A scary scenario.

[filmoss]

Re Lockerbie....Iran ! say no more !!

[Gonzo66]

quote:

---

Originally posted by rocketmanjohn

Gonzo 66
Hummer don't build vehicles anymore, they went bust.
America can't build cars, or get decent HP? Ford Mustang 550, 5.4L V8 550HP. Chevrolet Camaro, V6 3.6L 312HP 29mpg. I could go on.
If the US can't build cars why are the only British cars imported Mini and Jaguar [Land Rover]? British cars have a bad reputation for reliability and buid quality. Why are no French cars imported? Saab and Volvo sell poorly. Mercedes and BMW sell well, VW does'nt. Do anymore European countries build cars? they don't come here.
Please tell me a little more about your hatchback, make, mileage etc.
John

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Subaru Impreza - 2ltr engine - 300bhp - Chevi needs another 1.6ltr to give another 12bhp? You left out Italy when it comes to making cars - Ferrari, Lambourghini, Pagani.

My hatchback is a vaxhaul Corsa 1.7d. 74,000 miles - 3 owners. The last owner was a Mercedes mechanic, the owner before, his sister. 13inch rims and I have beaten many bigger cars off the lights.

[Spitfire]

Gonzo, What makes you think that the bigger car owners were trying to get away from the lights faster than you? They probably had nothing to prove.

[Gonzo66]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Spitfire

Gonzo, What makes you think that the bigger car owners were trying to get away from the lights faster than you? They probably had nothing to prove.

---

Revving engines and pulling up to me in the overtaking lane. I had nothing to prove, just pressed that peddle on the right a little harder than I would do otherwise. From the Dunkirk Hall pub to the the traffic island near the white bridge footpath many have fallen. I blame turbo lag.

[Karen]

Driving an F250 extended cab truck,I have never fealt
the need to beat the guys I looked down on in the cars
beside me ....as they admire my wild mags, then look up
and on seeing a female driver turn their eyes ahead and
rev like crazy!!! Never fails!

[rocketmanjohn]

According to Subaru the most powerful Impreza is the 2.5 litre turbo at 305hp and gets 23mpg [US numbers]. The Chevrolet gets 312hp and 29mpg. Costs $10,000 less than the Impreza. Or are you talking about some special rally version?
I assumed you were talking about cars that people like you and me can afford, which is why I left out any super cars - Ferrari etc.
I assume also that the 'd' in your Vauxhalls title means diesel? If so, 0-60 is around 9.3 seconds, wow, the others can't have been trying.
I did leave Fiat out, do they still build cars? The last lot over here all fell to pieces and they stopped importing those as well.
John

[filmoss]

As long as my car starts every morning and gets me from A - B then I dont really care about its so called performance of torque and mph. As long as its reliable then I am more than happy ! As for revving at traffic lights I leave that to the " boy racers " []

[Spitfire]

In respect of cars, the USA and Japan can be bound together with one word. PROTECTIONISM. That is the chief reason there are so few imports.

[noel]

That applies to France as well Jim. A pity we've hardly anything left to protect.

[anacortesdamp]

There are lots of imports in the US and the Orientals (Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai) sell very well. German cars do OK, too.

One reason France and Italy don't sell cars in the US at all, and British vehicles don't sell very well, is that they all have a reputation for fragility (earned at great expense over many years) and need too much fettling. They're also more expensive than most of their competitors and many of the smaller ones don't offer automatic transmissions (other than those dumb twin-clutch things).

American drivers treat their cars as appliances - you turn them on, they do their job and you turn them off. You don't have to spend three hours every Saturday tweaking things to keep them running for the following week. Neither do you have to take the car for an otherwise needless longer trip to clear out the cobwebs in the catalytic converter or the diesel particle filter.

We typically run our Kia (a Sedona people carrier) on several trips a week of less than 4 miles, with no longer trips for maybe a month. It still starts the instant you hit the key at nearly 80K miles, and I expect it to last at least 200K.

If Fiat really means to sell lots of its cars under a Chrysler banner, they'd better get good automatic transmissions, very relaible electrical systems and very little need for service other than oil changes. Nissan may start bringing Renault-built vehicles to the US, but their top brass know what it takes to get them to sell - no Ducellier-Le Rhone electrics for one thing!

It's not PROTECTIONISM, Jim, it's a demand for good value, a reliable low maintenance vehicle and a good automatic transmission.

As an example from a few years back, I was running a Rover 2000TC. It was a very well-engineered car, but it was very unreliable and expensive to maintain. On a trip to Leyland, I went to a Rotary Club lunch with my Dad and got talking to one of the BL big-wigs. I asked why the Rover (at that time only about 6 years old) had been designed with components that needed so much maintenance attention. his reply was "Rovers never break down. They're very well designed and built."


Frank