26th Aug 2010, 16:20

Can you tell me what exactly in the Toyota and Honda dealer's lots qualify as "dream cars"?? I sure haven't seen any. Their offerings remind me more of a kitchen appliance.

26th Aug 2010, 16:36

You should all drive to Bowling Green and see the museum and new Corvettes being built. Not everybody scours rebates and chases the cheap, and then hates driving a boring uninspired car on a long lien.

The thrill of driving, and quality of life experiencing this, far exceeds driving a bland toaster A to B appliance.

I bought fairly expensive Japanese imports, and had major drivetrain issues. First trans at 28000 miles. That to me is very low quality.

I am soured on our post 2000 poor mechanical quality. I can drive better vs repairing and dumping low mileage 40-50k imports with short warranties.

The LS2 Corvette engine, also available in the Trailblazer SS AWD, is a great vehicle as well.

26th Aug 2010, 17:14

I guess for me I really don't get why some people are so much up in arms over whether a company has headquarters in the US or in Japan, Germany, or France. Does it really matter?

It really all boils down to the individual worker. A large percentage of the Japanese cars in the US, are also made in the US, by US workers earning decent wages.

26th Aug 2010, 18:53

Our friends just bought a new Ford Escape after finally unloading their unreliable and poorly built Honda CRV. They paid $3000 MORE for the Escape than a comparable import SUV. After the headaches they've had with Honda, they felt it was well worth it.

26th Aug 2010, 19:13

I'm a mechanic, and my family has owned over 40 cars over the past 40 years. No domestic has ever required a repair before 100,000 miles. None of our 3 imports ever made 100,000 miles without numerous expensive repairs, and 2 of them never even MADE 100,000 miles. I regard that as pretty clear evidence that the myth of import car superiority is truly a myth. That's why I refuse to even look at another Japanese car.

26th Aug 2010, 21:03

I agree with comment 15:56. I laughed when I heard GM had repaid their loans with MORE LOANS. As for supporting them, my tax dollars already did that, I don't need to buy one of their vehicles.

27th Aug 2010, 03:21

In 2004 my wife and I purchased both a Highlander and a Trailblazer. I shopped fervently for the best price from all dealers within a 2 hour drive. In the end, my wife got a low end Highlander with FWD V6 leather 3rd row, and I got a Trailblazer with all options except DVD & Navigation; the difference in cost was within $500.

In as far as maintenance, any problems with the Chevy, which were few, were immediately fixed by the dealers.

I had to fight tooth and nail for the any of the Toyota dealers to acknowledge even one issue, even though several TSB's existed on these issues.

When we first purchased these vehicles, we both thought that the Highlander was a great choice for my wife, because it was more reliable, and I, being somewhat more handy, could deal with any issues from the Trailblazer. As it turned out, my wife had to leave her car with me in the winter, because the FWD Highlander frequently got stuck in the snow, as well as the OBD diagnostics I had to run on a regular basis due to the engine light coming on. The factory tires on the Highlander lasted only 30k miles, while the factory tires on Trailblazer made it almost to 65k miles.

With regards to ride quality, I guess it depends on what you want. For most, I assume sporty agile highway driving, and the Highlander wins hands down. When it's time for us to tow the trailer into the mountains and drive over bumpy dirt roads however, it's a no brainer, the Trailblazer wins hands down. But despite the fact that the Highlander couldn't even haul our trailer, these SUV's are just two completely different animals. The Highlander is unibody construction, and the Trailblazer is has a full frame with the body mounted on bushings, similar to a pickup truck. The Highlander has much more stability due to its lower center of gravity not being mounted atop a full frame.

All in all, when my wife decided she wanted a new car, we kept the Trailblazer and sold the Highlander.

And as a side note to one of the previous comments, I think it makes sense for everyone in our country to be a little bit more protectionist, and support U.S. companies when there is no significant difference in the product, especially in these economic times.

27th Aug 2010, 06:15

The best way is to buy for your applications. I tow, like AWD, and like a great ride. If you drive a bouncy vehicle that hops over highway expansion strips, whines and is noisy, it's best to test drive vs all the political debate. When I get home, I can watch the news. When I tow a boat over 2 hours to the beach with 4 passengers, I search for an appropriate vehicle. I buy always application driven on my vehicles. And want a 100000 mile warranty. If you are driving solo, maybe you have a different criteria on what you buy. I like to read what a vehicle does and can perform in its category. This is an SUV.

27th Aug 2010, 12:23

I laugh with joy driving my GMs vs sigh with my Acuras issues. I have not had any breakdowns, and my vehicles are fun to drive. My cars and truck are late models; all bought new.

27th Aug 2010, 19:17

"I regard that as pretty clear evidence that the myth of import car superiority is truly a myth."

3 cars that you had bad luck with makes ALL imports unreliable? Sorry, but that's just not gonna cut it. But I guess I can understand where you're coming from, I've owned over a dozen American vehicles, and none of them made 100,000 miles, so I guess that means I can say all American vehicles are unreliable.

28th Aug 2010, 10:09

"In the end, my wife got a low end Highlander with FWD V6 leather 3rd row"

Low end? With leather and the third row option? What does the top of the line Highlander come with?

28th Aug 2010, 14:18

I started buying Toyotas, Hondas and later Nissan Z cars and Acuras as income rose. I lost count, but 2 cars every few years adds up.

Later on we owned 3 cars at any given time. Usually 2 cars and a full size truck. We buy new. Our experience was low production made in Japan, they were great. Late 90s they dipped to satisfactory, and 2000 til just a few years ago, we had major drivetrain issues. We stopped buying entirely.

I do like the Nissan Z car except for the front end, that some call a catfish look. But if there were one I would still buy, it would be a Nissan.

My wife drove all the Honda sedans, but now prefers GM as well.