Chrysler quality these days (2009, pickup truck, engines, wagon)
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I have to disagree. US carmakers are in a sort of golden age.
The 707hp Charger and Challanger, 200mph Shelby Mustang, C7 Corvette, Viper, and 2015 GM full-size SUVs are all world class. The Wrangler is the best off-roader priced south of a Land Cruiser or G-Wagen and all of the big 3 make good pickup trucks.
The problem isn't with the "Classic American" cars, BoF, V8, sports, trucks, etc. It's with stuff like sedans. Ford Fusion is really about the only competitive midsize sedan out there.
If this were a golden age, we would be able to buy cars such as Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Plymouth.
And cars like Dodge Charger (a real one, not a four-door), Plymouth Road Runner (high-performance on a budget and looks like a Plymouth), Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham on a 133" wheelbase and a Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (factory-built, not a stretch).
We also would not see Buicks that look like a Toyota, but look like Buicks!
However, this may be a "golden age" for those who were not old enough and/or have not driven classic cars.
If this were a golden age, we would be able to buy cars such as Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Plymouth.
And cars like Dodge Charger (a real one, not a four-door), Plymouth Road Runner (high-performance on a budget and looks like a Plymouth), Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham on a 133" wheelbase and a Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (factory-built, not a stretch).
We also would not see Buicks that look like a Toyota, but look like Buicks!
However, this may be a "golden age" for those who were not old enough and/or have not driven classic cars.
Today's cars are faster, safer, more fuel efficient, and better handling than those cars you remember as the golden age. The cars from those days were much more beautiful and far easier to work on. While you named a bunch of great looking coupes, plenty of family sedans in those days were pretty bland and some were ugly. I love the Mustang of that generation but I wouldn't want one as a daily driver without some resto-mods to make it safer for daily driving.
I have to disagree. US carmakers are in a sort of golden age.
The 707hp Charger and Challanger, 200mph Shelby Mustang, C7 Corvette, Viper, and 2015 GM full-size SUVs are all world class. The Wrangler is the best off-roader priced south of a Land Cruiser or G-Wagen and all of the big 3 make good pickup trucks.
The problem isn't with the "Classic American" cars, BoF, V8, sports, trucks, etc. It's with stuff like sedans. Ford Fusion is really about the only competitive midsize sedan out there.
OK, so the US Big Three can make 5 small sales volume cars (the first 5 on the list above) that are nearly useless for ordinary use. B. F. deal. The Wrangler IS the best off-roader available in the US, but is also has one of the very worst reliability ratings of any US-sold vehicle. So, that leaves some relatively fuel-guzzling GM big SUV's, and the pickup trucks.
Here's my prediction: When the next sales slump in trucks and SUV's hits--and it will with next oil price spike--at least one of the American auto manufacturers will go bankrupt. Maybe this time, the government will get smart and let it go under for good.
JD Power is a joke. They also gave good reviews to my 2003 Malibu which cost me over $3,000 in repairs within a year of warranty expiring.
My wife has a 2007 Sebring with 2.4L four cylinder. It's thirsty, noisy, weak, and slow compared to it's class competitors. The current Chrysler 200 has the same engine with mild revisions. Still slow, weak, and thirsty. Don't know if it's noisy.
The new one has the 2.4 but it's now multi -air, is 184 horsepower, and with the 9 speed auto gets 36 mpg highway. The v-6 has more horsepower than mostly all it's competitors. It's also the most aerodynamic and widest vehicle amongst the competition.
OK, so the US Big Three can make 5 small sales volume cars (the first 5 on the list above) that are nearly useless for ordinary use. B. F. deal. The Wrangler IS the best off-roader available in the US, but is also has one of the very worst reliability ratings of any US-sold vehicle. So, that leaves some relatively fuel-guzzling GM big SUV's, and the pickup trucks.
Here's my prediction: When the next sales slump in trucks and SUV's hits--and it will with next oil price spike--at least one of the American auto manufacturers will go bankrupt. Maybe this time, the government will get smart and let it go under for good.
I suspect it'd be GM again. Ford knows what they're doing and has proven it in spades already, Chrysler is revamping their line, GM is, well, GM. I can't think of any car from their line that stands out above the rest. Ford has the Fusion, Focus and Fiesta, all of which are decent vehicles, Chrysler has the new 200 (provided it doesn't have issues, time will tell), they have the 300 which isn't a bad vehicle at all, plus you have the Dodge Challenger and Charger.
GM has what...the Impala and the Malibu? I don't see a whole lot of Sonics around here, the Cruze was a turd the last time I drove one. I don't think I've ever seen the "Spark" on the road, but I'm not looking for them either, so take that with a grain of salt. I have seen more Volts driving around though, so I guess they've got that going for them.
The only Chevy I'd buy is a Tahoe, and that's only until Ford comes out with a better Expedition.
I suspect it'd be GM again. Ford knows what they're doing and has proven it in spades already, Chrysler is revamping their line, GM is, well, GM. I can't think of any car from their line that stands out above the rest. Ford has the Fusion, Focus and Fiesta, all of which are decent vehicles, Chrysler has the new 200 (provided it doesn't have issues, time will tell), they have the 300 which isn't a bad vehicle at all, plus you have the Dodge Challenger and Charger.
GM has what...the Impala and the Malibu? I don't see a whole lot of Sonics around here, the Cruze was a turd the last time I drove one. I don't think I've ever seen the "Spark" on the road, but I'm not looking for them either, so take that with a grain of salt. I have seen more Volts driving around though, so I guess they've got that going for them.
The only Chevy I'd buy is a Tahoe, and that's only until Ford comes out with a better Expedition.
Well, if I had to predict, it will likely be Chrysler. Jeep and Ram keep them alive, and Jeep's poor reliability is going to haunt them eventually. Chrysler made a fatal mistake during its last financial crisis when it ditched a lot of its dealers. Its "strategy" was to dump a lot of its dealers that were selling other brands besides theirs in favor of keeping nearby "single line" Chrysler dealers. In many cases, this meant that they kept a weak, but captive Chrysler dealer and dumped a strong dealer that happened to sell other brands, as well. I'm sure their strategy followed the logic of shifting the sales from the multi-line dealers to the single line ones, but the actual result was that a lot of Chrysler buyers just stayed loyal to the dealer that Chrysler dumped, not the brand, and Chrysler lost those customers.
As for GM and Ford, they are pretty much surviving on their truck sales, too. In that realm, Ford is pretty dominant in the fleet market, with GM a close second, and Ram way trailing. What both Ford and GM have going for them (that most people living in metro areas don't think about) is a very extensive dealer network all across America, including a strong presence in small towns in rural America. Foreign makes may dominate sales in a lot of metro areas, but out in the rural parts of the country, Ford and GM are generally dominant. It's not the quality of GM and Ford vehicles that creates that dominance, it's the dealer network. Sadly, both Ford and GM are demanding more and more out of their small dealers--enough so that a lot of them are throwing in the towel. That will erode GM and Ford's dominance in the rural markets over time, so they may be erasing their own sales advantage over other makes.
Well, if I had to predict, it will likely be Chrysler. Jeep and Ram keep them alive, and Jeep's poor reliability is going to haunt them eventually. Chrysler made a fatal mistake during its last financial crisis when it ditched a lot of its dealers. Its "strategy" was to dump a lot of its dealers that were selling other brands besides theirs in favor of keeping nearby "single line" Chrysler dealers. In many cases, this meant that they kept a weak, but captive Chrysler dealer and dumped a strong dealer that happened to sell other brands, as well. I'm sure their strategy followed the logic of shifting the sales from the multi-line dealers to the single line ones, but the actual result was that a lot of Chrysler buyers just stayed loyal to the dealer that Chrysler dumped, not the brand, and Chrysler lost those customers.
As for GM and Ford, they are pretty much surviving on their truck sales, too. In that realm, Ford is pretty dominant in the fleet market, with GM a close second, and Ram way trailing. What both Ford and GM have going for them (that most people living in metro areas don't think about) is a very extensive dealer network all across America, including a strong presence in small towns in rural America. Foreign makes may dominate sales in a lot of metro areas, but out in the rural parts of the country, Ford and GM are generally dominant. It's not the quality of GM and Ford vehicles that creates that dominance, it's the dealer network. Sadly, both Ford and GM are demanding more and more out of their small dealers--enough so that a lot of them are throwing in the towel. That will erode GM and Ford's dominance in the rural markets over time, so they may be erasing their own sales advantage over other makes.
Chrysler has a long way to go to get it's reputation back. I'm a die hard Jeeper, so I don't count in terms of buyers - I'm going to buy a Jeep either way, and I expect reliability to be suspect. That being said, I've also never had major issues with any of my Jeeps - they've always gotten me home and I've never had one towed except after an accident...and most times I drove it home after that too. Have had the occasional electrical issue though, but I think that's going to become more prevalent as manufacturers add more and more electronics and gizmos.
If Chrysler can get it right with the 200 and the transmission doesn't come back to bite them, and keep Jeeps out of the shop for major issues and keep them on the road for 100K or more, I think they'll do fine. The 300 is an excellent car to begin with, and one of the few RWD's still on the market for a family sedan. Cerberus and Daimler screwed them, now they're going to have to fight to get back all that they lost.
I think GM's past is going to come back and bite them in the end though. A number of people hate the fact that the Govt bailed them out and won't buy one based on that (though some people think that it should have happened sooner, I know), plus they just don't have any inspiring vehicles, to me. Cadillac is nice to be sure...but it's not Chevy's "core" business. Ford remade themselves during the last recession to not be as dependent on truck sales - I see new Ford sedans all over the place around here, not so much with trucks. The Fusion, I see them left, right and center. The '11+ Grand Cherokee saved Jeep, without a doubt, and I'm seeing more and more of the new Cherokee's driving around too. Alot of the Chevys I see are older, which means decent reliability maybe...but it means people aren't buying new ones either. I've only seen a few of the new Impala's and Malibu's around...and I'd have to think long and hard about how often I see their compacts driving around.
Chrysler has a long way to go to get it's reputation back. I'm a die hard Jeeper, so I don't count in terms of buyers - I'm going to buy a Jeep either way, and I expect reliability to be suspect. That being said, I've also never had major issues with any of my Jeeps - they've always gotten me home and I've never had one towed except after an accident...and most times I drove it home after that too. Have had the occasional electrical issue though, but I think that's going to become more prevalent as manufacturers add more and more electronics and gizmos.
If Chrysler can get it right with the 200 and the transmission doesn't come back to bite them, and keep Jeeps out of the shop for major issues and keep them on the road for 100K or more, I think they'll do fine. The 300 is an excellent car to begin with, and one of the few RWD's still on the market for a family sedan. Cerberus and Daimler screwed them, now they're going to have to fight to get back all that they lost.
I think GM's past is going to come back and bite them in the end though. A number of people hate the fact that the Govt bailed them out and won't buy one based on that (though some people think that it should have happened sooner, I know), plus they just don't have any inspiring vehicles, to me. Cadillac is nice to be sure...but it's not Chevy's "core" business. Ford remade themselves during the last recession to not be as dependent on truck sales - I see new Ford sedans all over the place around here, not so much with trucks. The Fusion, I see them left, right and center. The '11+ Grand Cherokee saved Jeep, without a doubt, and I'm seeing more and more of the new Cherokee's driving around too. Alot of the Chevys I see are older, which means decent reliability maybe...but it means people aren't buying new ones either. I've only seen a few of the new Impala's and Malibu's around...and I'd have to think long and hard about how often I see their compacts driving around.
If the people that I know with new (2012+) Jeeps are any indication, Jeep's reliability is still down in the toilet. For the record, I've owned a couple of pre-Daimler Jeep vehicles, and they have done OK.
Where I live, Ford isn't selling many cars at all, though Ford is probably #2, behind GM, in truck sales. GM and Ram are about tied for #2 here, though, in late model year truck sales. In cars, GM, Subaru, and Toyota are about tied for #1. Ford lags down with the rest of the cars from Chrysler and the other Japanese and Korean manufacturers. Oddly, the Chevrolet Cruze is about the most popular GM car around here. What I see constantly around my community is a Ford/GM/Ram pickup sitting in the yard with a Toyota or a Subaru car as its garage mate.
While I despised the bailout of "Government Motors," I don't think that Ford is that much better than GM with the quality of most of their car models. They were very good for a few years, but now seem to be slipping way down in quality and reliability. Chrysler cars haven't been much good for years.
Today's cars are faster, safer, more fuel efficient, and better handling than those cars you remember as the golden age. The cars from those days were much more beautiful and far easier to work on. While you named a bunch of great looking coupes, plenty of family sedans in those days were pretty bland and some were ugly. I love the Mustang of that generation but I wouldn't want one as a daily driver without some resto-mods to make it safer for daily driving.
I worked for Chrysler in the late 70's I worked at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, we made every pick up Chrysler made. We made the Powerwagon, and the basic dodge 1/2 ton truck, and the , 3/4 and 1 ton regular and 4x4. Also the Ramcharger abd the Trailduster. But the most built truck back then was the Little Red Truck, and the Warlock. We were putting out 55 trucks a hour 2 shifts 6 days a week. And let me say that the little Red truck was one fast seller. And yes I was a UAW member.
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