*Facepalm*
Any fool that thinks toyota is better then chevy, honda is better then toyota, VW is better then everything, Audis last forever, chevys are greater than dodge.
This is going to come across as rude, impolite, and just generally unwanted... But you all are fools, absolutely ignorant if ya really think ones better then the other..
No car is made by a single manufacturer and has been this way for well over 25 years. That honda you own? Guess what, its 10% nissan, 10% chevy, 10% honda, 10% toyota, 10% VW, 10% etc. etc. etc.
i beg to differ. my Toyota was manufactured during July 1988, with NipponDenso parts, which is a Japanese OEM parts supplier. i decoded my VIN and my truck was manufactured completley in Japan, and made for the United States market. NOWADAYS, it might be true that they share parts, but back then it was less so, at least for Toyota. matter of fact, i still have the original airbox which has the Nippondenso logo, and my Starter lasted for 23 years... had Nippondenso, Japanese product. defenitely NOT in a Chevy/ford/dodge/GMC/Domestic brand.
Any car out there is going to treat you as well as you treat it, and every car comes with defects. Have any of you ever worked at a manufactoring plant making any parts for a car? Sensors, ball bearings, door handles, brakes, pads, power steering line, the horn, nuts, bolts, screws, hoses, batterys, even the raw elements that go into making any of these parts...? Guess what? Every part on every car is pieced together using parts from all across the world. Toyota buys parts from chevy.. and chevy buys parts from toyota.
the first part is VERY true... a car lasts only as long as you treat it well. on-time maintenence, lube, and tune ups. Defects are also true, nobody's perfect. also, do you really think you would find Chevy parts in a toyota? Mazda parts in a Dodge/Jeep? Jaguar parts in a Buick? nuts, bolts, screws... that's universal, (lets ignore Metric/standard for the moment), but for major parts like a transmission, Axle, CV Joints, starters, Heads, ECT are going to almost be brand specific... unless you get into the whole Mazda/Ford thing...
Toyotas, hondas, audis? Yeah all those foreign cars you all love the most and say they are the best? They are nearly 75% pure american made cars now with pure american parts in em. They are made and assembled here right in America.
my dad owned a 1982 Ford Econoline that lasted forever, until the body rusted off the frame. the engine NEVER STOPPED. the Ford 300 straight 6 is a bulletproof motor. i would put one in my Toyota if i had the chance. same for the Dodge 225 Slant 6. as well as the Ford 302 / Dodge 318/360 motor. the Chevy 350 engine is famous for a reason. also, Japanese and British cars USED to be manufactured in their home country, My truck was... but nowadays, they are making factories where the overhead cost is the lowest to stay in business, regardless of country.
Chevy? Ya might think "oh those are all outsourced and not even made in America anymore!" Wrong again. Made in America, cananda and mexico and shipped back to the states to be assembled. Again, thats the same with toyota, honda, subaru, kia, hyundai. The list goes on and on.
LOL yes, america is more then the United States...your right. as i said before, car manufacturers are just going where the overhead is the lowest... China/southeast Asia/Mexico, that kind of thing.
Treating ur car right; its going to treat you right.
If ya think think one car is crap just because it came from America is on the extreme end of ignorance... is the car from the 80's or 90's Its 20-30 years old now! Is your car from 2000? its 12 years old now! If ya talk to any automotive professional they will tell you the average life expectancy of a car is 7-8 years with mileage not being the main factor as to why its life is over. Cars degrade over time and they don't need to be driven for it to happen.
considering the average person, doing the occasional maintenence on their car, i do see 8 years. but some vehicles are made to last a long time.... Plymouth Dusters with the 225 slant 6 are still on the road. i still see old early '70's Novas, unrestored. my truck is 23 years old. my Dad's van would 30 years old now. it was about 25 when it was junked because of rust. average is exactly that, average based on all statistics. but yes, i would expect 8 years out of say.. a Buick Reagle made in 2001.
Also most automotive professionals would agree that cars that were made in the 80's are pieces of junk, all of em.. they were all designed and made to be as cheap as possible, and to get them out of the manufactoring plants NOW! So I agree, those were all junk, waste of money, and no matter what ya did, they would treat you poorly. But lets forget about all of that cause the only good that came out of the 80's was the music
wrong. Toyota 4Runners/Pickups and Nissan pickups are still on the road for a reason from that decade. my source? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War i know it's Wikipedia... ugh, but still. the Toyota War. but... the Dodge K cars are INCREDIBLY CRAP. OH GOD. like the old Dodge Diplomat, Chevy Chevette, Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon/Ford Escort, and some Jaguars were crap from that decade. but not all the cars were crap.
If anyone wants their car to last a bit longer, go to the shop a bit less, and use a bit less fuel?! Heres an easy list of things to keep in mind: Stop riding ur breaks.. Don't park in grass.. Don't leave ur car in the sun.. Don't drive it like ya stole it.. Dont' let ur kids use ur car, they will abuse it.. Dont' start ur car and immediatly put it in gear and go, cars need time to warm up even in the summer.. regular oil changes are well known but what is not done as well regularly: tranny, clutch, coolant, brake, and differential flushes are also important and helpful in extending the life of your vehicle. Wheel bearings tend to crap out when people take corners quickly, however, in time inclimate weather plays a toll on them as well, so they will need replacing anyways. Power steering, lol, they tend to let go when parking in lots.. Cutting your wheel all the way to the left or right is very hard on the pump.. If you often times park in lots and hear the whining and grinding sound while ur wheel is cut hard to the left or right, yeah, thats ur power steering pump crying for it to turn the wheel away from the lock a little bit
Do alot of stop and go traffic? Cars hate that
i agree here, not many people do tranny/radiator flushes. you should only change your brake fluid when doing major brake work because of when you need to bleed your brakes. it's a closed system. changing your tranny/Coolant does help, i do agree. also, lube your vehicle where you have grease points. that helps too.
Oh I could go on and on but we all know no ones reading anymore anyways.
lol /rant over for me
I AM!
Edit: Doh! Forgot the Good Luck to the original poster!
Cars are expensive, and hard to take care of when the mechanics are generally taken the driver for a ride
.
that's why you fix your own stuff, like me!
Darned mechanics!