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What on earth was Ford doing in 2005? It looks like they were simultaneously selling the Taurus, the Five Hundred, and the Crown Vic, and each of those for each brand? How many large sedans do you need?
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Aug 3, 2023 15:38
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Cage posted:Its still 55k miles for $5500? Good deal if it was taken care of. Literally a car owned by a Grandma whose sight started to fail shortly after buying the car. Now being sold by her daughter, who is close friends with my girlfriend's mother.
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Aug 3, 2023 15:49
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Twerk from Home posted:What on earth was Ford doing in 2005? It looks like they were simultaneously selling the Taurus, the Five Hundred, and the Crown Vic, and each of those for each brand? How many large sedans do you need? As I recall it seems that they were trying to retire the Taurus in favor of the Five Hundred at that time. The Crown Vic was a fleet vehicle - possibly fleet only by that time. They kept it around until they convinced enough police departments to start buying explorers.
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Aug 3, 2023 15:50
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Sub Rosa posted:Now I'm being told $6000, but still 55k miles. GS version.  Are you able to get it inspected by a mechanic before purchase?
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Aug 3, 2023 16:12
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My only story about the platform in general is that I had a chance to ride in a well-used Marauder last year, and even with (I think) 200k miles on it, it still seemed pretty solid overall.
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Aug 3, 2023 16:18
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Cage posted:Are you able to get it inspected by a mechanic before purchase? I'll ask the mechanic that is going to work on my Avalon if he would be available for that for sure.
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Aug 3, 2023 16:40
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Twerk from Home posted:What on earth was Ford doing in 2005? It looks like they were simultaneously selling the Taurus, the Five Hundred, and the Crown Vic, and each of those for each brand? How many large sedans do you need? They'd at least justify the separation between the Panther-platform and Taurus-platform as different products, which they were; both large sedans, but very different approaches to it. Fleet buyers still preferred the Panther and bought it in enough volume for Ford to justify producing it, without updates, right up until they could no longer do so without massive reworks in the name of safety and emissions. But the Taurus/Sable/500 and CV/GM/Town Car? Yeah, that was pointless. The big three, quite frankly, got lazy as gently caress. You could justify all the sub-brands in an era when the only foreign car sold in any volume was the VW Beetle, and those brands were given some leeway to have stylistic and/or mechanical product differences on the "same" car. By the 2000s, they'd cut all of that differentiation in the name of cost-savings so there was next to no difference between shared-platform cars, and they finally started axing brands that had no real reason to exist anymore. IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Aug 3, 2023 |
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Aug 3, 2023 18:12
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IOwnCalculus posted:The big three, quite frankly, got lazy as gently caress. You could justify all the sub-brands in an era when the only foreign car sold in any volume was the VW Beetle, and those brands were given some leeway to have stylistic and/or mechanical product differences on the "same" car. Of all the brands that could have survived, how did Buick? How many currently in production Buick models can you name off the top of your head? I got one.
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Aug 3, 2023 18:19
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Twerk from Home posted:Of all the brands that could have survived, how did Buick? Sales in China. Seriously, that's it. I have no idea why, but they were selling the hell out of them there at the time.
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Aug 3, 2023 18:21
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I read somewhere that they had/have a Buick minivan which is top tier because it's basically an executive car but seats 7 and culturally the sliding doors isn't a problem/mom-mobile vibeTwerk from Home posted:What on earth was Ford doing in 2005? It looks like they were simultaneously selling the Taurus, the Five Hundred, and the Crown Vic, and each of those for each brand? How many large sedans do you need? Have you seen how many variants of the GM/Chevy Suburban they make. There is the suburban, yukon, tahoe, apparently the yukon xl is considered a different model, escalade, I'm sure I missed a few. Money printers.
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Aug 3, 2023 18:50
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Motronic posted:Sales in China. Status symbol as luxury import brand. The scars of WII soured the Japanese brands ability to sell into China. Shipping European cars to China looks like an expensive pita compared to the West Coast of North America.
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Aug 3, 2023 18:56
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Calidus posted:Status symbol as luxury import brand. The scars of WII soured the Japanese brands ability to sell into China. Shipping European cars to China looks like an expensive pita compared to the West Coast of North America. They are made in China. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAIC-GM
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Aug 3, 2023 19:06
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So? A shitload of Hondas and Toyotas are built and sold in the US and people call them foreign cars. Consumers are very, very stupid.
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Aug 3, 2023 19:10
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Calidus posted:Status symbol as luxury import brand. The scars of WII soured the Japanese brands ability to sell into China. Shipping European cars to China looks like an expensive pita compared to the West Coast of North America. I puzzled over this typo for a long time, wondering why the Nintendo Wii was so offensive to the Chinese markets.
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Aug 3, 2023 19:17
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Shiner Bock beer is usually found on the "import" list in most bars simply because it's not "domestic" which apparently means bud/coors/miller lite
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Aug 3, 2023 19:17
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I only buy domestic cars that are made right here in the US of A like the Chevy Equinox or the Ford Bronco. None of those foreign imports, like the Honda Accord
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Aug 3, 2023 19:21
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Explosionface posted:My only story about the platform in general is that I had a chance to ride in a well-used Marauder last year, and even with (I think) 200k miles on it, it still seemed pretty solid overall. That Ford all aluminum DOHC 4.6 was a nice motor.
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Aug 3, 2023 20:11
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jokes posted:I only buy domestic cars that are made right here in the US of A like the Chevy Equinox or the Ford Bronco. None of those foreign imports, like the Honda Accord Honda choice to make USA its primary market over Japan was bet that really paid off. There was a marketing push by Honda at one point that showed that their Marysville Ohio plant cars were more American than the cars offered by the big 3 out Detroit.
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Aug 3, 2023 20:24
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davecrazy posted:That Ford all aluminum DOHC 4.6 was a nice motor. The mod motor? Are you serious?
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Aug 3, 2023 20:27
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jokes posted:I only buy domestic cars that are made right here in the US of A like the Chevy Equinox or the Ford Bronco. None of those foreign imports, like the Honda Accord My Bronco was made in Michigan. You may be thinking of the Bronco Sport which is made in Hermosilla.
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Aug 3, 2023 20:34
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Calidus posted:Honda choice to make USA its primary market over Japan was bet that really paid off. There was a marketing push by Honda at one point that showed that their Marysville Ohio plant cars were more American than the cars offered by the big 3 out Detroit. I think I've read things that say of the dollars spent on a car, buying a Honda or a Toyota means more of those dollars goes to American workers than at any American manufacturer.
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Aug 3, 2023 20:39
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Motronic posted:The mod motor? Are you serious? I'm on my third one. I like the 305hp verison the most 
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Aug 3, 2023 20:55
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I've seen a gang of MFs who "won't buy anything made in/by a country that has been at war with 'Murica". Don't know if that means they'd only buy cars made in the northern/southern US cause of that whole America being at war with itself thing....
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Aug 3, 2023 23:24
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Motronic posted:The mod motor? Are you serious? I had one for 18 years or so in my Mach 1. It ran amazing and was bulletproof.
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Aug 3, 2023 23:54
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davecrazy posted:I had one for 18 years or so in my Mach 1. It ran amazing and was bulletproof. I had one for nearly that long, and worked on a lot of others. They rot off exhaust manifolds, cam phasers go bad all the time, piston slap, stuck plugs...... its was not my favorite ford motor.
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Aug 3, 2023 23:56
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Hadlock posted:I read somewhere that they had/have a Buick minivan which is top tier because it's basically an executive car but seats 7 and culturally the sliding doors isn't a problem/mom-mobile vibe Tahoe/Suburban, Yukon/XL, Escalade/ESV is a wheelbase/body length difference, they're all three rows but the short versions have next to no cargo room with the third row. Let's not forget that for a long time the GMC version was also badged Suburban in the absolute laziest badge-engineering possible. GMC is the exception that proves the rule. It has absolutely no models or trims that are not also available as a Chevy, Buick, or Cadillac. The inverse is true, though; you can get low-spec Chevy trucks that you can't get as a GMC, and there are features/an engine the Escalade can get that the Yukon Denali can't. There is apparently a large enough market that wants "Chevy but different grille" to justify its existence.
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Aug 4, 2023 00:32
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IOwnCalculus posted:There is apparently a large enough market that wants "Chevy but different grille" to justify its existence. I don't know how much percentage wise it is, but a lot of GMC sales are business/farm or straight up fleet. That's what I always thought they were for. Like, the local tractor place used to sell Kubotas and GMCs. You didn't used to buy a GMC as an individual, that wasn't really an option unless you went to the ag store rather than the dealership.
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Aug 4, 2023 00:35
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I was under the impression that GMC was the flagship brand/trim level/grille, and fleet sales usually chose the second to bottom tier trim level
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Aug 4, 2023 00:41
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IOwnCalculus posted:Tahoe/Suburban, Yukon/XL, Escalade/ESV is a wheelbase/body length difference, they're all three rows but the short versions have next to no cargo room with the third row. This became a lot less true in MY 2021 (?) when they went to independent rear suspension. Cargo room is now comparable to or better than any other three row I could find aside from minivans, and no longer that far off there (25ish vs 33ish cubic feet) Hadlock posted:I was under the impression that GMC was the flagship brand/trim level/grille, and fleet sales usually chose the second to bottom tier trim level Most of their non pickup truck model lineup slots below Cadillac and above Chevy, so
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Aug 4, 2023 01:29
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Hadlock posted:I was under the impression that GMC was the flagship brand/trim level/grille, and fleet sales usually chose the second to bottom tier trim level I think that was actually the change from my understanding to them ending up on consumer lots. When I say selling at the tractor store I'm talking about the 90s.
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Aug 4, 2023 01:34
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I was wondering the other day which came first: the Denali, or GMC generally being considered upmarket vs Chevy
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Aug 4, 2023 01:38
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Hadlock posted:I was under the impression that GMC was the flagship brand/trim level/grille, and fleet sales usually chose the second to bottom tier trim level They're in a weird position.
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Aug 4, 2023 02:18
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davecrazy posted:That Ford all aluminum DOHC 4.6 was a nice motor. Would you like your spark plus ejected from the head at extreme speed, or snapped off?
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Aug 4, 2023 02:19
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Looking for advice on buying one of two grocery getters. Friends of my wife just bought a Tesla or something and are getting rid of their two old cars. They're giving us the first crack at them and the buddy price for us could end up being a bit lower than what is listed below. Hoping that the collective wisdom here will let us give them a quicker answer and an idea of what a "good" price would be. 1) 2008 Toyota Prius $4,800, 186K miles. 99% sure it's the original battery. Most important feature: "imported" here very recently from outside the snow/rust belt. Single owner. 2) 2010 Mazda 3 i Touring Sedan $5,800 115K miles. Rust belt born and raised which is why it has 2021 tires and 2022 struts.[/b] Sister and then brother owned, so two owners technically. My wife and I each had separate cars until covid. She drove a 2010 RAV4 and I would drive an oil-burning, wheel-bearing-destroying 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix 3 miles to the gym and nowhere else three times a week. We still have the RAV4 but a second car would be handy as our commuting needs are changing. My first inclination was to go for the Prius but I have not done a lot of research on old Prius batteries and replacing them. The winters here can drop below zero for a week or so at a time so it may start to wear faster in this climate. I did see on newpriusbatteries.com that it costs about $1,900 and 4 hours to DIY. I'm sure there are reconditioned packs that are cheaper. I have replaced (quick) struts, wheel bearings, brakes, and things like water pumps. I have not done a ton of electronic/electric work but have a soldering iron and multimeter. 08 Priuses in my area seem to go for $3,500 to $7,500 on craigslist. As for the Mazda, I don't know a lot about them except that they have had rust problems in the past(?). 2010 Mazda 3s (not seeing a lot of older tourings) are around $4,000 to $8,000 (for Sport) on craigslist.
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Aug 4, 2023 22:02
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If this is your budget you don't have room for "is fun to drive" so the clear choice is the Prius.
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Aug 4, 2023 22:09
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lol thank you. I have read enough of AI in the past to know "buy a Prius" is the default and we're in a situation where putting a bunch of miles on a cheap ol' reliable for a couple years makes sense before buying something more fun. Just wanted to make sure there weren't any huge issues with the 2008. So far all I have found is just general battery wear and tear, and burning out headlights over and over. I guess there was a recall for that so I need to check and see if they got that fixed.
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Aug 4, 2023 22:42
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The Mazda3 is definitely the more fun car and if you weren't in the rust belt I'd say go for it because it's not going to cost a huge amount more than a Prius to run. But you (and it) are in the rust belt and Mazdas do not do rust well. I'll take a soul-destroying rust-free Prius any day over a Mazda3 that's rotting to death. And yes, with the repairs you've done, you are more than qualified to do a Prius HV battery. ChrisFix did a video on the replacement recently, there's nothing fiddly about it. Just a lot of fasteners to deal with, and then make sure you follow proper safety procedures around the high voltage sections.
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Aug 4, 2023 23:21
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Is a '99 Isuzu Trooper a fine/reliable enough cheap offroad vehicle? There's one for sale near me, $1500 with 150k miles on the clock. It wouldn't be my daily driver but something I use when going hiking/to the range to handle BLM roads.
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Aug 6, 2023 17:35
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Combatace posted:Is a '99 Isuzu Trooper a fine/reliable enough cheap offroad vehicle? They're fine. Easy to work on, very good off road. Super basic. If it's the 4 cylinder they like to eat head gaskets unless they fixed that by 99. They 80s and early 90s ones sure did from what I recall. My 88 ate one.
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Aug 6, 2023 17:43
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Proposed Budget: ~$10k New or Used: Used (duh) Body Style: Coupe, Sedan, Wagon How will you be using the car?: Mostly as a fun weekend/summer car, not relied on for transportation by any means. What aspects are most important to you? Must be RWD, manual and fun to drive, preferably with an I6. Reliability, or at least decent parts availability would be nice too. Otherwise, I'd honestly prefer as few electronics and creature comforts as possible. I guess I'd want something with OBD-2 at the very least, otherwise age is not a huge factor. I've been looking mostly at the 1st-gen IS300 and 128i. These cars are exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm definitely open to other suggestions. In my ZIP code (right outside NYC) the ones available for ~10k are ready for the junkyard. Does anyone have experience scouting out/buying cars across the country? Am I likely to get a better deal if I can travel to buy something? Are there any sort of non-scammy brokers available in this price range? Any good way to monitor the prices of these cars? I understand that anything in this price range is going to have a large amount of deferred maintenance, but I'm not opposed to that because it would not be my main vehicle for transportation and I would spread the cost out over time if it's feasible. I've never even serviced my car at a dealership, so I'm not too familiar with that process. I'm picturing buying the car outright in cash, but please let me know if it would make more sense to finance (I would still want to pay it off in 2 years minimum, and avoid horrific interest rates).
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Aug 15, 2023 17:18
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