Only reason i got the Lexus............
Anyone else dislike cars that are not American?
- Thread starter Defiant
- Start date
Only reason i got the Lexus............
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
Every V8 Ford I ever bought has been super reliable to 200,000 miles or even 350,000 & one still going at over 400,000 miles....except one. All were bought new & driven hard in my younger years but maintained well. The bad one was a new 1988 F150 302 v8 2 wheel drive. It was a real total Lemon in every detail! I kept it only 18 months instead of my normal 10-15 years...Won't bore you with all the details except to say I returned it to my dealer gave him all the keys & walked home never wanting to see it ever again!
LOL...he returned it six weeks later with the Twin I Beam front suspension all replaced & welded in straight this time ...I sold it & bought a new 89 E. Bauer Bronco which was the exact opposite! Best truck ever...my favorite do everything truck. So I can say I love most everything Ford in particular...V8 wise. They have a lot of misses with the 4 cyl cars etc. not generally as good as they should be!
So I was going to be totally American cars biased then my wife went and bought a new 2014 Mazda 3 and It just blew my socks off! The quality & styling & reliability in that little jewel blows me away! It is FUN to drive! Handles curves so pleasantly and regularly gets 43-45 mpg! (Once or twice we cracked the big 50mpg's too but we were really trying for good mileage! So I don't claim that figure much) It is the Grand Touring model with everything we were going to NOT get! Loaded to the gills & more...we love it! LOL...funny how fast you get spoiled, with heated leather seats & the nice Bose Stereo Sound System, back up cameras, moon roof, lane departure & cross traffic warnings...so much good stuff I'm still learning how it all works! Awesome cars....only con is a bit of road noise intrusion on certain type roads but nothing like the awful VW's or Honda's we tried...
I wanted a Focus with the great Ecoboost power so Deb rented one for a month to see....but the cramped cockpit and lousy slipping auto transmission killed that idea! And the My Touch was a disaster...sorry Ford! Now she is waiting for an AWD model to come out Wish Mazda would add a Turbo!
As far as the big European luxury cars I'm not very knowledgeable on them & have little interest in them. I watched a friend buy his dream car a bigger 900 series v8 BMW that was worse than my lemon f150! For some reason it cracked blocks & other things as fast as the factory could replace them! He went through 5 engine replacements...all under warranty, but got so sick of being stranded on the road...He dumped it in less than two years too.
Then he got a Toyota Camry....it cracked the flywheel!! An auto! the first year....I have seen so many Hondas blow up engines...& have mysterious ailments they spend 2/3rds of their life at the Dealers...so any car can let you down. I know many are great too but I know American parts are mostly cheaper & easier to get anywhere you go! So I have a strong preference for my American V8's.
JMO...The worst ugliest car ever is the Pontiac Aztec...& it saves the Prius from that title! LOL...I detest the Prius solely because of the snobs who buy it...and their attitudes! I love to see one broke down on the hiway....Yes I know there are good people too that buy them...but I haven't met many.
LOL...he returned it six weeks later with the Twin I Beam front suspension all replaced & welded in straight this time ...I sold it & bought a new 89 E. Bauer Bronco which was the exact opposite! Best truck ever...my favorite do everything truck. So I can say I love most everything Ford in particular...V8 wise. They have a lot of misses with the 4 cyl cars etc. not generally as good as they should be!
So I was going to be totally American cars biased then my wife went and bought a new 2014 Mazda 3 and It just blew my socks off! The quality & styling & reliability in that little jewel blows me away! It is FUN to drive! Handles curves so pleasantly and regularly gets 43-45 mpg! (Once or twice we cracked the big 50mpg's too but we were really trying for good mileage! So I don't claim that figure much) It is the Grand Touring model with everything we were going to NOT get! Loaded to the gills & more...we love it! LOL...funny how fast you get spoiled, with heated leather seats & the nice Bose Stereo Sound System, back up cameras, moon roof, lane departure & cross traffic warnings...so much good stuff I'm still learning how it all works! Awesome cars....only con is a bit of road noise intrusion on certain type roads but nothing like the awful VW's or Honda's we tried...
I wanted a Focus with the great Ecoboost power so Deb rented one for a month to see....but the cramped cockpit and lousy slipping auto transmission killed that idea! And the My Touch was a disaster...sorry Ford! Now she is waiting for an AWD model to come out Wish Mazda would add a Turbo!
As far as the big European luxury cars I'm not very knowledgeable on them & have little interest in them. I watched a friend buy his dream car a bigger 900 series v8 BMW that was worse than my lemon f150! For some reason it cracked blocks & other things as fast as the factory could replace them! He went through 5 engine replacements...all under warranty, but got so sick of being stranded on the road...He dumped it in less than two years too.
Then he got a Toyota Camry....it cracked the flywheel!! An auto! the first year....I have seen so many Hondas blow up engines...& have mysterious ailments they spend 2/3rds of their life at the Dealers...so any car can let you down. I know many are great too but I know American parts are mostly cheaper & easier to get anywhere you go! So I have a strong preference for my American V8's.
JMO...The worst ugliest car ever is the Pontiac Aztec...& it saves the Prius from that title! LOL...I detest the Prius solely because of the snobs who buy it...and their attitudes! I love to see one broke down on the hiway....Yes I know there are good people too that buy them...but I haven't met many.
ttocs
Post Whore
so mazda.... Are they american or......
Mack
Well-Known Member
I think in general European cars are way too complicated. Yes, they ride nice when new but soon all the stuff starts to break. And then it throws off the computers and things get from bad to worse. And they are so complicated even trained mechanics have no clue.
American cars may be a bit lacking in comfort but they are simple cars. There's less stuff to break and when it does, it's clear what is broken.
Japanese cars started out simple in the 70's, making them super reliable. They still are reliable but to compete in Euro-land they too have become more complicated.
The American cars win in styling and in simplicity. If they can step up, make them comfortable and economical, they have a bright future ahead. If they remain gas guzzlers with plastic interiors, then there is no place for them outside the US.
American cars may be a bit lacking in comfort but they are simple cars. There's less stuff to break and when it does, it's clear what is broken.
Japanese cars started out simple in the 70's, making them super reliable. They still are reliable but to compete in Euro-land they too have become more complicated.
The American cars win in styling and in simplicity. If they can step up, make them comfortable and economical, they have a bright future ahead. If they remain gas guzzlers with plastic interiors, then there is no place for them outside the US.
Tally_4.6
Well-Known Member
This thread is just...wow.
I don't even have words
I don't even have words
Lies!!!!!!! You posted words!!!!! 10 words you had!!!!!
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Mustanger
Well-Known Member
all Japanese now....as I said the Mazda blew my biases into the weeds. I was surprised how good it is.
You summed it all.
I appreciate most cars as well, their innovations move other manufacturers to do better.
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
Mack...."The American cars win in styling and in simplicity. If they can step up, make them comfortable and economical, they have a bright future ahead. If they remain gas guzzlers with plastic interiors, then there is no place for them outside the US."
LOL...you are driving one of the plastic gas guzzlers! Nice aren't they?. I think too many of our good cars keep disappearing overseas! What level of gas mileage do you want a V8 Mustang to get? Our '04 Mach I regularly gets 26-28 MPG on trips...driving 75 +... a bit slower & we have hit 30MPG A corvette usually does even better. Mustang is back selling hot Ecoboost V6's & even a great 4 banger for good performance & yet still great mileage....How high do we need to go? Remember nothing will have the charm & the ability to turn heads by just firing up like a V8!
Comfortable? I love the comfort of my lowered 23 year old plastic car that gets 23MPG & have many times driven 4-500 miles a day for weeks on vacation...I never get tired driving the Mustang!...Drove it 1500 miles in two days to Spokane, Wa. & back on the 3rd day...wonderful fun trip!....Ya gotta define comfort... soft & cushy & non intrusive or solid & firm & in for the most fun & safety. An air bagged Mustang oughta ride pretty comfy...but so does a Roush full suspensioned Blown Stage 3 IMO!
LOL...you are driving one of the plastic gas guzzlers! Nice aren't they?. I think too many of our good cars keep disappearing overseas! What level of gas mileage do you want a V8 Mustang to get? Our '04 Mach I regularly gets 26-28 MPG on trips...driving 75 +... a bit slower & we have hit 30MPG A corvette usually does even better. Mustang is back selling hot Ecoboost V6's & even a great 4 banger for good performance & yet still great mileage....How high do we need to go? Remember nothing will have the charm & the ability to turn heads by just firing up like a V8!
Comfortable? I love the comfort of my lowered 23 year old plastic car that gets 23MPG & have many times driven 4-500 miles a day for weeks on vacation...I never get tired driving the Mustang!...Drove it 1500 miles in two days to Spokane, Wa. & back on the 3rd day...wonderful fun trip!....Ya gotta define comfort... soft & cushy & non intrusive or solid & firm & in for the most fun & safety. An air bagged Mustang oughta ride pretty comfy...but so does a Roush full suspensioned Blown Stage 3 IMO!
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
No longer true! Mazda bought it 100% back from Ford 3 or 4 years ago....They are calling all the shots now just share dealerships for sales & service.
Tally_4.6
Well-Known Member
And engines...
Tha trap house.
Tha trap house.
Mack
Well-Known Member
Yes, I have one but it's a hobby car. I have it because it is special, I take it to meetings and stuff. I have it because of the looks, because of the sounds, but in comfort and quality it is clearly lacking. I could never, ever use it as a daily driver.
Let me tell you why:
1. Gas is over $14 a gallon and rising. With a car that does 23 mpg (like yours) I would almost spend more on gas than my paycheck is. My current car (2008 Ford Focus) does about 35 mpg and this is already borderline. In today's European world you need at least 45 mpg. Americans are unable to reach that level, thus making them worthless as daily driver. Trump is trying to make matters worse by cutting EPA
2. My car's a manual, but the clutch is super heavy. What you in America call "traffic jam" is our regular traffic. If I hit a real traffic jam, like most mornings, my leg will not pull the stop-and-go-traffic. If I let go of the clutch in 1st gear the Mustang is already driving too fast for our morning traffic so I'd have to drive 30 miles on slipping clutch (Almost all our cars are manual so you are not going to sell automatics to us)
3. People hate me because my Mustang is too loud. I will also get a lot of attention from law enforcement
I don't need a V8 in my daily driver. I don't need a sports car. I need a simple, goodlooking, not too-large, agile 4-door car that is roomy and safe enough for my family, with a good manual gearbox, that is comfortable and gets over 40mpg at least. If Americans are able to build that with American styling, they will sell like hot cakes. For now, Americans haven't build such a car.
(The Ford Focus comes very close but that was designed in Germany if I'm not mistaken. It's a Euro-Ford)
@mustaner Ford has never sold an ecoboost v6 mustang. 4 cylinder yes, but all 6ers are na
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Mack
Well-Known Member
From a European perspective, the gas mileage of an Ecoboost Mustang is terrible. It's a matter of perspective.
In America, the Mustang is a sporty car, not very big, comfortable and with good gas mileage.
In Europe, the exact same Mustang is a big gas guzzler compared to other cars on the road.
Our roads are narrower, our cars are smaller, our traffic is denser, our gas is more expensive, etc. etc. So many differences.
By the way, this doesn't mean the Mustang doesn't sell here. Did you know that Belgium now is the country in the world with the most Mustangs per 1000 people? Thanks to the Ecoboost. Unfortunately in the Netherlands, thanks to tax rules, we only have 150 sold.
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
Yes you are right! I blew it with a brain fart! Thanks for the correction,,,,I was thinking of these 3 & didn't check. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kulx2AfNZuY
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
Hey Mack, OK thanks for clarifying your statements! 4 dr, 40 +mpg, smaller, agile, manual, & better than the Focus. Nope not our Mustang...your driving conditions sound terrible! Sorry for that. we are getting like that in big cities & our freeways there are just like you describe in the commute hours! I hate it. Thank God we have wide open spaces & small cities to go to still.
Our cars are designed for different worlds & different conditions...for our needs American cars AND trucks are fine. I just love to hitch up my 25 ft. trailer to my F150 & hit the open road!! A 5,000 mile trip is perfect for my desires! Just wish we had an Autobahn for the Sporty cars!.
Question: is your $14 gas a result of taxes or supply issues? Oil at $40 a barrel has caused our prices to drop to way less than $3 range recently. Almost less than $2 in some states...although right now for whatever reason in my area it is at $3 probably for the summer driving season. The refineries seem to do that here.
Our cars are designed for different worlds & different conditions...for our needs American cars AND trucks are fine. I just love to hitch up my 25 ft. trailer to my F150 & hit the open road!! A 5,000 mile trip is perfect for my desires! Just wish we had an Autobahn for the Sporty cars!.
Question: is your $14 gas a result of taxes or supply issues? Oil at $40 a barrel has caused our prices to drop to way less than $3 range recently. Almost less than $2 in some states...although right now for whatever reason in my area it is at $3 probably for the summer driving season. The refineries seem to do that here.
Mustanger
Well-Known Member
I love when [MENTION=12861]Mack[/MENTION] points out a lot of stuff about being over in the Netherlands, and had I not gone there myself, I would almost think he was blowing smoke. But I tell you, traffic was absolutely horrendous. Everyone drives small diesel vehicles because they have a tendency to last longer, and have much more fuel mileage.
But the reality is, this is what the Netherlands is like. Tons of people ride bikes because gas/diesel is expensive, and the taxes on vehicles is RIDICULOUS.
I love getting Mack's perspective on things because it is so different. We have it good with our low gas prices and such.
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