15th Aug 2008, 21:32
I love our GM black SUV, especially the comfort, ride and great warranty as well. I would buy another in a "heartbeat".
My wifes first new domestic since college and she and the kids love it.
16th Aug 2008, 10:51
To comment 15:56: Nothing was said about "selling your old car and buying a smaller one". The point being made was that smaller cars get better mileage REGARDLESS of how far they're driven.
It does NOT make any sense to basically give away a perfectly good vehicle because of "mileage panic". My wife drives a GMC Envoy that gets 24 mpg on the highway. It's fast, comfortable, trouble-free and like new. She plans to drive it another 150,000 miles before getting another car, BUT when she does, it will be a smaller, more fuel-efficient one. I own a new Mustang, but it sits in the garage a lot because I drive a 4-cylinder compact to save on gas.
16th Aug 2008, 18:50
11:51 has to be the most flawed comments I have ever read. Indicating maybe a couple Toyota collectible models in a narrow 3 year window, Did you buy and save yours?
There are thousands of collectible domestics that individuals have bought. I have bought (and sold) many that cost between 3K and $4500 new commanding 6 figures now. If they now dropped 15-20K it's a hardship that you have to live with. But the indication is they are going back up. Documented cars and ones with racing heritage are bringing the big bucks.
I think you are comparing new cars and appreciation in the future. That's so subjective. I personally like the new Challenger but would not buy the first year out as it is an automatic.
You have a tough argument for those that bought Boss Mustangs, Camaro Z28's, Challenger RT's for openers and my friend that bought a AAR Cuda that needed a trans for $500 in the early 80's. Look up the value of his abysmal investment in 2008. I'd love to be complaining that I sold other examples in 2008 for $800K instead of a million that cost me under 10K to buy at the time by the way.
How many collectible Toyotas are you sitting on that were commonplace? I wish I bought more late 60's early 70's domestics during the 80's; what an investment they have been! And you get to drive and enjoy them instead of boring rides.
18th Aug 2008, 20:54
A Caddy Northstar V-8 getting better mileage than a 4 cylinder car. If you get out and push it around, or maybe if you idle it consistently downhill for a tankful of gas; otherwise, forget it. Not even in the ballpark.
In 2008, and with the price of gasoline, putting a V-8 in ANY car is just plain stupid. There should be a government regulation on these kind of asinine cars.
And as far as the domestic, foreign debate continues to rage on here, the answer is even more obvious. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have ALWAYS made better cars than any domestic. If you choose to say otherwise, or refuse to admit that, you're only kidding yourself.
Why do I keep hearing about some miracle Ford Ranger in a magazine with 400-some thousand miles on it? WHO CARES? Do you people know how many old Civics and Tercels are running around with that many or more miles on them? Apparently not. While 300,000 plus miles may be a major accomplishment for Ford, it's routine for a Honda or Toyota engine that's received just basic maintenance.
19th Aug 2008, 09:10
Oh so we should let the government who likes to run our lives tell us even more so by what kind of car we can drive.
I love when people say these Hondas and Toyotas run this many miles and domestics cannot. I see way more old domestics, (especially the work trucks around), than any import.
Yes, I am also one of these "lucky" domestic owners as you would consider me. I had a 1991 Ford F-150 that I beat on with 260k. Same engine and tranny.
19th Aug 2008, 10:20
Toyotas and Hondas with 300,000+ miles are far more rare than domestics with that many miles. Just look at all the companies that use domestic trucks and keep them for a decade or more. I work with contractors who have full-size Ford and Chevy trucks that date back to 1987 and are still in use. Please cite real information, not just a biased opinion. We've asked repeatedly for hard data and gotten nothing but opinion. That doesn't make an argument.
19th Aug 2008, 11:25
I live out in the SF Bay Area, and let me tell you that Datsun 210 are EXTREMELY popular with the tuner boys these days. The reason is because you can shove a massive engine in the engine bay and have a very fast, small car.
The other thing to consider is that Japanese cars were not sold in large numbers in the US until the late 70's, early 80's, and even then, they only made up less than 20% of the market. A lot of those early Toyotas and Hondas from the 60's are much less common than the American brands.
Its also important to remember that cars become collectible simply because the people who buy them probably drove them when they were kids. Most who collect old cars are older to start with. So what do you think is going to happen now that my generation, who grew up driving Toyotas and Nissans going to collect? Not Mustangs and Cameros because we have no attachment to them. It'll be Celicas, 280Z's, and 210's. Time change. So do tastes in cars.
19th Aug 2008, 14:03
"18th Aug 2008, 20:54
A Caddy Northstar V-8 getting better mileage than a 4 cylinder car. If you get out and push it around, or maybe if you idle it consistently downhill for a tankful of gas; otherwise, forget it. Not even in the ballpark."
Oh? The 4-cylinder Dodge Caliber is rated 29 highway, as is the Toyota Solara, and the Chrysler 5.7 L is rated 27 highway, not to mention that Caddy Northstar that gets 27 highway. 27 certainly seems to be in the same ballpark as 29.
19th Aug 2008, 16:05
20:54 buying a 4 cylinder does not guarantee better mpg. Having V8's myself now and being meticulous keeping them tuned is better than someone that may not keep their 4 cylinder likewise or drives as a rocket racer light to light. I have seen the ones with the f*** pipe with blue smoke bad rings.
The new hybrid V8 Tahoe gets great mpg better than many Camry models. What's the difference if you have the same net result?
I had Honda 3.2 VTEC's that burned only 93 octane myself and wasn't any more thrifty. Start adding in $300 bulbs etc. and what defines thrift?
15th Aug 2008, 15:56
But it doesn't make sense to sell your V-8 (or any existing vehicle) and buy a new 4-cylinder just to save a few bucks on gas. Buying a new car, regardless of fuel efficiency, will NEVER pay for itself on gas savings. I know a guy who was complaining that his Mercury got such "terrible" mileage at "only" 27 mpg so he traded it on a new Toyota that gets 32 mpg. So for an extra 5 mpg he dumped a perfectly good car and paid $25,000. Where's the sense? He will never make up that money on gas savings. If you live 10 miles from work, it makes even less sense to dump your existing V-8 or SUV for any more fuel efficient car. By all means, go ahead and buy something more fuel efficient next time you need a car anyway.