C6Racer: “I’d much rather be caught driving a YUGO before being found dead in an Accord.”
Me, too, and vice-versa.

jayjc08: I think the camry is hideous, and the Malibu looks like a concept car.

kosai03: I like me some Hondas, too. The GL and its ilk.

Consumer Reports likes Honda and Toyota because if Honda and Toyota were making refrigerators they’d be the best damn refrigerators in the world. They’d be trouble-free, energy efficient, and they’d keep your food cool. They’d do all these things better than everyone else’s refrigerators, and that is all CR cares about.

That’s CR’s bias.”

As far as the hybrid version, I am not sure it is worth paying a premium (over the regular 4 cylinder) to get such a minute gain in mileage or power.

Nooooob.

And you know what? I think the Camry looks great, but at certain angles, it looks hideous and bloated. I’ve seen one Malibu at a nearby campus, and it looked REALLY great, from every angle besides two/thirds rear, which the tail lights are a little odd looking, but it gives it a unique look that I like.
And believe it or not, the Galant is really nice also. I love the Fusions looks, but I think they messed up in a few places, making it look too carved, and the interior is boring. I’ll wait for the replacement or evolution of the Fusion, which I’m very much so looking forward to seeing.

I love when I hear you dolts say that. GM hasn’t proven anything.. In 10 years if the Malibu and Aura are still running have little to no issues and they have a high resale (equal to the Japanese) and there isn’t a better Japanese product out there (which there will be most likely) then GM can be though of in the same class as Honda or Toyota.

I was driving today and saw a white Camry and realized how great it looked. I still like the Accord better but the point is the Malibu and Aura truly have nothing on the Camry or Accord.

The Malibu better start with the Galant, Fusion, Sebring and after that the Mazda 6 and Sonata

I know, most people would next bring up “why can’t they build a good compact car”? The same goes for trucks and large cars with Japanese and German auto manufacturers.

Despite being an entry level car, I think part of the reason it was so horrid was the price. Paying only around $10,000 or so when it came out, I think it was the least expensive car on the market. I’ve always liked the updated generations looks though, something about it… Reminds me of a Mitsubishi FTO

Veda- Not all of us drive Porsche’s or Vettes.

Jackjim- Yes, we all went on that recall site and found misc. recalls from Toyota and Honda. I’m still waiting for 1115 to respond to my last comment.

If it were my company, I would want the quality of cars to be consistent across the board regardless of where they are in the line-up. I am not naive, and realize it’s much easier to say this and there is much more to being competitive and successful simultaneously in this (and any) industry.

I will spin the tables on you and say look at Mercedes new TV spot for the new C-class… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78hDOqnK1gA “…because we promised you a Mercedes-Benz”. Yes, it costs more than an market entry Pontiac, but I tend to side with a company that stands behind a committment. Bottom line, there are a million different cars on the market for a reason, because not everyone wants the same car.

If by “becoming competitive,” you mean selling as many units, you’re probably right

R-Head: I think the new Accord sedan looks better than the coupe. And according to your data, it seems reasonable that Honda, despite what the Fluffer thinks is losing customers to GM.

Jjayc: “People are beginning to ignore you, you had better come up with a new name… fast!”
I think you’ve got it. The Fluffer thrives on attention. If it has a point, I will acknowledge that. I will simply let the great Nas speak for me in answering its insults.

RicardoHead: I don’t trust John David Power,but it does make sense to why the ones who “didn’t pay,” get the same grades as those who did. Not the way the New Jersey Garbage business works, and I’m pretty sure not the way John David Power works. Another possibility: Honda and Toyota have been paying for years, and now GM sees the benefit of paying Somehow,I doubt that as well.

Rsg “The TSX is the ‘real’ Accord, in my opinion.”
Good call.

Autonut: Yeah, the Civic is the size of the old accord. Honda has figured out that people don’t want Civic-sized civics. Of course,now the Fit has taken the Civic’s old spot, and I think that’s Honda’s best car. If the civic was the size of the old civic, and had the same amenities, but a Fit engine, it’d produce MPG to make a Prius cry!

Droppedgmc02: You’re a liar! Rental companies must get behind retail customers,who often beg to pay double MSRP for an accord. Or maybe, it rents for $888 a day, $999 with “Nav.”

I do like the Maxima.

Sd650: politics aside,you’re on the ball. Some people buy something, it doesn’t work, and he writes that company off forever. Some come back only after solid evidence that the company has changed its ways, others never come back.
The fact that you had a Sunfire indicates a wasted opportunity. If your sunfire was as good as my Cavalier, you may not have always bought GM,but when shopping, you’d have considered its models.

“Even if GM could build a BMW or Benz quality vehicle, and make it in the US, and sell it for a reasonable price, and have a solid resale value, I would still refuse to buy a shread of linen from the company ….”

Your loss.

Jayjc: The The Ford Focus (and twin, Mazda3) are the only “Generation Y (not ‘X’)” cars that interest me. I thought my Celica was the worst piece of excrement ever on wheels, … until I owned a Honda. But I think Scion has been well-executed, and the company has of late given me reason to rethink my “Never buying another Toyota again” position.
Then came this year’s bad news.

Gmc02: “to say it sucks because its American just makes you ignorant.” At least it strongly suggests that.

Sd650: Don’t get into corporate politics,because they all do immoral stuff.
What do you support if you buy a Toyota or a Maybach?

Jayjc08: and as I recall, Commodore went the the Fluffer’s recall site and found a boatload of Honda recalls. They don’t count of course.

Veda: “Why do you guys even bother test driving large family sedans.”
Speaking for myself, I get paid to.

6d650: If you’re driving a BMW, you have a better car than probably any of us.

1987 BMW 325 192,000 miles
2000 BMW 323Ci 159,000 miles

on-deck:
2000-02 CLK430 Cabriolet
2004-05 BMW 645Ci Convertible

my mother had a 93 Accord SE that was a very superior value car for its first 7-8 years, but began aging quickly after about 140,000 miles. overall it was a great car for her, but saw several brutal winters…that infamous area behind the back wheel began rusting through the clear-coat after it’s 6th or 7th birthday.

More or less, I was wondering what car you bought. I know to stay away from small American cars and large Japanese ones. My experience has been good on the other hand with American cars, and neutral with Japanese (older Subaru to be more specific). What cars do you own now?

The way I see it though, your holding a lot of anger against GM. I don’t blame you, but just because they had made bad cars, and now are making good ones doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one. Your not supporting the old GM any longer, your supporting a completely revamped management teams, design teams, employees, unions, trade deals and technology.

tripleonefive- There are no recalls on this page. The ONLY time you have ever cited links is from one single recall site, nothing more.

i have portrayed GM mentality by cutting corners and not proofreading

and it’s not about me hurting GM buy not buying there cars, it’s about not supporting their philosophy of business. when competition became stiff, they closed plants and suppliers in the US, costing thousands of American jobs, sacrificing build quality trying to sustain their market share while making larger profits. If you buy many GM products, you are raising your hand saying “Yes, I support this!” While GM moves, erghhmm, south of the border…BMW, MB, Toyota, Honda and Nissan have made huge long-term investments to employ Americans to build what tend to be higher-quality vehicles. not trying to come across the wrong way, but would you continuously go to a restaurant that gave you sh!tty service food that was cold?

I am not brand loyal to one particular carmaker, but i own two non-GM vehicles with a combined 350,000 miles and all i do is put gas in it and go.

sd650irag- The Ford Focus and Chevrolet SSR are also popular with the younger crowd. The newest lineup of Toyota’s aren’t so much, the Celica being the last real youth oriented, tuner model. Of course, now they have Scion for the “X generation”. Same goes for Honda and somewhat Nissan.

1) They built low-quality vehicles in the recent past, and people like myself were deceived and got screwed by owning one. Good luck getting those potential customers back. I won’t be one of them.

2) Younger generation buyers go straight for Japanese and German vehicles. Neon SRT and Cobalt SS are the only ones popular in the young crowd…and because carmakers like VW, Audi, BMW, Benz, Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Infiniti, Honda and Acura have made good quality vehicles in the past, buying one of these pre-owned or new will come before virtually any GM or Ford.

Yes, there are exceptions to this. Does anyone else see this shift?

Even if GM (in particular) could build a BMW or Benz quality vehicle, and make it in the US, and sell it for a reasonable price, and have a solid resale value, I would still refuse to buy a shread of linen from the company that manufactured a car with exponential problems at 52,000 miles and left me stranded on more than once and more than twice.

Remember, a customer is worth 20x more than their initial purchase.

Sorry GM. You lost your chance.

Honda and Toyota dont have to pay for play bc they actually build reliable cars. Its more likely that GM will have to bc they build crap
Like I said the I look fwd to driving the Malibu when I rent a car next

Your inability to do so is not surprising in the least.
And no, 1115, I don’t want an apple pie wit dat.

Prove it, pussy boy, provide a link. Prove it tonight after midnight when you get off the night shift at Burger King, you retard —-> http://aaronsworldflash.tripod.com/id10.html

Isuzu must be the only company that didn’t “pay for play.”

Ricardohead- I have to think to myself though, that ALL of Isuzu’s models are re badged GM’s. I wonder what the large gap is from.

… … Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. 68.9%
… … General Motors Corp. 64.7%
… … American Honda Motor Co. 63.3%
… … BMW of North America 56.9%
… … Ford Motor Co. 54.4%
… … Subaru of America, Inc. 51.2%
… … Hyundai Motor America 50.9%
… … DaimlerChrysler 50.2%
… … Nissan North America 47.6%
… … Maserati North America, Inc. 41.9%
… … Porsche Cars North America 41.6%
… … American Suzuki Motor Corp. 39.6%
… … Volkswagen of America 38.8%
… … Kia Motors America 32.8%
… … Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. 31.7%
… … Isuzu Motors America, Inc. 1.6%

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/06/autos/jd_power_retention_study/index.htm

BTW – I am starting too see shitloads of Auras in Austin (noticed the uptrend a few months ago). Makes me wonder if Saturn’s dealing on them now because I and others might like a Saturn, but we hate that “no-haggle” scam … you can avoid haggling at any dealership if you are retarded enough to pay the dealer’s first asking price.

Yesterday I just saw my 4th new Accord (3 sedans, 1 coupe so far). Sedan is very bland – the Coupe less so. The Coupe was actually visually tilting due to the enormous weight of the driver. I think the new Accord is definitely off to a slower start than the new Camry got. The Camry was suddenly everywhere, and I think the Accord is a better car that the Camry, but Honda jacked up the price a bit and that may be why.

As far as sales, unfortunately, even though there have been great reviews of the Malibu, with Toyota and Honda defending their territory, I don’t think the Japanese have much to worry about. Honda and Toyota have a momentum that has built over these past 6-7 years that is hard to stop. It’s like trying to slow down a train from 80 mph. It’s going to take more than small quality hiccups or good (not great) competition to slow it down. Plus there was a report released today that states Toyota retains 2/3rds of the customers while I believe GM was closer to 55%.

The Malibu will most likely flounder just like the Saturn Aura. The Aura had great reviews and substantial marketing, yet sales have significantly cooled off. The only way I can see GM becoming competitive with Toyota or Honda again is if they maintain/and build upon this level of products for the next 10 years.

The Malibu is getting such great reviews because it went from shit to marginal/good; not great. That’s like when Mitsubishi posts a 25% increase in sales, ie: from 2,000 units to 2,500.