devassocx

Ten Cars Detroit Should Copy

I think you are blaming the auto companies for quite a few things
that you should be really laying at the door of your government and
it's nanny state mentality with all the laws and regulations it shoves
onto the auto makers.


On Mar 29 08:38 AM teammisek wrote:

> Rick, While you are so right in your comparison of foriegn to domestics,
> there are several factors over and above your argument.
> Many years ago I was asking the auto dealers how they could justify
> me paying more for one of their new cars than I paid for my house!
> While the purchase price of autos has leveled off to some degree,
> in part due to foriegn compitition, the unneccesary complication
> of auto design has not abated. They might as well put a lock on the
> hood of their vehicles that can only be opened by the dealership!
>
> The sophistication of today's vehicles is mind boggling to an old
> fart like me. I've worked on vehicles since I was a kid but today
> I have been thrown to the mercy of the wolves.
> My wife and I were the proud owners of a 2000 'L Series' Saturn Wagon.
> We bought it new. It was our third Saturn. What a nightmare! That
> car had three computers, electronic throttle, and this funny little
> light on the dash that would come on: "Reduced Power". Why on Earth
> would someone knowingly build a car that would have "reduced power"?!
> Yet they do. Under 'reduced power' the car would only idle. If this
> occured in traffic...well, there you were. Try to get out of the
> road and shut the car off to reset the computer. No one knew how
> to fix this car. Saturn wanted us to spend $7,000 to replace the
> computers!
> We traded that $23,000 Saturn last year for a new Hyundai Accent
> ($11,000). The Accent has a throttle cable! Ingenious! We got $600
> for the Saturn, not trashed, but not fixed. It did have a nice stereo.
>
> I couldn't guess how many potential customers out there are longing
> for the days of the Saturday morning tune-up and oil change. I need
> a vehicle I can maintain and service myself. I don't need a DVD player!
> I don't want a car that thinks it knows what I want it to do. I don't
> want a car that thinks. I want a car that responds to my direction
> for steering, accelleration and braking. If I need the tires to skid
> a little I don't want ABS (Anti-Braking System) to override my command!
>
> Your points are absolutely on the money pointing out the disparity
> between "ours" and "theirs". I think there is room for improvement
> on a much broader scale. I for one, will regress. ( I enjoy my old
> cars! )
> Steve