31st Oct 2007, 09:09

I know many students how have a brand new pontiac. They are cheap because of all the discounts offered on them. Now the question is can he really afford to buy a new import? probably not because he is online all the time.

Funny to see that so many domestic owners think their cars are made out of gold. My uncle worships his Buicks and thinks they are worth thousands when they retail for 3,000 bucks at any dealer.

31st Oct 2007, 16:04

My boss drives the new Grand Prix with the aluminum V8...I didn't realize I could own one so cheap.

31st Oct 2007, 17:13

And that's why all those who insist on V8's are going to be very sad individuals seeing as gas prices are slowly approaching the $4 mark in some places.

Secondly, quit blowing the recall thing out of proportion. Yes, there was a problem on the 2007 Camry's equipped with 6 speed automatics. The problem was a snap ring that was installed incorrectly on 160 vehicles. That's right. 160 vehicles. The 2nd problem was a tendency to hesitate for 1.5-2 seconds when the accelerator is punched. The problem was remedied on the 2008 models. Ford on the other hand has had major issues with this same thing, and what's worse is that many of their full-sized trucks are using " drive-by-wire" technology that has created quite a few problems.

So if we're talking about how bad some cars are, then I think these beloved domestics have more than the lion's share of issues.

31st Oct 2007, 17:27

Listen, you know what really bothers me? It bothers me that there are an awful lot of people coming on here and just completely making things up. It seems like this began happening as soon as it was reported that Toyota had overtaken GM in sales. I guess there's a lot of people who resent this fact and in some lame way, their attempts at revenge include just making up total nonsense about how bad Toyota is. If that means over inflating recalls, making up stories about how so-and-so had a Camry that blew up, or whatever, then they'll do it.

One thing you need to remember is that there are in fact people coming on here and seeking legitimate advice and reviews on cars they're considering. Do you think you're doing anyone a favor by making up stuff? How is that helping ensure that people get honest, reliable, trustworthy data? This goes for both sides. It doesn't help anyone or even yourselves by making false claims.

So if you don't have real information, facts, or anything else of value to add here, then just don't post anything. Thanks.

31st Oct 2007, 18:54

12:53 Ha ha. Was that supposed to be comedic irony? Because you have it completely backwards. Recalls and generally poor products from the 'big' 3 are exactly why most people have turned to buying imports.

31st Oct 2007, 20:04

My Honda dealer had a aluminum V8 Grand Prix on the used car lot. It is nice to have a V8, yes. But the problem is the Grand prix cannot withstand the love the engine puts on the rest of the car. Kind of like having a V8 Century in my opinion. Especially with gas prices the way they are, I would take a 1.3 liter and be just as happy.

4th Nov 2007, 14:41

Its weird, but you hit on something when you described the handling of the car as 'a huge gorilla'.

For some reason when you're in the car it feels giant and ungainly. I think it has something to do with the driving position and lack of proper sight lines out of the car. Also the steering is very disconnected.

You feel a little 'out of control' when you drive these things because of the combination of these factors.

Which is odd because the car is actually smaller than my last car.

5th Nov 2007, 17:43

I find the discussions about recalls very interesting. I hear so much (basically from the import crowd) about ALL THE RECALLS on domestics. It occurred to me recently that in 41 years of driving and after owning about 40 domestic cars, trucks and SUV's, I could count the total number of recalls combined on one hand. I've owned cars from all of the Big Three, and as far as I can remember in all those years I've had a total of 3 or 4 recalls. I call that pretty good. In addition, NONE of the recalls except the Dodge Dakota/Durango ball joint problem (in 2001-2003 models) had anything to do with safety.

6th Nov 2007, 12:21

I do not think you look at the NHTSA site. I see that a lot of Ford's have problems with fires. If you deny this I know you are not looking at the facts correctly. If you look at the list, you'll see a fuel hose here and a fuel hose there coming disconnected on any Ford car.

These are the facts and you should pay attention to them... they are out in plain sight.

I think they have to do with safety unless a gas leak means nothing to you.

7th Nov 2007, 12:30

I saw a late model Camry in a Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday. The owners were so unhappy with their car that they painted the dealership's name followed by the word "lemon" on both rear windows and their back windshield. Talk about quality. I'll stick with GM.

7th Nov 2007, 12:43

09:09, your Uncle must be a very wise man. Buicks are great cars and are rated over Toyota or Honda by J.D. Power in long-term reliability. I plan to trade my 9 year old Buick with over 130,000 miles for another Buick of course, and I will get over $5,000 easy from the dealer. Not to mention I will pay thousands less for the new one than I would pay for an inferior Japanese car.

7th Nov 2007, 13:00

Ha Buicks superior? the only way they can be more reliable is if 90% of them are driven only to church on Sunday. Which is true. Inferior Japanese car is nonsensical at this point as they are the best. Mine had 260k before I traded it on a newer Honda. I used to drive Buicks, but they were causing me lots of trouble.

7th Nov 2007, 15:54

Give it up. GM just lost another 39 BILLION dollars. Sounds like a real winner to me huh? Lastly - nobody, and I mean nobody - not even Buick owners - believes that Buick makes a better car than Toyota. It is a nice fantasy, but get real...

7th Nov 2007, 17:48

Sorry, but it's time to get your facts straight. GM didn't lose $39 billion in sales, they "misplaced" $39 billion due to accounting errors.

It's true, Buick is rated higher in quality than Toyota or Honda. Why drive a loser when you can drive a Buick?

7th Nov 2007, 17:58

You know what the scary Ford engine fire recall was all about? There was an electrical connector that plugs into the cruise control on pre-2003 vehicles, and the wiring harness happened to place it directly below the brake line under the master cylinder for the rear brake assembly. It was determined that SOMEDAY, IF a drop of brake fluid ever were to leak from the gasketed nut on the brake line, then the drop of fluid MIGHT drop straight down into the connector, and COULD CONCEIVABLY cause an electrical short that MIGHT result in a fire. Ooooh, scary! The recall was simply to splice in a 3-inch length of wire that had sealed connectors. I have a lot of respect for Ford for identifying such a minor potential problem, and addressing it.