23rd Feb 2013, 17:24

Listen to the manufacturer about transmission fluid changes. They built the car. They know what is best for it. The owner's manual in owner's manual in many GM cars states very clearly "Under normal driving conditions the transmission NEVER needs servicing". I know of several Pontiac owners who were duped into getting fluid changes by shops wanting to make money, and then suffered transmission failures very shortly thereafter.

A friend who worked for a major national transmission repair service told me not to have the fluid changed in one of my Fords at only 110,000 miles. His advice was "just leave it alone unless you are experiencing a problem". I have always heeded his advice with all my cars, including one that I drove for over 240,000 miles. I have never had one single transmission problem in any car I have owned. I have also never changed the fluid or filter in any of them.

25th Feb 2013, 16:07

Import propaganda has created so many myths about domestic cars that refuting those myths is an ongoing process. First of all, I constantly see the "exploding Pinto" myth brought up. Check the facts. Only 23 out of TWO MILLION Pintos were involved in fires. That is a lower percentage than imported cars of that era. The myth was started because of a couple of high-profile accidents that got a lot of publicity. Many cars at that time had the exact same gas tank design.

Another popular myth is the Chevrolet Vega. Early models had a problem with the aluminum engine blocks. GM immediately fixed the problem, and was the first car maker ever to offer a 100,000 mile warranty way back in 1974. From then on, these were some of the best and most beautifully styled cars made by any manufacturer.

And most famous of all was the awesome Corvair. It was a revolutionary design that was way ahead of its time. It was killed by Ralph Nader's book "Unsafe at any speed", which alleged that the car's suspension was defective. Later tests exonerated the Corvair, and GM redesigned the rear suspension in 1964, making it one of the best handling rear-drive cars on the planet. Of course once an urban myth is begun, it takes on a life of its own, and one of the most innovative cars of its day fell victim to the myth.

My family owned both Pintos and a gorgeous Vega GT. Both cars were very reliable, and both made well over 100,000 miles without a problem.

Currently GM and Ford are outselling all other car makers in the U.S. Part of this is due in part to the fact that they are currently building the best cars anywhere in the world. And part of it is due to a new sense of patriotism on the part of American consumers. Recent surveys showed that fully 80 percent of Americans are actually willing to pay MORE for products made by American companies. I am very proud to be part of that 80 percent.

26th Feb 2013, 09:48

Please give the word "myth" a rest - to date I've owned approximately 30 vehicles in my lifetime; some for business, others for pleasure - about half were domestics, the other half were imports. All were equally as good as the others. Having purchased 15 or so domestic vehicles, I have done more than my share to help the US economy. If I chose to purchase an import now & then, that is my right and is completely my business, nobody else's (not even the fictional self appointed minister of economy & social conscience of the US auto manufacturers).

With all due respect, your argument has gone far beyond beating a dead horse. In my humble opinion it has reached the point of insulting the intelligence of the readers.

You know, it is very easy to design your own website - might I suggest you take your isolationist message there, and leave this fine site for those of us who enjoy reading real car reviews submitted by objective people.

Respectfully Jim from NE.

27th Jan 2014, 01:07

Original reviewer again: Sheesh, whoever keeps posting about their Pinto or whatever... it is irrelevant. A 30 year old base model car isn't the same as these cars. Plus, 30 years (yes I am estimating here) of time to refine a transmission is plenty. I'm not purposely throwing Ford under the bus here, I am simply reporting my experiences. It appears you have come here to simply argue for and support Ford. I personally do not care what everyone's auto preferences are, all I care about is reporting my experiences so others can take it and make an informed decision. People can read other reviews here as well, not just mine, then go purchase the car they want. The whole point of this site is something you are belittling!

Anyways, to those still occasionally checking in, not much has changed. Transmission hasn't acted up. Interior is holding up well, as is the body. I did chip a little paint (1x1 inch in size) by using a fairly powerful pressure washer from the front grille. It still performs poorly in snow and ice, but as I stated in an earlier post, it has been attributed to a slightly tweaked rim. Mileage is at 99,500.

I apologize for any typos, as I wrote this on my phone.

27th Jan 2014, 08:19

We have 4 cars plus at a time at our home. 3 can be garaged. So we have had plenty by our late 50s.

I have no issue with the myth comment. We bought new Hondas and Toyotas relatively unchanged for new, sometimes for a color change only. The perceived reliability wasn't a myth then. It became a myth for us later. More and more problems. Especially major drivetrains. So it's not a myth and should be mentioned. Not hidden away or for denial. New GM and Fords now grace our household.