Consumer reports..............

Maliboost · **Joined:** Nov Wed 29, 2006 10:55 am **Posts:** 2044

Hey Kev,

while watching the news last night I thought of you as they ran this report.

Mind you I deal with data ALL day long & can make it say just about anything I want, so I take this kind of a thing with a lot of grains of salt.

2007
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars ... w-cars.htm

Bob

Maliboost · **Joined:** Nov Wed 29, 2006 10:55 am **Posts:** 2044

all I see out of this, is that you cant buy a brand you have to buy a car.

Bob

bbnova · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:08 am

Like you said, numbers are only as reliable as their imputs... My point is if everyone goes out and buys imports, this country will be in very bad shape. We can't continue to import everything and export little to nothing as far a manufactered goods...

jacobgiles · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:11 am

thanks for stirring it back up bob :roll:

underdog · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:16 am

That Toyota Yaris is pretty cool, a friend sold his gas gussling chevy pickup and bought one (his statement). I sat in it, .......it took a while to get me out, but while stuffed in this car I got a neck ache, a cramp in my hip and when he slammed the door he bruised my left and right elbows at the same time. Not sure could have possibly gotten in the drivers side as I was taking up 85% of it from the passenger side. It's kind of like a roller skate with a 3 cylinder. I think my lip prints are still on the windshield :lol:

bbnova · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:20 am

underdog · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:22 am

You know those Discount Tire ads that say there is a tire sale..$19.99 and up. Well that's the car you need to get that price. Hell the donut I used to buy out of the vending machine at work are bigger around than the tires on this thing.

jacobgiles · **Posted:** Mar Thu 01, 2007 11:55 am

Maliboost · **Joined:** Nov Wed 29, 2006 10:55 am **Posts:** 2044

OK look. Kevin made a statement about the value of "domestic" cars & the perception that the country has about thier "quality". as I said, you can manipulate data to say just about anything you want it to say, but .................. whether real or precieved, the "American" cars are not as good as the "imports". personally I think that Consumer reports does a pretty good job of rating things on thier merit VS thier percieved value. I base that on my own research. I talk with folks & find out what they have, what they like & why. I am "the car guy" here @ work, which means that every idiot with a car comes to me for advise on thier auto's. I dont mind, but the cost is that they have to answer my questions (Hence the opinion).

The reason I brought this up is that Im open to idea's & would love to buy another american auto, but the value does not seem to be there. as I said in my other post, I dont think that you can go out & buy a brand you have to shop around for a "good car" that fits your needs. everyone makes good cars & bad cars. A good example of that. when, we were looking to replace my wifes sedan with a minivan, we shopped around & Dodge made the best vans, so we bought a Dodge (even though Im not a Dodge guy). when I was looking for a truck I shopped around & found that the Dodge truck with the Cummins motor is about the best one out there. they all have thier strengths, but the Dodge seemed to be the best value. when I wanted a commuter car (200 Mile/day commute), I bought an Accord. BUT.................... all my Hot Rods are GM Products.

Now I know that there are folks out there that complain about "supporting America" & keeping the money in the US & all of that, but.......... look @ what the big 3 are doing. they are shipping the mfg of the small parts to china & the assembly of the cars to Canada & Mexico. where does the money go??? Not only are they not supporting U.S. Manufacturing & assembly, but all the smaller companies that supply the piece parts are going out of business as well. the Japanese companies (like Toyota) are building plants here in the US & making jobs. so where does the money go??? well, Toyota is a publicly traded company, the money goes to anyone who buys thier stock. same with GM/Furd/DC.

I dont see that its really any different. the rich get richer & the poor get poorer.

Am I missing the big picture?

Bob