A little advice please

[mainer29]

This is Edmunds review on the car if your interested.
2012 Ford Taurus

 

[HBarlow]

Remember the ugly boat big sedans GM built in the '70s and '80s? Generic but with enough ugly designed in to badge them Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, or Buick. I think most of the '80s versions had the underpowered 305 ci Chevy small block engine.

Remember the crappy little Chevy IIs that were badged Cadillac?

A car corporation as good as GM deserves to be out of business.

 

[S.Morris]

Ok, you have my attention and I'll tell you why... one of the features that help it achieve the high fuel mileage is that they are equipped with electric power steering to eliminate the parasitic drag of a hydraulic pump.



But, there still must be a mechanical coupling. A failure of the the assist system should not knock the steering out??? Maybe???

Interesting stuff there... ...



Toyota uses an electric assist motor that actually goes around the steering column. It is pretty basic and if it fails you are just driving a standard steering car not an unassisted pwr steering.



The new Mazda uses a electric motor on a resevoir(similiar to snowplow pump) that still gives same feel but not belt driven.



Supposedly there is a . 5mpg gain by using this method over engine driven belt/pump.

 

[jgillott]

OK... . this is my last GM bashing post of today... . I promise... .



GM Recalling Chevrolet Cruze Due To Engine Fire Risk

 

[HBarlow]

My wife's new Honda Pilot also has electric steering. I have 100% confidence in the Honda.

I don't pay much attention to new cars now like I did for many years but I believe lots of new cars are now using electric steering systems - but they are not using GM designs and union labor to build them.

 

[jgillott]

My wife's new Honda Pilot also has electric steering. I have 100% confidence in the Honda.



I don't pay much attention to new cars now like I did for many years but I believe lots of new cars are now using electric steering systems - but they are not using GM designs and union labor to build them.

What fuel mileage are you seeing with that Pilot? I'm assuming that you have the front drive version living in Texas.

 

[HBarlow]

Her Pilot is a Touring Model w/4 wheel drive. She has the idea firmly planted in her mind that she can drive to work and back on the fairly rare snow and ice in Lubbock like on a magic carpet with four wheel drive so I don't argue about it.

I just asked her. She says it only delivers 20 to 22 mpg. That is probably based on mostly city driving in Lubbock. She says it got 24 mpg on a trip to LV and SD a couple months ago but that may have been overhead not calculated. Nothing to brag about. It's a surprisingly heavy car.

 

[mwilson]

I just want to say that I really appreciate everyone's comments.



I am finding car shopping to be a total pain in the ***, if I were looking for a pick-up or a big truck it would be very easy for me.



Trying to find something safe, good on fuel and not having to feel like I am on a skateboard is proving to be quite the challenge. Also trying to stick to a reasonable price is making it almost impossible...



I am headed to town for another round of frustration... ... .....



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I would separate any buying decision whatsoever, by at least a week, from all the test driving and brochure reading.

 

[rscurtis]

Harvey, that rebadged Caddy was based on the Citation, not the Chevy II, which is a collectible car today. I forgot to add it to my original list.



I don't have to worry about any new cars, this should last another 30 years- and many parts are still available from the dealer- in one day. The clock still keeps perfect time, too.

 

[HBarlow]

I always thought that pos Cadillac/Chevy was a Chevy II. I wouldn't care to own one regardless of which pos GM product was hidden underneath.

Those old MBs like yours are apparently wonderful old cars that will last a lifetime. A young mechanic and German car enthusiast I know and who did all the after warranty work on the '92 BMW my wife drove until '05 had one and occasionally used it as a loaner car for his friends. He loaned it to us once when he was waiting a day or two for parts for the Beemer.

I never had the patience to own the old MB 300D. I think I have the patience now in my old age and would enjoy owning one as nice as yours but a few years ago I simply could not have tolerated one. You could put a concrete block on the throttle then get out and walk around the car to exchange drivers with the front seat passener before it got away from you.

 

[rscurtis]

This car still has plenty of zip, as it's not loaded down with thousands of pounds of useless accessories that burden many new cars. It is DIY friendly as it was originally designed to be repaired, not recycled.



After 7 years of trouble-free ownership, I decided to have it repainted. It didn't look like that when I bought it. It was suffering from years of deferred maintenance. I bought it for running around locally instead of using the Dodge.

 

[AEdelheit]

Anyone looking into a pilot should really look at the new Grand Cherokees, we just got one and the gf's mom has a 2011 pilot touring, I like the GC a lot more, drives better, nicer interior and way quiter. The dash on the pilots is way to busy looking

 

[HBarlow]

What year is yours?

The one I drove was a nice former one owner car in apparent good shape but was slower than Christmas.

 

[rscurtis]

1983. What happens to many of them is that the EGR clogs up the boost sensor in the manifold, and the car becomes really slow. This car would run away from many of the big V8's of the seventies and early eighties on less than half the fuel.

 

[HBarlow]

What years were those 300Ds manufactured and imported?

 

[HHhuntitall]

Having just sold my '05 Cherokee, I'd steer away from them. Mine was super reliable, and drove well, but the mileage was lacking. At best, it would get 26hwy. With my wife driving, it went to 18city..... From what I read, talk to people about, and see around, the VW is an excellent car. Behind it, I'd say something like a Honda or a Nissan. They just won't die. Jeep did make some of their Patriots with the little turbo diesel '05-07, I think it was, and those little buggers seemed to be nice. I haven't seen enough of them around to get any real feedback on how good they are, but the mileage is supposed to be good..... but you were looking for new, so I digress..... Have you looked at the new Ford Ecoboost F-150? I drove one a few weeks ago and was impressed at the power. My cousin just got one for a company truck, and it will run a hole in the wind. He says he's getting 23mpg, and not being too easy on it.....



Have you seen the Chrysler Dart, yet, in person, I mean? It looks like a throw-away car, but I haven't been able to crawl around one yet. Using the Fiat 1. 4L turbo engine, I can't say it'd be guaranteed to be a POS, but I'm skeptical..... I'd think you'll have to keep your foot in it to keep boost and RPMs up, and that makes me think the mileage will suffer... ... Good news is it's not a new powertrain, it's been tested and worked extensively over the pond... . in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta... I don't know if that's good or bad. Someone said it had a wider track than a standard compact sedan... . better handling?



The 3. 6L Pentastar engine in the Chrysler is not looking too good, either... . New Summary: Federal safety regulators probe engine stall complaints in 2011 Chrysler 200 cars - The Washington Post That worries me, as I bought the wife a 2011 Durango with that motor..... the dealer can't get me a factory service manual, and even they have to get written permission before they can open it up to work on it. Why did I buy this thing? Oh, yeah, the Cherokee had almost 200k on it, and my wife almost always has the kids with her... ...



Whatever you do, stay away from any of the Chrysler 2010 3. 7L engine and any years of the 4. 7L V-8... . They are the most picked engines in the wrecking yards!!! I see the 4. 7Ls going out on crates every day!! The 3. 7L is almost as bad, but the biggest complaint I hear is lack of power, and Dad has a 2010 Jeep Wrangler that was born castrated..... so I think it's just a dud platform they abandoned... . Good news is that it's incontinence has spawned a large number of 5. 7L transplant kits, fairly reasonable.



Chevy is not even an option in my household. I see these POS everywhere, and seems it's a crap-shoot. If you get one assembled in the middle of the week, you're good. If it was Monday and UAW were hung-over, it's a potential hand-grenade. IF it was Friday, they just wanted to go home, so it was pushed together, and MAYBE got all the nuts installed... . maybe even crossthreaded and torqued, so it will permanently rattle..... well, at least until it gets to 150k and is dismantled and crushed. I don't think much better of Furd or Gdodge, so that's my opinion... ... Both Chevy and Gdodge should have been allowed to go under and let our already in-place systems dismantle them as they always have..... I remember a college kid asking why we don't have a system in place to take care of these companies when they go under. I responded, "We do. It's called bankruptcy court. " Guess they'll keep that for the private sector.

 

[HBarlow]

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I remember a college kid asking why we don't have a system in place to take care of these companies when they go under. I responded, "We do. It's called bankruptcy court. " Guess they'll keep that for the private sector.

Auction companies are also excellent solutions for companies that can't compete in the free market due to internal issues such as bad products, bad service, bad management, overpriced labor, etc.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Auction companies are also excellent solutions for companies that can't compete in the free market due to internal issues such as bad products, bad service, bad management, overpriced labor, etc.

Agreed. But don't forget, in most cases, most businesses closing their doors in Chapter 11 are auctioned off to pay lienholder debt. First liens, followed by second lien-holders, etc. Funny, Dodge and Ford both were on the brink. Lee Iacocca brought both back from the brink of death... ... he's still alive, why not ask him to come out of retirement?!?!? OH, never mind, we have a great leader who can save it himself..... on our dollar... ... ok, I'm out... . time for another forum

 

[rscurtis]

What years were those 300Ds manufactured and imported?

This series was made from 1977 to 1985. The turbo became available in 1982. They are considered the best cars ever made by any manufacturer, and half of them are still on the road- despite not having been made for over 20 years.



If you have a chance to look at a new Charger or 300 series on a lift, the drive line is a direct copy of the Mercedes right down to the oil pan on the transmission and the use of rubber flex discs instead of U joints.