10 Cars That Sank Detroit

[kwame k]

The global financial crisis is suffocating the Detroit automakers, but the problems at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have been festering for years—even when the mighty "Big Three" were earning billions. Aging factories, inflexible unions, arrogant executives and shoddy quality have all damaged Detroit. Now, with panicky consumers fleeing showrooms, catastrophe looms:



There will be plenty of business-school case studies analyzing all the automakers' wrong turns. But, as they say in the industry, it all comes down to product. So here are 10 cars that help explain the demise of Detroit: GM and Chrysler need a multibillion-dollar government bailout to survive, and both could be in bankruptcy by summer if they don't meet tough government demands. Ford hasn't asked for a bailout—yet—but it's bleeding cash and racing the clock to turn itself around.


Ford Pinto. This ill-fated subcompact came to epitomize the arrogance of Big Auto. Ford hurried the Pinto to market in the early 1970s to battle cheap imports like the Volkswagen Beetle that were selling for less than $2,000. Initial sales were strong, but quality problems emerged. Then came the infamous safety problems with exploding fuel tanks, which Ford refused to acknowledge. Message: The customer comes last. "The problems for the domestics really started in the '70s when they were offering cars like the Pinto up against higher-tech, better-built Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics," says Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book.



Chevrolet Cavalier. GM sold millions of Cavaliers in the 1980s—and decided the thrifty car was so successful the company didn't need to update it for more than a decade. To milk the model, GM even added some lipstick and high heels and tried to peddle the upgrade as the Cadillac Cimarron—a legendary flop. Honda and Toyota, meanwhile, were updating their competing models every four or five years, and grabbing market share with each quality improvement. A new Cavalier came out in the mid 1990s—then languished for another decade, while GM put most of its money into big trucks and SUVs. GM has since improved its small cars. "But they have to be miles better than the imports for Americans to forget how bad their small cars used to be," says Jamie Page Deaton of U.S. News's Rankings and Reviews car-ranking site. Even if they are better, many Americans wonder why they should give Detroit a second—or third—chance.



Chevrolet Astro. While Chrysler, Toyota, and Honda were refining their minivans in the 1990s and coming up with innovations like hideaway seats and electric sliding doors, GM was offering an old, truck-based van gussied up with carpeting and cupholders. "It showed GM's repeated failure to market competitive products based on styling and packaging," says Tom Libby of J. D. Power & Associates. The Astro drove like a bread truck, and consumers noticed. It also earned the worst safety ratings in its class. Before long, GM was effectively out of the minivan segment. No biggie—those were just mainstream American families the automaker decided to ignore.



Ford Taurus. Try to explain this logic: After its 1986 debut, the Taurus became a perennial bestseller. So for the next 20 years, Ford let quality decline and neglected the family sedan, while pouring love and money into trucks and SUVs. By early this decade, the Taurus had become a dowdy, rental-lot staple. So Ford simply retired the Taurus in 2006 and replaced it with the 500 sedan—which went on to set records as one of the most short-lived models ever. A year later, Ford revived the Taurus name and applied it to a bastardized 500. But by then, the damage was done.



Ford Explorer. This breakout vehicle helped launch SUVs and drove record profits at Ford in the 1990s, as Americans flocked to big utilities that could take them off-road if they ever got adventurous. It also blinded Ford to the future. "Executives could not see beyond the green piling up at their feet," says David Magee, author of How Toyota Became No. 1. "The Explorer helped create an addiction that lasted 15 years." GM and Chrysler followed right behind, with SUVs like the Chevy Trailblazer and the Dodge Durango—lockstep moves that reveal how the Detroit automakers focused on each other rather than the broader marketplace.



Jaguar X-Type. Ford bought the British luxury brand Jaguar in 1990, when all three Detroit automakers were seeking ways to expand their global reach. Eventually, Ford decided to build an entry-level Jaguar starting at around $30,000 for people looking to move up from, say, a Mercury Marquis. The down-market move "represented everything that Jaguar is not," says Libby of J. D. Power. The X-Type was built on an ordinary sedan platform from elsewhere in Ford's lineup, and the front-wheel-drive system underwhelmed enthusiasts used to rear-drive European makes. Jag purists were horrified, and aspiring luxury buyers shunned the X-Type in favor of BMWs, Lexuses, and Acuras. After fumbling the luxury brand for nearly two decades, Ford sold Jaguar to an Indian conglomerate in 2008.



Hummer H2. It sure seemed cool back in 2003, when gas was less than $2 per gallon. And it sure seems gaudy now. This supersized SUV clearly had a heyday, but it also helped paint parent company GM as an enviro-hostile corporation that sold only gas guzzlers. Sales collapsed as gas prices rose toward $4 a gallon in mid-2008, and GM has been trying to sell the division for six months—with no takers, so far. "GM wanted to make Hummer a signature company brand," says Magee. "Instead, it showed the company was out of touch with the needs of the 21st century."



Toyota Prius. While GM was spending $1 billion to build up the Hummer franchise, Toyota was spending $1 billion to develop a high-mileage hybrid—even though gas prices were still low. After the Prius debuted in the United States in 2000, GM execs seized yet another opportunity to display their intimate knowledge of American consumers, arguing that hybrids didn't make economic sense and that only environmentalists would buy them. Today, Toyota can barely keep up with demand for the Prius, and it has plans to start building them in the United States. GM, meanwhile, is scrambling to rush hybrids and other high-mileage cars into dealerships—far too late.



Chrysler Sebring. Did Chrysler engineers set out to build the world's most boring car? Of course not. Yet Chrysler still produces this blandmobile to keep assembly lines running and maintain a presence, however weak, in the sedan market. In the new Darwinian auto industry, this model seems destined for extinction, since the only way to sell marginal cars is with steep discounts, which money-losing automakers can no longer afford. In fact, if Chrysler ends up being carved into pieces and sold to competitors, as many analysts expect, most of its passenger-car lineup could get the axe, since there's little to distinguish it. Besides—what's a sebring, anyway?



Jeep Compass. Quick, what's the difference between the Jeep Compass, the Jeep Liberty, and the Jeep Patriot? The bosses at Chrysler, which owns Jeep, could explain, but the real answer is that Chrysler has oversaturated its strongest brand lineup in a desperate attempt to boost sales. "The Compass is not needed," says James Bell of Intellichoice.com. "Just the Liberty, please." The Compass has the same mechanical underpinnings as the Dodge Caliber, which helps illustrate one of Detroit's favorite tricks: Create multiple versions of every product under a bunch of different brand names, hoping that if buyers shun one, they'll take a more favorable view of another. Message to Detroit: Consumers aren't that stupid. Give them a bit more credit, and you might have a future.

Link (http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/923/10-Cars-That-Sank-Detroit;_ylc=X3oDMTE4aGI2MDhuBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA 2ZwLXRvZGF5BHNsawNzYW5rLWRldHJvaXQ-)

[kwame k]

What the hell, I figured we could use a change of pace.

[hideyoursheep]

I agree with everything except the Taurus take...I'd put more blame on the Tempo.

[kwame k]

I agree with everything except the Taurus take...I'd put more blame on the Tempo.


Can't argue with that. I never knew there were so many Jeep off shoots.

[kwame k]

When I wrote recently about 10 cars that sank Detroit, I was too stingy. Apparently, there are way more than 10.



Hundreds of readers wrote to ask how we could have left the Chevy Nova off the list, or the Pontiac Aztek, or a number of other models that left a long legacy of buyer's remorse.



Many of Detroit's notorious bombs date to the 1970s and 1980s, and the car companies' offerings are much better today. But car buyers have long memories--and many remain unmoved by the current plight of the Detroit automakers. General Motors and Chrysler are now at the government's mercy, in need of billions in federal aid just to stay afloat. If they don't fulfill tough government demands, Chrysler could be forced into bankruptcy by early April, GM by early May. Ford hasn't asked for bailout money, but it's bleeding cash too.


The Detroit 3 have been hoping that Americans will rally to support the home team. But instead, more than half of Americans oppose the auto bailout. One reason is that they feel repeatedly disappointed--even swindled --by the companies now asking for their help. Virtually every automaker, including Honda and Toyota, has produced a clunker or two. But the following cars left behind particularly noxious memories, often because the companies that built them refused to help fix the problems. Here's how some of the owners themselves feel about the cars and the companies that built them:



Chevrolet Vega (1970s). "I had a 1972 Vega. My family struggled to purchase the car for me as their contribution to college, as I was putting myself through school. I loved the car. It was zippy and great for a college student.



“Then two years later, the car simply died. The aluminum-block engine had cracked under heat. I was told I could replace the engine, but lacking resources, I sold it as junk. A two-year-old car!



“I returned to walking and rarely came home from college.



“A small car born during the first gas crisis had great potential, but GM's arrogance doomed it and sent millions of potential buyers to Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc. Wake up, Detroit!" –Robert Marino, Gillette, N.J.



Ford Mustang II (1970s). "I don't know if this is one of the cars that sank America, but as my first car, my Ford Mustang II certainly sank ME-- and started me on a long road of hating American-made cars. Never mind the oil pump that couldn't pump oil (the valves would routinely grind themselves into oblivion), or how I'd literally find puddles of oil--in the air filter. As I grew older and began to understand the importance of branding and saw the emotional way people bond with their cars, I wondered, did the world even need a four- cylinder Mustang? Clearly, even as far back as 1978, a lot was wrong in Detroit." –Monty Nicol, Calgary, Alberta, Canada



Chevrolet Nova (1970s). "I learned to drive in a ’72 Nova. I love Novas for sentimental reasons. However, I cursed them at the time. No one I knew had one whose radiator didn’t leak. If it wouldn’t put so many people out of work, I’d say good riddance to Detroit.” –John Waldron, Land O’Lakes, Florida



Dodge Omni (1970s–1980s). “The worst car I ever bought. At 200 miles, I had to take it in to get the carburetor gasket replaced. The four-speed shift linkage was held together with plastic clips. After the first clip broke and disconnected the transmission from the shift lever, I always carried spare clips ($1 at the dealer). I went through four or five distributor caps. They would crack, the car would run rough, and the catalytic converter would overheat. It is scary looking at a converter glowing a dull orange-red color! I went through several alternators--the bearings would seize. Finally, at about 80,000 miles, the engine was getting 300 miles to a quart of oil and running hot--and I do take care of my cars. Then a teenage driver hit the car and his insurance company took it off my hands. I haven’t bought a Chrysler car since (except a 1969 Dodge Charger muscle car for fun driving)." –Jim Miller, Lakeville, Minn.



Oldsmobile Cutlass and 98 diesels (1980s). "I bought an Olds Diesel in '78. It was big and comfortable and got great mileage. I wanted to keep it forever. But GM made sure this was a car that would not last forever. The engine self-destructed regularly because GM took a gas engine and converted it to diesel. The fuel injection failed. Others had problems with the transmission, which was undersized for the job. I got rid of it and haven't owned an American car since. Toyotas last forever." –Michael Keiser, San Leandro, Calif.



Buick Skylark (1980s, similar to Chevy Citation, Pontiac Phoenix, and Oldsmobile Omega). “The original 1950s Skylark was a fascinating design effort. So they hung onto the name and eventually slapped it on a bottom-of-the-line sedan, where they forgot everything they may ever have known about quality. The body-parts fit was terrible (I could slip my finger between the trunk lid and the body). The interior was cheap, shoddy and plastic. The seating was apparently designed by those who never sit down--the front seat was effectively level on the sitting part, which meant you were inclined to slide forward. There was no attention given to those who might drive more than a mile in the thing at a time. It was insulting to the intelligence of the American public.” –Tom Anthony, York, Maine



Dodge Neon (introduced in 1994). “The first generation was cool because it was different. Then, the all-new model was introduced in 2000, with a standard three-speed automatic transmission. In 2000! My 1997 Hyundai Elantra commuter car came standard with a four-speed automatic. The Neon also had ridiculous reliability and durability issues, and younger customers were alienated from the lack of a two-door. It's almost as if Chrysler assumed people would buy their cars even though this one was at least a step behind.” – Matthew Boisvert, Windsor, Ontario, Canada



Chevy Lumina (1990s). “Another ‘futuristic’-looking vehicle that was made of such inferior materials that, while the six-cylinder engine may last forever and the plastic body may never rust, the plastic everything else is constantly breaking. (Who in their right mind would make the guts of door latch assemblies out of plastic? When they break, you can't open the door.). Plus, the glass costs more than the vehicle. If you don't believe me, ask a glass shop what they charge for a replacement 1990 Lumina APV windscreen sometime. The price is invariably three times the Kelley Blue Book value of the vehicle itself in near-mint condition.” –Carl Bibbee, Lancaster, Ohio



Pontiac Aztek (2001–2005). "Arguably, the ugliest, least desirable vehicle ever designed by GM. They took an otherwise acceptable SUV platform (shared with the Buick Rendezvous), gave it a drooping rear--which served to reduce interior volume and looked dreadful as well--plastered it with plastic body cladding, and then gave it a face only a mother could love. The thing had so many odd creases and bizarre angles, it looked as if it had been in a wreck sitting there on the showroom floor." –Bruce Lindner, Milwaukie, Ore.



Pontiac Montana (late 1990s/early 2000s, similar to Chevy Venture and Oldsmobile Silhouette). “We bought a used 2000 Pontiac Montana in 2003. During the next two years, we poured over $6,000 in repairs into this horrible vehicle. This van had the six-cylinder engine that we were told was the ‘backbone of the GM fleet.’ Two separate times we had to replace the intake gasket, at an average cost of over $700. I sent E-mails to GM about this. It was a problem with the engine coolant. When a GM vice president called my wife, he stated, ‘Well, you do realize that this vehicle does have over 65,000 miles on it?’ GM lost my business for the rest of my car-buying days, and possibly also that of my teenage children, who were amazed at the lack of action on the part of GM.



“I now own an Audi. Why would I ever buy another car from them with so many other car brands available? I often wonder if the executive who contacted us got a nice bonus.” –Don Boyer, Midland, Mich.

Link (http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/924/The-Cars-That-Drove-Detroit-s-Customers-Away;_ylc=X3oDMTE2ZWZhNmtvBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2Zw LXRvZGF5BHNsawNkcm92ZS1hd2F5)

[twonabomber]

Grimes has an Aztek. :D

[Big Train]

Ah the Aztek....I once heard a friend describe it as an "angry toaster". Had to agree.

While none of this discount the other woes of the auto industry, shitty products never help.
I think the lesson is that you put out a real shit box, or many as is the case and it bleeds over into every good car you make too. How many times have you heard "buy a reliable Honda or Toyota, they are bulletproof". I'm sure the new Malibu is a great car, but the damage to that nameplate will take 4 versions of a great Malibu to overcome.

[hideyoursheep]

And to think at one time the Malibu used to be something to behold..

<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/chevelle&#37;20malibu" target="_blank"><img src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/LESTAT_LLL/CHEVELLEMALIBU.jpg" border="0" alt="CHEVELLE MALIBU Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>

[sadaist]

The author needs a bit more education on this subject. The Ford Explorer did not usher in SUV's. It was the Ford Bronco & Bronco II, and Chevy Blazer & S-10 Blazer.

S-10's are still to be found every day. I haven't seen a crappy Bronco II in at least 15 years. They were absolutely horrible. Remember the rear side windows that curved upwards onto the roof a bit? UGLY The S-10 Blazers had cleaner lines and were much better built.

When I first had an S-10 Blazer, the insurance companies had to classify it as a station wagon because there wasn't a category for any "sport utility" type vehicles.

http://www.broncoiicorral.com/resources/fordphotos/BroncoII_1_3.jpg

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/library/uc/ucgraphics/good%20side.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

....

Ford Pinto. This ill-fated subcompact came to epitomize the arrogance of Big Auto. Ford hurried the Pinto to market in the early 1970s to battle cheap imports like the Volkswagen Beetle that were selling for less than $2,000. Initial sales were strong, but quality problems emerged. Then came the infamous safety problems with exploding fuel tanks, which Ford refused to acknowledge. Message: The customer comes last. "The problems for the domestics really started in the '70s when they were offering cars like the Pinto up against higher-tech, better-built Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics," says Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book.

...

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[Nickdfresh]

I agree with everything except the Taurus take...I'd put more blame on the Tempo.

My parents have Tauruses, and they're decent cars. But if you read the article, the Taurus started very strong and was left to languish with few updates and the 500-Taurus is really for gramps...

The new one coming out is killer though...

And the Tempo was horrible to drive, but decent in snow and simple to work on. I drove a gov't Tempo in the Army...

[Nickdfresh]

....


“I now own an Audi. Why would I ever buy another car from them with so many other car brands available? I often wonder if the executive who contacted us got a nice bonus.” –Don Boyer, Midland, Mich.




Except Audis are unreliable, overpriced pieces of shit too....but they have nice styling...

[Matt White]

God...I can remember being a kid in the early-mid 70's...and the news reports on the poor Pinto owners who had their cars EXPLODE on them.....

I can remember seeing some on the survivors....BRUTAL

[chefcraig]

Except Audis are unreliable, overpriced pieces of shit too....but they have nice styling...

And had that unfortunate "Unexplainable Acceleration Syndrome" where you'd put the car in drive and it would unexpectedly blast off to top speed. A fine way to start any morning.

How could any list be complete without the Pacer? For the truly deranged, there was an option for the interior to be made out of Levis. There was nothing quite like driving your own aquarium.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4940/amcpacer.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=amcpacer.jpg)

[Nickdfresh]

...dupe

[Nickdfresh]

Ha! My father bought that AMC grand lady, known as the Pacer... :biggrin:

He was commuting over an hour each way for work, and thought the new AMC V-6 in the pacer would save him gas mileage while still giving him plenty of pep and power, Instead, he got the gas mileage of a V-8 and the lethargy of an old four cylinder... :)

Laying in the back as a kid was kind of cool though, like being in a planetarium...

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/04/04/automobiles/04amc.garth.jpg

[alexpgrimes]

Grimes has an Aztek. :D

yes I do. it's ugly and dependable just like twona...lol

[sadaist]

Doesn't mention imports that helped sink Detroit. Just some ones I remember seeing a ton of.

Honda - Civic / Accord
Toyota - Corolla / Camry / FourRunner
Nissan - Pathfinder
VW - Rabbit / Beetle

[chefcraig]

Doesn't mention imports that helped sink Detroit. Just some ones I remember seeing a ton of.

Honda - Civic / Accord
Toyota - Corolla / Camry / FourRunner
Nissan - Pathfinder
VW - Rabbit / Beetle

Of course it would also be good to mention the imports that failed to sink Detroit, as well. Anyone remember seeing these at the side of the road or in a junkyard?

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3852/yugow.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yugow.jpg)
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6264/trabantq.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/my.php?image=trabantq.jpg)

Dishonorable Mention: Anything made by Triumph in the seventies. :duh:

[binnie]

Why has America never been very good at exporting it's cars? It's very rare to see Chryslers, Dodge's etc in Europe.

Ford also has an entirely different range on sale in Europe.

You guys import lots of cars, both European and Japenese. You don't seem to be very good at selling them back to us, however.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Why has America never been very good at exporting it's cars? It's very rare to see Chryslers, Dodge's etc in Europe.

Ford also has an entirely different range on sale in Europe.

You guys import lots of cars, both European and Japenese. You don't seem to be very good at selling them back to us, however.

Perhaps its not being "very good" at exporting, perhaps it's unfair trade practices....

[twonabomber]

yes I do. it's ugly and dependable just like twona...lol

okay, THAT was funny!

[twonabomber]

The author needs a bit more education on this subject. The Ford Explorer did not usher in SUV's. It was the Ford Bronco & Bronco II, and Chevy Blazer & S-10 Blazer.


can't leave out the full-size Jeep Wagoneer, introduced around '63, and the smaller XJ Cherokee in '84...

[binnie]

Perhaps its not being "very good" at exporting, perhaps it's unfair trade practices....

In what sense? I don't follow.

Why do Americans buy lots of BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, Toyotas etc but Europeans and Japenese buy so few Chryslers, Dodges etc.

GM certainly owns a lot of car manufacturers that do significant business in Europe, but cars made by Americans have never really taken off over here to the same extent. I was wondering why American manufacturers haven't really focussed on those markets.....

[Kristy]

The Ford Taurus was the Rethuglican car of the early 90's if there ever was one. My father who worked as as mechanic call that car the ugliest piece of shit Ford ever made - right next to their Pinto and Mustang II. Pretty much called it a conservative on a budget kind of car which could explain why so many of them were sold.

One car I didn't see in the Top 10 was the Chevrolet Vega. My mom had one (1975) while she was in high school and still talks about that car today - how the valve train in that car was screwy it backfired every time you shifted, how the floorboards were all rusted out and the electrical system caused small fires every now and then.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/chevrolet-vega-9.jpg

What a beast of beauty!*






*if you squint your eyes real hard.

[chefcraig]

Yes, the Vega was something special, with it's one of a kind aluminum "melt-down" engine. Some American cars of the late seventies to late eighties were shitboxes before they left the factory, and it started in the design stage. Not only did cars get smaller, innovative thinking was downsized as well, leading to compromises in safety. The GM X-body cars were so poorly structured that when mechanics put them on a standard lift to do an oil change or replace tires, the damned windshield and rear window would crack or shatter. :umm:

[Kristy]

Right, forgot about their aluminum engine which could explain why the valve train in that car never worked. My mom used to tell me stories of how the floor boards were rusting out which was odd since she never lived near a coast (i.e., near salt water) which would add to a car's general oxidation. She also used to say of her driving along the highway when all of the sudden she heard a "tink....tink..tink..." sound and soon realized it was pieces of the car's metal falling off and bouncing on the road; she was actually afraid to shift for fear of losing her foot.

[FORD]

And had that unfortunate "Unexplainable Acceleration Syndrome" where you'd put the car in drive and it would unexpectedly blast off to top speed. A fine way to start any morning.

How could any list be complete without the Pacer? For the truly deranged, there was an option for the interior to be made out of Levis. There was nothing quite like driving your own aquarium.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4940/amcpacer.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=amcpacer.jpg)

I can't believe AMC didn't even make the original list in this thread. It wasn't just the Pacer.... ALL of their cars were so goddamned hideous!!

Like the Matador
http://www.matadorcoupe.com/images/Nojd1.jpg

The Gremlin
http://www.seanpercival.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/1976_amc_gremlin.jpeg

The Hornet
http://www.stationwagon.com/gallery/pictures/1976_AMC_Hornet_Sportabout_2.jpg


About the only thing they made that wasn't hideous was the Javelin, which fit in well with the muscle car era.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/1968_AMC_Javelin_base_model_red-NJ.jpg

[chefcraig]

Right, forgot about their aluminum engine which could explain why the valve train in that car never worked. My mom used to tell me stories of how the floor boards were rusting out which was odd since she never lived near a coast (i.e., near salt water) which would add to a car's general oxidation. She also used to say of her driving along the highway when all of the sudden she heard a "tink....tink..tink..." sound and soon realized it was pieces of the car's metal falling off and bouncing on the road; she was actually afraid to shift for fear of losing her foot.

In the southern United States, it only took roughly 30 years for people to figure out that rust-proofing cars actually causes rust. The goop that is sprayed in wheel wells and into doors (they'd drill a hole in the metal, spray in the crap then put in a plastic plug) would only serve to trap moisture, leading to quicker rot than normal.

[sadaist]

can't leave out the full-size Jeep Wagoneer, introduced around '63, and the smaller XJ Cherokee in '84...

Nice call. Those were pretty tuff. I was just basing the broncos & blazers on popularity. Through the mid to late 80's they were everywhere. My favorite is the old K5 Blazers with the removable top. I'd drive one today if I were making regular Baja fishing trips.

http://www.4x4offroads.com/image-files/1985-chevrolet-k5-blazer-lastscan8.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

In what sense? I don't follow.

Why do Americans buy lots of BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, Toyotas etc but Europeans and Japenese buy so few Chryslers, Dodges etc.

GM certainly owns a lot of car manufacturers that do significant business in Europe, but cars made by Americans have never really taken off over here to the same extent. I was wondering why American manufacturers haven't really focussed on those markets.....

You used to buy GM when you bought Vauxhalls and Opels...

Buicks are HUGE in China...

[ULTRAMAN VH]

Good call Kwami, nice thread to break from the doom and gloom. I will be defending the Pinto, my family had one for years and I learned to drive in it. The damn thing actually had orange interior and wood panels on the side. Ugly as hell, but it got us around just fine. My cousins grandmother had one also which was passed down to him. She had it for years. Guess we were fortunate not to be blown to bits.

[FORD]

Good call Kwami, nice thread to break from the doom and gloom. I will be defending the Pinto, my family had one for years and I learned to drive in it. The damn thing actually had orange interior and wood panels on the side. Ugly as hell, but it got us around just fine. My cousins grandmother had one also which was passed down to him. She had it for years. Guess we were fortunate not to be blown to bits.

I think it was only the first year or two of the Pinto that had the exploding gas tank. Ford moved it after that. My sister had a Pinto in the late 70's. She wasn't afraid to drive it, even when she had a baby, so I know it wasn't the exploding model.

[chefcraig]

I think it was only the first year or two of the Pinto that had the exploding gas tank. Ford moved it after that. My sister had a Pinto in the late 70's. She wasn't afraid to drive it, even when she had a baby, so I know it wasn't the exploding model.

I had an '86 Mustang 5.0, which pretty much used the Pinto chassis as a blueprint. When the car was rear ended while sitting at a light one rainy Florida evening, I could not get the car to start. Come to find out, there is a cut-off switch governing the fuel line from the gas tank that needs to be reset after a rear collision. There was also one in my Ford Ranger, as well. All because of the Pinto.

[Little Texan]

God...I can remember being a kid in the early-mid 70's...and the news reports on the poor Pinto owners who had their cars EXPLODE on them.....

I can remember seeing some on the survivors....BRUTAL

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[chefcraig]

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That is a far better clip than the one previously posted, for one important reason. Watch the "soldier" in the back of the Nazi vehicle. When the truck explodes, he is blasted straight up in the air and lands right back in his seat! I showed this to friends over and over when I first taped it off of a movie channel back in the eighties. It's simply to damned funny to be planned. :biggrin:

Thanks for posting it.

[hideyoursheep]

The Ford Taurus was the Rethuglican car of the early 90's if there ever was one.

I don't know how a car whose debut began in '86 became a Rethuglican car of the early 90's,. If it were such a POS, it wouldn't have sold for 20 plus years.