Quarter Sales Numbers

In the last JD Power survey I saw, Buick ranked very highly in number of
problems per 100 cars. Wasn't far behind Lexus and above many Japanese
and European brands.

There was a lot of variation in the GM brands so I think you are making
a mistake lumping them together.

Matt

 

That would be Kia, or the GM branded Daewoo cars that GM is selling for
the 2004 model year.

Brad

 

Yep, the discount combined with the loyalty program paid off the 9
months remaining on the lease of the other vehicle.
It might be in the states...not sure.

The salesman I deal with tells me to come in on Friday night and pick up
a car, drive it for the weekend, and then bring it back sometime Monday.

That gives us a good opportunity to see whether we really like the
vehicle enough to lease/buy.

Brad

 

| It might be in the states...not sure.
|
| The salesman I deal with tells me to come in on Friday night and pick up
| a car, drive it for the weekend, and then bring it back sometime Monday.
|
| That gives us a good opportunity to see whether we really like the
| vehicle enough to lease/buy.
|
| Brad

That's a great benefit.

 

Well, Chrysler is no longer an American company, and Ford's cars are horrid,
much worse than anything except maybe the Koreans.

I also assure you that for somebody on a beer budget, a Maxima is very much
a real car. Otherwise, I'd be happy to take suggestions for my next ride.
Show me a sports sedan, priced in the mid/low-20s, that has the ride,
interior quality, and guts that my Nissan has. I would have loved to
seriously looked at a CTS, but they're just too expensive.

 

I don't know which cars are better. Probably a mix. Some domestic cars are
good and some not so good. Same goes for imports. In my mind the decision
of which to buy is simple:

If you won't support the country you live in, you should seriously consider
a move.

Germany and Japan were both enemies of America within my living memory and
took the lives of members of my family. Why would I want to support anyone
in either of those countries?

Japan charges very high duties on vehicles imported into Japan - many times
more than the duties America charges on cars imported from Japan. Unfair
trade practices. I am amazed that the US Government hasn't put an end to
that practice long ago. The Japanese always say "We are looking into that"
when the Americans confront them with the facts, but in typical Oriental
fashion, they never stop "looking" and nothing happens. And yes, I am aware
that many Japanese cars are now manufactured in the US providing employment
to US workers, but the corporate profits go back to Japan.

German cars are expensive to maintain. If you don't believe me, you can
talk to a neighbor of mine who owned an Audi Quatro Wagon for two years and
was so very happy to finally get rid of it. He now drives a Chevrolet and
has had no problems with it.

In purchasing automobiles and other things, people should support the
country they are living in wherever possible.

"If you continue to buy imports, where will your children work?"

 

:

Couldn't have said it better myself - except for the fact that it really burns
me that a German company raped Chrysler Corporation under the guise..."it was a
merger of equals"!

 

Which explains their even worse than average quality. If something
like 70-80% of all Ford and GM used vehicles spent their early life
being in a fleet getting the snot pounded out of them... Well, what
do you expect?

Vicious cycle they have going there. The more they sell, the more
their used and long-term reputation suffers. So they have to sell
more to break even, which...

 

Hey! Kia makes cars that aren;t so bad. Simmilar to a ten year old
Honda technologicaly, but new. Yeah - compared to today's imports, they
stink, but they still are as good as Chrysler and GM - for a lot less
money. Oh - better warranty than GM or Chrysler as well.

 

What about the Altima?

Oh - that's Nissan as well.

Honestly, though - 175HP I-4 with no premium fuel requirement and
a decent amout of space? What's not to like?

 

A friend of mine has one, and it left him stranded twice because it was
too cold, and the computer flooded the engine.

Also, the recent recall due to a screw up in the computer regarding the
pre-catalyst could allow particles to enter the combustion chamber.
Worst case scenario is the engine has to be replaced.

I was in my friends Altima, and the ride quality reminded me of a
Cavalier.

Brad

 

Yep, and they are cute too.

If my wife was able to drive, I would have seriously considered getting
2 Kia Rio wagons instead of the one car I have now.

Brad

 

140K miles. That's how long my Buick lasted before the engine
threw a rod. Perfect oil, maintainence, and attention to detail
by myself and my father.

Just self-destructed a week ago. No warning, no sounds, just
two cylinders now have no compression/function.

Never every getting another GM vehicle. That's #3 that's bit
me in the ass. My Mitsubishi Mirage(Dodge Colt) has far more
miles on it and ran like a watch.

My Volvo? 230K when I sold it.
Buick #1: engine barely ran at 150K
Buick #2: engine in bad shape at 130K
Buick #3: (3800 II engine) - blew itself up at 140K despite perfect
maintainence.

The Kia or Hyundai? Guaranteed for 100K from the factory at least.

Next car - think I'll get a BMW 2002Tii and forget all of these
computers and plastic crud. At least the money I put unto it
won't be wasted since it's a classic.

 

I agree totally with the idea of supporting local industry.

But I feel compelled to point out that your making a mistake judging both
Germany
and Japan as a result of WWII. The people in both countries that were
responsible
for directing the killing of Americans have long since been removed from
power and
punished. In particular, Israel has an entire secret department in their
military that
specializes in tracking and kidnapping old Nazi's that they can find
anywhere in the
world and bringing them back for trial. And Japan served as our atomic
testing
ground which almost certainly has been responsible for stopping further
world
wars. As for the rank and file in those countries during the war, just as
in the
US, the media press was manipulated to block the real truth of what was
going on
during the war. By continuing to blame the people in those countries today
for
the deaths of members of your family, your basically blaming the gun for
their
deaths, rather than the shooters of the gun.

Ted

 

I have bought a 1999 GMC Jimmy (brand new) and I have had to:
- replace the rear main seal
- replace the oil cooler lines (three times)
- re-glue the outside door cladding
- replace the wheel hubs+ bearings (3 of them)
- replace the seat back handle
- replace the head gasket
- then another oil leak: I was told the rear main seal was leaking again as
well as the manifold intake. Just when I was pondering what to do about
this, the engine blows (I have put in a new engine) after less than four
years and 110,000 kms.
- replaced the turn signal (around CDN$500)
- noise in the dashboard: it appears that an engine mount is bad

I would love to support the North American car industry, however, when I am
getting ripped off by GM (everyone: from managers who make crappy decisions,
engineers who design crappy products, assembly line workers who don't give a
damn about their work and QA people who sleep on the job), why should I care
if GM goes bust tomorrow ? Happy riddance !

 

ou live in, you should seriously consider

Well, I've moved to this country and since then I've only bought
American cars: 1 from Chrysler and 3 from GM. ;-)

However, not aping what Japan does is better for America. Japan does
that at its own loss, more than America's. You see, the consumers are
forced to pay more for their cars because of limited foreign
competition, whereas we have a more competitive market with lower
prices. Were America to do with cars what it did with steel, then I'd
be worried.

America is one of the few countries in the world where cars are
everyone's commodity, not a luxury item.

 

What's to like about 175HP? What's to like about an interior worse
than a Chevy? What's to like about goofy tail lights and cheap rear
door machining? What's to like about a rear beam axle? What's to
like about the champion of torque-steer?

 

Are you implying that they are just bad?

I'd say it's more like 30 years-old Honda techonology...

Yeah, right.

If'd have taken the time to check the list of exceptions you'd realize
that it's just a deception. BTW, one doesn't get the 10 years if one
doesn't waive the right to sue...

 

I agree, but I think it's necessary to qualify these statistics. I
wonder if the typical Buick buyer puts the same number of miles as the
average buyer of the market...

 

Ummmm, that seems to be 40,000 miles past the expiration of the Kia warranty,
so what is your point. BTW - my 1993 Jeep GC Laredo now has 192,000 miles on it
and my 1996 Chrysler T&C LXi now has 161,000 miles on it and both are going
strong. Though I gave up on GM in 1992 when I purchased my first Chrysler T&C,
the 1983 Buick Electra Wagon had 189,000 miles on it when it was traded in. I
do question, though, why you are complaining about your Buicks in a Chrysler
newsgroup. Care to enlighten us?????