25th May 2010, 09:51
25th May 2010, 09:08 ---- I could not agree with you more! I don't care what kind of car it is, it will need some kind of repair sometime. Cars are machines, and machines break. Period.
25th May 2010, 12:15
I have a C5 convertible and never need A/C other than to turn it on to switch on the secondary fan in heavy traffic. I have quite a few friends that removed the A/C for better performance. In one case a Turbo Carrera Porsche. I have a big block in my C3, and removed the heater core; also a convertible. Do not need it.
Check the trans fluid. I had a car 2 quarts low due to no way to check the trans level from the top with no stick. It was under the car and had to be checked running on a lift. Buy the shop manual for your car and use it. I would much rather have my rear wheel drive cars than front wheel drive imports with no access under the hood.
25th May 2010, 14:18
"28000 miles trans is a joke."
So is the transmission in the Ford Fusion, which is known for failing at 12,000 miles. Check this site out, and you'll see the truth.
25th May 2010, 16:12
My last domestic vehicle (Chrysler) was sold just shy of a quarter of a million miles. The A/C not only worked, it had never even had freon added. The total repairs on the car came to one heater hose... PERIOD... NOTHING else. Of course there were tires and batteries, and brake jobs (TWO pad replacements in a quarter million miles). That beats the heck out of 20,000 mile transmissions and accelerators that stick any day. It's why our garage contains only domestic vehicles.
26th May 2010, 15:23
Or you can check out the Camry site for transmissions lasting less than 10,000 miles and Corollas with engines lasting less than 20,000 miles.
26th May 2010, 18:18
Defending an Acura with a lower end Ford is not a good argument to buy another TL. The top of line Honda should be no issues at all. Not in our home again. Multiple trans issues.
27th May 2010, 12:09
The "truth" is that there are TWO Fusion reviews citing MINOR transmission problems (fixed by the dealer) for the Fusion. The Honda/Acura transmission fiasco is widely known, and involves tens of thousands of cars with massive transmission failures.
27th May 2010, 14:11
We were taken for granted by our new Honda dealer, and had 8 new ones over and over. Maybe that's insignificant to a large corporation. We surprised the dealer when we told them no more over transmissions going. Note that's plural, not just one. We didn't even shop pricing on Hondas then. It all comes down to quality and good service. If that remained for us, we would have remained loyal. I would say we would have easily bought 4 more if they didn't fail us. Now we drive domestic.
27th May 2010, 16:19
Google "Fusion transmission problems" and you'll get a slew of forums on the subject... just like ANY other car. There are problems with all of them, regardless of how they rate at J.D. Powers or CR.
28th May 2010, 13:58
"I would say we would have easily bought 4 more if they didn't fail us. Now we drive domestic."
Actually, it only took ONE Honda to send us running back to domestics. I work on and service my own cars, and I've never seen a cheaper, more poorly built car than our Honda. It went through brake pads in 20,000-30,000 miles where our Ford and GM vehicles have never required them before 70,000-100,000 miles. It also went through an ENGINE in 99,000 miles. That's not acceptable.
29th May 2010, 14:06
I've owned both imports and domestics over the years. The only vehicle I ever had that went through brake pads that fast was a FORD FOCUS. The only vehicle I've ever had to replace an entire engine in was a CHEVROLET LUMINA (at 40,000 miles mind you). In fact, the only vehicles I've owned that required any major repair were domestics.
I own a Hyundai now. Not as good as my Honda's. Better than my domestics.
31st May 2010, 16:42
"I own a Hyundai now. Not as good as my Honda's. Better than my domestics."
Hyundai is much better in many respects than Honda. Honda has a MUCH shorter warranty and cost thousands more for a comparable car. Honda is also now facing the same recall fiasco that is killing Toyota. Half a million Hondas now face recalls for major safety issues, and that number will doubtless increase ten-fold as the truth comes out (as it did with Toyota).
J.D. Powers currently ranks domestics at the top of the list in reliability and build quality, with the exception of Porsche, which comes in number 2 (behind Cadillac). Buick ranks third and Ford takes the next three spots with (respectively) Lincoln, Mercury and Ford. For years Buick and Lexus traded places for the top spot, but with Toyota's demise Lexus has slipped down the list, and Cadillac's meticulous attention to detail and build quality has made it the world's highest ranked car, ahead of Mercedes, BMW and Porsche.
1st Jun 2010, 15:14
I haven't heard about any million car recalls from Honda yet... As far as J.D. Power, who knows how their tests are funded. I tend to think car companies win awards based on other than just their quality level...
Too bad in the real world things are quite different as import cars out sell every American car there is. GM isn't even on the list of the top ten. The F-150 tops the list as it is a great truck and has many commercial sales. Honda, Toyota and Nissan still top Ford in overall car sales otherwise.
Even if your Cadillac is trouble free, you'll lose so much money on resale it won't be worth owning. These cars are horrendous for resale which is true of ALL American luxury brand cars. I knew someone who had an Eldorado that was $46K new; when they traded it with 23K miles and in mint condition, they got about $20k less than three years later... It cost them over $1 per mile for that car... ouch! That wouldn't have happened if it were any import brand. Make sure you do your research before arguing this point... J.D. Powers ain't gonna write you a check for all that money you are losing, that's for sure!
2nd Jun 2010, 11:10
"As far as J.D. Power, who knows how their tests are funded"
I do. J.D. Powers bases all their long-term reliability rankings on actual repairs required over a three year period. Cadillac came out far ahead of even the 2nd-ranked Porsche, and Buick came in third, with Lincoln, Mercury and Ford coming next. I might also add that Ford's Fusion has had a higher reliability rating in Consumer Reports than Accord, Camry or Altima since 2007.
Both Honda and Nissan have both had huge recalls for massive safety issues. A HALF million Hondas were recalled for defective brakes. I'm sure many more will follow. The truth is finally coming to light about the "superiority" of Japanese cars... and it's about time.
25th May 2010, 09:08
Okay everyone is TOTALLY missing the point... Plain and simple, if the car needs a repair because it is not working properly, then it needs a repair. This has NOTHING to do with whether or not you need AC, or mind driving with a slipping transmission!
If the car is not working as it did when it was new, then it needs repairs, PERIOD! This means there really is no such thing as a car that goes 300,000 miles without needing any repairs. I don't believe it, so don't even bother trying that argument! Just because you don't fix it, doesn't mean it is bullet proof...