Automobile preference survey - how deep the love/hate runs for the Big 3

[trenchfoot]

Currently in my stable: '73 Vette, '06 Infiniti G35, '04 Toyota 4x4 PickUp, '97 Saturn SC. I worship and adore my '73 Vette, I like my G35, I need my Toyota PickUp and I abuse my Saturn at public parking lots, the beach and sketchy neighborhoods.

 

[dawp]

You should have had 'I don't know' on some of those. 'Other' just doesn't make it.

I don't know what car I'm buying next because Idon't think about it until that time, then look to see whats out there.

I don't know who makes the best/worst cars.

I wouldn't know what to recommend until I know the needs of the person asking.

 

[sandorski]

Currently driving a 1965 Darwin and will continue to. If I wanted a Mid-Life crisis/Dream car, it would be European, Porsche to be exact. I recommend Japanese cars.

 

[nageov3t]

I'm driving a mazda sedan -- my dad and I both used to work for Ford and he still gets the employee price plan, so I'll probably stay within the Ford family at least as long as price is an option.

I've thought about upgrading to a truck, but I'd probably stay with a small car as long as I'm living in a semi-populated area... my dream car would be something sporty and fast, but that would be totally not practical for ice driving all winter. lol.

 

[Infohawk]

Interesting that people think BMW makes the best cars. I guess it depends what you mean by "best." Reliable? Performance? In my experience, they are not reliable.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: loki8481
I'm driving a mazda sedan -- my dad and I both used to work for Ford and he still gets the employee price plan, so I'll probably stay within the Ford family at least as long as price is an option.

I've thought about upgrading to a truck, but I'd probably stay with a small car as long as I'm living in a semi-populated area... my dream car would be something sporty and fast, but that would be totally not practical for ice driving all winter. lol.

being someone that drives on ice 6 months a year, i perfer front wheel drive cars over just about any other options, and their are some decently sporty and faster fwd cars. And of course their are subi's which several of my friends swear by.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Currently own:

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee: 192,000 miles, excellent condition very reliable
(I've been wanting to buy the new generation Gr Cherokee but this one still runs like a champ and everything works so I can't justify getting rid of it)

2007 Hyundai Azera: 17,000 miles, so far no issues (Nice car BTW)

1994 Mercedes C220: 160,000 miles. Cheap transportation, runs good, beginning to show first signs of transmission trouble. If that gets worse its off to the junk yard.

2001 VW Beetle: 70,000 miles, what a f#@king POS. Most unreliable of the lot, most expensive to maintain. My regular mechanic sends me gifts at Christmas ever since I bought that car. Will be looking to replace it in the near future.

My sisters family only buys Honda / Accura / Nissan and for some reason they end up replacing their cars between 70,000 & 100,000 miles.

 

[Throckmorton]

Well I don't intend to ever buy a new car, and it's amazing to me that anyone can put up with 5 years of payments... but I guess someone has to do it.

I have a 1999 Cherokee, and I want to buy a 90s Miata for a daily driver

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Slew Foot
Bought 2 new cars this year, both Hondas

2008 Accord ex
2008 Acura TL-S

In a few years when the kids are getting bigger Ill probably trade the wifes accord for a rx300-ish car, but that's a few years off.

what's funny is that the rx has less interior passenger room than the accord

 

[Genx87]

I own Audi's and have for about a decade. My wife owns a Malibu which has been a great car. I couldnt answer the last two because quite frankly there isnt a best or worst imo. It is all about personal preference and personal experience.

My wife will probably get another Malibu when her car kicks the bucket. Ill probably get another Audi.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Well I don't intend to ever buy a new car, and it's amazing to me that anyone can put up with 5 years of payments... but I guess someone has to do it.

I have a 1999 Cherokee, and I want to buy a 90s Miata for a daily driver

Yea my wifes first car was new. But now I have shown her the used market thats all we have.

2004 CTS (From auction)
2001 Corvette (From private seller)
1994 Mazda B4000 truck (From private seller)

All below what most were asking.


But best bang for the buck IMO is GM. My parents use to have only Asian makers but now have GM and have had less problems then before.

 

[Drakkon]

I love my Dodge truck and I'd hate to see them go. All the dealerships I have been to have been spectacular in their customer service and support. They provide some of he best built and toughest trucks on the road imho. Their gas guzzling cars and SUV's can go by the wayside though and need to be discontinued (Patriot, Calibur, Charger, 300 I'm looking at you). They need to bring back the Neon and produce the Venom in an electric model. I think they could be a competitive company again if they would just stop building the rolling tanks they call their car and suv line.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: glenn1
As the title states. Simply getting a pulse of the crowd to see in how deep a hole the Big 3 is, or isn't.

A good idea, and a good survey, but it still lacks room for nuance. For example, the last new car we bought was an Odyssey minivan, this time last year. We'd owned a Ford Windstar and were reasonably happy with it, but when it came time to shop around, Ford had left the minivan market (the Freestar died in 2006), as did GM. Chrysler still made minivans, but we'd heard enough horror stories about Chrysler to not even consider them a serious option. We'd have considered another Ford, but wanted a true minivan, NOT an SUV, so they offered no option.

Regarding a dream car, I'm still actively lusting after a Mustang !! I may pick up a used one in the next 12 months, but we'll see, since that's entirely a discretionary purchase.

As for what I'd recommend to others, it depends on the need. I've liked some Ford products, never owned a GM vehicle, but have been wary of Chrysler, and never owned one of their cars either. Well, I did own a Geo Storm for a while (re-badged Isuzu) and a Dodge Colt (re-badged Mitsu) but those don't really count. Overall, I'm not intrinsically anti-Big 3, but I've generally leaned toward Japanese imports, like a lot of Americans. More importantly, and more damaging toward the Big 3, is that I expect to pay less for a comparable domestic than an import. The Big 3 have maintained marketshare with heavy discounting, but I think they've got a long way to go to get to the level where people will choose their products at the same prices people would expect to pay for a Honda or Toyota.

 

[dphantom]

GM all the way. Trailblazer SUV and my next one may be the Denali or Cadillac Escalade. Never, ever had any problems with any GM cars (35 years). Can't asy that for anything else including wife's cars and family's.

 

[Aikouka]

I drive a Nissan Altima right now and I'm fairly satisfied with it overall. I have some comments that I'd love to give to Nissan about it, because even a blind man could see how idiotic they are. I'm not dead set against any of the American automakers, but I have to want to drive the car.

My dream car is still the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (V-SPEC II wouldn't hurt either) and it has to be black (or at least get a really good, professional paint job to make it so).

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Mursilis

Originally posted by: glenn1
As the title states. Simply getting a pulse of the crowd to see in how deep a hole the Big 3 is, or isn't.

A good idea, and a good survey, but it still lacks room for nuance. For example, the last new car we bought was an Odyssey minivan, this time last year. We'd owned a Ford Windstar and were reasonably happy with it, but when it came time to shop around, Ford had left the minivan market (the Freestar died in 2006), as did GM. Chrysler still made minivans, but we'd heard enough horror stories about Chrysler to not even consider them a serious option. We'd have considered another Ford, but wanted a true minivan, NOT an SUV, so they offered no option.

Regarding a dream car, I'm still actively lusting after a Mustang !! I may pick up a used one in the next 12 months, but we'll see, since that's entirely a discretionary purchase.

As for what I'd recommend to others, it depends on the need. I've liked some Ford products, never owned a GM vehicle, but have been wary of Chrysler, and never owned one of their cars either. Well, I did own a Geo Storm for a while (re-badged Isuzu) and a Dodge Colt (re-badged Mitsu) but those don't really count. Overall, I'm not intrinsically anti-Big 3, but I've generally leaned toward Japanese imports, like a lot of Americans. More importantly, and more damaging toward the Big 3, is that I expect to pay less for a comparable domestic than an import. The Big 3 have maintained marketshare with heavy discounting, but I think they've got a long way to go to get to the level where people will choose their products at the same prices people would expect to pay for a Honda or Toyota.

If you do a TCO (total cost of ownership which is calculated over a five year period) domestics equivalents have consistently come out ahead of Camry & Accord. Domestic quality has come a long way but the myth persists. Recent JD Powers surveys show Buick Cadillac at the top with Lexus. Honda is close but Toyota is lower. It's hard to change perceptions that have taken so long to take hold.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: Mursilis

Originally posted by: glenn1
As the title states. Simply getting a pulse of the crowd to see in how deep a hole the Big 3 is, or isn't.

Overall, I'm not intrinsically anti-Big 3, but I've generally leaned toward Japanese imports, like a lot of Americans. More importantly, and more damaging toward the Big 3, is that I expect to pay less for a comparable domestic than an import. The Big 3 have maintained marketshare with heavy discounting, but I think they've got a long way to go to get to the level where people will choose their products at the same prices people would expect to pay for a Honda or Toyota.

Excellent point. I feel the same way, I won't pay the same price for a Big 3 as a Toyota or Honda.

Drive a 1997 Buick and have had zero problems with it aside from the power window motors being replaced. My next car will be a PHEV (plugin hybrid electric), most likely a car since they won't have PHEV trucks (with balls) out anytime in the near future (5 years but I could be wrong). At the moment, I would recommend a Toyota or Honda to friends and family and maybe a select Big 3 sedan or anything PHEV Big 3 (Escape, Tribute, Mariner).

Dream car would be a fully restored Chevy Camaro 424 SS musclecar. For regular driving and not worrying about fuel efficiency, a Ford Lightening SVT.

 

[MovingTarget]

Current daily driver: 97 Cavalier coupe
Alternate vehicle: 87 Caprice

Say what you want about GM, but these are serving me very well. I've owned a Ford before, but mostly GM vehicles. These include:
84 Cutlass Sierra (kinda rickety, but would probably survive a nuclear war and start right up) 2.5 i4 (throttle body injection)
85 S-10 Pickup (2wd) (carbeurated v6, 2.8L)
92 Cavalier RS Station Wagon (very fun w/ the 3.1L v6)
96 Grand Marquis (totaled in accident. )

Would I buy another GM vehicle today? Most definitely... The imports are nice, but I'm not really the dash-stroker type. I work on my own vehicles, so I don't tend to get too upset if a water pump goes out and blame it on the origin of the vehicle...

 

[AstroManLuca]

Haha, I'm not surprised to see Chrysler with so many votes for "Worst Car Manufacturer." What do they have that's in any way good? Their minivans are and always have been pretty poor... innovative perhaps, but always poorly made. Their mainstream vehicles are all terrible. Even the new Jeeps are bad. All I can think of that Chrysler has going on right now are the new Dodge Ram and the Dodge Viper (which has always been a cool car). Oh, and I guess the PT Cruiser isn't too bad either. But is there any reason to buy a Chrysler when you can just buy a GM, Ford, Toyota, or Honda instead?

BTW, my current car is a Honda Fit. Why did I choose the Fit? Well, I needed something small and fuel-efficient, but most importantly I wanted the best value for a tight budget of around $15k. I didn't want to slum it with crank windows and manual locks. Obviously I could, but if I was going to do that, I'd rather just get a used car for less money that does have those features. The Fit seems to be the only bottom-tier car that includes such features even on the base trim level. The result is that, although the starting price is higher (around $15k vs. $11k-$13k for most companies), it's actually cheaper than if you get one of those other cars and move up to a higher trim level to get the same features that the Fit has.

I just looked at the Chevy Aveo5 (looks very similar to the Fit in terms of body style and price) and it's $16k if you want one with power windows. So it may start cheaper, but the one you want is more expensive than the Honda. Same applies to the Toyota Yaris (which is only available as a much less versatile 3-door hatchback or a 4-door sedan), Nissan Versa, and so on. Low starting price, expensive options. So I'm definitely happy with the Fit and the deal I got on it.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: GroundedSailor
If you do a TCO (total cost of ownership which is calculated over a five year period) domestics equivalents have consistently come out ahead of Camry & Accord. Domestic quality has come a long way but the myth persists. Recent JD Powers surveys show Buick Cadillac at the top with Lexus. Honda is close but Toyota is lower. It's hard to change perceptions that have taken so long to take hold.

I believe you regarding domestic quality, but the myth still affects things like resale value. When we were looking to sell our '01 Windstar last year, I was shocked at the depreciation, especially compared to an Odyssey or Sienna of similar age. Then again, we also got it new at a considerable discount from those others, so you're probably right that the TCO wasn't much different for the domestic vs. the import, at least in the minivan market.

 

[daveshel]

I'd love to buy a car from the big 3. And I will as soon as they make something competitive with the Civic. Good thing my Civic is only 6 years old, because I don't see this happening anytime soon.

 

[Vic]

What make of car do you currently own? I currently own 2 Subaru Imprezas.

What make of car is your probable next purchase? The only cars I'm considering buying in the next year are probably a used 06-07 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon or possibly the new (when it comes out) 2010 MazdaSpeed 3.

What make of car would be your mid-life crisis and/or dream car? Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

What make of car would you recommend to a close family member? (parent, sibling, etc). Mazda 3

What style of car do you current own? Sedan

What style of car is your probable next purchase? Wagon/hatch

Which specific company makes the best cars? BMW

which specific company makes the worst cars? Hyundai

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: Vic
What make of car do you currently own? I currently own 2 Subaru Imprezas.

What make of car is your probable next purchase? The only cars I'm considering buying in the next year are probably a used 06-07 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon or possibly the new (when it comes out) 2010 MazdaSpeed 3.

What make of car would be your mid-life crisis and/or dream car? Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

What make of car would you recommend to a close family member? (parent, sibling, etc). Mazda 3

What style of car do you current own? Sedan

What style of car is your probable next purchase? Wagon/hatch

Which specific company makes the best cars? BMW

which specific company makes the worst cars? Hyundai

You need to get past 2005 Hyundai makes very good cars now with great warranties (10 year/100K miles).

 

[Elfear]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Haha, I'm not surprised to see Chrysler with so many votes for "Worst Car Manufacturer." What do they have that's in any way good? Their minivans are and always have been pretty poor... innovative perhaps, but always poorly made. Their mainstream vehicles are all terrible. Even the new Jeeps are bad. All I can think of that Chrysler has going on right now are the new Dodge Ram and the Dodge Viper (which has always been a cool car). Oh, and I guess the PT Cruiser isn't too bad either. But is there any reason to buy a Chrysler when you can just buy a GM, Ford, Toyota, or Honda instead?

Ah come on. Did you you forget the Challenger? That is one sexy car and RWD and V8 to boot. What about the 300s? I had a chance to drive one and they are very solid. Also RWD and V8. Their minivans (contrary to your statement) are actually pretty good. The early ones weren't all that great but in later years they compare favorably with the Odessey and Sienna. Couple that with the fact that you can find a used one for much cheaper than a comparable Japanese minivan makes them a great bargain.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: miketheidiot
currently drive a chevy cavalier and the thing is unbreakable. I've put an lifetimes abuse on that car in 30(?)k miles and 4 years.

Ironically, the Cavalier represents everything I hate about GM. It's an otherwise solid car with sloppy design and finish. It's a perfect example of GM's underachieving. When you drive it, or the Cobalt that replaced it, or the other American cars in this market segment, the Focus and Caliber, you can just feel how the American automakers could have made great little cars, but just didn't bother to make the extra effort necessary to do so. This contrast is really noticeable when you go directly from a Big 3 branded car to the almost identical car with a different branding, like from the Focus to a Mazda3. Then all the little details, like proper fit-and-finish quality, pedals and switches that line up and function properly, seating positions and driver ergonomics, sunvisors that don't hit the rear view mirror everytime you flip them down, reduced NVH and tuned engine sounds, properly tuned suspensions, etc etc, become immediately noticeable.