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post #81 of 90
3/21/06 at 11:04pm
Quote:
As much as i love the US and US cars, i sometimes am at a loss to understand why so many 200+ HP cars are being sold in the US.

I don't know where you lived in US, but the traffic in SF bay area moves at 70-90 MPH at time so good acceleration from 60-90 MPH is good to have. Powerful engine is the biggest safety feature of the car that allows you to leave the dangerous situation behind you at any speed.
Combine the this with a typical midsize US car that weighs 3400- 3600lb and 200+ honest HP engine is a must!

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Having said that, my next car probably is either gonna be Swedish [american owned ] or pure american again.

The safest car is the one that helps you prevent an accident rather than survive one which means that it has to be designed in a manner which helps the driver by, its very nature, connecting the human to the machine in a way that is direct, yet not fatiguing. Not many swedish or american cars can do that these days.

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200hp is just a number, and a lot of the big, low-compression, lean-mixture pushrod V6's (take for example the GM3800/3900) get comparable fuel economy to your Saab during normal driving.

During normal driving, gearing, aerodynamics, and car's weight is what determines the fuel economy... not the engine.

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The trick isThey are also about 1000 times more reliable (flame bait, yes).

US car engines more reliable that who?? Saab's?? Maybe...

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I think you'll find that American cars are quite respectable in the safety department,

Especially the latest Ford Fusion... hehe...
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post #82 of 90
3/22/06 at 5:57am
  • e1618978
  • will burn in the Fiery Pit of Hell.
Quote:
Originally posted by skatman
During normal driving, gearing, aerodynamics, and car's weight is what determines the fuel economy... not the engine.

That is just not true. The following Volvos all have the same weight: V70 2.4, V70 2.5 AWD, V70R. With a manual transmission you will get over 30 mpg with the V70 2.4, about 22 mpg with the V70 2.5 AWD, and 16-19 mpg with the V70R.

The engine has an effect on gas milage, and all-wheel drive also does. The main difference between car 1 and car 2 above is AWD, the main difference between car 2 and car 3 is engine power.

Also - I have plenty of chance to use a lot of torque in the US. Maybe the high horsepower is not useful, but the high torque is - and you can't get one without the other really.
45 2a3 300b 211 845 833
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post #83 of 90
3/22/06 at 7:07am
Saw a Lamborghini in town today... great curves, lusty little thing, globs of power, but you gotta wonder why sombody bought it when the speed limit in town is 31 mph and the highway is 50 mph (Japan).

A question I have always had is why with low speed limits does the speedometer in many vehicles measure up to 180 mph?

Another question: which is better, driving on the left or right side? How about having the handle on the left or right? I had a difficult experience once getting off a plane from Japan and taking a US ldriving test within an hour... everything was on the wrong side of the road going in the wrong direction! Three days later, back in Japan, I had the same feeling all over again.

 

Your = the possessive of you, as in, "Your name is Tom, right?" or "What is your name?"

 

You're = a contraction of YOU + ARE as in, "You are right" --> "You're right."

 

 

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Your = the possessive of you, as in, "Your name is Tom, right?" or "What is your name?"

 

You're = a contraction of YOU + ARE as in, "You are right" --> "You're right."

 

 

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post #84 of 90
3/22/06 at 10:16am
Quote:
Originally posted by skatman

During normal driving, gearing, aerodynamics, and car's weight is what determines the fuel economy... not the engine.
...
US car engines more reliable that who?? Saab's?? Maybe...

This would be the case if all engines were equally efficient. But that is not the case.
...
Well, Saab is a wholy owned subsidiary of GM, but getting to the point, GM V6's are frickin' bulletproof. I don't have experience with other US carmakers so I can't speak for those, but anyone who knows anything can tell you that the GM 3800 makes a Honda four-cylinder seem downright quirky.
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post #85 of 90
3/22/06 at 5:32pm
I drive a 99' mustang GT ( Black ).

I've never had any problem with it in all this time.

She's still a beauty and funner than hell to drive. Also she gets much better gas mileage than what I previously owned ( a white Mustang GT 5.0 ). My current mustang with the small block V8 ( 4.6 ) has more horse power than the old 302 ( which is really 4.9 liters despite the 5.0 number ) but you have to wind it out a bit to get at it. The old 302 was really quick power on tap but as I said much worse gas mileage. And yes I've looked at the new mustangs but at 44,000 miles this car still has a lot of life left in it yet. It costs me about 30 bucks to fill it up. I know that's more than what Fran441 pays for the 2004 ( as the cars are almost identical if it's a GT and a stick ) but I think gas is a bit higher here in Oregon.
Without the need for difference or a need to always follow the herd breeds complacency, mediocrity, and a lack of imagination
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Without the need for difference or a need to always follow the herd breeds complacency, mediocrity, and a lack of imagination
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post #86 of 90
3/27/06 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Splinemodel
This would be the case if all engines were equally efficient. But that is not the case.
...
Well, Saab is a wholy owned subsidiary of GM, but getting to the point, GM V6's are frickin' bulletproof. I don't have experience with other US carmakers so I can't speak for those, but anyone who knows anything can tell you that the GM 3800 makes a Honda four-cylinder seem downright quirky.

Well the 3800 dies after this year. Since the 3900 is its official replacement. But yeah, the 3800 is a bulletproof engine. Went to Florida this past weekend and we got a Grand Prix as our rental. The 3800 is spunky little V6. The media and the car extremist have bashed Pushrod engines. Saying they are "old tech". Which isn't true. OHC dates back in the late 1800's. It is just Pushrods or OHV was just the prefered type of engine for the American car companies. The 3500 with VVT, 3900 VVT, Vortec 6000, and Vortec 6200 show that pushrods can be right up there with OHC tech wise. People never thought Variable Valve Timing was possible on a Pushrod, yet GM proved them wrong. But, not all of GM's V6's are bulletproof. Looks at the 3400 V6. It has a history of manifold problems. Hopefully it is fixed as GM says it is because it is in my little Chevy Equinox! if the V6's are bulletproof, what makes GM's V8's? Bombproof?
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post #87 of 90
3/27/06 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally posted by addabox
There you go. Jetta Wagon 1.8 turbo, me too.

Room, decent milage, fun when you want it. What model year do you have?

When I was looking I monitored all the window regulator/mass air sensor/ignition coil horror stories, and it seemed like as of the '03 model year they had been addressed. 40k miles so far and no worries.

Well then I guess I lucked out: I've got a 2004 model. Bought it used with less than 10k miles.

The 180 hp in that car is more than enough for what most people need. Hell, the 150 hp in my previous Audi A4 1.8T was really fine. It's not like you're gonna go from 0-60 at all fast when you're in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.

I was considering a Mini, but wasn't sure if it would be blown off the highway at 70+ mph with my whitewater kayak on top. :-)
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post #88 of 90
3/27/06 at 10:02pm
Quote:
Originally posted by quagmire
The media and the car extremist have bashed Pushrod engines. Saying they are "old tech". Which isn't true. OHC dates back in the late 1800's. It is just Pushrods or OHV was just the prefered type of engine for the American car companies. The 3500 with VVT, 3900 VVT, Vortec 6000, and Vortec 6200 show that pushrods can be right up there with OHC tech wise.

I'm pretty sure the 3500 is a dual-cam engine. at least the 3.5L in some of the later Oldmobiles was. Maybe that's called something else.

Anyway, the real point I was going to make is that all piston engines are old technology. They can be dressed up with computer control and the like, but they are centuries-old technology -- all of them. If I really want to be impressed by new technology, I'll look for a motor powered car that runs on fuel cells. Until then, pushrods might as well do.
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post #89 of 90
4/2/06 at 11:46am
lol, u guys al suck..

i drive a 2-door 6-cyl 1986 Buick Regal.
Its got a great engine, no work ever needed on it, cept tune up.
right now mileage is at 115000, and its in great shape, except i need new shocks on front tires. my friends call it: "the tank."
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post #90 of 90
4/14/06 at 8:40am
I drive a 2003 Mazda 6i (Lapis Blue)

I love the new Mazdaspeed6 though, and I'm eager to see what they do for the base 2007 model. With the introduction of the Ford Fusion (Which I must say looks pretty good for a Ford) and the Mercury Milan, it's time for my baby to get refreshed.

All I need now is another promotion, hehe...
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