The Big 3 Continue to Fall

Someone had a post about this on another thread Matador. The battery life is eight years — if you drive your car normally. After that, it's in the thousands to fix.

Keep in mind, however, that an average car's lifespan is eight to 10 years.

 

In my day job, read an article in the Economist about this. You might be better off scraping by with a conventional car until 2010-2011, when the plug-in hybrids that are totally electrically powered come on line from GM and Toyota.

 

If you buy the right car and take care of it, much longer than that.

My Honda Accord was built six months after I received my license in 1992. It is still chugging along just nicely. I see quite a few other early-90s vintage Hondas on the road.

Meanwhile, I (and a few others) who owned Mitsubishis noticed the engines tended to blow up at about 150K miles.

 

I'll always own a truck, in some form or fashion. There's just no substitute for the utility of a truck, in my opinion. For those of you who don't own them, how do you get by without them? What happens when you need to move or bring home a new washer and dryer? Have it delivered? What do you do when you have to remove some tree limbs from the yard?

I have never had a bad experience with a Chevrolet truck. In fact, they have lasted longer and been more dependable than the Toyota I owned as a teen and those others have owned.

First was a 1993 S-10. Nice little truck. My first one. Drove and ran great, until some dude blasted me at an intersection.

1995 Chevy Silverado customized by Southern Comfort. Awesome truck. Got more pussy than Pepe Le Pew in that ride. Had a big, souped up engine and was a dream for a 19-year old boy. Sold it because I would've killed myself in it.

1998 S-10. Drove it until the wheels nearly fell off. 200,000 miles and I would have checked the oil, kicked the tires, hopped in and driven it across the country. Upsized in 2006 when we decided to start trying to have a kid.

2005 Silverado that I currently drive. Shitty gas mileage, yes, but a very dependable truck that I drove cross country and back last summer and fall. Very happy with it. No breakdowns at 80,000 miles and counting.

That said, we haven't had very good luck with Big 3 cars. A mid-90s Olds Cutlass was a miserable piece of shit. I hope the makers of that thing get a raging case of the shits. Nothing but problems.

Late 90s Sebring. Another POS. Don't even get me started.

Our current car is a 07 Accord that we absolutely love. Gas mileage isn't what we'd hoped for at 27 MPG, but it is a comfortable ride and has been reliable, thus far. We noticed a paint defect this week and are taking it for repairs on Monday.

What does all this mean? Hell if I know. If you take care of it, just about anything will last.

 

I agree with this, with one exception. Unless you're doing some major hauling on a regular basis, there's very few people who need one of those oversized F-150s that blind the fuck out of me in my mid-size Tacoma with their over-bright headlights.

I have a truck that is good for utility, decent on gas mileage, and reliable as hell. And it's not some McMansion-on-wheels like I see so many Napoleonic overcompensating lunkheads driving around these days. Unless you're doing some heavy transport every day, no one needs that much room.

 

The 2008 weighs significantly more, is significantly more powerful, runs on regular gas instead of premium and gets the same mileage. In a roundabout way, that's progress.

 

According to this: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/BUSINESS01/806290538/&imw=Y Chrysler's struggles are intentional.

 

So you live in my county too...

 

Do you not like your county?


And fuck the Big 3 and their gas mileage issue. My new motorcycle arrives tomorrow.

 

Add "with a 4x6 foot Confederate Flag hanging out the bed," and you'd be in mine.

 

It's heritage, not hate, by God.

 

I passed one between New Brockton and Elba on Friday at half staff. I immediately called a friend from the Midwest and told him, "I guess they just figured out we lost."