A Car that Looks Good But Runs Bad Or Runs Good But Looks Bad

Which would you rather have? I've had many vehicles that looked bad but ran well and afew that were good lookers but were terribly unreliable. My current Suburban isn't the most beautiful thing on the block but with 196,000 miles and counting, I know that I can jump in any time and drive it to wherever I want to go without worrying about breakdowns.

Years ago, I had a car that was really nice looking but everytime I drove and distance, I had to repair it (usually on the side of the road). A lot of people put too mch stock in looks and don't think about the mechanicals. I had a neighbor once who used to wash his car every day after work and he would towel it off after every rain so that it wouldn't get water spots. The car didn't run very well but it sure looked good.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "So why do I drive a big SUV? It's because I have to haul numerous people and things to places." ~ R. Lee Baxton ~

Reply to
Rich B
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We call this "Looks over Function". North Americans like to look good. Don't you get a kick out of watching people the way they dress or look at what they drive. Thank God ridicule doesn't kill because...... But that's beside the point, eh? ;-)

Reply to
Bassplayer12

My main concern is reliability over time. If you are talking about paint or style or overall trendyness of the ride, that's one thing. However, if the poor looks are due to poor maintenance, it won't run good for long. It's OK if you never wash the vehicle, but you better be crawling under it to grease and treat everything or your feet may be dragging through the floor boards to stop the thing when the rusty brake lines give out.

Reply to
Al Bundy

Good point! I guess you may think that I'm a bit anal about this but, I do preventative maintenance on my vehicles (and I always have). I worked on aircraft in the military and I did learn that pilots are very expensive to replace (besides, sometimes they buy the drinks) and road service is non-existent at 40,000 feet up. I came to realize the value of a good preventative maintenance program.

I've lost count of the things I've replaced that, while they hadn't failed yet, were well on their way. My vehicles may not be the prettiest on the road but they'll get me from point A to point B safely and with minimal problems.

Group: alt.autos.gm Date: Mon, Mar 27, 2006, 2:26pm (EST-3) From: snipped-for-privacy@mcpmail.com (Al=A0Bundy)

My main concern is reliability over time. If you are talking about paint or style or overall trendyness of the ride, that's one thing. However, if the poor looks are due to poor maintenance, it won't run good for long. It's OK if you never wash the vehicle, but you better be crawling under it to grease and treat everything or your feet may be dragging through the floor boards to stop the thing when the rusty brake lines give out.

Group: alt.autos.gm Date: Mon, Mar 27, 2006, 1:39am From: snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Rich=A0B) Which would you rather have? =A0 I've had many vehicles that looked bad but ran well and a few that were good lookers but were terribly unreliable. =A0 My current Suburban isn't the most beautiful thing on the block but with 196,000 miles and counting, I know that I can jump in any time and drive it to wherever I want to go without worrying about breakdowns. Years ago, I had a car that was really nice looking but everytime I drove any distance, I had to repair it (usually on the side of the road). A lot of people put too much stock in looks and don't think about the mechanicals. I had a neighbor once who used to wash his car every day after work and he would towel it off after every rain so that it wouldn't get water spots. The car didn't run very well but it sure looked good.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "So why do I drive a big SUV? It's because I have to haul numerous people and things to places." ~ R. Lee Baxton ~

Reply to
Rich B

Reply to
SgtSilicon

Wanna vehicle that will get me there, no matter what. Including ambient temperature, humidity, traffic, distance, or whatever. A few bumps and bruises to the body means nothing to me. I will attack visible rust though if present. Cleaning the car is for my visual pleasure, not my neighbor.

Reply to
Jonny

Not quite. That GTO has an impressive power-to-weight ration and the performance is great but the hood scoops make it look too zoomy. A Q-Ship has to look boring.

And then streak away from a stop light.

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Reply to
dh

Reply to
SgtSilicon

I got both. One looks good, runs good and the other one runs good, looks ok but ride quality is suffering.

There is a lady at a grocery store by me with a 78ish looking Suburban. It looks like it was in a Fallujah war zone, Every body panel except the roof has holes through it. The cashiers are constantly asked by customers " Who owns that junker rust bomb in the parking lot ".

Turns out the woman is divorced with kids, can't afford another vehicle and luckily the bomb runs just fine but looks disasterous. It also has GM's " famous fall off the metal paint & primer" so most of the truck is rust besides rot out.

Harryface

05 Park Avenue 36,232 91 Bonneville LE 306,191
Reply to
Harry Face

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