Can't emphasize this enough! Get you a Chrysler 300 C (yup, got a Hemi ) and you will still get you a 340 hp V8, for around $35 grands. You can put it on 20's and dominate the "streetz" and get the nod from gangbangers, yet women will be moved by its blunt "get in girl and let a real man take care of you!" message. It beems with confidence and has the all-elusive 'street-cred'. Bet you can't do that with a M45
300 C - mobster mobile. lol. Anyway, tigermission1, your idea of quality is the "ride" and "looks". When people talk about the appeal of Hondas, Acuras, Toyotas, and Lexus, it's about reliability and service. There's no way I'd look at a Chrysler or Ford simply because of their history in terms of terrible reliability. For me it has nothing to do with American vs. Foreign - it's about the product you've been delivering and the track record. Ford and Chrysler don't have that no matter how big or fast an engine they can wedge into the thing. Toyotas and Hondas do. The Fords and Dodges of the world appeal to the people that respond to "that thang gotta HEMI?!" whereas the Toyotas and Hondas appeal to people that don't worry about racing, but want reliable transportation for years. It takes all kinds. As for myself, it will be a long time before I think of buying a Dodge/Chrysler or Ford vehicle. Maybe if they ever get a good track record, I will, but I won't hold my breath...
tiger, What DoD said. Until I see from Consumer Reports a consistent record for Fords and Chryslers as well as any other American car in terms of quality & reliability, then I might consider one of their models. In the meantime, forget it. Oh and you do know that the Ford 500 is really a Volvo.
Ford bought Volvo about 5 years ago. I believe they own Mazda too. Mercedes Benz actually owns a few Chrysler lines too.
I owned one too for a short period of time. We ended up giving it back to the dealer because my wife felt like Marge Simpson in the Canyanero. Seriously, I liked it, but I didn't like the interior. Like you said, "its practical". Nissan should do so much more with it because the exterior 's are far from practical, they are actually cutting edge. Nissan should try some brushed aluminum trim here and there instead of using so much plastic and leaving so much of the instrument panel emtpy.
I know but from what I understand the 500 is the first Ford that is a Volvo in every facet except for the name plate.
The best new interiors are the DaimlerChryslers. The 300C is positively beautiful. As for your wife not liking the Armada, I own one only because: - I got an unbelievably great deal on it (from doing promo work for the dealership on my old radio show) - It can tow the U.S.S. Nimitz - It can carry kids, dogs, wife and everything under the sun inside of its massive frame. It's powerful, but heavy. I don't like it in traffic for sure. THe only good thing about it in rush hour is the intimidation factor.
And it's still ugly as sin, underpowered and soon to surpass GM's cars as the rental car of choice........ Build it with real handling, rear-wheel drive and the customers will come.
LOL! Yes, I do actually, and you do know that the 300 C is essentially built on the E Class chassis and uses many of its parts bin, right? I think it is fair to say that except for very few cars, there is really nothing anymore that is purely American or purely Japanese. Even Mercedes builds many of its vehicles right here in the good ol USA. So I guess it is a win-win whether you buy Japanese or American, because many of their plants are right here in the USA and that means they employ many Americans, which is a good thing. Of course, some cars ARE purely American like some Cadillacs that are built entirely here. Funny thing is, a car like the Chevy Equinox is built entirely in Korea , and yet they call it an "American Revolution"!!! LOL! anywyas, still there are pure American beasts like the Corvette. I do understand though that as far as track records go, foreign vehicles still dominate. But I think while Ford is still in the mud, Chrysler and especially GM are baking real strides to catch up to the competition. But it takes time to make people take notice.
Different strokes for different folks. Personally, I would never trade in my Mustang for any other car because the car I want is the car I own. Some people swear by their Nissan's, Mazda's, Infiniti's, and Toyota's, I swear by my Mustang. I am the only owner, and after 13 years and 185,000 miles, is still running strong. I'm still running the stock suspension, stock interior, and stock transmission. The engine came out at 225 hp, and has been modified to about 300 hp, but the short block has not been touched. It does not smoke, although the rear main seal is starting to give out. Meanwhile, my brother has gone through an infiniti, my ex, a BMW, and my friend a Mercedes. I can see that purchasing an automobile comes down to personal choice. Some prefer a refined ride, some prefer the refined interior, some prefer the power, some the exterior look, and some the reports of years past to tell them if they now have a reliable car or not...most rely on a combination of said vriables. Personally, I will never stray from the Mustang. I know the car inside and out, and have been researching the components of the newest stang in preparation for purchasing a new Stang in the next few years, and I am axiously awaiting SVT to crank out some new Cobras. This Steeda has caught my eye as well. Then again, that's just me.
Now, to whomever said that the GTO is "Fugly" (U know who u r ) should take a look at this babe. 400HP V8? I would take "Fugly" anytime!! But before I do that, i need someone to tell me how to upload pictures on my harddrive and post it in this forum, I can't figure out how to do that!
Use photobucket to host the image for you. You right click on the pic and save it to your desktop. Then you activate a photobucket account and upload the pic from your desktop to your photobucket album. Example: If it still does not make sense to you, hit "quote" on my post and look at the code inside the "
Uhhh, the M45 comes with 18's and low profile Yokohomas - stock. It looks pimp/ Also, it's an Infiniti, with Infiniti reliability, fit & finish, and quality. I'm not paying $35k for a Dodge with a crap interior. I've been in both cars - the M45 blows the doors off of the 300
Looks like a cross between a Sunfire and a Grand Am, which is what all of Pontiac's models look like. So disappointing .............................
After just wrecking my Prelude for the 4th time, I have to say that I've grown up in my taste of cars. Back then yenno, being the asian that I am, it was always Honda Honda Honda or Toyota Toyota Toyota. But as I stopped being ignorant and stereotyping, there are a lot of cars out there that really impresses me. I like the new Mustang GT. I wouldn't mind buying one at all but I just don't like the fact that, within 6 months, Houston will be saturated with so man 'Stangs on the road...but I guess that's the price you pay for affordability/power/mass production. The only company that I am swearing off right now is Honda/Acura. Sounds kinda hypocritical seeing how i drive a Prelude but I vow never to purchase another Honda/Acura ever. Reliability is good and it's value is hard to match, but the bar that they set a few car generations ago is being surpassed. They are content with V6s and FWD (with the exception of the s2k)and aren't gambling and see if they can produce a more varied lineup. I mean, the S2000 has sold pretty well, so they know it's not a total risk to try something a bit different
Uhhhh, and Pontiacs are ugly?!! I think Pontiacs have consistently had one of the best exterior designs in the business. It seems like if anything, BMWs are looking more and more like Pontiacs with each passing year Besides, doesn't every car brand supposed to have a design "theme" so as not to be mistaken for anything else? (BMWs look alike, the Mercedes roadsters all look alike, Hondas have nearly identical grills from the Oddessey to the Civic, just on different scales) My first brand new car was a 1995 Pontiac Grand AM, and I absolutely loved it, racking up 140k on it before I traded it in for another new car. It was great experience being a college kid in that car, I enjoyed it a lot! So you can see I am bias towards Pontiac Oh, and BTW, this car is a rebadged Holden built entirely in Australia and imported here, the only thing American in it is the LS2 Vette engine. But I guess tastes do differ P.S. Thanks Manny for helping me out with the upload.