I ran right into the trailer, wrecking and totaling the front end. The person driving the trailer just kept going down the road. Didn't pull over to help or anything. Bastard knew no brake lights meant he or she was responsible. Alas.
Next was my '02 Dodge Neon. Basic car, no power options or anything. Had a/c that was the extent of the options it had. Bought that used with 16k miles on it and drove it 'til I bought the Toyota. Got 104k miles on the Dodge. 3 brake jobs and some transmission work that was covered under warranty. Brakes don't last on Neon's.
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Post by rocknroller on Feb 24, 2008 9:39:47 GMT -5
At Champion Toyota in Austin after I purchased the car:  |
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Post by rocknroller on Feb 24, 2008 9:52:41 GMT -5
The following day at home:  |
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Post by strat-0 on Feb 24, 2008 20:25:38 GMT -5
Nice ride, Pat!
Oh, wow – car history!
I’ve had a few… I got my first car when I was 19. It was a gold 1969 Chevy Impala with a 350 in it with a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. Those babies don’t shift into second under wide-open throttle til you get up to about 60 mph. That thing sure ran good! I bought it from a friend of my dad’s in Dallas and drove it home to Terre Haute. I got to spend the night in jail in Rolla, MO for speeding on the way home. Jeez. But I think I’ve told that story before… I let that one get away from me after only a year or so, after I moved down to Tulsa. Unbeknownst to me, the fuel pump failed and was diluting the oil in the crankcase with gasoline. Those old things could do that. Like I said, little did I know, until the engine had locked up tight. I had a killer Craig car stereo in it with a power amp and EQ and stuff (before thumping car stereos were cool, y’know). I lost the whole rig – somebody stole the car before I could make arrangements to get it towed home. That was the start of some hard times in Tulsa…
My next car was a 1968 Olds Cutlass with silver paint all faded out, and some broken oil control rings. Nothing wrong with the compression rings, though – it would light up the tires quite nicely. But it smoked like a tar keel. I mean, it looked like a three alarm fire! You couldn’t even drive something like that nowadays. I’d put two or three quarts of oil in it a day. I only paid 75 bucks for it, though. Didn’t have that one long either, because on the first day of my big promotion from an OTASCO retail store to the big warehouse hub, it broke down on the exit ramp. Probably a clogged fuel filter, I suppose. When I went back to get it after work, somebody had plowed into the rear end of it at about 50 mph and just creamed the shit out of it. That was the end of that, and the job too. I stripped what I could off of it with my roommate that night and left the hulk on the side of the road.
Next was the famous Granddaddy Woof, a primer-grey 1960 Ford F-100 step side (which I still own) with a straight six and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. That was soon supplemented by a bit of windfall – a gift of a 1960 Chevy Biscayne with similar running gear, which I ended up selling for good effect when I decided to return to Terre Haute for a while. Both of those were already recognized classics at the time.
Then down to St. Louis for a year or so, and then on down to Birmingham, with that old Granddaddy Woof hauling my old pooch and the rest of my stuff all the way!
I guess I’ve had several more vehicles come and go since I’ve been here. As I said, I’ve still got the truck, and it was my main transpo from time to time. It’s semi-retired, now. Today’s fleet also consists of a Geo Prism and the “Sleeper,” which I think I’ve described here before!
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Post by RocDoc on Feb 25, 2008 16:44:26 GMT -5
1969 chevy camaro convertible 327 automatic.
1974 pontiac lemans 'sport coupe'.
1986 honda accord sedan 5 speed manual.
1988 chevy cavalier station wagon 4 speed manual.
1989 volvo 740 turbo sedan.
1992 mercury topaz sedan.
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Post by RocDoc on Feb 25, 2008 16:55:58 GMT -5
now i'm actually driving my wife's 2004 buick rendezvous since she's laid up at home with a busted right foot which keeps her from work AND driving of any sort.
plus adding the fact that i cannot lock up the generally indestructible topaz (my dad's car til his tia's happened) anymore until i take it in for locksmithing, because they froze up up after an icestorm, i got locked out and it seems that i broke the both of them one night trying to free them up while absolutely freezing my ass off a long way from home.
i went so far as to try to smash out one of my windows with a fire extinguisher from my trunk (that opened at least) and musta hit it 20 times and gave up when a crowd started to gather.
so now i'm driving the 4-wheel 'versatrack' and digging it very well, thank you....and the way don said, the LUXURY of having a car in which can play my cds is wonderful.
none if those other cars had cd...and running a discman with one of those converter kits is too much a pain in the ass, unless maybe you're going cross-country.
and they skip.
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Post by Ayinger on Feb 27, 2008 19:57:02 GMT -5
What amazes me so far is the number of cars folks here have wrecked up & totaled! I've had my dings and a couple good dents but only once did I have to take a car into a body shop and that was only because some dumbass high school kid pulled out of a lot w/o looking and caught me in the front end with his pickup. I love hearing about some of these old rides though....even if I'm not the most gear-headed person in the world. But a Datsun 200x, the Charger, good ol' Cutlass....the Fiero brought back memories of when my best friend bought one when they first came out. Remember him punching it and being thrown back against the seat. That, and how the damn headlights flipped up so high you could barely see the road directly in front of you. My rides:  '68 Pontiac LeMans 350  '80 Honda Prelude (not my actual pic and this is a '79...had this color but NO striping as shown ~dammit~ )  '84 Honda Prelude (again not my pic,,,in fact this is an '85 as I couldn't find an '84 on web...same bitchin' dark blue tho'.....). This one was probably the most fun to drive. 5-speed that only needed a bit more 'umpth' to it in the pickup department -- but still, in my book nothing shifts like a honda!  1994 Honda Civic |
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