20th Dec 2006, 20:57

Well you better not buy a Porche Cayenne or a Trailblazer SS. I suspect there will be other performance oriented ones in the works as well. I love the suspension and tires on mine.

21st Dec 2006, 11:09

"Who watches PBS?"

Oh, that's right, they don't show people eating worms for an hour, so I guess no one. Geez.

The Explorer was the main subject because it had the MOST incidents and because it had a design flaw for 12 years that caused it to kill/maim its occupants.

Ford has a long history of designing cars that kill people due to faulty design, from the original Mustang to the Pinto to the Bronco II to the Explorer and the Crown Victoria.

Remember the American way, profits over people!

21st Dec 2006, 11:18

What constitutes "notoriously unreliable"? Most modern cars (even imports) are reasonably reliable up to 100,000 miles. There are exceptions, of course. A recent article in a weekly news magazine describes the near-bankruptcy of Nissan because of the disastrously unreliable Titan pickup and Armada SUV. It also discusses the failed merger attempt Nissan attempted with GM (apparently GM isn't THAT desperate!!). A new CEO is attempting to save Nissan and build more reliable and appealing vehicles. Hopefully Toyota, whose quality has been in decline for years, will take a cue from Nissan and make some much needed changes in both reliability (especially in the case of the problem plagued Highlander and Camry lines) and buyer appeal. The rumored merger of GM with Toyota might offer some benefit in the area of better build quality and reliability to the beleaguered Toyota lines, just as Jaguar and Mazda have made tremendous strides in quality and reliability since being taken over by Ford.

21st Dec 2006, 16:21

Just read some reviews of the various cars on this site, even late models, and you 'll find what "notoriously unreliable" is.

Also, you need to do a little more research as it was not the American trucks that cause Nissan its problems. The near-bankruptcy happened before they had any real effect.

And I find it funny you failed to mention Renault, since that is who essentially owns Nissan. Also Google Carlos Goshn.

21st Dec 2006, 17:10

PBS specials or not, crash tests show you are FAR more likely to die in a Toyota than in ANY domestic car.

21st Dec 2006, 18:59

To 21st Dec 2006, 17:10 posting.

I agree entirely. Lighter smaller cars are more dangerous in a crash. They "may" save you 10c per 20 kilometers, but they are not as good to be in as a bigger car.

Bigger cars tend to last longer also.

SUVs are the worst!!! Dangerous to drive, poor on fuel, high running costs, dear to buy.

Big station wagons are excellent!!

22nd Dec 2006, 05:10

Geez I have sky dived, scuba dived,water and snow skiied, white water rafted, raced motorcycles and cars and would not trade my first 50 years for anything. I would rather drive a fun vehicle with performance than sit on the sidelines scared about everything in life. If you enjoy these boring vehicles more power to you.

22nd Dec 2006, 08:12

Statistics are not always accurate. I bet I can drive my Accord with a better peace of mind then I could in my old Le sabre. With all of the technology my Accord has and all the stuff the Buick does not have. Oh by the way, my Accord is older than the Buick!!!

22nd Dec 2006, 08:46

Sorry, but you're going to need to prove that Toyotas are less safe than "any" domestic vehicle. Research and real-world testing prove that to be a untrue.

And, again, you'll need to prove that a smaller car is less safe in an accident because research says the opposite. Funny how a complement of airbags, electronic nannies, and safety cells ALWAYS trumps "it's big and it's American so it's sooooo safe"

Go on believing your myths, but the reality is you're more likely to die or being injured in any given SUV than any given small car.

22nd Dec 2006, 11:36

But we are alive and on this forum. Why not go out and treat youself for Christmas with the domestic car of your dreams! This tirade is getting boring...

23rd Dec 2006, 09:26

Yup, proof was by an independent research firm and reported in BusinessWeek in 2002. One of many reports.

And that was before all the additional advances now in small cars like side curtain airbags.

Go on believing your myths. The truth is quite the opposite.

23rd Dec 2006, 17:55

For a nominal fee those "independent research firms" will gladly discover that your riding lawnmower will keep you safer in a high-speed crash than a Hummer.

24th Dec 2006, 07:34

Any given SUV? I would rather be in a Hummer if I went head on into an Accord... not vice versa. Air bags are not going to protect your lower extremities and legs. My new GM has side air bags. It would be nice if you update your comments to the 2007 models... not old models. To me safer also means having better power to maneuver out of the way and better larger brakes... my Acura TL-S poor brakes and false side airbag warnings that would intermittently flash its triangle on the dash. I never had an accident, but I surely would still rather be in a Hummer if that were to ever occur.

24th Dec 2006, 10:35

Oh, I see. Anything any yahoo posts on this board about how their SUV gets 40 mpg and is safer than a safe is 100% valid, but any third party research that doesn't tow the party line is suspect.

Seems the government agrees, too, as no car I've been in has warnings on the visor about how "this vehicle does not handle like a regular vehicle"

24th Dec 2006, 12:27

Hummers are some of the most unsafe vehicles on the road. Head on crashes represent a small portion of actual accidents and even then airbags + safety cell win over your false sense of safety.

For research, I suggest you look up independent studies, please explain to me why no Hummer has been listed even as "good" in crash tests.

24th Dec 2006, 13:40

You obviously haven't been in my vehicle. It has a VERY PROMINENT yellow warning label on the visor CLEARLY STATING that it does not handle like normal vehicles. As for independent research, I took a course at the University during my psychology studies entitled "Lying with statistics". It clearly discussed how large corporations (such as Japanese auto makers) hire "independent research groups" to provide whatever bogus data that they need. This is VERY COMMON practice in the world. Every large corporation has hired "information control specialists" to make people believe anything they want, from false reliability statistics to global warming. Enlightened people learn to see through such bogus data, but the vast majority of people never question it.

24th Dec 2006, 13:58

I really do not care about my mpg in my SUV and I certainly would rather have my 2 young children in mine... then in my high end Honda that suddenly and with no warning had its transmissions fail. If you are on an interstate with tractor trailers all around you better be in the right lane to drop onto the shoulder immediately. That was my final import. I'd rather read a sunvisor than having my family read an obituary.