Greatest Car company

1458 Views 28 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Couriant, Jan 15, 2007

lamb_of_god

Discussion Starter · Jan 13, 2007

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.

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Stoner

· #3 · Jan 13, 2007

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.

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Stoner

· #10 · Jan 14, 2007

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.

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Stoner

· #15 · Jan 14, 2007

lamb_of_god said:
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'

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Stoner

· #16 · Jan 14, 2007

lamb_of_god said:
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.

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