9th Oct 2010, 06:16
That is so untrue. Full frame cars and trucks are far stronger. Drop a big block in a unibody car or full frame car and take a spin. See what rattles and flexes. I assume you are referring to frame strength. Go to a really good body shop and ask this question. They can mod your unibody, and are very wary on older models when rot occurs.
9th Oct 2010, 09:43
"Drop a big block in a unibody car or full frame car and take a spin. See what rattles and flexes."
Hmmmmm, GM did that already with the old Firebirds and Trans Ams, Camaros, and many other cars. I have also seen many Mustangs with big blocks in them that have no problems as far as flexing and rattling.
9th Oct 2010, 10:25
I remember when my dad and I bought 2 detective unmarked 440s at the police auction right before they went to the 318 Diplomats for fuel savings. Back then, cars were so bogged down with emission pollution devices in their infancy. It wasn't hard to catch a 200 hp new car. I used my 440 Interceptor to tow my boat. Was going to a small 318 block an upgrade?
In Delaware now, we have unmarked Mustangs, Camaros and even large SUVs combined with air enforcement and cameras. There are a lot faster cars to pursue today. Straight from factory 350 to 600 hp. As well as some hot bikes like the Hayabusas to pursue. Maybe inside a city, little cars might work, til they hop on the on ramps and interstates.
9th Oct 2010, 11:44
18:27, have you driven a Ford lately? I just recently test drove a brand new 2010 Lincoln Town Car, and I was not overly impressed with the ride. Ford has really stiffened up the suspension over the years. My Buick Park Avenue with front wheel drive and about 300 less pounds of bulk has a softer ride than the Town Car. I have heard the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria have even stiffer rides (even to the point that CR commented on it in a review), however I can't attest to that as I have never driven one. I do find it hard to believe that a Toyota mini-van would ride smoother, but they are roomier.
9th Oct 2010, 21:40
We've driven Honda, Mazda and VW, plus about a half-dozen GM vehicles. No GM ever cost us a cent in repairs in 100,000+ miles. None of our imports even survived 100,000 miles. We now only drive Ford and GM. Besides, all domestics now rank higher in reliability and build quality than Toyota (J. D. Powers Initial Quality Survey, 2010)
10th Oct 2010, 08:57
I think this guy works for J.D. Powers...
Initial Quality Survey's mean absolutely nothing, as they are judged as new cars and forecasted as to how reliable they are. The Fusion won its award in 2006 when they first came out, and now the transmission problems are piling up for them 5 model years later! These surveys mean nothing, so to keep quoting them as a good measure to buy a car, doesn't make much sense.
10th Oct 2010, 09:12
This is a pointless argument as radios will work faster than any car out there. Set up a good road block and spike strips, and even that 600 HP car will soon be out of commission.
I've never been a fan of high speed pursuits. You can track someone from the air and pretty much follow them anywhere they are going. There is not much need to chase someone through crowded streets, where other innocent people can get killed.
10th Oct 2010, 11:25
The Fusion has less than a handful of complaints, far less than Honda or Toyota. It still ranks higher in reliability than any Japanese car (all automotive rating services, 2010).
11th Oct 2010, 11:57
15:10 made an interesting comment on 1500 spent for an out of warranty repair on a Toyota.
My company does warranty repairs on our product line, and submits it to the manufacturer with proper record keeping. If there is a manufacturer defect, it's covered. It's nice if the warranty covers the charges, or the consumer can repair or replace if it's not possible.
Saying a dealer is sticking it to a consumer is not accurate, as they get paid for warranty claims by the manufacturer. That's why it is so important to keep records and adhere to service intervals, and know what's abuse/normal. Wear and tear like tires may be pro rated, but not for hazards.
I like my GM warranty, and have shuttle or loaner cars.
11th Oct 2010, 15:21
"The Fusion has less than a handful of complaints, far less than Honda or Toyota."
Yes, but how many Honda's and Toyota's have been sold compared to the Fusion?
11th Oct 2010, 17:08
I'd hardly call the list of tranny failures a "handful", since there are so many on just this site now, and hundreds within a five minute search on the web through forums. Honda's may seem like they have such a large number of tranny problems... maybe because there are so many of them compared to cars like the Fusion.
I still think ratings are a lame way to judge a cars quality. Most of the forecast ratings don't really tell you any more than the weather man can tell you about the weather in a month. Useless!
These tricky tactics for making cars look better than they are, have been around for a long time, because they work! People swear by brands because they rate higher. Too funny!
11th Oct 2010, 17:29
I still think this is more of an isolated incident. And what is to stop a dealer from sticking it to an unsuspecting customer and then running the claim through the factory? Please... I sold cars, and one of the dealers I worked for would definitely jump on any chance to make a few bucks, as long as they felt they wouldn't get caught. They are not all honest.
I had a really bad experience with a Nissan dealer, as they told me my failure was an unadvertised recall, and then denied saying that when they had to fix the same problem for the third time due to their incompetence. They also told me I had a bad sensor in the fill tube for the gas tank that was not covered under warranty, and it was $425. I was fed up and dumped the car for a better brand, and then found out that the part had been recalled. Luckily, they didn't take me for that money... but honesty was definitely NOT their policy.
12th Oct 2010, 00:07
"If there is a manufacturer defect, it's covered.."
That is the way it is supposed to work.
My neighbor used to own the Lexus dealership in our city. He had problems getting Toyota to pay for warranty repairs. They would tell him he was doing unnecessary work and the claims would be denied. He says Toyota only had three responses: Blame the customer, deny the problem, or that Toyota would "take the issue under advisement", which meant that they did nothing.
If you followed the news stories about Toyota, you will find the same thing being said by US Toyota corporate officials about their dealings with Toyota Japan. Issues were reported and Japan ignored the reports. Toyota Japan did not respond until the US government sent top officials to Japan to meet the CEO, and after the US government levied huge fines against them.
If you read the comments and reports on this website and others on engine sludge problems on Toyota engines, you will find the same thing. Many customers bringing in defective sludged engines and being told it was their fault, even though they had followed all the recommended services. Even customers that had all the services done at the same dealerships.
If you read through the first 15 or 20 entries on this thread, you read the same thing. Customer had a problem. When it finally got fixed "under warranty" (read carefully) the customer had to pay $1500. Most likely, the dealer charged the customer because they knew they could not get reimbursed by corporate Toyota for the repair. That was the same problem my neighbor with the Lexus dealership reported. Corporate Toyota would not reimburse for the repairs.
If you do some web searches on customer satisfaction for different car brands, you will find Toyota ranks near the bottom. A lot of it has to do with the "blame the customer" approach when things do go wrong.
8th Oct 2010, 16:42
... and again, like what kind of "Imports" are we talking about? Are we talking about a Yugo, Fiat, Triumph, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, or what? Making a claim that your "GMs" have been flawless compared to the bad luck you've had with imports makes no sense. An import could be any car not made in the US.