People and their opinions

Is it still completely debatable as to which companies are the best? It annoys me how all these people say they hate Fords....and all they can say for WHY is "because they suck and break down". It also annoys me how there can be person A and person B, both obsessively research and are in love with cars and everything about them, and have been for years, and they seem equally smart, yet one sais GM rules and Ford sucks and the other sais just the opposite.


Is it pretty much a you get what you pay for thing with cars? (unless youre buying from someome trying to screw you)


Im going to buy my first car pretty soon....I'll probably spend like 2000-3000 on one...and I have no idea which car to get. Some people say go with an old civic/accord, others say get an old Chevy Cavallier or whatever. Of course...they dont really back up their "whys" with facts or explanations...

  spinal_tarp

Well, it comes from the ages old tribal human instinct, to fear and ridicule 'the other." You know, my family is better than your family. My tribe is better than your tribe. My community is better than your community, my school, team, company, music genre, nation, favorite (insert item here), is better than yours, blah, blah, blah.

Doesn't matter what the facts really are, either. And the actual fact is, in this case, is that cars are made of metals, glass, rubber, cloth, by people for people. They aren't religions, they aren't living things. They really don't care what name is on the build tag. Buy what you like, like what you buy. it's a hobby, so have fun.

  ChrisV

I agree.

You know, if you did a study of people that say they don't like Fords and asked them why. Most would say because they are unreliable and breakdown. Then if you asked most of them how many they have owned I garauntee more tha 50% of them will answer "None". So how is it exactly that you can take the opinion of someone who has'nt owned a Ford about a Ford?

Thing is you can't. My father has owned many a Ford that have exceeded 150,000 miles.

Well technically speaking Ford itself is just under Industry standard for customer service. However their other parterning companys like Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, and Jaguar are at the top of thier game in customer service. While ford still leads the industry in Mustang and Thunderbird sales, you may ask how do they stack up to other car companys.

While Lexus used to be number one in sales satisfaction and overall best company it seems that Jaguar(one of Fords Compays) has taken its place as number 1 in the industry. Ford itself is'nt that far down the chain coming somwhere at #17 but still above indusrty standard.

JD Power seems to give almost good ratings on all of fords new entry line vehicles from the New Mustang to the New Escape Hybrid. Many people have thier jokes such as Ford cirlces the problem. But statisticly Ford has been creating good vehicles since the Model T, and you should'nt suspect any otherwise.

  DSMer

uhhh. . . . i hate ford because they suck and break down! :laughing:

  Ki2AY

How many have you owned?

  DodgeRida67

I don't know much about the race scene in the US but here in Oz we have a supercar series that is limited to Holden (GM) and Ford. Organisers found that it was much more profitable to make it a two horse race because of fierce brand loyalty.

Truth is that when the series was open to world brands during the transition to less polluting engines the Jap cars killed the rest, apart from the Sierra Cosworths and it became boring.

I currently have a GM for a daily drive, an old Ford as a restorer, a French car, a Belgium car and a Korean car. They all need fuel and oil, have four wheels and bend when hitting something solid.

  Wally

i have owned about 7 of them and they all broke down once i got into the car :laughing:

good ol' ford!! LOL

  Ki2AY

As with any consumer product there are some models from all manufacturers that have a lower reliability rating, are slow, are ugly or whatever you want to plug in that makes them less desirable. But as has already been implied if not said in this thread, all cars have their good points as well. Take ChrisV's advice, get what you want and have fun.

BTW, I hate all Fords to because... I want to be a waste of oxygen douche bag just like Ki2AY. :wink2:

  vwhobo

hey whats a douche bag? sorry i wasnt born in the u.s.

  Ki2AY

To find out simply look in the mirror.

  vwhobo

so its a mirror? :mrgreen:

  Ki2AY

Ar you serious?

  Zalight

NO i just wanted the hobo to chat with me :mrgreen:

  Ki2AY

The other problem with opinions is it’s no longer a situation where people have an opinion based on what little they know, and adjust that opinion as they learn new things. Instead it has become acceptable that they actively fight against learning new things so they don’t have to change their opinions. Opinions have become sacrosanct, and learning new things is somehow considered bad.

We all form opinions on everything. What separates the intelligent from the rest is the ability to add new information to their store of knowledge, and adjust the opinions to match the facts. The ignorant form opinions and if the facts don’t match the opinions they ignore the facts and argue that having the opinion is more important.

  ChrisV

so then its a mix of you get what you pay for + what is right for you + if you can get a good deal or not? There is no one actual shitty company?



Does anyone have a suggestion for a beginning automatic 2000-3000 dollar car?

  spinal_tarp

Pretty much.




Anything YOU like in that price range that you either feel like you want to work on yourself, OR gets a clean bill of health from a mechanic.

Remember ANY car in that price range stands a good chance of being unreliable, and ANY car in that price range stands a good chance of lasting a few hundred thousand miles. But what NO car in that price range will be is new. Or even "like new."

  ChrisV

What type of car are you looking for, economy, reliability, passenger space, cargo space, performance, looks, 2door, 4 door, rear wheel drive, front wheel drive, all wheel drive...what?

  Zalight

i have to go up a big hill to get to my house so during winter id probably need 4wd....

id want good mileage and reliability...cargo space doesnt matter.


damn.....thats probably more of the 5-6000 range huh, especially if its automatic. Id still like some suggestions though.

  spinal_tarp

My 90 Accord has been perfect on reliability all 15 years (has 209k miles on it now) and it's still worth $1800-$2000. You can probably find a nice 90-91 automatic EX/SE Accord with ~150k miles for $3k. The SE comes standard with leather, moonroof, power everything and 15" wheels (not hubcaps). Dont know how bad of snow you get, but if it's only a few inches this FWD'er shouldnt have a problem.

  thunderbird1100