[lamb_of_god]

COME AND TELL US ALL THE BEST CAR COMPANY YOU KNOW OF


I am an Aussie myself and Holden is the best company around, innovative and setting the standards of all other companies. My favorite car being the Holden Monaro, called the Pontiac GTO overseas, but Holden Monaro is the original.

*For all those who do not know just what Holden is, Google Holden and see for yourself.

 

[deuce]

COME AND TELL US ALL THE BEST CAR COMPANY YOU KNOW OF

I am an Aussie myself and Holden is the best company around, innovative and setting the standards of all other companies. My favorite car being the Holden Monaro, called the Pontiac GTO overseas, but Holden Monaro is the original.

*For all those who do not know just what Holden is, Google Holden and see for yourself.

For a generality, in my opinion all the Japanese manufacturers are among the top out there, most notably Toyota and Mazda. I've always liked Skoda (Czech) as well. My dad bought a new Mazda 626 in 1983 and the only money that was required to put into it until 1998 was for gas, oil and tires.

"U.S. Auto" can go to hell. I have nothing against my country but the U.S. auto industry is way off the rocker. I will never buy a car from a U.S. manufacturer unless they majorly clean up their acts. I won't go on too much on this because that kind of discussion may not be the topic of this thread, but the U.S. is not concerned with fuel economy and lessening the world's dependence on fossil fuels or otherwise geographically-dependent finite fuel sources. No legitimate expert estimate gives the world's oil supply further than 2030 at our current usage, but most car companies won't explore alternative fuel until it is heavily profitably favorable. Further more; much of the auto industry's executives will be retired long before oil shortages actually are a possible reality, so what do they care? They won't need to deal with it--but their predecessors will. If the automotive industry didn't bail on electric car technology in the 1990s we would be much closer to a non-carbon based economy in 2007. The only reason the auto industry even got into electric fuel technology was largely because the State of California told them to or pack their bags. When the laws were loosened due to over-the-top governmental expectations, all research on electric fuel technology basically stopped. Over-consumption is a problem and lessening dependence on oil is an important part of future "damage control." Think about it. We don't just use oil to heat our homes, fuel our cars and turn on our lights. Oil is used to make plastics, asphalt and much of what we have grown to enjoy in life. The farm equipment that grows our food, the plants that process it, the fuel for the trucks that ship it to the stores and the roads that they travel on are all by-products of breaking down oil. Everything that we do to survive and be comfortable are afforded by oil, and we needlessly waste it at a far too high of a rate.

Toyota's monopoly on hybrid technology puts them in a very good position. So does Brasil's massive ethanol infrastructure. Most of the population in the U.S. is concerned with what other people think and so alternative energy and ultra-economic gas engines will never be popular until the car manufacturers bring sexy back. That's what sells...and it is necessary to lessen dependence on fossil fuels and progress toward a non-carbon economy.

Toyota's Yaris gets nearly 40 miles to the gallon, starts at a base price less than $13,000 and Toyota's track record can be assuring that the car will just be broken in at 200,000 miles instead of 2,000. That's where my money is going on my next car purchase. Of course, the Yaris has yet to "bring sexy" back, but I can deal with that. Just my two cents.

P.S. the phrase "bring sexy back" will now be stricken from my vocabulary; but it works so well for the purpose.

Sorry the post became so long winded. I know I promised not to do so at the beginning of it, but oh well. Damn sensitive subjects.

On another note, there isn't anything wrong with wanting to drive a big car that uses a generous amount of gas. As humans we are allowed to expect a reasonable level of consumption; but if the people with the influence don't push the industry toward a non-carbon economy at a much faster pace than we are currently seeing, we will only pay increasingly higher rates at the gas pumps. There is nothing wrong with driving that big SUV, but I personally prefer not to spend $100 each trip to the gas station.

 

[Stoner]

Hello lamb_of_god.......welcome to TSG
Having been involved in the auto repair industry, I've felt most cars are pretty crappy with some standing out as being more so or less so

I was sorry to see what we in the US called the Mercury Capri ( Aussie import from 91 to 94), disappear from the market place. Couple more years and I think it's quality might have been top notch.
I still have an XR2 stashed in a garage, that I like quite a lot.

One trend I see as a generality, and the GTO was guilty of it also, as the performance of the power plants have stepped up, so has the weight of the vehicles. Suspensions have kept up and handling in general, improved. But the image is of these new 'muscle' cars becoming overweight land yachts rather than high performance 'lean' machines that generated so much interest in the 60's and very early 70's.

 

[Blackmirror]

I like Citroen i have a Saxo and it runs like a dream no probs really apart from when the central locking went nuts and flattened the battery

 

[lotuseclat79]

A great car company is one with a clear vision for the future.

Since the future looks bleak for gasoline driven cars, the best car company will be well ahead of the curve followed by the other car companies. New materials, new concepts are being discovered/created on a daily basis - its up to the most innovative car companies to become/remain competitive in order to capture the imagination of the buying public at the most affordable price.

-- Tom

 

[MSM Hobbes]

Can you clarify what you mean by "best"? Best as in longest-lasting on the road, best mileage, best innovation, best looking products, best management, best... ?
Are you also then specifying only companies that are still producing, or any from history? Of course, if they had been 'best', they'd still be around, hmmmm...
Sorry, but a pet peeve when something is called the 'best' - engineer in me cries out for the what, when, where, who, why, how,,,

Historically, there are many companies that were very innovative, best at creating new technologies for their day, but for whatever reasons, these firms nameplates are now gone: Cord, Auburn, Pierce-Arrow, Dussenberg, etc.

As to modern autos, I hate to say, but US firms, altho' improving drastically in the recent years, still have much to do to change their own culture. I've a '92 Toyota Celica GT-S, over 204k miles, gets ~30mpg, driving 70-80 mph, very little maintenance - and will drive this car until can't go any further. Then there is the '05 Honda Odyssey , which really kicks tail, for a minivan.

As deuce mentioned also above, the US industry is, unfortunately, hurting, and unless there is a MAJOR shift in their culture/ways, in their dealings w/ suppliers, in their labour environment, etc., they will continue to falter. Unfortunate, in that there is much talent there, and also in that there is so many other firms relying upon their business. The domino effect here in the States is going to get worse, I am afraid, before it improves, if ever.

FWIW, if ever in the NE Indiana area, might check out: http://www.acdmuseum.org/ :up:

Wiki has a very quite long list of car manufactures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automobile_manufacturers

 

[Couriant]

If you haven't done so already, i would suggest renting Who Killed the Electric Car?

That movie put into prospective on what happened to the cars. It's a shame that it was canned, though no surprise on who were the people that were responsible for the death of the E-Car.

 

[valis]

IMO, anyone who has heard a Ferrari F-40 at full song, matted and redlined, will know the answer to that question.

 

[Mulderator]

Toyota, then Honda.

 

[Stoner]

I'd agree to that Mulder.
I got out of the repair business in 94, but it had been obvious for some time their mechanicals outlasted everyone else's and cost less to service.

 

[lamb_of_god]

Can you clarify what you mean by "best"?

What i basically mean is, what you prefer to drive and see on the roads, all your opinion. doesn't matter how biased.

 

[lamb_of_god]

One trend I see as a generality, and the GTO was guilty of it also, as the performance of the power plants have stepped up, so has the weight of the vehicles. Suspensions have kept up and handling in general, improved. But the image is of these new 'muscle' cars becoming overweight land yachts rather than high performance 'lean' machines that generated so much interest in the 60's and very early 70's.

Have to disagree with you there mate. Muscle cars are just that because they are big and bulky, and of course, sound good. Being lean and having agility like a Ferrari is not what muscle cars was made for, my opinion.

 

[lamb_of_god]

IMO, anyone who has heard a Ferrari F-40 at full song, matted and redlined, will know the answer to that question.

Man Ferrari's aren't good cars, have you driven one, they sound like a audio casset rewinding and cost to much to look after, just impractical. Not to mention there gear box, needs major fix ups.

 

[lamb_of_god]

A lot of us here, are obviously car fans... How do we all feel about electric cars, hybrid cars...that sort of thing.

Personally, i don't like them, i'm a real gas and petrol bloke and that probably won't change. having said that, gas and petrol is not helping our environment but i can't see cars changing because car manufacturers don't have the money to take that kind of risk (to go totally hybrid) and die-hard consumers don't like that kind of change

 

[Stoner]

Have to disagree with you there mate. Muscle cars are just that because they are big and bulky, and of course, sound good. Being lean and having agility like a Ferrari is not what muscle cars was made for, my opinion.

Ferrari is a high dollar sports car in the US.
Never a 'muscle' car.
The first muscle cars were stripped sedans with larger motors.
They were lightened to make them more competitive on a drag strip. Cornering was for the next round

A few in the early 60's started out in full sized bodies like the Biscane, but the weight factor became an obvious disadvantage and downsizing started producing Chevelles ,Novas and Cameros. Ford made the move from the full body to the the Fairlane 500, and big block Mustangs, Chrysler already had a light unibody but also made a move to the Barracuda and Dart packages.

The last production Camero, with all the weight saving materials incorporated and an aluminum motor weighs about 200 lbs more than the first small block Cameros. About 3400 lbs ( 3280 I remember being advertised). The new prototype is projected to weigh near 4000, wet.
The Dodge Challenger is projected to weigh near 4000 lbs, wet.

That is not lighter.

The GTO is near 3800 lbs with 400hp. It is no faster nor quicker than my 98 Z28 with 305 horsepower. The GTO handles better with it's IRS, but let's face it, as a 'muscle' car....it's a porker.
This has been the general trend of performance in the US, lately.
Heavier with more power, better handling and braking.

Lean and mean existed on the drag strips of the 60's and early seventies.
One function, travel a straight line in as short a time as possible.
There were models that looked the same on the outside, but optioned out for the family ride.
What is being sold now and in the next few years is a high dollar illusion of the past.

Try buying a late model performance car with out power windows or an air conditioner to keep the weight down.
The new models have 'all the comforts of home'

 

[Stoner]

A lot of us here, are obviously car fans... How do we all feel about electric cars, hybrid cars...that sort of thing.

Personally, i don't like them, i'm a real gas and petrol bloke and that probably won't change. having said that, gas and petrol is not helping our environment but i can't see cars changing because car manufacturers don't have the money to take that kind of risk (to go totally hybrid) and die-hard consumers don't like that kind of change

The present forms are really in the infancy of that market segment.
I'm not interested in what's being produced now, but as general transportation, think electrics will be decent transportation when battery capacity and longevity issues are resolved.
Don't like the whine, just crank up the radio

BTW, I read where GM is getting back into electrics with an all electric drive and a combustion engine driving a generator to recharge as you drive.

 

[valis]

Man Ferrari's aren't good cars, have you driven one, they sound like a audio casset rewinding and cost to much to look after, just impractical. Not to mention there gear box, needs major fix ups.

yes I have driven one, rapped out and red lined in top gear. Sounded awesome. Wonderful car to drive.

 

[Stoner]

You lucky skunk

 

[valis]

well, attend two years of driving school courtesy of Bob Bondurant and you will get to do some neat things; all of whcih occur on 4 wheels, thank you much.

 

[Stoner]

Sounded like a fantastic time..........:up: