The Cars That Drove Detroit's Customers Away

to those unamerican

when the other countries take over and you are living under their rules dont cry that you are american because every time you buy a foreign car you are killen america and american workers the ones who work for american companys there are american cars that are lemons but so are the others so stand up for america or move to japan we dont need you here

jesse gonzalez of KS @ Aug 13, 2009 01:32:12 AM

You get what you pay for most of the time.

I bought a 69 GTO new and still have it. Nearly 90 K and very little problems to date (still running). I had a 76 Chevy Van, 6 cyl. 3 spd., home customized by first owner, bought in 77 and had hardly any problems with it. I then replaced it (more kids, not enough seat belts) w/ a new 87 fully customized Chevy Van with 350 V8 and 4 Speed Auto which has nearly 100 K and hardly any problems, still going strong. I bought a used 87 Pontiac Bonneville in about 95 for my kids to use. It now has over 255 K, new alternator, Mass Air Flow Sensor, AC Clutch, and a couple of other small things, and is finally about due for retirement. My son burned up the engine on an 88 Buick LeSabre at about 170 K by doing 90 on the Interstate every day for 2 years commuting to college. My 2000 LeSabre started having little things going wrong at about 60 K so I promply got rid of it, thinking it probably might be a lemon. My 2003 Buick Park Avenue is the best Highway driving car I have ever seen and gets about 29 mpg on the highway. Love it! My 2002 Pontiac Bonneville lost the engine at about 77 K, right after I bought it. I pulled out the oil stick and it was just about like tar! Stupid me, I believed the dealer when she told me that it was driven by a little old lady and that they had just fully serviced it. Obviously they hadn't and she hadn't taken care of it. Replaced the engine and it is doing well and I quite like it also as a good all around town and short trip car.

Moral: Buy good (not cheapo) cars, pick them carefully, take good care of them, and even American cars can do you well.

George Bidstrup of ID @ Jun 14, 2009 17:07:41 PM

bad luck

i have been driving for 34years in that time i've owned over twenty different cars , fords, chevys, dodge ,toyotas ,nissans.I guess i look at it differently, when i had trouble with a car i didn't condem the whole company IT WAS JUST THAT CAR. Look when you build 500 cars in 1 9 hr shift it just isn't that surprising that one may get away that isn't quite up to snuff. What does surprize me is how 1 person can get 1 lemon after another. Either karma is having a field day with these people or they are extremly poor drivers that are causing alot of thier own problems. Manufacturers shouldn't be blamed for peoples own shortcomings when it comes to recognizing a minor problem if caught early can easily be fixed but if let go becomes a reason to turn your back on an entire company.

k weaver of MI @ Jun 12, 2009 22:12:39 PM

still garbage

as much as i'd like to support our products, the fact is that ford, gm, and chrysler lost their way a long time ago, with no signs of reform. the interiors still feel cheap and ill-fitting, the engines are still relatively inefficient and faulty, the design is still, for the most part, horrendous.

old yeller is frothing at the mouth - it's time to go.

randall of WA @ Jun 03, 2009 21:00:59 PM

Mini Vans

My wife likes the American Minivans, and I hate them. She likes them for ease of entry. Valid point. They are easy for her to get in and out of, and drive.

I hate them for the mechanical issues. The 1988 Chrysler we had that you could not keep an air conditioner clutch on. After 3 dealer AC rebuilds ($3K total), I traded it in on a 94. AC worked on it, engine was smoking like a tar kettle at 70K miles (I am religious about keeping my cars serviced and maintained). So, we traded it off for a 2002 Ford minivan. Timing chains, power steering units, ac that kept quitting, transmission failure. I traded it for a 2007 Chrysler minivan. AC has been repaired 4 times under warranty, 2 days without a vehicle X 4. Engine control module twice, power window motor once. I have 30k left under warranty, I will get it gone before then.

My 93 Nissan D21 pickup has 290K miles, never anything but routine maintenance. Our next van will be a Honda. I have given up on the American 3.

Robert miller of GA @ Jun 02, 2009 17:24:58 PM

Domestic Cars

One thing i find funny about all these stories is that they all are from 15-30 years ago. There is almost no "horror" stories form the last 10 years. I understand that GM, Ford, and Chysler made some bad cars back then and some today aren't the best. But people need to stop comparing car quality of 30-15 years ago to todays quality of domestic automakers cars. Next time you are looking for a new car, please just take a look at a GM dealer. You might be suprised at what you find.

Kevin of MI @ May 28, 2009 22:04:35 PM

service dpartments that stink

In addition to the poor type and quality of American vehicles, I have had terrible experiences with the supposed "service" problems as well. I leased and purchased Ford products in the mid to late 90's and dreaded every time I went for scheduled service. I would lose my vehicle for most or all of a day, no loaner, and couldn't even get a ride home or to work. I lost a transmission in a Mercury Sable at 64,000 miles and was told the reason it was bad was because of "abuse". They almost had to call the police on me. That car had been in the dealership shop 13 times for each and every scheduled maintainance check and oil change. The local Chevrolet dealership wouldn't treat me like a customer so I went to Ford. Now I drive Hondas. Much better vehicles, can make appointment for service, oil changes in 30 minutes or less, completely pleasant car buying/ owning experience. I have 3 older Japanese vehicles and have confidence they will get me where I want to go. I have a 2000 Chrysler Sebring that is rough compared to the Japanese cars. I get a chance to compare them on a daily basis. Detroit and domestic dealerships have reaped what they have sown.

Dr. Quentin Meadows of AL @ May 26, 2009 11:22:26 AM

chevy venture

I had the same intake problems as everyone else without the support of gm that really turned me off of gm in which i had been a loyal customer for years .

mark boggs of TN @ May 26, 2009 10:19:18 AM