I find the new CTS-V very intriguing. I am not sure that I trust Cadillac yet. My personal impression of that division is mostly badge engineering and lots of interior fluff. However, if it has a decent level of agility for collision avoidance, it is on the short list. The price is rather painful, but I tend to keep my cars a long time and I usually get my moneys worth out of them.
gerG
A vehicle from the “Big 3” has a headlight bulb go out after 10 years and the everyone and the media is all over it claiming they build nothing but junk and does a week long investigation into their negligence as a company
bscar, contrary to popular belief, some people are capable of being objective. Did I mention that when I sold my 10 year old Honda Civic with 180,000 miles, it still had the original lamps in the head lights, turn signals, and tail lights? Oh, it also still had the original transmission and clutch. I didn’t have to buy a single lightbulb in the 10 years I owned that car. It isn’t a myth and if the GM and Fords I had owned were made with the same quality, I would be happy to say so.
The sad fact is that a Honda or a Toyota blowing up is rare, while it isn’t as rare on a Detroit car. Chrysler can’t even keep pieces of trim from falling off for goodness sake!
Detroit’s big three worked really hard to get to a point where 99.9% of their cars are free of manufacturing defects. Do you think 99.9% is good enough?
-At 99.9% effectiveness 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.*
-At 99.9% effectiveness 22,000 checks would be deducted from the wrong checking accounts each year.*
-At 99.9% effectiveness 2 planes per day would fail to land safely at O’Hare International Airport.*
In my opinion, 99.9% isn’t good enough.
*“Is 99.9% Good Enough?” Training (March 1991), p. 38. See also, J. Petty, “When Near Enough Is Not Good Enough,” Australian CPA (May 2000), pp. 34-35.
Same reputation within my group for years, but, since 99 and 04 own two Oldsmobiles which are still completely reliable. (In those years replaced two battteries and one O2 sensor). Make me and my group wonder why GM got rid of the Olds line. Hmmm… Jackasses that make decisions like that, or the dumb asses that brought back the mini Edsel, "Ford’s ugliest T-Bird, not only shouldn’t get any money, they should not be allowed out in public anymore. And, gosh, isn’t that marketing idiocy, calling dealerships “Ford Stores”, just so cute it makes you want to puke?
The best car I ever owned was a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville. It would probably still be around, with close to 400,000 miles on it, had my youngest son not wrecked it.
The worst cars I’ve ever owned were a 76 Toyota Corolla (total crap), 1985 Mazda (couldn’t get out of it’s own way and was a parts eatin’ SOB) and (the very worst) a 98 Oldsmobile Aurora.
If you look around at what still on the road, you’ll see very few old Japanese cars and lots of 15+_ year old American ones. Wonder why.
George in Dallas.
Yes, because Honda builds their own light bulbs and GM build their owns.
I’m sure your car was reliable but there is no need to embellish!
First, what exactly is wrong with a pushrod engine? The 300HP one in my Impala SS got 30MPG on the freeway and is silky smooth!
Anyway, I’d submit looking at a Cobalt SS or HHR SS if you wanna see what America builds in your category. 2.0L Turbo 4, 260HP, still nearly 30MPG on the freeway.
Even Car & Driver gave the Cobalt great reviews - and we know what they usually do with American car company reviews! (Back of magazine!)
I do smirk when I see rusted out Hondas, oil burning Acuras and just otherwise “used and old” imports. They’ve finally been around long enough to break down like any other mechanical device.
Bottom line, shop around and buy what you like and then TAKE CARE OF IT.