Honda/Toyota vs American

Just an observation. Most people think a Taurus or Buick Century are
comparable to Camrys or Accords, but in reality one is a 100,000 vehicle and
one is a 150,000 vehicle and the market prices them that way.

 

(Jason) wrote in

Only because our own companies would not respond to competition;in
fact,they lobbied for protection from competition.

(and the same thing happened with the VCR;Japan developed it when US
companies would not,and the profits went to Japan,deservedly.)

And Chrysler

This I agree with.

 

I would say the market VALUES the cars that way,not "prices",that is what
the manufacturers do;price their products.Then they must offer "incentives"
and price games to actually move their product.
The market(consumers) are the ones who decide what product is worth the
asking price.

Note that for some Japanese models,the American consumers were paying MORE
than the list price due to demand and desirability of certain models.And
still being put on waiting lists!!

 

And Fiat - like Chrysler, an automaker based in Europe.

 

Exactly.

Except that unlike Fiat, Chrysler is not an automaker based in Europe.
The parent corporation is based in Europe. But Chrysler is no more
based in Europe than Mercedes is based in California.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

GM has seemingly done a good job with the Cobalt from both an interior and
exterior appearance standpoint. Pricing is right too. However, there's
nothing more frightening in the automotive industry than a first-year GM
product. Regardless of whether it is a sedan, pickup truck or SUV. Cobalt
does have loads of potential though. The doors shut with the sound of the
late 80s Mercedes-Benz products. Solid as can be. Overall, you can tell that
GM has tried really, really hard with the Cobalt. It *should* be a winner
for them if it doesn't have too many introductory year bugs that scare
people off for subsequent year purchases. I would even consider a Cobalt
myself as a daily commuter car after it has been in production for three
full years. It has plenty of room in it, should be good on fuel economy,
looks decent enough if cosmetics are your thing, and can be well equipped if
you're willing to spring for the LT package. I have my eye on this one as a
fourth vehicle to be used mainly for commuting back and forth to work. It
definitely won't be a replacement for my 2002 Lexus IS300. I will always
have more confidence in the overall reliability of my Lexus, Honda and
Nissan products than I would a second or third year domestic. Wouldn't
matter to me if it were a GM, Ford OR Daimler-Chrysler product.

Ron M.

 

Ron,
After driving a Lexus for several years, you will learn to really hate
driving the Cobalt. I own a 99 Accord EX. I recently had to rent a small
car that had almost none of the features that are in my 99 Accord. It did
not even have a CD player. I was really glad when I was able to return it
and start driving my Accord. You will probably feel the same way everytime
you get back in your Lexus. The Cobalt will probably run very well for two
or three years and at that point--things will start breaking down. I hope
that I am wrong--but don't be surprised if it happened to the Cobalt.
Jason

 

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the response--and I understand where you're coming from here.
Sometimes it's tough getting back into my 1990 Nissan 300ZX and driving
it after having driven my IS300 for a few days straight. You're right in
that
you do get spoiled to an upgraded vehicle. I was hoping that maybe a
well-equipped Cobalt wouldn't be such an extreme letdown from the IS300,
but maybe it would be. I'd have to take a Cobalt on a long, long, LONG test
drive before purchasing one for a work commuter. The General hasn't gotten
my money yet. At this point it's nothing more than a thought.

Take care and have a great weekend.\

Ron M.

 

If you do decide to get a Cobalt instead of Honda, make sure that it has
the most powerful engine that comes in a Cobalt. The small car that I
rented had a really small engine (1.5). It ran really well in the city but
when I went up a grade, I had to hold the gas pedal to the floor just to
keep up with the traffic. I never have had to that with my Honda Accord.
Jason