Your comment on MPG is the problem Mazda has always had with the Rotary.
The 1.3 c.c. engine generates more power than engines 3 and 4 times as large but that is ignored. The comparison should not be by cubic inches but by Horse Power.
That they use the Rotary in small cars has added to the perception; people equate small car with good gas mileage.

I've heard that fuel consumption with the Wankel worsens with life as uneven seal wear takes its toll.

By the way, I was at the Buick GS Nationals when that car was debuted. 2001 I think. A VERY impressive car all the way around - complete with a Fuel Injected 455 right after my own heart...

-Bob C.

I don't think I'd need a fuel injected 455, I'd be happy with a small block 350. I would love to have a Blackhawk, and I wouldn't care if it got 5 MPG in my daily drive either...

Blah blah blah.

Your pile would have to have been related to freekin Christine. What a story!

I have five (5) of them. I've known one of them since it was new in 1984. What are the odds that I've not experienced anything like you have in 25 years, 5x the vehicles, and about 500,000 miles???

I will say yes the early headliners separated and the cloth fell down after several years. Later ones are fine- I don't know the year they changed that. Had that happen to a Dodge too- many cars of that era used the same faulty set-up. 3M spray adhesive FTW.

ATX Tempos = smooth, and good for low 30s mpg on a good day, high 20's with lots of city. More than chirps the tires.

Changing oil every 2000 miles. There's a sure sign of an idiot. :rolleyes:

When I was young & stupid I used to change the oil in the Buick when it turned black. That was at about every 1,500 miles before the new engine. When I got the new engine, the oil was changed at 500 miles, 1,500 miles, 3,000 miles, then I settled into every 5,000 miles after that. I've been changing it yearly or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first for probably close to 15 years now. Always with Mobil1 synthetic, and my oil is never black by the time I change it.

As a matter of fact, since I've been using synthetic oil, I have never seen the oil in any of my vehicles turn black.

Get it right.
 

Although I wasn't a hypermiler, I was not an aggressive driver either. I could not get any better than 24 mpg highway using cruise control (3-speed auto). I also could NOT chirp the tires once I had them replaced with Futuras. The stock ones could chirp, but they were 12 years old when I bought the car, and had quite a bit of dry rot.

As far as the other issues... my mom's '89 Crown Victoria had the SAME problems with the windows, door locks, headliner, radio, trunk latch, exhaust, and leaking vents. Her transmission also went out at 110,000 miles. The Vic leaked a quart and a half of oil per 3,000 miles (my Tempo never leaked). Her car also went through 2 alternators and 3 starters between 50,000 and 150,000 miles. We replaced her coil and module before the car had 100,000 miles on it. I remember my dad replacing the U-Joints, too.

As far as changing the oil, I did it at 2,000 miles for two reasons: (1) I thought it was good for the car. (2) I changed the oil on my mom's car and dad's truck, and they accumulated 3,000 - 3,500 miles on their vehicles in the same amount of time that I drove 2,000. I changed the oil on all 3 cars at the same time.

I will state (AGAIN!!) that some people had good luck with their Tempos. Some people hated theirs. I am the latter. I'm not going to say that Some Tempos were not built well. As strange as it is, most positive reviews I've seen are of GLs. Mine was an LX. Perhaps the extra crap on it was more prone to breaking. I don't know how to find out which Tempos were built in which location (2-door verus 4-door, powertrain differences, model designations?). I do know this. Mine was pampered for the time I had it, and it fell apart.

I replaced the Tempo with an '88 Accord with 230,000 miles on it. I beat the crap out of that car for the rest of my senior year and for two years of college. I treated it worse than I ever did the Tempo, and it never broke down. (I towed the Tempo four times). The Accord's thermostat went out ($2.95) and the choke stuck once. The car still ran fine when I sold it with almost 280,000 miles on it.

You could compare production plants by VIN.
https://www.vehicleidentificationnumb...in_detail.html

In the late 1980s, by my observations, The Big 3 were still lagging behind the Japanese manufacturers in quality/reliability/durability/longevity. The 1980s were when the Japanese manufacturers earned their reputation as doing so much better in those areas. It's certainly possible for someone to have all those problems with a 1989 Ford without any abuse or negligence, and it's not unreasonable for someone to dislike them as a result.

In the 20+ years since, the domestic manufacturers have definitely stepped up their game, while the Japanese companies seem to have outgrown themselves a bit. The playing field is very even, and has been for 10 years IMO. Now the difference seems to be mainly attitude and treatment by owners who believe in those stale reputations...people who buy Japanese cars tend to be more interested in longevity, while people who buy American cars tend to be more interested in a disposable car; and they treat their cars as such.

Wow... You're a real a**hole.

You always seem to escalate things into personal attacks, don't you?

Yeesh.

I'm not going back to see who made the first personal attack, but Biffmeistro has made the last one in this thread. Capiche?