14th Jul 2009, 19:32

"I know not a single person who has had a "crappy" Honda."

Now you do. Ours was the WORST car we ever owned. I can't imagine a 1980 YUGO having more problems. You obviously don't know many people who own Hondas.

15th Jul 2009, 10:27

Again, I don't have one clue what you're talking about. My boss owns a 2007 Acura TSX. He drives A LOT. So far, no problems. In fact, 2 other guys in the office own Honda products. No issues. The HR manager owns a 92 Honda Accord. 240,000 miles and the thing even looks mint inside and out.

If you go to any repair shop - whether it be Honda, Toyota, Ford, or Chevrolet, it's a pretty sure bet that those people are there to get their cars repaired. Of course the car has an issue. All car makers make mechanical things that will eventually wear out. All car makers will have cars that are new that have problems. The question is which ones have LESS problems.

For example, I have a buddy who works at a local Chevy dealer. He actually drives a Toyota Tacoma because even though he works for GM, to him their products are junk. They regularly get Chevy Aveos in all the time with timing belts that snap at 40,000 miles or less. Luckily GM is replacing this car with something else. But the fact that they brought out this poor excuse of a car (it's actually a Daewoo) just shows you that their priorities are not where they should be. Honda and Toyota would NEVER do something like that. They have just a few solid core brands that they focus on. Do you think Honda would ever bring in- say a Indian car, like a Tata and re-badge it as a Honda Civic? No way.

BUT... I have been paying close attention to GM's restructuring. For once I'll say they have made some good decisions. They're axing Hummer, Saab, Saturn, and Pontiac. Good. Now they are focused on only Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. That way they won't be doing lots of badge engineering nor be spread so thin that their lineup is sloppy.

Secondly they got rid of their legacy costs. That's good as well. Now they can spend more per car versus less since they used to have to pay for retirement plans for former employees.

Lastly they are aggressively pursuing alternative powertrains. The Chevy Volt comes out next year. The car will probably bomb since it's too expensive. But good for them - they are now coming close to where Toyota was 10 years ago.

I'm a car guy. I love cars. But for me they need to be quality. What Detroit has produced for 30+ years is junk and unacceptable. I can in some ways see some of the Japanese brands drifting a bit towards the old GM trap - going after quantity. But don't misunderstand me: they still for the most part make exceptional cars and trucks.

Its going to be an uphill battle for the big 3. Ford gets it to some extent. GM might get it. Chrysler is probably done for and will become a generic conglomerate, with a Hodge-podge portfolio including Fiats (sad sad sad).

15th Jul 2009, 11:34

Drifting off topic again on a full size truck review.

15th Jul 2009, 14:37

Haven't you noticed that this site is being overrun with the import vs. domestic debate?

Instead of vehicle reviews, we are forced to read through comments written by people trying to impose their political & corporate agendas on us.

Let's let people drive what they want & get back to vehicle reviews.

15th Jul 2009, 22:33

"Drifting off topic again on a full size truck review."

That is to be expected. Import backers can't defend the rather pathetic Tundra. They have to keep changing the topic.

16th Jul 2009, 12:40

I have an idea if you own a full size tundra titan silverado f series ram write a detailed specific review. No cars and why you bought a full size. I. bought a new silverado better ride room warranty and tow a boat. I am comparing to a tundra. Honda has zero relevance as cars as they are certainly not a full size truck and none are even made!

17th Jul 2009, 06:33

I would like to see more detailed experiences on actual full size truck ownerships on late models. Compare Tundra or Titan to performance, ride, towing experiences, bed carrying, actual dealership warranty experiences with your specific full size truck owned. Maybe even mileage maintenance issues what happened at 20,000 miles,30,000 miles etc on up.

If you test drive both or a few new full size trucks, compare and enlighten us. If you had issues with the short import warranty vs. the domestic 100,000 mile warranty for example.

I am certainly not going to buy a small import hybrid or a little domestic car being reviewed on any large truck review. If you think your import full size truck is better specific to what new specific full size pick up. And exactly why.

I buy new full sizes am very interested... I can drift way off topic or more easily go over to the Prius, Accord, Chevette, Aveo etc reviews. I honestly believe there are only a handful of new full size truck owners commenting; it seems a political agenda, someone lost their job, missed a raise or had problems with their first small car (likely from lack of maintenance).

I maintain my new Silverado extremely well, use Mobil 1 synthetic, keep it garaged, fortunately I have high door clearance at home.

Most of my changes are upgrades not maintenance issues. Please consider some of us would really like to compare new full size trucks on a new full size truck review.

17th Jul 2009, 11:47

OK, here are some "facts"

1) The Fusion IS the highest rated car in CR's projected reliability listings. It beats Camry, Accord and Altima... PERIOD. No "opinion" there, just FACT.

2) A Buick and a Ford tied for best LONG-TERM reliability (NOT initial quality, which doesn't make a HOOT of difference over the long run) in J.D. Powers reliability survey of long-term required repairs. Again, just fact.

3) The longest lasting truck featured in CR's article on long-lasting vehicles was a FORD. It had gone 488,000 trouble-free miles. Again, A fact.

4) The Ford F-150 is in its 30th year as the best selling full-sized truck. Tundra is struggling just to hang on.

5) Both Honda and Toyota have had NUMEROUS problems in recent years. CR pulled its "recommended" rating of the Camry in 2008 because of poor reliability. The Camry is STILL rated only "average". The Fusion is 2 full ratings HIGHER. Again, no speculation, just FACT.

6) No Toyota or Honda has EVER made it to the "million mile club". That means vehicles that are still running the same engine and transmission after 1,000,000 miles. Both Ford and Cadillac have made this milestone.

7) Personal experience matters when the numbers give sufficient data (consult any qualified statistician). Out of over 30 domestics owned by our family, NONE, not ONE, required a repair to the engine or transmission before 100,000 miles. ALL THREE of our imports had MASSIVE engine problems before 100,000 miles. The mathematical odds of that are out of the realm of pure coincidence. Getting 30 "unusual" good domestics and 3 "bad" imports is stretching the limits of reality. Conclusion: The domestics were better... PERIOD.

Even if I weren't a loyal American, I'd still buy domestics just for the much lower cost to purchase and better reliability and lower maintenance costs. As it is, I get the best of both worlds: Great reliability AND lower costs. In addition, I'm helping the 91% of U.S. citizens who work in auto-related jobs as opposed to helping the tiny 9% who work for foreign companies. That matters to me. You may not care about your friends and neighbors. I DO.