I don't feel bad if things start to break-down at >120K, but I would be very pissed at 70-90K when most domestic car are sputtered.
For many people, the car is still owned by the bank at 80K. So it is a big different between 80 and 120K. You don't hear many people brag about putting 200K mile on a domestic.
Resale value is another factor.
Unless I am a taxi fleet manager, I would never ever consider selecting a car not for quality but cheaper replacement part. The aggravation of having a broken car is unforgetable.
Friend bought his PRISM to me years ago to fix his rear door latch. Both side were broken. I wondered him why it didn't happen to any Toyota I know. After taking it apart, found the plastic used in PRISM was cheaper. The plastic was hollowed so save cost. By then I realize he got what he paid for.
I've actually seen a guy bragging about a US domestic with megamiles. Some dude lurks the Pontiac forums with a '92 Bonneville with 255k miles on it, without having much of anything done to the old Series1 3800.
Similar here, I've seen Commodores with 350k kms on em and they keep going strong.
GM *can* build good cars, the Americans just don't get any (except the new GTO - it's Australian...).
Holden....logo looks like a Lion kicking a 'football'. The Falcons are pretty cool too, aren't they? Or is it just an offshore built Escort or Taurus now?
Most people don't know that the 'police cars' used in the original version of Mad Max were Ford Falcons....with decent V-8's stuffed into them. I think they may have shared *some* sheetmetal, but that was about it.
And I just acquired, are you guys ready for this? Have a seat, I don't want anyone fainting....a '92 Plymouth Grand Voyager van with, drum roll please...227.000 on it. Has a few issues that a couple quick turns of a wrench will straighten right out.
Saw another one for sale, 257,000, for $1600! Yeah, I'm going to spend that kind of money on something where the engine will be letting go just....about...NOW!
That may be you opinion but we see thousands of domestic and foreign cars with well over 200K on the clock. There is little difference among brands, when proper maintained The so called higher resale value of Toyota is a myth. When you factor in the actual drive home price, one to the other, domestics do as good or even better as a percentage of the drive home price returned in subsequent years.
We managed to get a Toyota Four-runner for a decent price at auction. It had some busted glass and some sheet metal damage, along with a busted headlight and needing a bumper. Can't touch a 'parts' vehicle for anywhere near what we paid for it! Even one heavily smashed!
I have a ton of Escorts, and usually a Taurus or Sable or two (Hint: buying one of these cars? Stay away from the 3.8! Get a 3.0, or for T-birds, the V-8....don't even LOOK at a Continental with over 80K miles!!!)
I always have people ask, What do you have for Toyotas?
If I had my way, I'd have a lot full of them.
What does sell well for me is the Nissan 200SX, any flavour (Sorry, Nick...)
Please make up your mine which name you are going to sign to your post. One time it dizzy, then moron, then idiot now it's troll. If getting confusing as to which posts we should ignore ;)
To be precise, it's a lion rolling a stone (apparently how man discovered the wheel or somethin). Has changed a few times over the years, but almost always incorporated a Lion.
The Falcons are
The BA Falcon is all-australian, right down to its own 'Boss V8' version of Ford's modular engine.
Not a BAD car, but it's got a four letter cuss word starting with F printed on it - who'd want one?
Heh, some sheetmetal? The 'Police cars' in Mad Max were Ford XA Falcons.
The black interceptor was an XA GT Coupe, fitted with a 351ci V8 from memory. The supercharger was all for decoration (the belt was actually driven by an electric motor, and the switch on/off thing wasn't really a reality until the 1GGZE and 4AGZE got the electromagnetic clutch supercharger in mass production).
The bodykit was supplied by Arcadipane, who unfortunately no longer exist. The rims were 'Sunraysia's. It wasn't REALLY an extraordinary car, but it looked fantastic!
The other two Falcons were XA Falcon 500s, standard issue. One was powered with a 302ci V8, and the other the standard 250ci inline six. Not very exciting at all!
Indeed!! Unfortunately the domestics that were built on good days and have the ability to last are tarnished by the rest of their kind's reputations.
Even if the reputation is good, resale value isn't - my Dad sold his '94 Holden Commodore VR Exec wagon (3800 V6) for $5000... it's all he could get for it with 300k on it. And the 3800 has a fantastic track record here for longetivity.
Better cars... pssht. I watch videos about 'drift racing' and you see young guys bleating about how fantastic their 300HP Nissan is, that they put sideways around a corner and end up hitting a barrier with. A car worth say $150k?
Virtually *ANY* Aussie-built sedan could drift. Even a poxy old '72 Holden HQ Belmont, with even the poxiest 173ci inline six, can go sideways with relative ease, and be repaired cheaply.
A modern Commodore SS with the GenIII 5.7L LS-1 is only going to do better yeah?
And more reliable than a riced up overboosted Jap sports saloon.
You're forgiven. As annoying as its' stupid starter woes were, and as bad as its handling was, my EXA was a whole bundle of fun - I haven't driven a 1500 that powerful before, sure the turbo lagged and it really wasn't a sportscar, but once it hit 3000rpm the torque steer would come in as the boost hit the high end of the gauge and it'd all be happening :-)
Wasn't a bad car for $1100NZ, and especially not bad since I spent maybe $100 in parts, and sold it for $1500NZ having used it for three months while I prepared the Corolla for its debut back on NZ roads.
The 200SX unfortunately puts a smile on my face, but Skylines are just blech. Even the most horn GTR just wouldn't do it for me.
And if I'm not wrong, is the 'Ford Escort' there not just a 'Ford Laser' from here aka Mazda 323/Familia?! I shall investigate!
Okay, yer second gen Escort (prolly started around '89) is a Ford Laser. Under all the sweary labelling, that's a damned Mazda 323/Familia. And I can damn near guarantee the 'GT' isn't a 1.8L DOHC EFI 4WD Turbo like the real Mazda.
The newer shape looks just plain ugly, pure American design... and the older shape (I was seeing EXPs) looks like an odd coupe version of the older Ford Laser with a woggy 1.9L American mill.
Oh dear lord. I've had my time in a Ford Laser, never, NEVER again! (it was a 1.5L SOHC Carb Auto too... ech)
Hmmm...no EXA here. We get US built models, 3 of 'em: a basic 1600 DOHC (for the uninitiated, it's pronounced Doohickey...); these come with disc front/ drum rear and a 5 sp or auto (ugh!). The SE adds 15" wheels and a deck spoiler, still drum rears. For a few dollars more you move up to the SE-R, full bore 2.0 litre DOHC, snappy acceleration, disc rears and all the trim goodies from the SE. And they FLY! (right off the lot...had one for a whole 20 Minutes before it sold!) Tons of 'blings' available for the cars here...
Yeah, pretty much. Engine and tranny, bodies are different. Neat little cars, but for a full-figured guy like me, tough to get in and out of!
Hey, Nick, drop me a line: hachiroku snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com. Want to discuss things outside the newsgroup(don't want to waste time in the group with the million and a half questions I have for you!)
Whoa. The 88-98 Commodore looks a lot like the American Pontiac, either a Grand Am or a Bonneville (kind of a cross, but different.) What the heck is that '79 I saw? Like nothing here in the US.
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