1st Sep 2007, 10:28

Its nice that Ford has F250's that just easily lope and easily pull, haul and do harder work and a better warranty. It's cheaper to have a nicer truck, better motor than paying $4000 for a just out of warranty import repair at under 50,000 miles. I drive a lot of miles annually, and am beyond that, and have saved money owning a domestic. I still have a lot of warranty left on my standard warranty/100,000 miles. I do not believe in aftermarket warranties with deductibles when the factory should offer this to instill good faith. Short warranties are ridiculous with as much as new vehicles cost that even when well maintained fail. No more new imports in this household.

1st Sep 2007, 14:25

So if the domestics have made garbage since the 80's, then how come I see so many older Suburbans, Blazers, Camaros, F series trucks, Rams, Econolines, Mustangs, etc driving around on a daily basis? I my self currently own an '88 Suburban with the trusty old 350, and if you think it's garbage, you're insane. The only bit of work needed was a new alternator many years ago.

"Oh well then he must drive it like a grandma" you say.

WRONG. I beat the @#$% out of it on a weekly basis. It lives in the mountains, towing my boat and trailer through the hills, never sweating or giving me an ounce of worry. Oh and guess what? I've never been able to get it stuck =) And the best part of it is, it still looks like new!

You say GM built junk since the 80's, well I'll tell you something, that's a lie. So what if their interiors are cheap looking, all that matters is the GM drive trains that will run forever. A GM engine and drive train from the 80's will not let you down, especially the 2.8, 4.3, 350, and 454s.

Here's my review on my old 1984 S-10 I used to have.

http://www.carsurvey.org/review_99511.html

At the time this review was written in May, it had 496,000 miles on it. I finally traded it for a quad trailer when it had 500,080 miles on it, last month. Now if you really still think that domestic trucks from the 80's are crap, you're REALLY insane.

My buddy's 91 Ranger; 240,187 miles. No problems. Runs great.

My '87 Iroc-Z28; 128,000 miles, one power window motor and a new t-tops seal, runs perfect, and boy is it fast.

My brother's '82 F-150; 306,000 miles, blows blue on start up, runs perfect when warm. Never hesitates to start.

How about my Dad's '85 K-5 Blazer; 226,000 hunting and towing miles, one head gasket, sold it last year.

My best friend's '89 Power Ram; 201,200 miles and running like a champ.

My young sister's first car, an '83 Celebrity, which she drove into the ground at 299,000 miles.

And finally, my old '87 Bronco, which finally gave up first gear at 260,000 miles.

You see, people who sit here and shout to the world about how crappy domestics are really have no idea what they're talking about.

1st Sep 2007, 18:21

Hahahaah. I saw a Oldsmobile Ciera I thought was 25 years old and it was really only 11 years old. I also saw a 1999 Suburban that used the same parts as a 1988 redesign. My aunts 2005 Astro van looks no different than her 1985 Astro van except for a few poor updates. American cars look like they last for ever, but the truth is that they build the same car for over 20 years. That is their secret to longevity. Building the same car 20-30 years straight!

1st Sep 2007, 19:27

Domestics from the 80's and early 90's, I agree, were great. Unfortunately, American manufacturers began what seemed like a policy that to get you to buy a new model, the old one could not survive the payments. Funny, you could buy a $10 watch that would last 10 years, yet a $10,000 plus car or truck that could not even last the payments. Most makers have suffered quality loss in the 90's and 2000's. Craftsmanship seems to be a thing of the past in a lot of industries todays, a lost art!

1st Sep 2007, 21:31

Isn't this about full size trucks? Over 20 years the number one selling vehicle in America has been Ford F Series than starts at F150 and progresses upwards.. not just a very shallow import offering that hasn't impressed me with a very good repair record, especially the Tundra.

Read the reviews on here and drive both before commenting.

The older import cars were fine at the time with me, but this is about full size trucks... read the original review; not very inspiring to say the least.

The new full size domestics, SUVs and full size trucks are cheaper to own than paying out big repairs on nearly new imports as time progresses... I learned this first hand. I bailed out and it's been a lot less expensive mechanically in my situation.

2nd Sep 2007, 06:14

14:25 Oh, I know what I'm talking about. As I've said in earlier comments, I owned 11 of those rattle traps ranging from 1979 through 1995. Finally fed up, I turned to Toyota for something that lasts.

Look, believe it or not, I am NOT biased against American made products. Why the hell would I be, I live here! I'm biased against automakers that sell me crap.

To prove my point, I can tell you that there were 2 of them that were not that bad. I had a '95 Dakota that was almost perfect all the way through 115,000 miles when somebody ran a stop sign and destroyed it for me. But, again, my Tacoma puts it to shame as far as build quality, not to mention getting literally almost twice the gas mileage.

The Dakota had a 318, a good reliable motor, but like most of the domestics, grossly underengineered. Is 13 miles to the gallon really the best they could do with this in 1995? It only put out 235 hp at 5 grand, while the V-6 in my Toyota puts out 190 at 5 grand, yet gets 20-23 mpg religiously now that it's well broken in.

The other one I like was a '79 Malibu coupe that was beautifully styled and again, fairly reliable other than overheating occasionally. I loved that car, but it had a pathetic 267 cu. inch V-8 that put out something ridiculous like 135 hp, and the gas mileage was even worse than the Dodge.

It's not enough for a domestic to occasionally run for a while without breaking. Toyota's do this all the time, as well as getting you MUCH better gas mileage and being worth much more in the end. It's certainly no lie; they made crappy cars and trucks for a long time. No match for any Toyota. If Ford or Chevy someday actually get their act together and step up to the plate with something comparable, I'll buy it. They have not done so yet.