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From: res@ihuxn.UUCP (Rich Strebendt)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Badmouthing American-built cars
Message-ID: <610@ihuxn.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Apr-84 11:50:26 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.610
Posted: Thu Apr  5 11:50:26 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Apr-84 02:55:39 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 59

I am getting a bit hacked off at the sophomoric bad-mouthing of
American designed and built cars.  I am tired of the attitude that, if
the car has a German or Japanese name, it is perfect, but, if it has an
American name, it is trash.

I have owned six cars thus far, with another on order.  One was
European, the others all were American.  My comments on them:

The first car I owned was a Renault Caravel.  It lasted me a whole year
of commuting to school.  I traded it in at about 50000 miles
(obviously, I bought it used).  At that point, if I floored it, I could
get up to about 10mph in a block or two.  Maintaining it just about ate
me alive.

My next was a used '64 Ford with a small 6-cylinder engine in a full
sized car.  I got several good years of service from it and traded it
in at around 80000 miles.  It was in need of major engine work at that
time and I did not want to mess with it.

My next car was a new '69 Cougar.  That was a real fun/luxury car,
built on a Mustang chassis a couple of years before the Cougar became 
an Elephant.  Most Major Repair:  Patching up a leak in the radiator.
It did come with a defect (a vent that would not close completely) that
took several trips back to the dealer to partially fix.  That dealer,
incidently, is no longer in business.  At 78000 miles I traded it in.

During this same time I was married and thereby acquired access to an
AMC Rambler.  This was not a glamorous car, but was very dependable.
We kept it past its 10th birthday, then sold it to a person who needed
a dependable car to get back and forth to work.

The next car was an Olds Cutlass.  Most Major Problem: A leak in the
radiator at about 50000 miles.  Great car.  Traded it in at about 76000
miles.

We now have a Pontiac Phoenix of 1981 vintage.  Fabulous car.  Most
Major Problems to date: Leak in the heater core and a shorted diode in
the alternator.  The first problem occurred at around 30000 miles, the
second just lately at 41000.

We dislike GM cars so rabidly [:-)] that we have just ordered a Pontiac
Sunbird/2000 LE and are eagerly awaiting its delivery.  I expect to get
the car we wanted, without "mandatory options" or a jacked up price
tag.  The price we are paying is well under the sticker price, not OVER
it.

I cannot bad-mouth Japanese or German (or English or Italian or ... )
cars since I have not owned any.  I can say that I have been quite
pleased with the Ford and GM products I have owned over the last
roughly 15 years.  Yes, some individual cars have problems, and some
models have problems (eg: VW's with oil seal problems).  This is NOT to
say that ALL products by ALL manufacturers of a particular nationality
are trash.  I, for one, intend to keep looking for the best VALUE I can
find in a new car.  I do not think at this time that over-priced
imports provide that VALUE.

					Rich Strebendt
					...!ihnp4!ihuxn!res