30th Jul 2009, 05:13
Talk about taking a statement out of context:
You list the following as a question asked:
"Unless you are a stockholder of GM, Ford or Chrysler, should you really care where the "profits" are going?"
When the actual question read:
Unless you are a stockholder of GM, Ford or Chrysler, should you really care where the "profits" are going as long as they are providing good jobs for Americans?
Please, don't use my words for your propaganda.
30th Jul 2009, 07:56
I agree it's not over quality of the vehicles. It likely will be the drop of quality of life with over 5000 domestic autoworkers out of work in my town in July. Bringing in cheap labor low benefits is not going to replace cheap import wages vs what was there. I am going to have a tough time selling my home; you need a nice job to afford it.
30th Jul 2009, 16:32
"Please, don't use my words for your propaganda."
I apologize for taking your words out of context. Sorry.
30th Jul 2009, 21:09
You can lease a 2009 Accord for 24 months for only 99 dollars a month. That's cheap and yet someone is not renewing? That's a drop in the bucket. Just barely drive them, and keep turning them in and get another.
30th Jul 2009, 21:54
The dealer I bought my Civic from offers a 5-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.
31st Jul 2009, 13:30
Cars cost more to add the extended warranty; it's built into your payment somehow.
31st Jul 2009, 19:03
No, it's standard. I haven't paid any extra for it. It's the only Honda dealer that does so, it's not a company-wide thing. I don't really get why everyone says Japanese cars have awful warranties at 3yrs. 36,000 miles. The Ford Focus I owned before I purchased my Civic had the same exact warranty. In fact, every car I've ever owned, import or domestic, has had a 3yr. 36,000 mile warranty.
31st Jul 2009, 23:34
"The dealer I bought my Civic from offers a 5-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty."
You'll need it. Our Civic was totally shot at 40,000 miles.
31st Jul 2009, 23:44
On Wednesday a friend I work with asked me to give him a ride to the office because his 2007 Accord was in the shop for repairs (again). He was so impressed with my 2006 Fusion he plans to trade for one.
1st Aug 2009, 09:26
Ugghhh!
The Fusion salesman strikes again!
I used to like Ford Fusions, but now I wouldn't buy one due to the shameless exaggeration of their "greatness" in these reviews.
In fact, I may trade my domestic for an import, just to tweak these import bashers.
And I DO own a domestic.
1st Aug 2009, 12:09
"You'll need it. Our Civic was totally shot at 40,000 miles."
My '91 Civic had over 300,000 miles. Yours obviously hadn't been taken care of.
1st Aug 2009, 12:11
"In fact, I may trade my domestic for an import, just to tweak these import bashers."
Don't do it just to annoy these guys, do it because it's a good idea.
1st Aug 2009, 14:31
Dealer may offer something free, but I still maintain the profit was there. Likely paid much more than privately owned or they financed it too.
1st Aug 2009, 17:47
Anybody who says Honda's aren't built well is mistaken. My 1996 Accord was rear-ended by a Buick Roadmaster going 25 MPH and the only damage it had was a cracked rear bumper. It drove away from the accident as if nothing had happened. More recently, my 2008 Civic was hit head-on by the driver of an SUV, I took it to a body shop and they replaced the right-front fender and the front bumper, gave it an alignment, and sent me on my way. They inspected the frame and I looked at it myself and there was no damage. I still drive it everyday without a single problem.
2nd Aug 2009, 20:55
Try telling the family of our late friend how "well-built" Hondas are. Their daughter scrimped and save to buy a beautiful new Acura (a Honda with ten grand tacked on). In a blinding rainstorm she rear-ended a Ford F-150. The F-150 was driven home by its uninjured driver. Our friend was taken to a funeral home. The much-touted "crumple zones" DID crumple... all the way back into the driver's seat, crushing her to death.
3rd Aug 2009, 13:08
She had to have been going awfully fast for something like that to happen. And if you're saying that Honda's are bad because of crumple zones, you're wrong. Honda makes crumple zones on their cars so that they comply with U.S. standards. The United States laws make car companies put in crumple zones. It's not Honda's fault they are there.
4th Aug 2009, 05:30
I was also worried that the trans would blow again. My wife and kids surrounded by tractor trailers and no warning at all. We sold our Honda over safety concerns. If you are in middle lane and it fails with no warning, you might reevaluate fixing it a few times, let alone once.
5th Aug 2009, 21:16
In 2006 a Toyota Tacoma ran a stop sign and I T-boned it. My Dodge Dakota had a broken headlight and a smashed grill. No damage to the radiator at all. it was perfectly driveable. The Tacoma's entire frame was bent in a "V" shape and the engine was ripped loose from the mounts and the shift linkage was ripped loose from the transmission. It was hauled away on a flatbed truck. This is pretty typical of the poor construction of Japanese vehicles.
One of our neighbors was hit head-on by a group of drunken high school kids in a nearly new Accord. All the kids in the Accord were killed. Our friend's Chevy Tahoe was damaged, but he walked away with a sprained wrist. Many of our friends refuse to even allow their children to ride in small Japanese vehicles. They are just too dangerous.
6th Aug 2009, 05:48
I am an European (Belgium). And I agree that (in Europe) the most reliable cars were made between 1986 and 1994. Putting too much power in a small cube, is not always for the better.
Though, 1988, the Renault 25, one the first 'talking computers', all novelties in, always problems.
BMW had a rainsensor option in the 1993 325i. Before testing it : sell, sell, sell...
It is hard to import American cars here (taxwise). The things I always admired about American cars in the past : they didn't have the power to cubic inch ratio, but they went on and on and on... beyond our diesels (I have seen Merc's out of the 80's with over 600,000 miles, but Americans went beyond, with small repairs).
The last 8 years or so, the American models are also the best looking, in my opinion. Here we have been paying between 1.35 to 1.50 Euro a litre, since over 5 or 6 years. A (current and fast) calculation makes that now 3.551 USD per American Gallon (at 1.35 per liter). We simply cannot afford cars drinking that much.
I once had the chance to buy a (I loved it) Cadillac STS 4,6 Northstar. 2,500 euro, but because of 4.6 litres, the Belgian government asked me 2,500 euro of taxes per year!!! I really couldn't get them away with that.
Sometimes I wish I lived in the US, I alter accents from Australian, to British over Irish to American English, and speak Dutch as French and German (no Spanish, though). But hey, here we are anyway.
29th Jul 2009, 18:59
Well, our Fusion is now 4 years old and nothing has broken yet. Our Honda was literally disintegrating at 36 months (just as the puny warranty ran out). I will never buy another Japanese vehicle.