Comments on: Women still like “un-cute” Caliber

By: vw sux

vw sux — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 06:02:57 +0000

most women will buy a car without even test driving it. there ya go. and as for VWs they are all crap. I had a GTI i went through 2 trannys, 1 waterpump a year (over 7 years), electrical probs everywhere, thats what happens when you build in mexico / brazil…

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 04:31:41 +0000

Porsche is that low even with the Cayenne? Sheesh..

By: Annually Retentive

Annually Retentive — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:44:41 +0000

I always said women didn’t know their asses from their elbows when it came to cars. This proves my theory

By: 1952 MG TD

1952 MG TD — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 21:28:13 +0000

so, the numbers were accurate. for the third time… what did I spin?

By: Rudzer

Rudzer — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 21:16:58 +0000

BTW for those bashing VW while defending this pos…maybe you should check the diesel engine it uses (for the clueless ones its a rebranded 2.0TDI)

Here its called the (even magazines do), the “2.0TDI of the poor”, since its the cheapest car carrying it (its also cheap in the rest so it figures).

That and the fact that it trys way too hard to be “bad” lol

By: Big Booty

Big Booty — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:31:28 +0000

Mike you conveniently left out “the numbers” from your quotes so you could make it mean anything you wanted to

By: 1952 MG TD

1952 MG TD — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:27:16 +0000

Please tell me where I said that it was? YOU said “whatever spin mike…” then you said “no one said you were spinning…”

which is it? what did I spin?

By: ss

ss — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:26:19 +0000

i live in Eastern PA about 1hr north of phillie and an 90min south of NYC and ihave seen 3 in on the road since the launch. Most of the dealers have no more then 4 on the lot at any time. i really think dodge is just being smart about there production. If ppl have to wait for a special order car they think its something special/better then a car they can just go sign some papers and leave with. Again this is how Scion works…maybe Dodge took notice at how well they are doing.

By: Big Booty

Big Booty — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:14:15 +0000

I love being elitist, that’s why I’m a coastal American and you are not. No one said you were spinning the numbers, but this car is NOT a huge hit on the coasts

By: 1952 MG TD

1952 MG TD — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:04:31 +0000

Spin? How are my numbers spun?

at least you have the elitist attitude I would expect from someone as close minded as you. congratulations on re-inforcing the stereotype.

By: Big Booty

Big Booty — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:58:41 +0000

They aren’t selling to retail customers in California. They may be selling to hicks in Nebraska or Detroit and they are welcome to them. Coastal AMericans have more taste whatever spin Mike is trying to put on it. The Caliber will not go sown as a long term bona fide sales hit

By: stick

stick — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:46:09 +0000

Yeah that’s right. Dodge has been lying to you all along. They are not selling. They are just making it all up, the sales they are reporting is all fake numbers just to get people stirred up. Wow to think that a car company could just make sales figures like this up and get away with it. Somebody should notify a lawyer!!

By: ss

ss — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:17:42 +0000

maybe the demand is so high because they arnt producing nearly as many like they did with the neons? If the build the cars inline with demand then they wouldnt have any sitting around. thats a good thing. Scions sit on the lot for like 2 days.

By: Craig

Craig — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:08:03 +0000

Strange world, isn’t it?

By: 1952 MG TD

1952 MG TD — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:03:33 +0000

you mean instead of being on dealer lots an average of 6 days, they might ‘collect dust’ on dealer lots for 10 days, still far above industry average?

The only way you can explain away your bias is to try to make the caliber nothing more than rental fodder. Whether you like the vehicle or not, it is selling very well to a broad spectrum of buyers.

By: Random Jerk

Random Jerk — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:59:11 +0000

I know the popular notion around here is that the Caliber is selling so well that they can’t keep them on the lots. I’m guessing that if they didn’t have ACRES of Calibers sitting in the rental yards around LAX they would have plenty of Calibers sitting around collecting dust on the dealer’s lots instead.

By: JC2

JC2 — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:31:49 +0000

It’s not a bad thing as long as your selling them. But some people are unatracted by a car that sells all to a certain gender (like since I associate a… VW New Beetle with women usually I wouldn’t buy that car). But it doesn’t matter as long as your selling them, which the Caliber is doing

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:14:04 +0000

Hey, at least they still have the brains to offer a DIesel version. That’s good news, IMO.

By: 1952 MG TD

1952 MG TD — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:59:39 +0000

anon:
this is one of the strongest launches of a new vehicle in the last 3 years… that includes all makes. It has sold more than 50k this so far this year, and the platform as a whole needs only 100k combined sales to make all models based on this platform profitable.

Looks are subjective. Sales numbers are not. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but please attempt to look at facts and hard numbers before you truly make yourself look stupid.

By: Foreskin Lover

Foreskin Lover — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:50:29 +0000

oops I misread that, it was un-cute duh!

By: Foreskin Lover

Foreskin Lover — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:49:59 +0000

I love it un-cut

By: zan

zan — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:49:21 +0000

I recently drove a Jeep compass which is based on the same platform as the caliber. We were looking at a Jeep Liberty and decided to try the compass. We were so disapointed in the compass we when less than a mile before we turned around and brought it back.

The Liberty howeevr is a nice truck if you do not mind the stiff ride and poor mileage.

By: tppp

tppp — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:42:23 +0000

PT Cruiser a flop??? over 1 million sold, a car that has always had a respectble reliablity and sevice record right that ranks up there with the Toyota Corolla. (if you don’t believe me look it up) I can understand the Caliber bashing but what’s the Caliber got to do with a PT Cruiser. They are two totally different vehicles. The PT Cruiser was and still is a better vehicle than the Caliber ever will be.

By: anon

anon — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:32:58 +0000

There are two reasons that people are buying this car.
1. It is cheap, well relatively speaking.
2. The ads tell people it is “anything but cute” and now everyone thinks that it is tough looking, and therefore they will it will make the driver tough also.
These cars are UGLY. I didn’t like them on the TV, and now that they are on the streets, they look even worse. These cars have no style, appeal of any kind, no performance, or anything other than thwe low price going for them. Another Chrysler flop that should fade into the darkness, but never will…just like the PT Cruiser.

By: tppp

tppp — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:32:02 +0000

Actually Zan you bring up a good point. The problem is that since there aren’t VW dealerships in every area a lot of people who own them do not take their VW’s in for regular maintenance. I’ve seen this with many of the used VW’s I’ve looked at. It was inconvienent for the owner to take the car in for service so they just didn’t do it. I’m sure that’s the main contributing factor to their low reliablity scores.

The reality is that people who buy the Caliber are not comparing the car to a new VW rabbit or anything else like that for that matter. They are selling because they are a car that looks like an SUV. Plain and simple that’s why they are selling. There obviously are still a hell of a lot of American’s out there in love with the look and image of an SUV.

By: zan

zan — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:00:11 +0000

I have no idea why everyone bashes VW. If you take your car for regular maintenance you should not have any major issues. I have two VW’s and I have had very few problems. The problems I did have were quickly fixed by the dealership.

VW’s complaints always seem to be about minor things breaking, but in the long run they drive really well.

You also have to take into account that there are a lot of VW racer boys that Chip out their little turbo’d motors and blow them up.

By: aaron

aaron — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:58:41 +0000

i hear sales of this car is very strong. yet, in so.cal, the only ones i see on the road seems to be rentals except a few. hmmm…does that mean all the people in the middle america are buying them?

oh, and comparing quality of VW and Dodge??? well…these days, most cars ARE reliable. what it comes down to is how nicely cars are put together with what nice material. have you analyzed the exterior surfacing -including clear coat, how well the design is resolved???? have you even been inside both Rabbit and Caliber?? let’s talk quality after you do that.

By: Wicky Woo

Wicky Woo — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:49:55 +0000

There are too many Americans who, like magpies, are impressed with anything shiny and new. Their attention span is short, so as long as they are entertained for a short while it is all OK. That is the only reason the Caliber sells, in all other respects it sucks. $25k for the SRT you have got to be kidding GTi is less than that for proper German engineering

By: People suck

People suck — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:43:06 +0000

The fact that this car sells at all is why we’re all doomed. They put out this small, underpowered, chintzy POS and it flys off the lots. I don’t get it.

P.S. That new transmission sucks too… “The day I can’t neutral drop a rental” HAS COME!

By: Rudzer

Rudzer — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:40:06 +0000

Shame the interiors can be even worse than Kia’s entry level cars, that the handling sucks, the matterials are rubish aswell the overall quality…

this is basicly a “showoff” car without any substance…

By: Chrysler Cross Dresser

Chrysler Cross Dresser — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:33:41 +0000

what percentage are transgender?

By: MGBYG

MGBYG — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:31:45 +0000

FXDriver is right… Con…Report just rated the GREAT Mazda3 5-Door well over the Caliber. Just bought wife a loaded silver…we just call it a Mazda 3.5 (three point five) as the 5 door is soooo much cooler than the rental car 4-door.

VW ratings have been below fleet averages for a decade. Their more expensive Audi brand fairs somewhat better. Had a GTI in the mid 90’s and it was worse (in the shop too often) than even the two Fords I have owned (not counting my current Mazda….I owned Fords so long ago, they were not based on Mazdas or Volvos!!!)

By: Jason Parry

Jason Parry — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:31:09 +0000

I agree with MGBYG. Shouldnt the article say “have a LOWER FEMALE CUSTOMER base are GMC and Porsche? I dont think 21.2% of porsche buyers are male…”

By: MGBYG

MGBYG — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:23:20 +0000

I don’t care which gender is buying it as long as it sells well… (I just might own some dcx stock)

BUT WHY WON’T THE SRT-4 HAVE ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE??????

A WRX for 5 grand less…. (Subies have the crappiest interiors of all the Japan Inc cars, so it and the Dodge are equal at that level)

By: Sandra Bollocks

Sandra Bollocks — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:20:24 +0000

Funny VW doesn’t have reliablity issues in Europe. They are bought because they are a quality item with good reliability. Someone in the US is fibbing to you, and i refuse to believe that Chryslers are more reliable than VWs