Auto Dealers

Dec 26 15:12 UTC 1991

Spinoff of item 4: what experiences have people had with area dealers?  Are
there any you would recommend or warn about?

response 2 of 43:

Dec 28 04:55 UTC 1991

NEVER GO TO ANN ARBOR TOYOTA MAZDA VOLVO!!!!!!!!!

response 4 of 43:

Dec 29 20:01 UTC 1991

because you should buy  American !
Buy a Ford, even if the quality is not the greatest.

response 6 of 43:

Dec 30 15:36 UTC 1991

We have had nothing but courteous, helpful dealings with AATMV.  We even just
had warranty work done on a 9 year old Tercel (with 217,000 miles on it).  We
will go there again.

Josh and my sister have had rotten dealings with Rampy Nissan.

response 8 of 43:

Jan 18 20:10 UTC 1992

Only real problems I remember with AATMV is with getting appointments;
at one point they were running pretty far behind on things.  Haven't been
back in a while, but they improved to almost reasonable scheduling-wise.

response 10 of 43:

Feb 13 19:49 UTC 1992

"UH UH UH"? Sounds like an obscene phone call. :)

response 12 of 43:

Aug 4 20:06 UTC 1992

I was going to say that, the same friend of mine with the v6, got it that
way.  (#4) Toyota Camry is American made!

response 14 of 43:

Aug 6 12:53 UTC 1992

I've heard this line for many years now.  Not to long ago my dad bought
a Ford LTD with extended coverage.  It had received very high marks from
Consume Reports.  The car was a disapointment.  It was always in the shop
for engine related problems.  The idle had to be set so high, to keep it
from stalling, that it took significant presssure on the brake to keep it
from rolling at a stop.  He got so fed up with service from Ford that he
took it to a private auto shop for service.  After $630 of parts and labor,
the car ran fine. The last straw for him was when the water pump went out
, a month later, at 32,000 miles.  He went out and bought a Toyota Cressida
which has not been in the shop to date except for oil changes and the like.
Every car he's ever owned was American built and he swore by them.  Now
he swears by his Toyota.  The LTD was a brand new '88 and the Toyota a '90.
He's 68.

response 16 of 43:

Aug 7 02:44 UTC 1992

I'm not at all advocating the old Buy American theme, I'm just saying that
American cars have changed alot in the last few years and they are now worthy
of serious consideration, not because they are domestic, but because they are
good cars.  I just get a little steamed when people judge japanese cars as
good solely because they are not american cars and american cars as junk
just because of their past reputation.  Nissans and Mazdas are junkier than
anything produced in Detroit -- car magazines have started noticing the dip
in quality.  

response 18 of 43:

Aug 7 02:54 UTC 1992

I'm perfectly happy with my Saturn which, unlike the Honda I used to drive,
is not going to turn into a hunk of tin the size of a breadbox if I get
into an accident.

response 20 of 43:

Aug 7 12:59 UTC 1992

Are the "American" cars really getting better or are the real loosers
being replaced with inports with "American" skins and name plates.

With fuel economy being more and more of a concern as well as safety,
I would expect more and more cars to be totaled in a crash situation.
The idea is not to save the car but the people inside!  If a given car
suffered little damage in a crash, either that energy went into the other
car or into the passengers of the cars.  Look at the Indy, etc. races of
today.  10 years ago it was common for drivers to get hurt badly or killed
in a 200 mhp crash into the wall.  Today the cars break apart and only the
cage, with the driver inside, remain one.  All the parts, that once were
firmly attached to the cars, now go bouncing down the track: Less kinetic
energy to injure the driver!  Energy that went into bending a piece of
sheet metal is energy that didn't go towards injuring the people inside!

response 22 of 43:

Aug 8 13:18 UTC 1992

My father is a Ford employee, and my brother works for EDS, i.e. GM.
So, many of us own Ford and GM cars.  We are almost universally happy
with our Fords.  We are less happy with our GMs.  The only family
member who is really happ with her GM is my sister who owns a Saturn.

Now, it is true we get pretty good deals on these cars, but for me,
the savings would not be worth it if the car was junk.

response 24 of 43:

Aug 9 02:19 UTC 1992

I agree that a certain amount of crumpling is good to absorb the energy of
a hit, but for insurance purposes, you don't want the car to get totalled
if someone taps you in the rear at 10-15 mph either.  I've been hit 4 times
in back like that at speeds from 5 to 20 mph (of the car in back), and have
had no damage to my car other than scratched paint.  I had to reset my
fuel pump shutoff switch once, but that's it.  I own an Escort, FYI.  I think
this performance is reasonable.  I know people with Honda CRX's who hit poles
while backing out of parking spaces and they break their rear bumper in half.
I don't think that's as strong as my Escort.  Clearly, the Escort reaches a
better balance of survivability and low insurance costs.  That's not patriotic,
or Japan bashing, but just common sense.