----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi Mike,
I agree with you completely about buying 'imports', especially
japanese. I was in the car business for a
few years (long ago) and sold Honda among others. If you want a
maintenance free (?) throw away car and have
no 'patriatism' in your heart then buy an import.
If, on the other hand, you want a car that will last AND have some
value if you ever decide to get rid of
it, BUY AMERICAN.
I'm driving a 1967 GM car that just turned over 526,000 today and
there isn't a new car on the market
today that I'd trade it straight across for because mine will still be
running (baring a bad accident of
course) when that new one is already in the junk yard. I may not live
long enough, but I'm aiming at a
million miles on it and I'm over half way there.
Also, I pity the poor import driver who might get involved with a
METAL car and he's driving a PLASTIC
one. I hope this never happens but if it does he'll need all the air
bags, side impact beams etc to save
him from the flying plastic and aluminum foil that cars are made out of
today.
Sorry if I've hurt anyones feelings, but the truth is the truth. And
as far as being 'built' in
America...you should say it was 'assembled' in America from imported
parts. That way they beat the USA out of
import taxes (parts are imported at a lower rate than complete vehicles),
pay higher wages to the workers who
assembled it (thus raising the sales price much higher) and saved time to
send the car here on a ship. This
way, we can just wire them the $$$$$ directly to their country and hurt
our economy a little bit more.
Let's face it, world trade is good but how many more Billions of
dollars go out of our country as
compared to the yen, etc that come in????? We should have someone
counting the import dollars versus the
export dollars per year and make it come out even. Country by country.
Okay, so now I'm in trouble (again) but I don't care. I'll just keep
driving my old '67 Caddy and laugh
every time I see a plastic $30,000 to $60,000 (or more) car go by and know
that the person driving it
obviously has more dollars than he has cents (sense). He'll make huge
payments on it monthly for a few years,
trad it in at a deficit probably, and then turn around and do it again.
He'll be making car payments for the
rest of his life yet never really 'own' a car, just renting it from the
finance companies.
I paid cash for mine (used) nearly 30 years ago and my 'annual' upkeep
is probably lower than the average
new car payments are 'monthly', and it's only been towed once. I was at
the airport (some time in the mid
to late '80's) and when I tried to start it to come home the bendix spring
broke on the approximately 20 year
old 'original' starter. Oh well, I didn't say it was 'perfect', I just
said it was AMERICAN and I guess
sooner or later something just had to show it's age. I expect it'll
probably out last me.
Well, I guess it's about time I got off of my soapbox and into my
fallout shelter and await the
'incoming' flame jobs. That's okay though as I have a turbo-charger on my
'delete' button. <g>
Smile everybody, I didn't swear even once. Just telling the facts and
having fun.
Bob Saville
BTW, this is 'coupe related', the reason I was at the airport was to fly
my coupe.
Mike Dean wrote:
> ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following
any advice in this forum.]----
>
> I bought a used Civic back around 1985. It was a '79 with 29,000 miles
and practically zero
> rust. I had friends who had Civics and remember that, while they rusted
away to almost nothing,
> mechanically they would not die.
>
> So figuring that this one was low miles, and no rust, it was a good
deal. I could not have been
> more wrong. Within about a week and a half I noticed that the thing was
using about a quart of
> oil every 100 to 120 miles.
>
> So I take it back to the dealer. (The car came with a 90 day warranty)
But they tell me they won't
> make any repairs for "oil consumption due to normal wear and tear."
>
> I said "29,000 miles? A quart of oil every 100 miles? I think that's a
little bit beyond normal wear and
> tear."
>
> Well, long story short, it took a month and a half and three letters
from an attorney before the they
> would even look at it. (By the way, the dealer was Lynch Chevrolet, in
Burlington WI) And even then
> they wouldn't do it themselves. They had me take it to a foreign car
"specialist" on the other side of
> town.
>
> While the repair shop had it, Lynch gave me a brand new Cavalier to
drive. But a week later thy
> demanded it back and replaced it with rust bucket Accord. Two weeks
after that I got my Civic back.
> And on the way home (less than 20 miles) the timing belt broke. I called
Lynch. (Lynch Chevrolet,
> in Burlignton WI) They weren't happy. With me, that is. But they did
send a wrecker. (Which they
> tried to charge me for.)
>
> Another month and a half, a cam, distributor and valve job later I got
my car back. That's how long it
> took the foreign car specialist to get replacement parts. (Oh, and by
the way, Lynch Chevrolet, of
> Burlington WI, would not give me a loaner this time.)
>
> About 6 months later, while my sister was driving it, the engine threw a
rod going up a long hill out
> of Lake Geneva. But to be fair, I think it was her fault. This Civic had
a 2 speed automatic had I think
> she had it in first gear. Because she said the engine seemed to be
"running real fast, but the car
> was barely moving." (She's not real bright.)
>
> I bought a rebuild from the local auto parts store and changed it
myself. Which I will never do again.
> (I hate front drive cars.) I will also never by another vehicle from
Lynch Chevrolet in Burlington WI. In
> fact, I've never even been back on their lot. (Which is on highway 36,
on the north side of town. That's
> Lynch Chevrolet, Burlington WI)
>
> And my sister had never driven any of my cars since.
>
> (I have another Lynch story but I'll save that 'til later.)
>
> Mike Dean
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >I gave it considerable thought: and I do mean considerable. After 2
>Fords, 3 GM's and a number of
> >Dodges, of which I still have one, I just bought a Honda Odyssey.
>
> Smart man. Hondas are just amazing machines. Take it from the man who
> used to have one. It just started every morning, and went like hell, and
> seemed to want to be totally neglected. (Civic Si, heir apparent to the
> Mini Cooper.)
>
> Really, just go buy an Accord, or Civic, Odyssey, or CR-V and be done
with
> it. CR-V is a really nice little 4x4 SUV.
>
> While you're at it, marry a homely woman and trade the Ercoupe for a
172.
>
> Greg
>
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