Went to look at Cars.

[POINTER94]

Wife has been admiring the Dodge Calibre and wanted to go look at one. I am a rather discriminating car guy so I wasn't expecting much. Went to the dodge dealer and walked into the showroom. I sat in a Charger, Pacifica, Grand Cheroke, Aspen, Liberty, and a Calibre. I am 6'4". I comfortably fit in every vehicle. Everyone was modern and impressive. I would be happy with any. The Calibre was actually comfortable.

Hats off to the Dodge boys. I don't know if these vehicles will hold up, but this is the most impressive line of American cars I have seen ever. I checked the reviews and saw nothing that would make me concerned about purchasing any of these vehicles. I would love nothing more than to own all American vehicles (which I do now) because they are the best available not out of some patriotic or pro US belief. Dodge has been handicapped by low residual value, (poor trade in values) but if these things hold up like they should, I can see mopar rocketing up the sales charts. Ford looks 50 50 as far as their future and GM has done me wrong in the past.

I would love to see a world class line of cars coming out of Detroit.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Dodge it is for me too.
I love their hard top covered pick up trucks otherwise known as grand caravans.You rip the back seats out and there is your light pick up.Nothing gets wet and it is not so easy to steal out of them.
Never had a problem hauling my 17 footer with it.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Hey Pointer, we found something to disagree on! :devil:

GM man myself ... but then you already knew that!8)

 

[rmmpe]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

We have been loyal Ford owners for over 30 years. Some of their new models are simply beautiful. We especially like the Lincoln MKX.

We also believe in supporting companies that keep their profits in the U. S.; not those that are simply made in the U. S. so profits can be sent off-shore.

Unfortunately, Ford has taken a position in a very controversial issue and I cannot find it in myself to patronize a company that places the well-being of the company second to a personal belief. Especially when that position supports something I have great personal difficulty with.

Sooo, I believe it time to seriously consider a product from the only other U. S. manufacturer left; that being GM.

 

[PW2]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

As far as cars go, I recently rented a new Ford Mustang--what a poorly engineered piece of junk it was!

It was a major pain just to hook the seat belts, to rest your arm on the window required your elbow to be above your ear, the heater controls' access was blocked by the shift lever, the rear spoiler blocked most of the rear view mirror vision, it rattled and clanked and sounded like it was beginning to fall apart, and all in all was a pain to drive.

I was told it looked racy from the outside. I guess that is important.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Too many bad experiances with Fords, although I drive a 4x4 for my job. It is an '05, and already had to have new tires due to front end problems.
Chevys are fine, but the dealers like them too much to sell them at a proper price... Also, their werk force dictates the entire corporate agenda.

Dodge is now owned by Deimler/Benz. It has had a major effect on the dodge/chrysler/jeep lines. I could see the advancements and feel the quality in the Ram.. I actually bought an '02 based upon price and interior compatability to my DOGS... They love that center fold-down arm rest/glove box/doggy seat thing
The only problem I have had (and it pixed me right off), was the dashboard cracked in about 20 places... No satisfaction under their 7/70 coverage either.
Had to buy a coverlay and also re-cover the front defroster trim...Loooks kewl tho, and cost only 150bucks.
Sti;; -- what the heck is up with a dashboard that cracks in less than 4 years? Maybee I shouldn't have taken it off-road so much, but hey -- it should handle it.
All said and done, I'll buy a new one in 2020, as soon as I drive all the goody out of it.

 

[itwontletmein]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

pw i have a 06 mustang and i love it the only thing and i give ya is the seat belt im sure your reantal was beat to death by the first person to rent it. my 02 f250 has been a awsome truck

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

I have all fords now. But historically when I went to see a dodge dealer, there might be a model I like. I liked everything on this trip. They may continue the Dodge legacy of low end models that are over designed and under built, But I am optimistic that they may have turned a corner. Hey the Charger is a nice mid-large sedan that has rear wheel drive. And available with a big V8. Cool.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Dodge has it all over GM and Ford in the styling department... Unfortunately, Dodge is no longer an American company..:'(

If I was a car guy, I'd be all over the Ponitac Solsitce GXP and the GTO..

12r'.. I'm with ya on GM truck prices... Even used, way too proud of em'.. I may go looking today.. I eyeballed a used Silverado SS on a lot the other day...8)

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

To be honest, I would like to get a used S60, T5 Volvo, or a 9-5 saab. I have a motivation for this but I can't explain it right now. But its a good thing.... d

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

I've had Fords for over 20 years, from a car, small pickup and full sized pickup. I've never had a serious problem with any of them. The pickup I have now ihas over 100k on it and runs like a champ. I hope to get another 100k out of it.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Daimler's involvement in Chrsler has raised the bar.

I've been with Mercedes for 21 years now. Our dealership is 9 car lines total at one location, Jeep/Chrysler is next door.

If the car is for your wife, you might want to check out a Benz C230, either the 4 or 6 cylinder.
They are a good value and we aren't haveing any "issues" with them.

Our shop (2 of 3) houses Volvo, BMW and Mercedes.
The Volvo is a good car but since we techs do all the pushing of dead cars into the shop, the Volvo gives us the most exercise.....

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

I recently helped my sister get a 2004 PT Cruiser. I of course wanted to know why she was so insistent on this car, but hey, its her money. After driving it, I can say that other than a vague shifter on the manual tranny, that little bugger handled like crazy. She of course had to know why I needed to drift it in the corners and all that considering she drives like an old lady, I just said I needed to make sure it could handle "evasive manuevers"... Good product though. I like the new chrysler/dodge products.

My wife totalled her 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee a week ago, and other than an abrasion on her chin from the airbag, she walked away with only a sore colarbone from the seatbelt. That jeep had served her well even though it rattled and the computer died once. Since it did a good job of keeping her alive, and she seems to have a thing for Jeeps, I am getting her a 98 Jeep I found for a good price. I would like to see her in a Subaru as it is pretty much the most reliable vehicle you can spend money on (I have friends with Subarus with over 400,000 on the ticker and no major repairs), but she hates wagons.

Her mother came up to visit, and rented an 07 Chevy Equinox. I drove the heck out of that little rig, and I have to say that it is a decent rig, even though it is a GM. I'd own one if someone gave it to me.

Lastly, My 95 Ford F150 is still running perfect, as always. My next new vehicle will be a Ford or Dodge...

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Always Fords!

Best of luck witht them. Current holdings in the family are a 2005 Lincoln LS, 1997 E150 w/ 218k overloaded miles on it, 1988 Ford Crown Vic (fabulous Sedan) my son is the king of the campus with that one, 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible.

I also do own a 1994 2500 Chev Suburban, only cause it was the only thing to fit my need when I bought it. It's ok but for a '94 model it sure was backward in a lot of respects. I cannot even flash the headlights with the turn indicator lever. It pixes me right off. And brakes? oh brother, front pads every 17.5k miles and I drive it easy.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

LOL I thought you meant the movie "Cars"! LOLOL

 

[QC]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Pointer,

I had a 9-5 and absolutely loved it. Mine was an '01 with the V6, but I lusted for the Aero with the 2.3T 4 Cylinder immediately. May get one again some day. My advice on the SAAB is buy used. They have low resale which is a big benefit if you plan to actually keep it, and a reasonably long warranty at 5 years 50K which helps my confidence when buying used. It was my first turbocharged car and right away I wished it had a manual to take advantage of low-end boost/torque. We now have a VW GTI 1.8T with a manual, and I can pull pretty steep grades in 5th gear at 2000 RPM and it just sits there and hums. Could never do that with an auto as it downshifts. I also accelerate hard from a light in 1st and 2nd and then go straight to 5th to stay out of trouble. A lot of fun that I just can't do with any auto. I'd probably go manual if I bought another 9-5 or even a 9-3 for that matter . . . To me a manual and a turbo are made for each other, although I'd love to try an Audi with a CVT for the same reasons . . .

BTW, my wife and I drove an S60 and the SAAB back to back. The SAAB was more fun and more comfortable, we both fell in love in 30 seconds and I bought one the next day.

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

QC,

I have wanted a SAAB for years and came within a signature on a couple of occasions. I am looking at a 2002 9-5, with 56k for 10 grand. I also found a 2002 S60, T5 package, with the High Pressure turbo and a 5 speed. The 5 cylinder engine makes about 250hp. I may need to use this for work so the auto in the Saab is more practical, but the manual would have to be a blast to own. Same bucks as the Saab. I expect that these rigs will be available for another week or so as they have been on the market for some time. They are cars that require a specific taste.

Keep you posted. d

http://tinyurl.com/yf9bxg


http://tinyurl.com/yeewad

 

[Parrott_head]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Pointer94,

Try this link to shorten up URL's that are impossibly long.

http://tinyurl.com/

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

COOL ParrotHead.... d

 

[QC]

Re: Went to look at Cars.

Pointer,

That 9-5 SE is exactly the same as mine except it is an '02. The '02 has a sturdier grill attachment, other than that they are identical. All of the SE's are autos and the 3.0 V6 with 200 bhp. It flat flew in the Sport mode which my wife referred to as Hyper . . . Kicks the shift points up and accelerates the pedal position sensor response. Does nothing more ,but it is a lot of fun to drive like that. Put it back in regular and it will hold a gear longer before downshifitng. The combo works pretty well.

The V6 is a US GM engine, but it really sings in this Swede tweaked version. I loved it so much I decided I wanted a "true" 4 Cyl SAAB. The Aero's are rated at 230, 250 and now I believe 260. The V6 is definitely smoother. The SAAB has more of a cool factor than the Volvo, but I was looking at both down to the last minute too. Great minds . . . 8)