Detroit Vs Japan

That motor certainly was known for reliability. Still is, for that matter.

You're doing a good job on the pedal to get that milage from a clutch.

John

Geez, bill, why so nasty?

That kind of mileage from the OE clutch isn't that unusual. My TJ's OE clutch has 153,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. That's with many smoked clutch (literally) episodes and tough rock crawling trail use where slipping the clutch is necessary at times.

Jerry

I was referring to AMC not being known for reliability, though I'm aware of how great those 242/258 inline sixes are.

It was a bad day when that clutch let go...

heh....this coming from a guy who stated that dealership mechanics earn $83,000 a year.

good luck. :-)

There were a lot of them. There still are.

GM made the Vega, the Monza, the X-bodies, the 60 degree V6's, in fact they did not build a single decent small car for a roughly twenty year period.It wasn't until the Saturn GM had a small car it could look to with any self-respect at all. Chrysler built and still builds an entire generation of minivans with marginal transmissions and the horrible Neon.

For what it's worth, for the weight and money, if new car buyers bought strictly according to reliability and cost per mile, Detroit's passenger car line would be in even worse shape than it is. And their big truck lines are selling mostly on the basis of macho and status rather than as work trucks-most people do not need that big a truck. Somewhere between a Ford Ranger and a Dodge Dakota is the right size. If they would offer a Dakota size pickup with the 4 cylinder Cummins and a full tilt fiberglass hood like a Freightliner, it would probably be the best selling _work_ truck for fleet use in the country-that's who's buying Rangers. If you need a "full size pickup" for actual work, you probably need a _medium duty truck_ and not a pickup, like the small Internationals, the Isuzu Chevy forward cabs, or similar.

And another thing, the toughest industrial engines are Toyotas. Based on my company's record with forklifts, I would buy no other brand of lift truck. Hyster and Clark simply cannot compete on downtime and overall operating expense.

Salem was before the Bible?

Actually, most of your ancestors were probably single-celled organisms...

You're not religious... you're evil! __ Steve .

Not a troll, Bill. If you would read what was written you would plainly see that I did not say a coal mining company used a Toyota. What I did say was that several real men and women who make their living off the mineral industries that support our community choose to spend their hard earned money on Japanese trucks. The local coal mining company uses Ford and GM products. Maybe you should be a little more attentive and a little slower to jump to conclusions and insult people. You notice that I didn't call you an d*****ad right out of the gate. Sometimes you can be the most helpful person on this group, but other times you seem short on ears and long on mouth. By the way, I am happy you have had good luck with your Ford.

I can *guarantee* that the aforementioned Ford is not a '93 Taurus... __ Steve .

Here's two... soft '80s Olds camshafts, and the conversion diesels. Plenty more where that came from... now you can't say 'never' again! __ Steve .

Did you even read the rest of that post?

I was referring to American Motors Corporation, not American cars in general. Hey, I knew plenty of people that owned Hornets, Gremlins, Matadors, Pacers, Spirits and Eagles in my lifetime, and AMC has never had a reputation for reliability. Whether that's true based on facts or not is not being debated. I'm only referring to their reputation.

Actually the AMC products were pretty good, compared to the domestic competition. Besides, didn't Pacers have the Porsche 924 engine one year?

you said most dealership mechanics make $83,000 a year. here, ill quote you:

8 AM to 5 PM, with an hour lunch. Do the math: $20 x 80 = $1600 gross/wk = $83,200 per year while working 40 hrs. a week."

to even suggest that a dealership mechanic is pulling in anywhere near $80k+ a year is laughable at best and downright sad on the other end. the rest of your post/argument just doesnt matter. that you would further defend such an assinine statement tells me everything i need to know. its just not worth arguing with a brick wall. if this is what you believe then fine and well. i do honestly wish you the best of luck in persuing your goal of being a dealership mechanic.

as for what makes middle class, i suggest you get more familiar with economics. $20 an hour is lower middle class. not that theres anything wrong with lower middle class, but that is indeed where it falls.

You got arguing with a brick wall correct... I also restated that they don't pull 80 book hours every week - that week to week it varies based on their output, and that the original statement was a simplified one where I simply did some crude math. Buddy, I know mechanics that work in a dealership that make _very_ good money. If they didn't, they wouldn't be able to afford those $15,000 toolboxes and the $25,000 they invest in tools for their trade. Yeah, they're not poor...

Let me say this: You're comparing apples and oranges. $20 an hour on a normal job isn't that much money. But, $20 an hour on a flat rate basis, where you get paid on book time is a world different. It's not the same... You're obviously too stupid to understand that point...