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Dan Keller
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
16:30:53
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 Subject: RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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who cares where they're built... it's where they are designed and tested that makes the real difference. Closer attention to detail. Not a lot of "fudging". I too would like to see the big three start this type of car building campaign.
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S. Allen
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
17:14:42
|  I looked at and drove everything...
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...and still am decided on a Quad Cab Dakota.
The Tundra is tempting, but you gotta admit, that back seat is microscopic when compared to the QC Dakotas. Actually, the Tacoma's back seat seems roomier to sit in. Also, all of the Toyotas suffer from feeling too "cold" and uninviting inside as well as being too narrow.
Then, theres the pricing issue - Toyotas are just priced too high. I saw several Tacoma Double Cabs priced at over 30K. Yeah...30K for a mini-truck...I don't think so!
Ever owned a Toyota? If it EVER does need to go in to the shop, customer service at Toyota is HORRIBLE. I have had better service at Ford dealers than at the Toyota dealership.
All this talk about BMWs being golden makes me laugh. I owned a 235i and it went in the shop just as often as the Ford Explorer we replaced it with...and it was PLENTY costly when we got the bill. Also, I could never figure out why the fuel filter cost four times as much as the fuel filter in my Ranger...it didn't LOOK special.
Besides, a BMW is a 35-40K dollar automobile at the low end and the upper models cost twice what a loaded-up Dakota would cost. If I spent 40K on a car, I'd EXPECT it to be BETTER than a 20K dollar pick-up. If BMW would make a 20-25K car, it would not be any more reliable than the average Dakota.
The advantage (I think) of the Dakota is that you get alot for the money. Hey, if I can make a 91 Ranger go 185K miles on the original engine/tranny and a 95 Explorer go 145K miles, I am betting the Dakota will last just as long. Its all in how you treat it and maintain it.
I have known people that blew up Rangers like mine at 50K miles. I have also known someone that burned up an Accord 4 cylinder at 75K miles...it al depends on how you drive it and maintain it. If your Dakota DOES fall apart prematurely, thats what the Lemon Law is for.
All this said, I am hoping that the German influence of the Daimler folks has a positive impact on the Chrysler US made stuff. They seem more interested in quality than they have ever been in the past.
The REAL problem in the US auto makers is the awful union influence. If we could ever de-unionize the US Big 3 automakers, you'd see a real level playing field.
Like all areas of US manufacturing, the unions keep the quality low and incompetent people employed and over-paid for making inferior products.
...and ol' Hoffa and his ilk still stand around and scratch their heads and wonder why Americans buy Toyotas and Hondas over and over again.
-SA
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youracrybaby
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
17:29:24
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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"I`ve assembled many BMW engines"
"any given BMW motors cross-hatching still looked fresh at 300K. Compression is still perfect! No sucked valves either!"
WTF...why then are you "assembling" the motors...or are you working on motors with 6 or 700K miles on them?!?!
What exactly was wrong with your truck , except for the rear end growling? I could pick apart any veh. out there if I wanted to...trust me it`s not limited to Dodge or American cars. I think you are expecting a 20something K$ truck to be comparable to a 40+K$ BMW(or anything else for the sake of arguing over just BMrs).
There are lemons out there of all makes and models and there are also people out there that think their 95 Geo is a 50$ Vette.
Have fun in your "car"!
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IntenseDak39
*GenIII*
7/09/2002
18:04:31
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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superbee,
i was thinking more like the 100 shot of nitrous on those poor little pistons... but mudding is so fun in lowered trucks! ;-)
intensedak3.9
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
18:23:42
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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CW most of the profits and assets have gone to Germany. This is why DC went from doing weel before the merger to being redlined and haveing to lay-off thousands of workers after. Even JD Powers IQ2 Initial Quality showed a huge gap. THe figure are as follows: #1 Toyota 31 problems per 100 cars/trucks,#2 Honda 124 Problems per 100,#3 GM 131 problems per 100 cars/trucks. I might be off a little since I read the report about 4 weeks ago. To bad JD powers did not track out of warranty parts sales!!!! I can tell you that while I like my Truck and think they did a good job on the power train so far; I think that quality and design of some parts sucks. I am going to try to fight for a paint job, the truck is showing rust, brakes are warped, the plastic parts in side the truck keep comeing apart/seperateing in the heat...... I had to take it in for three TSB's. I have a 2001 Quad Cab with 16,000 miles and I am a maintence nut!!! I perform all maintence well inside the sever duty schedule for most items even though it falls under normaly usage. There is a reason that American car and truck buyers are buying fewer and fewer American Make's!!! The first step to getting a better made vechile is demanding it. If we do not demand better paint, brakes that last at least 100,000 miles and powertrains designed to last 300,000 with routine maintence!!
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YJ
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
18:39:33
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Youracrybaby,
In 2000, I could've bought my dakota quad cab for 27 grand or a bmw 328 for 27 grand. BMW has its issues, but overall have better attention to detail and less problems than Daks. I chose my Dak because she's much more functional.
A Tundra was very close in price that year as well. If I had to do it over again, I would buy a Tundra. I love my dak, even with all of the problems. But damn, just wish I didn't have to keep dropping off, picking up from dealer, change diff fluid, add special lsd friction modifier, change tranny fluid, add special anti-foam atf+4, yadda yadda. They could make a better dakota if they wanted to. There's just no need when people like me are buying. But when people like me decide to buy foreign for the next vehicle and spread the word, hopefully something will eventually happen...probably not in my lifetime. ; )
YJ
Black 2K QC 4x4 4.7 3.92 KVT910DVD
Black 91 YJ 4LHO Borla | 5" Suspension | 33BFGMT
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CW
GenIII
7/09/2002
20:53:01
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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I still don't buy the numbers on the ammount of problems but will not argue where the money goes because I don't know. I work at a dealer and the engines IMO are just as good as toyotas because I don't ever have them apart. If I have it is because of the owners abuse. The crosshatch is still there and looking good after 120,000 miles.
I am really getting tired of this debate. I have driven a great deal of miles in different dodge trucks with very little problems. I am far from a "maintence nut". change the oils at 3000 (not synthetic). I tow a fair ammount as well.
2001 4.7HO RC 5sp 3.92 LSD
Click on thumbnail for mods
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Hersbird
Dodge Dakota
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7/09/2002
21:57:26
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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So by the numbers a Toyota or Honda will break down 30% less often and then cost twice as much to fix... Well I'm no accountant but seems like the 1/2 price deal is better. So whats everybody's feelings on the Dodge Neon from say 95-98? Ever heard of a head gasket problem? Well what about you opnion on tha Honda Accord from 90-93? A wonderful car right. Well check out these maintenance reports form Carpoint...
Here is the Neon...
http://carpoint.msn.com/vip/usedsingleyear.aspx?modelid=826&src=vip#Reliability
and here is the Honda...
http://carpoint.msn.com/vip/usedsingleyear.aspx?modelid=1313&src=vip#Reliability
So the neon's problem is "occasional", and "moderate" whaile the Honda is "Significant" and "common. The Honda costs more to repair, and when the dristributer fails your wife and kids are stranded on the side of the road in Compton, Ca. with no warning. The Neon's problem is basically a small oil leak and you could drive to Montana and back with no problems with the bad headgasket. Honda and Toyota do not traditionally release TSB's and recalls unless it is the most serious of problems. They would rather just fix stuff on the sly and protect their reputation. Chrysler will issue a TSB just to clarify wording in the manual so that comparision is not a good one. Consumer Reports is also a bad place to get "studies" they are nothing more then surveys, and thay have long shown a bias toward Honda and Toyota. They make no effort to determine if there really were any problems or it the survey respondants even every owned the car they are knocking. Plus the majority of Consumer Reports readers are bound to be extra anal, and therefore give the Honda high marks because it's supposed to be better then their neighbors Dodge, even though they did have that alternator problem when visiting San Francisco...
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kota on 20s
GenIII
7/09/2002
22:21:44
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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S. Allen, you wrote the following, but it makes no sence
"All this talk about BMWs being golden makes me laugh. I owned a 235i and it went in the shop just as often as the Ford Explorer we replaced"
"All this said, I am hoping that the German influence of the Daimler folks has a positive impact on the Chrysler US made stuff."
you say that the beemer kept breaking down, but then you say you hope the german's influence US made stuff.. well BMW IS GERMAN. if they are so bad, why would you want them to influence the american auto makers?
Eric, 98 5.2 5speed, K&N gen II, 50mm TB, 2bbl M-1, 1.7RR's, JBA ciramic headers, carsound cat, dumped gibson, and a lot more
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92dakotahd
GenII
7/10/2002
02:14:06
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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I'm with the de-unionizing folks. I live in a Dodge town we have the oldest DC plant in North America and it shows, better than 60% of cars/trucks here are Mopars. I mean we've got30-40 R/Ts, 1000s of Rams, daks, neons, etc. And the nerve of SOME(not all) of the DC employees is amazing. They are getting paid great money ($40-60K+) and getting BIG discounts on DC stuff and they do nothing but complain. Blah Blah this and Blah Blah that. Some guys get a new truck every 6 months and to get it just make a double payment in effect and just keep doing this for years. They take DC to the ringer and do nothing but Bi+ch in return for all of the crap they get. DC is just trying to make up for all of the money it's very employees are squeezing out of it.
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S. Allen
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
08:54:06
| kota on 20s...
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What I meant was that I hope that MERCEDES has an influence on Chrysler. BMW is another story and I am sorry...it was a 325i that I owned...not a 235.
With the 325i, I always thought it was strange that I had to have the valves adjusted every 25K miles. I never adjusted valves on Fords or Chevys I owned in the past and they all went over 150K miles. The valve adjustment is a silly and expensive thing to have to fool with and just another reason why these are known as "rich people's cars." Only the rich can afford to maintain these meticilious and finicky little cars.
The 325i I owned also had lots of front-end issues with alignment and keeping the camber in toe (hello...Ford...you're no stranger to this either!). The a/c is also really pitiful in any Beemer I have ever ridden in...ditto for Volvos. Maybe the a/c is fine if you're living in Michigan, where it maybe gets to 85 for a month or so, but in hellishly hot Houston, TX, it does not cut the mustard. The 325 also had a habit of running WAY too hot (ask any BMW tech...they'll agree about this). I installed a different thermostat and eventually had to go to a bigger radiator but I still felt that it ran way too hot. My experience was that the BMW is not designed for really hot climates. The heater worked great, but who cares in Houston Texas...we don't need it! Down here, a good car has a good a/c system. You people up north will never be able to relate to this, I guess.
It is no secret that Mercedes has a reputation for longevity and THAT is what I hope rubs off on Chrysler. Most of the time, if I see a sedan on the road that is 10-15 years old and it is still running and looking good, it is usually a Mercedes, not a Chrysler or Jap car of any sort.
Its no secret that all of that black plastic stuff on every 10-year old Toyota on the road has turned grey and looks liek crap. Nissans are even worse. I park next to a 93 Pathfinder at work every day and the silver colored hubs on the wheels have faded to a lovely yellow and the door handles and bumpers are a lovely shade of smoke grey. Yeah, it runs great..but it looks like sh*t, so don't think Chrysler has the market cornered on bad paint jobs. Nissan is a runner in that market, too!
-SA
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Chris W
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
13:01:32
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Neons are pieces of crap. not even in the same league as Hondas.
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Chris W
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
13:01:32
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Neons are pieces of crap. not even in the same league as Hondas.
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92dakotahd
GenII
7/10/2002
14:03:33
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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This may have been mentioned but don't forget that typically older and more sedate people drive BMWs and Benzs so domestic trucks get beat up more than these cars. Again apples to oranges. And the Germans probably gain a lot from the fact that most of them are competing in one racing circuit or another. Don't see daks in any racing series.
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EBOLAVIRS
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
15:18:28
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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I just bought a 2002 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4x4 with every option including leather. I have had it a total of 6 months and I already wish I had purchased a Tundra. I get around 12 miles per gallon out of a v8 that makes v6 power. My truck has been in the shop a total of 27 days for anything from a leaking rear window to defective torsion bar hangers. I will be selling this truck within a year and it will be replaced with a Toyota Tundra. It simply amazes me that Dodge wants you to pay 30,000 for a vehicle and then "be ok" with it being in the shop for 1 of the 6 months you own it. I have spoken with the district manager in my area and she states the problems with my truck are "within tollerance" which means to them its acceptable. You wanna talk about service? The service at my local Dodge dealer couldnt be any worse, so the way I look at it at least if I buy a Tundra I will only have to put up with the crappy service about 1/3 as much as I do with Dodge. It is too bad because I love the way this truck looks, I even love the way it performs (when its working) but $30,000.00 should get you something that works and if America cant make it I will give my money to Japan. Bottom line....after talking to everyone up the ladder in the Dodge organization...even some folks in Detroit, they dont care. Once they have your money you are hosed. They dont care if you buy again, they dont care if you buy foreign from here to eternity. They just want to make their 100,000 a year salary and go home. Funny thing is the regional director that came to look at my truck wasnt even driving a Chrysler product. Now if that doesnt tell you something I dont know what does.
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92dakotahd
GenII
7/10/2002
17:22:02
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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What's up with the Tundra this and tundra that? Aren't they FULLSIZE trucks? And people mention that where the $$ goes to and the R&D happen are all that matters with whether or not they are Domestic or foreign. Where do you think the guys who screwed up your trucks were? In the U.S.! Tundras are made in Indiana. Those people have a lot of pride in what they make and it shows. Chrysler guys tend to just want they're money. They don't care how good of a job they do. You can't call anything "Domestic" or "Import" because many cars are made everywhere now. Here in Indiana we make dodges, hummers, hondas, toyotas, chevies and ferds. Don't complain about americans, just blame it on the guys who made/inspected your truck. And if you have a problem, take the dealer to the cleaners.
And if you bought a QC 4WD and hoped for a power house truck getting 20 mpg you are dreaming. You've got the heaviest Dak out there so keep that in mind.
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
17:55:59
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Well S. Allen the reason you had to get the valves adjusted is becuse they do not use hydralic lifters. Hydralic lifters are very poor answere to valve adjusment. Mechanical lifters offer more precise engine functioning, performance and more power. You also get lower emissions. All of your top performing race cars use solid lifter or no lifters at all.
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kota on 20s
GenIII
7/10/2002
19:35:27
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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what about the new jaguar X-type? the engine is made in the US, the tranny in germany, and final build is liverpool england. this is with all cars. the line between foren and domestic is fading quickly.
Eric, 98 5.2 5speed, K&N gen II, 50mm TB, 2bbl M-1, 1.7RR's, JBA ciramic headers, carsound cat, dumped gibson, and a lot more
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Hersbird
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2002
20:59:06
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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"Neons are pieces of crap. not even in the same league as Hondas"
Well I post some facts and this is the brainiack response I get... Hey the new BMW Mini Cooper has a Chrysler motor in it, go figure.
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Manuel
Dodge Dakota
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7/13/2002
20:49:05
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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BMW?!?!?! I bought this truck because I need a TRUCK; a 4-WHEEL DRIVE truck! The closest thing I see BMW making to my Dak ist that so-called SUV, and I dare anyone to follow me up some trails in one of those. These are minivans in SUV clothing! As far as I know, the only Japanese vehicles that can be compared, fairly to the Dakota, are the Tundra and the old T-100.
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mikeh
Dodge Dakota
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7/14/2002
01:42:06
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Hi,
To me heres my opinion on import vs domestic.
I say domestic,, you get more bang for the buck.
As an import you pay-more for less.
---
with an import,,, the breakdown cost is more while at the shop
with an domestic... the breakdown is LESS while at the shop.
Parts are flat out cheaper then an import is. But made vehicles can be cheap in price to fix and repair.... but ONLY if you can do it yourself!!
Yes if you take an import to go to the shop to get an new alternator hell YES its going to be pricy.
Yes if you take an domestic to go to the shop to get an new alternator put in HELL YES its going to be cheaper.
-----
As for quality.. I do own an 98 Maxima and an 96 Explorer and both never brokedown yet.
But my alternator when out on my Nissan and it cost me 400.00 to fix.
While if an alternator on my Explorer went out it will be more then half that price to replace and install at an shop.
Give an take... like you all say.... its all in how you maintain your vehicle. I like both import and domestic. If I had an choice which to keep and I was not a money making stock broker fool... then YES I'd own an domestic over an import.
I think DOMESTIC are rugged anyways and fells lot stronger built on the outside then any import.
Imports I feel like I am in an aluminum coke can.
An domestic.. I feel like I am in an stainless steel water tower :)
Play it say... DOMESTIC is my preference.. but if you got money and love to spend it on your vehicle.. get an import.. import will cost you more in the long run as for repairs/maintance.
\amen
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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7/14/2002
11:55:38
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Mike I am in the auto industry! I can tell you right know that the price for OEM parts from your dealer for American makes is on par in price with OEM parts from your import dealer. Most alternators at the dealership level for anything made since 1996 on up are going to run around $240- $400 + core + tax. Most front hubs will cost you $300 to $500, injectors $120 if mpi, $400 if cpi, pads or shoes $70-$100. I dare you to buy everything you need to rebuild your engine from OEM. You will have to buy everthing individualy. You would have to buy each bearing individualy, each set of rings, each gasket.... they do not kit anything out anymore for the most part. Now if you were talking only pre 1996 especialy early 80's American steel then I would say ya you are right. You can not touch a Fuel Tank Module(sender and pump) for less then $500 at the dealership. It is also a well proven fact by J.D. Powers and Consumer reports that American brands have more problems then import. The good news s that American makes are cathing up slowly but surely. They still have a long way to go. It is still considered remarkable for an American vechile to make it to 300,000 miles with it's origanal power train. It is common place for a Toyota or Honda to do this. While I like Nissan alot they are now in 4th place for initial quality according to J.D. Powers recent IQ2 report. Toyota has been in 1st place so long I can not remember who had it before them. Nissian was nocked out of third place by GM. GM is realy trying hard to improve. I hope some day that they will be number 1, Dodge number 2 Toyota number 3. It is true that you get more content with American makes but that content tends to cheaply made and ends up costing big money to fix 3-5 years down the road.
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ZZ
Dodge Dakota
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7/14/2002
14:09:41
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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How big of a boat can a $30,000+ Mercedes or BMW tow? Where I live, you don't see many German or Japanese vehicles towings boats. Why is that? Remember, the Chevrolet Chevette was designed in Germany. Now that was one quality piece of German engineering !!!
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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7/14/2002
16:04:16
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Well I had a friend that used to use a V6 poweered Toyota T100 to tow a 26 foot twin hull deep sea boat with twin 300 HP Yamaha outboard motors. My Moms Toyota Tundra will tow as much as any 1/2 ton. This may suprise you but Toyota even made a 1 ton compact chasis at one time. I see an awful lot of Penske moveing truck that are Toyota compat's. I have towed HMV's, Bronco's, Suburbans, alot of Rangers and one Z71 with my 1986 Toyota 4Runner. The HMV was a fluke the driver was an idiot and high centered. Had he known how to drive off road he would never had gotten stuck. The Chevette might have been an Adam Opel design but Opel is the laughing stock of most german car enthusists with a couple of exceptions. Opel was still useing carburators in 1988 on their cars!!! Pretty soon you will see a 1 Ton Toyota fullsize with a 5.4 liter V8. You see quite a few BMW's and Benz cars towing camperas and trailer in Europe. The chevette was poorly executed and was a rattle trap but they were very durable once they solved the head warpage problem. You still see alot of Chevettes on the road. It was one of the most reliable vechiles that GM ever built. The just drove you crazy with rattles.
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92dakotahd
GenII
7/20/2002
23:08:15
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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You can tow a yacht with a Chevette it's just a matter of how long till it explodes. And that's true with anything. I know a guy who had a tandem axle trailer, a real nice one and it had an old pre-iroc camaro(the ugly ones) on it. They moved it around they're property with a Kubota Riding mower, not a real tractor, a mower. Better than 5,000 lbs.
In Europe you going to see more "imports" towing because there they are "domestics" DUH!
And though I've contributed heavily this is a pointless endeavor. If my memory serves me our beloved Viper V10 is very much a product of Lamborgini's engineering. So the heart and soul of America's BEST MODERN MUSCLE CAR is Italian.
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bottomline
Dodge Dakota
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7/20/2002
23:22:11
| wall street is the problem guys.
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The problem is not unions folks. If that were true, then BMW and Benz would be total washouts. IG Metal wields more power than the UAW and USW combined.
TO say we need to get rid of unions is asking that we go back to the dark ages. No need to do that; all you need to do is go to a Mexican factory and you can re-visit late 19th-early 20th century America. ANd be able to do it w/o a time machine as well.
Do you suggest we go back to oh lets say 4-5 bucks an hour? WOuld you, as white collar workers, be willing to take a pay cut as well? Do you, as an assistant VP need to make a six figure salary not to mention ooodles of stock options and a severance package larger then the gross national product of some countries?
No, the problem is NOT unions but rather Wall Street that demands instant and exhorbitant returns on investment. YOu cannot pay a liveable wage, comply with OSHA and EPA, provide captial investment in your plants, fund R&D, AND keep wall street happy. It's just is not possible.
So my question to the union bashers is this? How low are you all willing to go on the wage scale? How close to third world living standards must we get to before we are "competitive"? What "luxuries" are you willing to sacrifice.
Seems its ok to say union workers are overpaid. Why not the same comment on middle management and assitant, junior and executive Vp's? THat is where the waste is both in terms of salary dollars and talent.
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jj
Dodge Dakota
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7/20/2002
23:36:42
|  RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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i think as you see toyotas power going up we will see their drive tranes failing sooner too. It`s true that alot of toyotas go 300,000 miles on the orig. drive trane, with a no a torque 22r motor ,its no wonder they can go so long. jj
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Bad-Seed
Dodge Dakota
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7/21/2002
00:43:19
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Man Bottomline,that was well said !!
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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7/21/2002
01:16:58
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Dodge Dakota, I doubt we will see that happen. Remember that these are the same people that put a sightly smaller copy of a Ford 9" in the rear of all of their pickup's two wheel drive or 4 wd even though they only had a little 4 cylinder and later a v6. The only thing that chages from one vechile to the next is the size. The drive shafts, diff.'s, transmission and t/case in the 4 clinder trucks is strong enough to handle V8 power. I once put a chevy small block into a Toyota 4x4. I needed more power to turn big tires rock crawling. Most American companys depend on marketing and gimicky content to drive sales. Toyota depends on it's reputation for build quality, durability and repeat sales. While I realy like my Dakota I have 5 senses and happen to have access to both a Tundra and a Dak. You would have to be deaf and dumb not to be able to see, hear and feel the difference in refinment between the Dak and the Tundra. Tundra Pros: The engine and transmission is quiter and smoother in the Tundra. Harsh bumps and road noise are better isolated in the Tundra. The breaks are wounderful in the Tundra.It has much beter ground clearance. The entire vechile is painted great.The fit and finish of every panel interior or exterior is on par with a swiss watch!!! Cons for Tundra: It is a fulsize not a midsize and should not be compared to our Daks. It has less space in the Access version then our Quad cabs. The price is high and Toyota sales people will not haggel. The steering is over boosted. The dash is a little plain. The stero does not sound any where near as good as our Infinity System. In the end Dodge had more usable interior space, better priceing, great styling and good interest rate!!!! I would be lying if I denied the fact that I would have like to have been able to afford a Tundra. THe only major complaints I have with my Dak are poor paint that is missing on the bottom of my rocker panels and the worst brakes that I have ever seen on a truck!! I will be happy if I can get dodge to repaint this thing for me. P.S. My 2001 Dak Quad Cab is my favorite vechile to drive. I like driveing it more then my old 4Runner. I just wish dodge would have done everything right the first time. Bad paint and brakes is no way to win repeat business.
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Chris W
Dodge Dakota
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7/21/2002
09:03:32
| RE: American Junk--sorry guys I must vent...
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Message:
I will keep my 8 year old Dak until:
A- Toyota makes an affordable truck. have you sen the prices on those little things?
B-Honda builds a pickup. have had nothing but success out of my Honda's.
Since I dont see any of those happening, I am stuck with my Dakota.
Oh well, It could be worse, at least its not a Ferd or Cheby.
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