http://www.cnbc.com/id/19290644
Bob Wilson

 

Bob politely did not disclose the source of the quoted material. But I betcha can guess!

I wish I could agree that quality is hardly an issue in the real world of automobiles. However, there is a wide range of vehicle reliability, and low reliability costs the owners money.

If this 'spin' persists I may feel obliged to change most of my initials

D not-Art not-Spinella

 

Hmmm.... WHERE are all of those American cars getting 35 mpg or even 30 mpg on combined? Did I miss one or more of these cars in the last three months when I have been researching new cars for friends and myself?

And quality? Hmmm... well, I did look at a Ford Fusion during my recent car search, but found, despite the POS that the dealer made us watch while they were hunting for the car keys, was very uncomfortable. I didn't like the Saturn Ion but the Vue Green Line was nice but too big for my everyday needs.

So, until, Detroit wakes up and makes cars that get good gas mileage, look nice, are comfortable to drive and sit in, and still hold together after five years of wear and tear.... I will be looking at Toyotas and other companies that ARE HIRING AMERICAN Workers and building factories in America....

 

You are right, CA Girl. GM should not be proud right now. Try this page: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG20...neVehicles.pdf

Browsing, through it, you'll be disappointed in ALL makes' MPG. Sadly, if you want really high MPG, you typically need a diesel, a hybrid, or a tiny car.

There are a few others, but this is the main list of just "30-or-more MPG on the highway" cars (35+ highway are bolded; I count 20 of these, only 3 are GM ):

2-seater choices:
BMW Z4 (3.0 litre) 21/30
Mazda MX-5 (Miata) 25/30
Pontiac Solstice 22/31
Porsche Boxter 23/32
Porsche Cayman 23/32
Saturn Sky 22/31

Mini-Compacts:
Mini Cooper (not the S) 32/40
Mini Cooper Convertible 26/35
VW Beetle Convertible 22/30

Subcompacts:
Audi A4 Cabriolet 24/32
BMW 328CI (& convertible) 20/30
Chevy Aveo 27/37
Chevy Cobalt 25/34
Honda Civic 30/40
Hyundai Tiburon 23/31
Lexus IS 250 24/32
Mitsubishi Eclipse 23/30
Pontiac G5/Pursuit 25/34
Saab 9-3 Convertible 20/30
Scion tC 23/31
Toyota Yaris 34/40
VW Eos 23/32
VW New Beetle 23/32

Compacts:
Acura TSX 22/31
Audi A4 23/34
BMW 328i 21/30
Chevy Optra 22/31
Dodge Caliber 28/32
Ford Focus 27/37
Honda Civic Hybrid 49/51
Hyundai Accent 28/37
Kia Rio 29/38
Mazda 3 28/35
Mitsubishi 27/34
Pontic G6 23/33
Saab 9-3 22/30
Saturn Ion 26/35
Suburu Legacy 23/30
Suzuki Aerio 25/31
Suzuki Forenza 22/31
Suzuki Reno 22/31
Toyota Camry Solara 25/34
Toyota Corolla 30/38
VW GTI 25/32
VW Jetta 25/32
VW Rabbit 22/30
Volvo S40 22/31
Volvo S60 21/30

Midsize:
BMW 525i/530i 21/30
Buick Lacrosse/Allure 20/30
Chevy Malibu 34/34
Chevy Monte Carlo 21/31
Chrysler Sebring 24/32
Chrysler Sebring FFV 22/30
Ford Fusion 23/31
Honda Accord 26/34
Honda Accord Hybrid 28/35
Hyundai Elantra 28/36
Kia Optima 24/34
Kia Spectra 27/35
Lexus ES 350 21/30
Mazda 6 24/32
MB E320 Bluetec (diesel) 26/35
Mercury Milan 23/31
Mitsubishi Galant 23/30
Nissan Altima 26/35
Nissan Altima Hybrid 42/36
Nissan Sentra 29/36
Nissan Versa 30/36
Pontiac Grand Prix 20/30
Saab 9-5 20/30
Saturn Aura 20/30
Saturn Aura Hybrid 28/35
Toyota Camry 24/34
Toyota Camry Hybrid 40/38
Toyota Prius 60/51
VW Passat 23/32

Large:
Chevy Impala 21/31
Malibu MAXX 20/30
Hyundai Sonata 24/34
Toyota Avalon 22/31

 

Hey Gumby!
Thanks for the listing. As you say, hybrid, diesel or tiny. Most of the cars that list 08 EPA over 30mpg highway either just make it or if it looked at my hills here in the SF Bay Area would run screaming away! Plus, I can't do tiny because my alas aging bod demands no Long term firm/sport suspension/performance cars tho I have had fun with TSX/TL rentals for a few days!!

And I like the Suzuki Forenza but the nearest dealer was over an hour away, so... that narrowed down my field tremendously quickly.... to the Prius or the TCH. Alas, those Prius seats didn't work for me, so I HAD to get a TCH! Oh darn! ;

My friend who I am currently researching for, does like small cars, so I will review this list again to make sure I didn't miss any possibilities for her!

 

CAgirl, regardless of who they are hiring to build their cars, don't lose sight of where the profit goes when the dealer pays the manufacturer for the vehicle. The majority of the profit from a vehicle sale is made at the manufacturing level. This is a very important point that the foreign manufacturers hope the American public overlooks when they say "built right here in the USA".


food for thought.
08FEH

 

Funny, that was pretty much how it worked out for me too!

 

"Real world" American car experience: 75,000 miles, three failed transmissions, four failed rotors, two replaced tie-rods, failed A/C, failed power locks, 9 recalls, fraud committed at two different dealerships.

"Real world" Honda car experience: 500,000 miles driven across 5 different cars, relpaced only wear items, < 2 recalls combined.

Yeah, that's all just perception....

A fool with a tool (or in this case, a "research" company) is still a fool.

 

Well, Tim, I understand why you might be frustrated. But not all of us who've bought American have had problems. I've owned 4 American built cars over the last 10 years-two Oldsmobiles and two Ford Escapes. In that time, I've had one failed transmission (the second Olds), one failed gasket (also the second olds) and one failed master cylinder (the first Olds). I lost my first Escape to an accident (four star rating or not, in a fight with a telephone pole at 40 MPH the pole wins). Nearly any car will need rotors within its first 100,000 miles, and could be sooner if the brake pads or shoes wear down too quickly.
I'm glad you've found a car that you like, but I've enjoyed my cars I've owned and will stick with domestic manufacturers for the foreseeable future (of course, I intend to keep my current Escape till it falls apart a la the Bluesmobile).

 

Queenfan, I'll be the first to encourage folks to make a buying decision based what they value and see as a priority. I also know many very happy American car owners. I'm not one of those people that goes around bashing folks for buying American - I'm really happy for anyone getting a new car regardless of what they buy and I wish them all the best of luck. So my frustration is not exactly as sweeping or absolute as it may have come across in that previous post. Certainly there are those that owned the same car as I did (Chrystler Minivan BTW) and did just fine. My father in-law had one and drove it successfully for just over 100K miles without incident. However, between the cost of the van and all the repairs, it's a $20,000 wound that won't heal any time soon. At the time I had a very young family (two babies), was not making a lot of money, and owning a car that had that many troubles wasn't just a matter of inconvience - it hurt. It's a shame really - I'm an intensely loyal buyer and if they did right by me the first time, odds are I'd have a garage full of American cars. Best of luck with your Escape!