> I dont get it. RWD Chryslers were (and still are) hot. Everybody seems to
> dream of a hemi. And if you can afford a hemi you can surely afford snow
> tires. The Dodge Rams sell very well too. Ford and GM have nothing on
> Chrysler IMO. So WTF is going on? The snow theory is just dumb.
>
This is a REALLY good question. In 2005, Mercedes lost money, but Chrysler paid their bills. This year, the media are all reporting that Chrysler is a drag on Mercedes and how bad Chrysler's problems are and blah blah blah, as if Chrysler was in the same shape as Ford. If anything, Chrysler's problem is that Mercedes took their money. It's a strange situation, but you just never know what the media will say. They can say whatever they want.
I also think it's funny that a post on the whole breakup situation spawned a
100-post cross-posted thread in which EVERY POST except yours was about snow tires. What's next, ash trays? turn signals? Can't you guys find something interesting to post about?
This will be long, but it comes at the tail of a very long thread.
Heh! I think "having arrived" was one of things critics used to slam the "C" class. "Poor man's Benz for yuppies in love with hood ornaments" etc. (And I thought your typical yuppie drove a Beemer-- zig-zagging in an out of traffic like he thinks he's Mario Andretti(sp?).)
Did I just give away my age by mentioning Mario? ;)
All these posts very enlightening. In the '80's I could never understand advertising that presented FWD like it was something you'd *want*!?
Then I read about snow and of course not much snow in San Antonio Texas. I have to go back to 1986. I had to get from San Antonio, north to a little town called San Marcos (about 60 miles). A little 1982 Mercury Lynx (Ford Escort) did the job while a '77 Cutlass Supreme wanted to spin & fish-tail the first turn out of my neighborhood & was quickly steered back to garage. (I was going maybe 5 MPH at the most.)
So FWD does make a difference for snow; but I'd totally forgotten about that. Only vehicles I saw on interstate were 18 wheelers and 4x4's-- creepy feeling. (Everyone else had sense enough to stay home which I didn't back then. :-0 )
RWD just seems smoother IMO. But the following might opening up another can of worms.
What good is an engine without a transmission? 2004 Honda Accord Ex is a good car. Like the ergonomics, v-6 allows it to "get up and go" when needed, but the ride still feels "choppy" when AT is shifting gears, & it feels like the car is being "pulled".
No comparison w/ C320 of same year. Benz is simply a quieter, smoother ride. (With a *much* better stereo-- always the critical deciding factor when choosing a vehicle (kidding)).
Of course the 320 will also "get up and go" but much more quickly, and I don't think it requires as much "effort" if I glance down at tachometer. Also, maybe it's the insulation, but on long trips where I drive 80mph, the Benz is quiet while I can hear more engine noise in Honda. Don't like RPM needle being up there for long periods of time either.
Merc has more efficient transmission? Both are 5 speed.
Or am I trying to compare apples with oranges in this case since one is obviously FWD & the other is RWD?
As for Economics, globalization may make that difficult to determine. The Honda is made in Brazil. The Mercedes hails from Bremen Germany, but at least some of the Mercedes SUV's are made in a plant in Alabama of all places. Toyota is opening a plant here in San Antonio.
Finally I have no sympathy for GM. When did Caddie stop making RWD model? Sacrilege! (and their SUV just plain stupid imo-- so are "hummers"-- although if you've got the cash, your children probably *are* safer in a panzer tank equipped with a DVD player.)
So for a domestic RWD luxury sedan-- Lincoln is last man standing? But the new ones look like mid-sized sedans. Wise man on this thread who said he is hanging onto his.
Guess I need to stay with the times. The days of "land yachts" and clean engine compartments are long gone.
Anyway just one man's idle thoughts & ramblings on a pleasant afternoon.
Clear skies and sunny in San Antonio-- 78F/25C-- I should be outside, or in the woodshop but dog-gone allergies... Quit before I stray OT & this post gets any longer! :-0
It will take them many years to recover if it is even possible. Toyota is eating everyone for lunch. Including Asian competition.
A good combination would be Honda and Chrysler. Honda making the smaller cars, Chrysler the big cars. And Honda could provide Chrylser with much needed engine technology for many of their cars.
That's the same way the government and the media treat our Social Secuity system - take money from it to pay their bils and then report that it's broke.
Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')
Yes a good point on Honda being a good match with Chrysler. It just happens that the new Honda CR-V is at the top of my short list if my '95 Concord suddenly needs replacement.
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