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lol euro cars are built strong and to last.(most) and personally i think they look 10X better...id buy a VW or volvo (super reliable and safe) over a honda/toyota/ whatever anyday. in not sure why but i just never relaly liked the asian imports...

Quote:

Originally Posted by VetteOwner (Post 49109)

VW? Built to last? Super reliable? Hmm.

id say so, how many classic VW beetles/vans/ghias do you still see roaming around? now vw arent super reliable i was saying that about volvos.

I see not so many old beetles in a month as my grammas neighbor has rusting in a field because he has to keep buying parts cars to keep his good one running, :). I've see a few vans in the last month or so, and once in my lifetime a ghia on the road. When you make enough cars, some of them are bound to make it.

Volvos are quite well made, hopefully ford (I think) will not ruin them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVOboy (Post 49113)

VW? Built to last? Super reliable? Hmm.

iono, that's what everyone told me when I got my Jetta.... I've yet to have any trouble... But, there's no denying VW had some major electrical problems in the 90's... My Jetta turned over 100K miles not too long ago... My only problem -- a quick lube place zipped the drain bolt on too tight and stripped the threads, not so great with an aluminum oil pan :p

Hell, the beetle typeI was sold until a few years ago (over 21 million mfr'd) :thumbup:

I'm not making any comparisons across the board.... I'm just saying that most of the reliability problems that gave them a bad name have been addressed :thumbup:

kid at my school has a really awsome vw bus its green and white.it had to of been restored tho cus it looks amazing. he looks exactly like that freshmen kid from dazed and confused to its funny

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erdrick (Post 49103)

Detroit is a bad city run by bad people. - Who wants to work somewhere like that? The attitude of a city definitely plays a role in how businesses in that city flourish (or in the case of Detroit, don't).

Honestly, not much "car" stuff happens in Detroit proper anylonger. GM moved its "world headquarters" downtown a few years ago. Other than that there might be an assembly plant or two left.

Most automotive bussiness happens in the suburbs, a long way from "Detroit".

What General Motors and Ford have done over the years is to leave the efficient-car market segment totally to the Japanese. They abandoned a whole market segment. It's no wonder that they are falling behind. They have nothing that approaches the Corolla or the Yaris in efficiency.

In addition, GM can and should build fuel efficient versions of their existing models. I'd buy a four cylinder manual transmission version of the Impala that seats 6, but they won't do it.

On the other hand, I'd love to have a bench seat to seat six in a 4 cylinder Camry. I wonder who will build what I want first?

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebuchet03 (Post 49150)

Lets deal in facts....the fact is, VW make horribly unreliable cars, especially those built in Mexico...just read ConsumerReports....I'd stay clear of them...and the Beatle was never known for reliability...often the engines siezed at 50,000 miles, especially in very hot climates....VW make horrible product...not even close to Japanese cars in durability and reliability, to be sure....but to be fair, when running right, VW's often have great handling and performance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erdrick (Post 49103)

Detroit is going down because Detroit is a bad city run by bad people. The leaders have been racist and narrow-minded. It is unsafe for white people to go there. Rather, it is unsafe for non-black people to go there. Actually, the safest thing to say is probably that Detroit is just an unsafe place for PEOPLE. Who wants to work somewhere like that? The attitude of a city definitely plays a role in how businesses in that city flourish (or in the case of Detroit, don't).

I now live in Toyota Japan. It is an extremely beautiful city with excellent facilities. Sure there is problems with traffic, but Toyota IS a automobile city. The superb attitude in Toyota (especially when compared to Detroit) can only have a positive impact on the success of Toyota.

Even so, Japanese automakers are sweating bullets over Korea and China. They have been for years. These countries are making the same moves that Japan did all those years back.

In the end, business practices and the mood of the people involved with those businesses have a very strong relation with the success of said businesses. Blaming countries for certain problems is just making them a scapegoat. American automakers should evaluate the way they do business and how they can change in order to regain their marketshare.

Not that I really give a damn either way...

The domestic auto maker's problems and lack of success have NOTHING to do with Detroit...this is an over simplification of why the domestics are losing market share.

One reason they're losing is the massive $$ required to pay pensioners, and retirees that are living much longer then expected, and this burdon is huge and the Japanese do not have such a "tax" on each car they sell.

American Companies don't lack, brains, nor knowhow...they lack profit room, which means they have to cut corners...the unions have also made it very hard for them to produce quality products...all that aside, we Americans don' lack brains or knowhow....it's about profit, or the lack there of...

But their not without sin....Ford, Chrysler and GM have placed too much emphasis on SUV's, trucks, and other big vehicles, and the little cars they do offer are mostly jokes, often built in Korea, and often having shoddy quality....in this regard, the big 3 have only themselves to blame.....it's not Japan's fault, nor the American consumer's, to be sure.