roopull

Did you guys not read the page? It's a conversion...

Follow the link, scroll down to "Brute Kit" and hit the "more info" link:

www.aev-conversions.com

No Gladiator... yet.

I can see where these would be nice to have if you lived in a really congested city. Outside of that, they're just silly.... silly & ugly. Great cars for city folk who look at automobiles with all the passion that I look at a toaster.

It's like trying to have a conversation with an 8 year old.

...an 8 year old girl with her panties in a wad.

You can also get the 3.9L in the Uplander now which is 240hp and 240lb.-ft of torque, a nice improvement over the base engine.

...not sure what was in the rented one my MIL had, but I must say the exhaust note sounded awesome. It would have been fitting on a Camaro! The Caravan just quietly hummed.

Mazda debuted it's RX-8 to the press in Hawaii and I remember one writer compalined endlessly how it was the worst place to debut a sports car since the roads are so heavily patroled. Perhaps debuting a car in the middle of the night on a lone Montana highway would be the way to go? 

Oh, that's just nuts. There are areas in Maui that almost NEVER see cops. In fact, we drove for about 2 hours straight & didn't seen another car, much less a cop. The legendary "Road to Hana" is every bit as exciting as the Tail of the Dragon. That road-tester should have spent a little more time exploring.

This would include by proxy the Oasis? Man, when is the last time you've seen one of those?

Believe it or not, I saw one just a couple of days ago... but then again, it was the first one I've seen in years... and probably only the third I've ever seen in my entire life.

Now that I think about it, they were essentially the same thing as the PT & HHR... tall station wagons... just much much less exciting to look at.

Dear heavens, man! You asked if you should be disappointed in your Taurus. I said you can't complain about it. What the F more do you need? Jeez. I never once said you should be disappointed in your car. Find it. Quote it. Go on, Einstein... make your next post be you quoting me saying you should be disappointed in your Taurus. Perhaps your Taurus should be disappointed in you! :rotflmao:

Yeah, I personally think the big 3 made absolute crap throughout the 70s & 80s & I sure as heck am not alone in that conclusion! It was that crappiness that left the door open for the importers! If they'd been making decent cars, do you really think folks would have opted for smaller less optioned cars? Sheesh! Of course not!

If anything, I'm pissed at them for dropping the ball & letting the American people down. The UAW & the big three should be ashamed!

And pointing out that your car only has 118K miles isn't an insult to it... I really was surprised to read that & have explained those thoughts already.

Toyota building engines in China vs GM building engines in China... who cares? Neither one are American companies & neither one are Japanese companies. They're both multinational corporations & both are whores to the dollar. Both build cars in more countries than I can count... Yet, all you want to focus on is the ill-conceived notion that you think I'm trying to convince you that Toyota is a domestic brand. I never said that. Sheesh! The closest thing you'll find to that statement is the belief that Toyota is just as domestic as GM - which is to say - not domestic at all. GM stopped being a domestic brand, imo, the second they imported the first foreign built car badged as a domestic brand.

Does GM employ more Americans that Toyota? Sure does. Does GM use more American sourced parts? Not sure, but probably. Does that make them domestic? Not at all.

Yay for Harley! Good on 'em! Who gives a rat's arse? Why does your argument revolve around Toyota? If Harley can make their motorcycles using union labor or not... building here or in Canada or whatever, maybe GM could learn a thing or two from Harley... You're so damned focused on Toyota, you can't hear anything else anyone is saying except TOYOTA! Dude, I don't even like most Toyotas... I respect the company & think they're kicking some major ass, but that doesn't make me a Toyota-lover. It means I can see the truth for what it is. GM is getting its ass handed to it. Care to show me where I'm wrong?

You're comments about why you have bought Hondas for so long include a very negative stereotypical attitude towards domestic products being poor choices.

Are you drunk?

You have a need to defend the fact that a lot of your purchases over the years have led to a deterioration of our economy.

BTW I have a Honda and Suzuki in the garage

Dude... do you realize how silly that just sounded?:rotflmao: Damn, I can't believe you really posted that! NOW is the time to go back & quietly edit it out of your post. I won't tell anyone!

Seriously, though... unruffle your panties. It's just a forum about cars...

Halting the all-expenses-paid trips to the Bavarian countryside and getting wined-n-dined just to drive a model that'll be clogging the roads here all too soon might help.

Good point.... maybe GM & Ford need to provide test drives in Maui. The roads there are incredible & though I've never been to Bavaria, I'm quite certain the scenery & accomodations are nicer in Maui!

I've heard a few examples of this, myself... considering I've been pouring water over frozen windshields for years & have never cracked one... have been washing cars for years in the Georgia heat & never cracked one... it's odd & rather frightening!

Hmmm.... well in any case Hyundai is going to be a thorn in Toyota's

side more and more in coming years. The Sonata looks a lot better

than the new Camry...

Personally, I think Hyundai's styling is top notch... better than most brands out there & certainly better than anything from Japan.

Regarding safety, someone posted this link:

http://informedforlife.org/

The updated list of safest cars on the road has the Sedona as #1!!!!

CARBIZ said

Roo, if you'd hang around here long enough, what you would realize is that as GM fans we are very well aware of GM's shortcomings; however, the general consensus is that Toyota and Honda literally get away with murder by the media, and by default the public in general.

Yeah... I know & have said essentially the same thing in a few spots on here, but I think BMW gets away with the most BS free publicity of any brand. If GM made the X3, it'd be laughed off the market.

We do, however, need to point out Toyota's failings at every turn because nobody else out there is.

I think that's slowly changing. What I find silly & honestly, a little pathetic, is the abject hatred of Toyota. GM could learn a lot from Toyota, if you ask me & I am certainly no Toyo fan... I've never even owned one, but have owned a GM product or two & my Corvaire was & will always be one of the most fun cars I've ever owned. Somewhere along the line, I suppose by saying ANYTHING good about Toyota, it would seem that I've been dubbed some sort of anti-GM, anti-domestic guy. I'm not... I just see things the way they are & don't apologize for my opinions.

Poke around at some of the other threads here: we love to poke fun at GM's cheap interiors (getting better) and half-fast marketing ploys, but GM's successes do need to be trumpeted.

Oh, I've poked around quite a bit & have done some of that trumpeting, myself... even in this thread, but I guess most of that's been ignored by some on the board.

Nobody is defensive; we are just fed up with the free ride Japan Inc. gets in North America.

Oh, folks are defensive... crazy defensive. For example:

Supermoto said

Let me see if I can get the point through your thick skull.

Not exactly sounding like quiet conversation...

Later, he goes on to blather on bout me being a 'domestic hater' & asks a question that has a faulty premise...

I asked for specifics about why I should feel disappointed with my reliability so far with a car that domestic haters like yourself will dismiss as unreliable with no proof to back up your claim.

I suppose Supermoto was too busy getting panicky to read these things I've already posted in this thread... most in direct response to him:

In the case of say Buick V. Kia, it blows the import away.

Hmmm... doesn't sound like the words of 'domestic hater' to me...

If they make a product that gives me the best bang for my buck, I'll buy & so will every other American.

With that, I point to the Solstice & Sky as proof. Anyone seen a 3rd gen. Miata, lately? They're being outsold 2 to 1 even with the limited supply of the Solstice/Sky.

Hmmm... would a 'domestic hater' cite an example of a 'domestic' company outselling an import brand - specifically in a segment completely & totally OWNED by that brand for the past... what... 15 years?

Now, back to your question of the Camry vs. the Impala... All things being equal, I'd probably go for the Impala, because I'd seriously rather buy an American product... My first car was a 66 FuryIII. I loved that thing.

Hmmmm... not exactly hating domestics there, either...

Personally, I think both GM and Ford have begun to turned that corner. Caddy, Buick, and Lincoln are making great cars & Chevy is really stepping up to the plate with some reliable vehicles (aside from their trucks, for once.)

Caddy, Buick, Lincoln & Chevy are still considered 'domestic' brands, right? Am I confusing something here?

In direct response to Supermoto's first question to me:

Absolutely.... specifically if you've been driving trucks. The Japanese makes can't touch GM & Ford. The Nissan is a nice try, & the Tundra is looking promising, but imo, they have a long way to go.

The Japanese can't touch GM & Ford... domestic hater?

Through work, I've owned a variety of trucks. Although the Chevy Luv & Ford Courrier (a Mazda) were great little trucks, I doubt any logical person would argue that the only place to get a decent REAL truck is Ford or GM.

Only place for a REAL truck... wow, yup, I must really hate domestics.

...and finally, the response I first gave to Supermoto when he asked about his precious little Taurus... did I say his car was a piece of crap? Did I say it was unreliable? Did I cite details saying it was a turd of a car???

But, to answer your question, no you can't really complain. The Taurus is also a bigger & quiter car. I don't recall saying that the domestics don't make any good cars.

Lookey there!!! I actually said he had no cause for complaint! I even complemented the thing!!! I even mentioned aspects of HIS car (a domestic) that are BETTER than MY car!!!!!!! Holy Chit!!! I must be a domestic hater!!!

Hey, Supermoto, just shut up, okay? Until you want to actually read what I say, don't respond. Just... please... be quiet. Sheeesh. You make yourself look silly.

See, the tagline for the forum's title is "fresh ideas for a better GM." Losing your mind like a nutcase anytime someone praises Toyota or criticizes GM certainly doesn't make GM look any better.

...cherish foreign entities like they have some sort of god given aura... Good ole america; everybody's b*tch for the right price

God is going to give the importers Saturn Auras? What for?

Aren't the import branded SUVs losing sales, as well? I know Toyo & Nissan have also invested heavily in SUVs, yet the article doesn't mention them.

Just accept that a domestic can rival the perceived reliability of an import.

Never said it couldn't... & in the case of say Buick V. Kia, it blows the import away.

I said I've never replaced an O2 sensor on any of my cars... including the domestics I've owned.

I find the panicky defense of domestics - defending against offenses that were never made - to be entertaining and telling.

I have no real evidence of this, but I think the domestic brands have been better about recalls than the imports have - in general. Even though the domestics, historically speaking, have had more recalls, I don't think that really means that they had more problems. The domestics just seem more willing to issue recalls than the import brands... and imo, that's a good thing for the domestics.

I REALLY think that as Toyo nears claiming the #1 position in sales, their quality issues come to light more, & society starts to figure out that they're not as "green" as we think they are, the press will begin to give a more balanced view of GM (and every other brand.)

What I'm wondering, however, is how do you get the press to say something negative about BMW? Most articles sound like driving a BMW causes instant orgasms.

Where's the 9-3 and the Malibu?

The Saab is somewhere around #36 & the Malibu is about 13 slots below that. Both are still better than average.

Click the link in my last post for the full listing.

The Aura is a slightly polished G6/9-3.  The only thing really new about it is the 6-speed.  Everything else is parts bin.

I thought the Aura was an Opel... duh.

It's AOL... they can't even run an ISP right, who cares what they think about cars! Okay, actually, the info comes from some outfit called, "Informed For Life." Uh-huh. Anyone ever heard of that before? I've loved my Hondas ever since I bought my first one, but seeing FOUR of those being Honda products IS a little fishy.

So, I 'Googled' the name & went to their website. They have a nice little PDF that is a bit more updated that the list above & much more detailed...

For your viewing pleasure:

http://www.informedforlife.org/demos/FCKed...skorder2006.pdf

A brief scan showed that the Honda S2000, the Insight & the Element ranked towards the very bottom of the list, so I guess my theory of collusion is blown to he!!.

Do you have something on your mind, roopull, which sounds an awful lot like RuPaul? :AH-HA_wink:

"Roopull" is the phoenetic spelling of my last name... I got tired of folks mis-pronouncing it, so I adopted the "roopull" spelling in certain circumstances just to keep folks from calling me 'rup-pell' or 'rap-pell...' or whatever. Poking around the internet, the name 'roopull' seems to be unique, so I'm satisified with it... even if it does sound like a certain giant black cross-dressing gay guy's adopted name!

Looks like what would happen if you let the 2faster2furiouser crowd rape at goat.

If you're referring to the American Accord, it is rebadged as the Inspire elsewhere (click). The Acura TSX is a rebadged version of the Accord used in Europe and Japan.

Those are built in Japan, aren't they? IIRC, the Accords built in Ohio are ONLY sold in the USA... well, no... they're sold in Canada & perhaps Mexico, too, methinks.

just an aside.....from mitsubishi forums .com

http://www.mitsubishi-forums.com/t12903-mi...mer-reports.htm

mar 14, 2006

maybe someone with a CR subscription can verify this.  i do know the endeavor and galant were both recommended and had very high scores from CR for reliability.

i.e. mits is not the land rover freelander you seem to want it to be.  time to stop the untrue song

I have a CR subscription & looking at their website, I can't see where they actually rank brands... that sounds more like the way JD Power does things. CR doesn't really even RANK their cars. They just give reviews, list reported trouble spots & say whether a car is recommended or not.

That being said, of Mitsu's 7 models, only two are recommended & one is listed as "promising."

By a quick glance, it would appear that the brands with the highest %age of recommended rides (in no particullar order) are: Buick, BMW, Acura, Honda, Lexus Subaru, & Toyota. I always get a chuckle out of seeing those high dollar Mercedes Benz models & seeing that none are ever recommended.

Keep in mind, CR doesn't ONLY base thier ratings on reliability. They factor in ride, luggage space, NVH, etc. For example, the Hummer H1 might be a fabulously reliable truck, but since it gets a half mile per gallon, is loud as a jet plane inside & hard to drive on roads, it's never going to be a recommended buy. On the other hand, a Mercedes S600 may get good mileage, be quiet as a library & be a wonderful thing to drive, but since they are absolute pieces of crap when it comes to reliability, they'll never get recommended, either.

Are you serious? The alternator is a problem for lasting over a 100k miles? [...].

I don't know what fantasy world you live in, but two replaced parts in over 100k is not indicative of a vehicle that's in the shop all the time....

While I've never replaced an O2 sensor on any of my cars (even the domestics - go figure,) I generally think of alternators as being 80K mile parts. I've had some last much longer & some last for less time. Generally, I replace them with a Bosch & that's the last I think of it. I have never replaced an alternator for a second time... which makes me wonder what's wrong with the factory ones - import & domestic!

I'm just amazed that an 11 year old car has that few miles! For a while, I was putting 60K a year on my Jetta while at the same time putting 30K on my Accord. Then again, I love driving!

Nissan, Toyota, and Honda, on the other hand, can hire the most productive workers in the world - American workers - and not worry about the UAW.  They can open up shop in 'right to work' states like Georgia & produce cars with labor that's impossibly cheap.

You say that like it's a good thing.  Downward forces on wages are rarely a good thing.

It is a good thing. Artificially inflating the cost of labor via what is essentially extortion is a horrible thing & the hemmoraging of $$$ and employees that GM is suffering from is a very direct result of it.

UAW = artificially inflated labor costs. It's a simple little fact.

In the long run, if a company can buy labor at fair market value, it ensures jobs those people depend upon.

On a recent vacation, the wife & I ended up with a Caravan & her mother was in an Uplander... not sure who she rents from, but she's always got a GM product.

The trip was 5 days long & after only a couple of days, the various passengers perferred the Caravan. I was driving & never got in the Uplander, so I can't attest to why they preferred the Dodge...

From a styling standpoint, the Uplander just looks stupid with that big ugly nose on it. Although the Caravan is as exciting as an afternoon nap, I'd rather have that than ugly...

On a previous trip, they'd ended up with a Montana or SV6 or whatever the heck they call it. It too was ugly & I did get to spend some time as a passenger. Granted, it was the basest of base models, but the seats were horrible & the thing squeaked & rattled like a 15 year old Kia.