Fusion vs Camry and Accord - the Ford Challenge

Isn't that what most buyers do? I am just curious how you are so sure all
domestic cars fall apart at such low mileage and why you would cross post to
a NG of a brand that you have never owned to discredit that brand? It
seems you have not ever owned a domestic and that you do not even buy new
cars.


I have owned over seventy cars that I bought new. I currently drive an '06
domestic luxury car and an '07 domestic sports convertible. I have owned
domestic, European and Japanese cars. I never had a 'bad' car among all of
those cars. I discovered the only real difference among them is style and
price. After owning a dozen Toyotas and Lexus cars and being taken over by
the dealers I switch to the domestics I now own. Since I did so in 1999 I
have saved thousands of dollars in the cost of acquiring the cars and
hundreds of dollars in yearly preventive maintenance. My opinion differs
from yours as does that of the majority of Americans since both GM and Ford
sell million more vehicles annually in the US than does any import brand.


mike

 

Or you may be better at choosing the more reliable models. My in-laws have
had a couple; an early Escort and a late 90s Tempo. The Escort was a
nightmare, particularly in the engine, but the Tempo was reliable. My son
had an early Taurus with a manual tranny, and it was born to cause grief.
The clutch disc was only 6 inch diameter (!!!!!) and the TBI was a tutorial
in how to troubleshoot weird FI problems. Did I mention the idle control
that used DC to increase and AC from an inverter to decrease the idle, and
how troublesome that inverter could be? At least he didn't have the AXOD
auto tranny.

Ford has made some good vehicles, but sometimes they didn't think about the
amount of grief particular cost-cuts would make. Water pump seizures wiping
out timing belts (and therefore interference engines), forward clutch
pistons breaking in the tranny - those have gone a long way to tarnishing
the image of the company. Save $5 or $10, spend $2000 or $4000.

Ford is not alone. Late 20th century Volvos have a reputation for
durability, but models from about '82 (IIRC) to '88 had problems with
disintegrating wiring harnesses. Anybody who has had to replace the blower
motor in any Volvo 240 will curse the name of Volvo. And those are just cars
I'm familiar with.

Before buying any used car, a potential buyer is wise to ask about known
issues with any car he/she is planning to buy. Usenet has its faults but we
can always get a straight answer out of most people. With that, there is no
reason to swear off any brand. Except Mopar... don't get me started! ;-)

Mike

 

How does that differ from any other brand? They all break down on occasion
that is why they all offer a warranty, even Rolls Royce.

When one buys a used car they have no idea how that car was used or abused,
or whether it was properly maintained, or not. It make no difference what
brand name is on the hood,

mike

 

On that we differ - not about the brand, but the inability to determine how
the car has been maintained or treated. I avoid buying used cars under 80K
miles because at 50K miles it *is* hard to tell how it has lived, but at
100K it is hard to hide. If there are no known "killer" issues with that
m/m/y and it passes five minutes of examination the chances of getting at
least 100K miles more service out of a 100K mile car are better than getting
100K miles more out of a 50K car - at least, that's my experience. The only
100K+ car I've ever bought that didn't make it another 100K in good style
was a Nissan 300ZX that I lusted after so much I ignored the warning of
traces of rust in the radiator, which is a deal-breaker.

The make, model and year (and power train or other options within that model
and year) are huge factors in what a buyer can expect out of a car.
Realistically, make is no more important than model or year in that formula.

Mike

 

I was listening to Car Talk yesterday (5/5/07) and they had a caller with an
Escort that had over 300,000 miles. A couple of weeks back they wre mazed
when a guy with a Lexus over 200,00 k called in.

Ed

 

I can show you junk yards that only have Japanese vehicles. Does that mean
that Japanese vehicle are junk?

Ed

 

I missed the Lexus, but I did hear about the long-running Escort. And the
answer the puzzler, "Scent."

Jeff

 

sure!

 

that's completely logical!

 

ROFL


You can say anything on the phone.....

 

....or on usenet!

JT

 

True, but if you are on Usenet long enough you'll get caught.....

 

I think you're right on there. It's ok for the family sedan to look
bland, but some of these Fords look awful. The Fusion was a redesigned
Mazda 6, and it was less safe than the Mazda 6 in crash tests. I'm
staying away from Fords until they improve for sure.

That said, I'm much more impressed with GM's turnaround in the past
year. At least I am willing to drive past a GM lot now. Do check out
the new Saturn Aura. It's not quite there but getting there with the
new Hydramatic 6L series tranny!

GM had a $5000 legacy disadvantage compared to the imports (and even
now Toyota is thinking of giving it's US workers a big haircut
according to a leaked internal document). When you pay GM $18K a few
years ago you're getting only a $13K car. Now it's like getting a $16K
car and I like the improvement I see in the Lambda and Epsilon
platforms.

 

Yeah, I hope the next iteration of Saturn Aura or GMC Acacia are even
better. I already like the new 3.6L V6 (LY7) with the Hydramatic 6L
(6T70?) series tranny.

 

I have had 2 Accords; one `86 with 250,000 k on it and a `92 that had
315,000 k on it when it was totaled . the `86 was poor on brakes .But
it was a GOOD car, travelled Montana when they had a prima facie speed
limit 110 MPH all the way across.

No problems at all and it was a 1990 CC x4 if I remember correctly.

The `92 was just regular maintenance .A good solid reliable car

I have owned many cars in my life including Studebaker and Nash,
Ford ,GM and Chrysler .and I will have to say the two Hondas were the
most trouble free Japanese manufactured cars I have EVER owned.(made
in Japan)

Both cars were bought used
Ed

 

They had the speed limit posted at 110 MPH?

Jeff

 

You are kidding, right? I'll bet you were never in the used car business,
if that is what you believe. Go to a use car lot or dealership and look at
some of the cars, as they are traded, then go back a week or so later and
look at the same car when it is for sale on the used car lot.

When one is looking at the high mileage cars you seem to prefer, what
differance can it make? Any average annual mileage car in ten years is
going to have at least 150K to 175K, on the clock. Any car that will last
the best part of a year is worth the selling price of any car ten years old
with over 150K on the clock. If one is deciding which 150K car to buy the
one with the set of new tires would likely be the best choice. Why would
anybody repair a vehicle with 150K or more on the clock when the cost of the
repair will pay half the cost of another 150K vehicle?. LOL

mike

 

I sold the last Lexus I owned, to one of my brothers-in law in 1999, when I
switched back to buying domestics. It was a 1997 LS V8. There was around
35K on the clock. He has other vehicles and only put around 10K or 12K on
the car annually. He sold it in 2006 with less than 90K on the clock
because it was costing him a fortune in repairs. $1,500
for a rebuilt water pump. $3,500 for a digital dash, $6,900 to repair the
tranny, all in one year.

The half dozen or so Lexus' I owned were great cars, but no better than my
subsequent
luxury domestics, that cost me many thousands less to buy. One of the
reasons I stopped buying from the Lexus dealer was it was costing me the
better part of $300, every time, for the scheduled maintenance.


mike

 

The chassis first used on the Mazda6 was designed by Ford engineers. The
Fusion uses the same basic chassis but the Fusion is nothing like the
Mazda6. The drive train is different as well. You might want to search the
NHTSA site for the safety ratings for both if you believe the Fusion is
'less safe' than the Mazda 6 in their crash tests.


mike

 

You were lucky I guess


mike