notacrime

Anyone own a Ford, GM or Chrysler car? I'm in the market for a new motor, pretty set on getting a used Audi, but there are some amazing deals on new American cars.

helwardman

Yes.

candy wy.

yes..

Bluegrass Lass

Nope. Have never bought one in my life. In my research, it appears that they do not hold their value near as well as the Japanese.

If you haven't come across edmunds.com in your search, I suggest you check out what they have to say on the different models to help with your decision.

another bloody yank

Yes, I own a fine American luxury automobile. A Buick Lee Saabrah '02.

Bill_S

I drive a 1998 Ford Taurus.

Englishtart

We had a Chrysler Pacifica up until last year, we decided to trade it in and get a more economical car........biggest mistake we ever made! I loved that car, I am hoping to get another one later this year.

We got a Toyota Prius and even though it is a lot cheaper to drive, it doesn't have a lot of 'get up 'n' go'

chartreuse

Toyota Tundra here, partly for sunflwrgrl13's reason that they hold their value and partly because experience in the UK showed Toyotas to be reliable as owt.

I thought the "big 3" had been renamed Federal, Government Motors and Congress?

SpoogleDrummer

I've got a 2000 Ford Contour and hate it, I'll never buy Ford again if I can help it. Planning on getting a Toyota Tacoma as my next car assuming I like it once I drive one failing that I might try a Scion tC. Just bought the wife a new Hyundai Accent and she loves it. It scared the shit out of me when I drove it as I'm not used to a car having decent brakes.

There's great deals on non-american cars too. I have to stop myself from looking as there's always going to be a better deal than the one I just got.

DeanUK2US

Aston Martin DB7 bought from Hamleys.

Chrissywissy100

I have a 2009 Ford Focus SE, and I have to say I'm not impressed.

I had a Ford Focus in the UK which was 7 years old and I loved that! The build quality on europe on Fords is so much better... here the interior just feels like moulded plastic (which it is!), and is generally a bit sh*t!

I used to feel like I had more power in my 1.6l manual engine in the UK, than I do here in my 2.0l automatic.. but then I'm sure there are plenty of techie people on the board who will put some of that down to manual vs auto, and fuel quality.

My favourite car I've driven here was a rental.. Mazda 3 2008 with all the bells and whistles! would definitely recommend, and if finances would permit, I would trade in for that in a heartbeat!

surly

One car, two pickups and a Suburban. All Chevrolet.
Plus Honda Accord.

One American and four Japanese motorcycles.

Ridski

Yes. A 98 Ford Escort SE. Getting onto a highway can be a bit scary as it has no pickup at all, but it still works 11 years later. Only needed one major service since we bought it in 2000.

Hiro11

Based on what I've read (note, not actually driven) here's the complete list of good American cars:

Pontiac G8 GT- Apparently very underrated car based on the Australian Holden Commodore. Good interior, tons of power, good handling. You can get these for not much money, Pontiac can't seem to sell any, I have no idea why. They even look pretty good, IMO. Probably the best American car currently for sale.

Chevy Malibu (note: only 2008 and later models). Basically an Opel Insignia for a lot less money. Maybe not as good an an Accord, but close and a lot cheaper.

Cadillac CTS (note 2007 and later models)- A bit classless (chrome wheels?), but has a nice DI V6, drives well and a much better interior than you'd think. The CTS-V is a legitimate challenge for an M5 and costs a lot less.

Corvette- Yes I went there again. Look, it's hardly sophisticated and has a decidedly crappy interior, but it does in fact offer 911-level performance for about half the price and can be fixed by an average blacksmith for about $7.

There are a few generally OK American cars:
Buick Enclave- apparently not bad, can be had a lot cheaper than a Lexus RX

GMC Acadia and its clones- if you need a giant SUV, this one's supposed to be pretty good

Chevy Cobalt SS- absolutely for boyracers only. Yes, it's basically an ugly piece of crap, but for $22K you get a great engine (by any measure), good brakes, good handling, much better (Recaro) seats than the Corvette and a car that is about as fast around the Nurburgring as an AMG C63.

2010 Ford Fusion- basically the same thing as the Mazda 6.

Then there's the potentially fun neo-muscle cars that don't cost much:

Upcoming Chevy Camaro. For once, the V6 version (which is going to use the same engine as the Cadillac CTS) is actually a damned good bargain on a fairly quick car rather than a gutless secretary's car. The SS uses the 'vette's 430bhp LS1 and costs less than $35K loaded. Mixed interior but looks pretty good in the flesh.

2010 Ford Mustang GT with Track Pack- retrograde 1950s technology solid rear axle and not much different than the last one, but you do get a big V-8, much improved interior and better handling for about $32K

Dodge Challenger R/T- basically a giant land barge, but does have some old Merc E-class in the suspension and a pretty good engine. Also looks cool, if you also listen to a lot of Foghat. A better car than the much more expensive SRT-8.

Bad American cars:
Every single other model.

It goes without saying that, with the notable exception of the G8, you can't really get mega-bargains on the better cars.

N1cky

We've got a Saturn Aura which is ok it has some get up and go and holds the road better than other things i have driven out here.