11th Sep 2012, 08:42
Where I work, we have used Ford, Dodge, and Chevy fleet vehicles forever, replacing them when they reach about 80,000 miles.
Of the minivans, the Dodge Caravans were the best, much better than the Chevy Ventures and a bit better than the Chevy Uplander for comfort, power, and gas mileage. The Caravans never went to the shop for any reason with minimal maintenance.
Of the 4x4's, the Explorers have been the best since 2005; far better and more reliable than the Chevy counterparts (Trailblazers, Jimmies, the Tahoes haven't been bad) or the uncomfortable, troublesome Jeep Liberties of the mid-2000s (the ones that look like bugs).
But, it has always been the Chevies with bad ball joints, bad transfer cases, windows that get stuck in the up position or fall down in the track, doors that won't fit right or won't close, locks that fail, bearings shot in the transaxles. Oh yes, the power is great, the engines run great, but everything else on them is made cheap and ready-to-break before 40,000 miles.
I hope they really are doing a better job, because I have as much patriotism as the next person, and hate to see our American companies turn out junk products that the rest of the world laughs at. Ford seemed to have got the message in the late '90s, and Dodge/Chrysler has been making great cars for the last few years, while Chevy continued cutting corners, counting on people buying their products based on traditional loyalty. I really, truly, hope they are serious about making a good product after coming out of bankruptcy.
11th Sep 2012, 19:02
Ranging from the years 1989-2003, we have owned a combined 10 GM cars with the 3800 V6 (6 with the Series II). Three of them went over 200,000, and only one, that's right, one, had the intake problem at 125,000. This took me an hour to replace, and here it is almost 4 years later, and the car is still on the road, where it belongs.
GM corrected this problem in 2003 model cars, and the replacement manifold is also updated, so the problem won't surface again.
11th Sep 2012, 08:40
It wasn't the 3.8; it likely was the 3.1. I also had the same engine in my boat. I had 2 Pontiacs with this engine; no issues. They were company cars. That being the case, I do not praise unless it's actual experience. My comments are one driver only since they were acquired new.
My overall best company cars were new Acura Legends and later new Crown Vics, and the latest was a Ford Edge SEL. It is a great crossover and I have 70000 miles on it already. Just tires and monthly oil changes with the excessive driving I do at work. If any of us have a really lousy car, it's off the new list next time.
We can buy our company cars at our company. My 90 Bonneville is still being driven. Other than some clear coat loss on the hood, it still is going very strong.
I think someone asked yet again what an import is. I think it's been answered 20 times; it's the country where corporate is based. So if you buy a new Toyota, it is a Japan owned corporation where the bulk of each sale goes. My new Ford is not a Japan owned vehicle; it is a domestic.