Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They are taking their female friends VW bug to get their eyelashes trimmed
>>>> Those VWs with eyes make my skin crawl every time. Who remembers the Shlep Car/ Wonder Bug show from Sid and Marty Kroft back in the late 1970s? It still haunts my nightmares.....
Cars' reliability, like human health, is largely based upon the inherent build quality, analogous to our genetics. I see too many posters in auto threads talk about how they've "performed proper maintenance and never been stranded" when contributing to someone's OP about a lemon.
Let me clear this up for you:
The vast, vast majority of repeat, difficult-to-diagnose car issues surfacing relatively early in the car's lifetime are due to manufacturing defects, most often causing a host of electrical issues or a "lifetime" part failing at 25% of its designed life, which no one really wants to, or knows how to troubleshoot. This leads the shop on a wild goose chase, frivolously replacing both related and unrelated parts until the issue no longer occurs.
Following the maintenance schedule will guide the operator on fluid changes, tire rotations, and spark plug replacement, but...
No amount of oil changes will stop your oil pump from failing at 30,000 miles if the part itself is defective (1st gen Dodge Durango issue).
No amount of tire rotations will stop your ball joints - with no grease fittings, mind you - prematurely failing at 60k (another 1st gen Dodge Durango issue).
No amount of spark plug changes will prevent your coil pack from melting, setting off a chain reaction which takes down all ignition to all cylinders in a matters of seconds while you scratch your head after your engine instantly dies on the interstate. (1st gen Mopar Hemi issue)
But it's not the same if you're looking at problems occurring early in a car's life to health issues cropping up late in a human's life.
Here's something that may be an unpopular opinion: People who buy the Dodge brand are masochists.
But it's not the same if you're looking at problems occurring early in a car's life to health issues cropping up late in a human's life.
Here's something that may be an unpopular opinion: People who buy the Dodge brand are masochists.
Was comparing manufacturer defects to atypically early illness and death in some humans despite very similar lifestyles to someone who ends up living twice as long.
I hear if you debadge a Dodge, it'll help both longevity and resale value.
The entire current Ferrari lineup is hideously ugly.
Automatics aren't rated at all. Most people don't care. I certainly don't. Cars are meant to go. As long as the car works, let's not inflate the movement of a lever.
Automatics aren't rated at all. Most people don't care. I certainly don't. Cars are meant to go. As long as the car works, let's not inflate the movement of a lever.
Sorry you disagree, but the only pros I see towards an automatic are faster shifts (on some transmissions) and ease of use. But yet the automatic continues to soar in popularity. Why? Ill never know. Manuals are cheaper, better on gas, easier to fix, easier to maintain, lighter, more fun to drive (subjective), and keep your hands busy shifting instead of talking on cell phones and texting.
[quote=BIG CATS;52659034] Manuals are cheaper, [quote]
Sometimes, other times they are the more expensive option.
Quote:
better on gas,
Hasn't been true in over a decade.
Quote:
easier to fix,
A little, though fixing a shift fork on a manual is nearly as difficult as fixing a band on an automatic. In either case, I've had to fix more manuals than automatics over the last 4 decades... (having synchros go bad is a PITA). Maybe it's because my first mechanical job, when I was 15, was to rebuild the C6 automatic in my 429 SCJ Torino GT, but I don't find automatics to be any different than manuals for working on, longevity. or performance.
Quote:
easier to maintain,
Fluids are fluids. And dropping the auto pan to change the filter is easy, too. Maintaining them properly is not onerous.
Quote:
lighter,
Only an issue if you are lifting it regularly. In a 3-4000 lb car, that 50 lbs difference is not noticeable.
Quote:
more fun to drive (subjective),
In certain situations, I'll definitely agree. But not in day to day use, like traffic.
Quote:
and keep your hands busy shifting instead of talking on cell phones and texting.
lol. Even in my manual trans cars, shifting takes up about 2% of the time driving. If you're shifting all the time, you're doing it wrong. People can and will drive distracted with manual trans cars.
I prefer a good manual trans in a light sports car or 4 cyl economy car. But other than that, I can go either way. The 5 speed auto in my BMW 7 series was, at 180k miles, just as good as it had been when new, and matched the car's personality perfectly. The single speed (not CVT) in my daily driver EV is perfectly matched to that car, as well, as is the 4L80E in my 8.1 liter Suburban tow pig. But an automatic in my Mini Cooper would have been a shame, and not even a choice thankfully in my MGB.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
