Born suckers

Seen a Cobalt?

And I wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole. I worked at a Toyota dealer in '05. They are ALL getting a little 'cheaper'.

BTW, test times for the tC with the 2.4 L engine are within 10ths of a second of my '88 Supra with the N/A engine when it was tested new. Good enough for me. And it even makes my 'Hachiroku' seem like a sled...

Reply to
Hachiroku
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Mine had afew bumps and groans; one dent in the trunk, a leaky trans cooler line and leaky valve cover gaskets. Other than that, that car was COOL! And when I first got it, fuel economy was as good as my Scion! It started slipping the second year...I was only getting 23 MPG overall!

Reply to
Hachiroku

They were decent cars if you maintained them. I need a wagon or a van. I have a really nice Mazda 626 Winter beater, but I would like a Subaru AWD wagon, or a Toyota Corolla All-Trac, but a decent Sable or Taurus would make the list, too...

My preferences are: Toyota, then Subaru, then Ford. Actually, Ford kinda ranks higher than Subaru, but I like AWD without having to drive an SUV...

Reply to
Hachiroku

I agree. My favorite cars were Corollas from the 70's and 80's, with very few creature comforts. My Scion has a lot of bells and whistles, but has that minimal feel nonetheless.

My Supra is a powerful car, but think how much more powerful it would be without all the weight the bells and whistles added to it!

Reply to
Hachiroku

Yes many want to buy all the bells and whistles, but not me. I don't want basic either, but certainly not the latest toys such as GPS, DVD player or even a sun roof. I just want a mid or slightly smaller sized station Wagon, similar to the Subaru Trooper in size. The big 2.5, Toyota and others don't make them anymore. VW and Volvo do, but UGH!

I just noticed that the new Ford Focus no longer comes in a SW style, which will be noticed here where the Focus SW has been a big seller.

Reply to
Just Facts

I just did a 1,000 km highway drive and my LH still gets

8.0 L/100 (US 29 mpg)at 65mph as it always has. It only has about 90K miles on it. I've treated the transmission well and it shifts as new. The 3.3L engine will probably continue as new forever. I've never had an engine that continues as new for so long. Neither the engine or engine have had any unusual maintenance problems.

Even though I drive on winter roads to the ski hills the body is still excellent.

Thank goodness it is standing up so well, because what is available in the car market doesn't impress me. I've set a 25% fuel mileage improvement as my objective. Some new models are interesting, but I'll give them two years to mature. I'm now trading maintenance for depreciation and don't know what I'll do with all the money I'm saving.

Reply to
Some O

I also have my eyes set on a SW. As for AWD I rented a Fusion AWD V6 for 24 hrs, doing a fast highway drive. It's highway handling was not as good I'm used to with FWD as it wandered on curves and required two hands to keep it on track. FWD my vehicles hold the track much better. Otherwise the Fusion impressed me and although I go to ski hills I have no need for more than FWD.

As for Subaru their fuel mileage is significantly less than other similar sized vehicles. I would have about a 20% increase in fuel mileage if I went to an Outback or more for a Forester.

Reply to
Some O

Todays cars are much heavier than in the past. Things like increased body stiffness, 6 spd transmissions, huge tires and multi valve engines add a lot of weight.

Reply to
Some O

Sounds like we think a lot alike. No SUV's here either, I'll take a wagon or a van if I actually need to move something big, but I would like AWD on a car, especially if I move to snow country.

The Taurus also had/has a great crash rating, one that was tested when a friend's Taurus got T-boned by a truck at an intersection with his elderly grandfather on the impact side.

There were some injuries, nothing too serious, but it probably would have been a fatality if he had been the passenger in my car in that situation.

Pat

Reply to
pws

Hmmm...3.3L? Mine had a 3.5. Made in Canada... I was getting about 29MPG when I got it, but after a year and a half it was slipping to 22-23. Never did figure out why.

I also had mine sprayed with hydraulic oil before it's first full New England winter. It was from Florida. Don't ask me how a Canadian built car wound up so far south!!

Reply to
Hachiroku

I used to sell used cars, and I had a loyal customer that used to buy all my beaters. He picked up a '94 LHS for $600, stored it for a year, and then GAVE it to me. Didn't have a use for it!

He also gave me a Grand Voyager AWD van. It was rough, but had few real problems and had no heat. The engine sounded like it was going to explode any second, but ran flawlessly! (Broken rocker tower, common on the 3.3L)

I finally killed it when I tried removing the water pump and broke a bunch of different bolts off. I would have just yanked the engine and put in another (I found an 80,000 mile motor for $200!) but the rack and pinion was also on the way out, so I gave it to a guy down the street that has 4 of them...

Reply to
Hachiroku

The Supra is an '88, but has the Sport Roof! Weighs in at an impressive

4400 lbs!!! No pushing this thing if it breaks down!
Reply to
Hachiroku

Wrongggggg. . Check the frame (if it has one) for the thickness of the steel. How much plastique did you see in older cars? Christ they even had metal dashboards. And let's talk about new vehicle's bumpers.... if they have one. New cars are much lighter than those from the 60's, 70's or even 80's.

Reply to
Fuller Rath

That is moslty mandated by Cafe standards rather than the market. But, losing weight means better economy...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Oddly enough, Ford and GM both make AWESOME rear wheel drive V8 cars for Australia, and they both make highly regarded subcompact cars for Europe.

I would crap my pants with glee if we could get a Holden Commodore (GM) or a Ford Falcon over here in America. Hell, I'd even buy a euro- spec Focus. Unfortunately, for some reason, Ford and GM won't sell their best cars here and we have to put up with crap like the Mondeo and the Equinox. Blech.

Reply to
Will

It's getting closer than you think... for a holden at least.

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Reply to
Justin

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