my original post i was trying to make the point that the big 3 have slipped in build quality/fit and finish they were more or less building shit to just build. im aware that any car will last provided you care for it. my gripe is not about drivetrain. as nowadays, you seldom hear of bad engines or tranny internals. it is mostly electronic related (coil pack, various sensors) that cause problems. and majority of your repair work anymore seems to be normal maintenance and wear and tear on suspension. engines seldom get serviced regardless of brand.
i dont think fiat w/ chrysler will all of a sudden make the fit and finish better. as to be honest, i have yet to see an italian car that is nice. I service ferrari’s w/ plastic peeling around heater controls, leather peeling etc. lambo’s look nice on the outside, but once you start digging away–they are on the sub par build quality. granted, you wil get pussy in either one. but fit and finish are not their strong points. yet the fiat/alfa have solid cars to compete against import companies, as well as the other 2 domestic. right now chrysler has nothing. hell, they killed the neon which had to of been a top selling fwd car.
ford has the biggest pool to draw from. i have worked on european market cars that i was like wtf–why isnt that over here. it is night and day difference. Ford tried to do it w/ the focus, but fucked it all up and americanized it. hopefully they streamline shit, and make all their cars cross market. a new ford festiva would sell here in the states. the new tarus will too. a mustang will always sell.
gm is essentially killing off what i believe is the nicest looking cars in the new saturn lineup. the saturn convertible turns my head every time i see one. caddys have to many jagged edges. no real body line. pontiac looks like it is ripping off bmw. chevy is just chevy. the corvette, although a good bargain for the price when comparing cost of new to what you get, is still no porsche. You can get a 996 turbo porsche used for 40k that will respectably hang w/ a new zo6 vette and have a higher overall quality. Add insult to injury, it will destroy the vette if you toss some money into it. buick, i havnt seen a newer one on the road in ages. may as well died w/ ransom’s olds.
point being, gm better is going to sink or swim w/ the volt. or should i say shine or electrocute?
my last rant, and this goes to every company–why do we need big ass cars? i think the size of cars is getting out of hand. a 2000lb car w/ moderate performance and gas mileage would sell like hotcakes here. there is so many “small cars” w/ moderate power and better mpg that we dont get here due to being to small for the market. example of small car claim-- Suzuki Ignis, Ford Puma and Peugeot 206 XS as well as vw polo.
I agree with everything except the last paragraph. People here want room and convienence in their cars, they don’t want stripped down shitboxes. Plus, I would rather be in a nice big car then a lifted f350 hits me, it’s a lttle safer.