What are you driving these days?

[mgent]

vader tie fighter 

how's the mileage on those things?

I am so glad you asked.  I woke up to a show the other day that depicted how scientifically plausible some of the things in Stars Wars are.  A T.I.E. Fighter apparently stands for a Twin Ion Engine Fighter.  We currently have rockets that use an Ion engine.  Turns out they are extremely slow, and it'd be near impossible for us to create a fighter that fast.  Also, for a windshield of that size to hold up in space, it'd have to be made from dense plasma.  The good news however, is that ion engines are one of the most economic engines in space travel.  Very cost efficient.  More so than the X-Fighter which would require a large amount of thrusters in every direction to have that much precision in a non-gravitational atmosphere.
As far as the thread goes, apparently we live in Japan.  I'm appalled at the lack of American cars.

[Scalablob990]

I drive a 2000 Infiniti I30 with 81k miles on it. It belonged to my parents before they gave it to me, but the gas mileage on that car is atrocious now. I'll go to the supermarket and 1/8th of the tank will be gone.....yet 4 years ago it would barely need gas.

[ssspence]

1972 Porsche 914. It's reliable, roomy, and safe...

[JamItMaurice]

Ugh, 2001 Jetta 1.8t. Nice to drive, but alternator died on me on me about a month ago, then it started overheating on me today. SO i guess for the moment I'm not driving anything.

[Brickowski]

Exept mine also has the roof rack.

[jambr380]

Ugh, 2001 Jetta 1.8t. Nice to drive, but alternator died on me on me about a month ago, then it started overheating on me today. SO i guess for the moment I'm not driving anything.

My old 2000 Jetta VR6 was about the nicest car I have ever been in and drove like a dream, but I couldn't afford the repairs anymore. I learned so much about cars by owning that one. I had always heard of alternators, struts, transmissions, mufflers, etc etc- but after owning that car, I learned what is really under the hood. All of these parts I never really thought about had to be replaced [several times]- how many water pumps should a car go through? And don't even talk to me about emissions...Throw in the broken glove compartment, cup holders, cigarette lighter plug, etc etc etc and I decided that it was time to move on...but like I said, it drove as nicely as a Porsche...and from what I hear, they are less sporty (not like Audis anymore) now and more reliable...

[the_Bird]

As far as the thread goes, apparently we live in Japan.  I'm appalled at the lack of American cars.

Meh, my Hondas are built with more American labor and with more American parts than almost any Ford or GM product.  What difference does it really make where the parent company is incorporated?

[crownsy]

I'm appalled at the lack of American cars

If Detroit haden't dropped the ball and made a reliable fuel efficient car that i liked instead of 900 variations of SUV's and trucks, id agree.

However, i live on a tight budget as a college grad on his first job, and have had zero mechanical problems and a great gas bill since getting out of college with my Toyota Yaris. I love the little thing, and it was quite affordable as a first time car buyer.

Would i rather own a mustang? sure. but thats not practical, when you consider gas mileage and frequency of matinance.

 and i suspect im in the majority of American's on that eval, and thus Detroit's current problem. 

(sedan model, the hatchbacks are ugly. The sedan is no looked, but at least it looks like car.)

[greg683x]

right now I drive a 1997 Saturn SL2 it has about 118,500 miles on it.  I want to buy one of those new Toyota Camrys that are out, I love the new look that they have, but Im gonna run the Saturn into the ground first b/c im tryin to throw a lot of money in the bank to buy a house and dont want to add a car payment yet.

I also ride a 1998 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6E.

[Celtic]

I like it, it's ok, when Antoine hands went cold in LV, mine was HOT like Fire!!!

[mgent]

I'm appalled at the lack of American cars

If Detroit haden't dropped the ball and made a reliable fuel efficient car that i liked instead of 900 variations of SUV's and trucks, id agree.

However, i live on a tight budget as a college grad on his first job, and have had zero mechanical problems and a great gas bill since getting out of college with my Toyota Yaris. I love the little thing, and it was quite affordable as a first time car buyer.

Would i rather own a mustang? sure. but thats not practical, when you consider gas mileage and frequency of matinance.

 and i suspect im in the majority of American's on that eval, and thus Detroit's current problem. 

(sedan model, the hatchbacks are ugly. The sedan is no looked, but at least it looks like car.)

There's plenty of American cars that are more practical than a Mustang.  And there's nothing wrong with a little maintenance if it means having a car that runs better/longer, unless you're a teenage girl that is.

[crownsy]

I'm appalled at the lack of American cars

If Detroit haden't dropped the ball and made a reliable fuel efficient car that i liked instead of 900 variations of SUV's and trucks, id agree.

However, i live on a tight budget as a college grad on his first job, and have had zero mechanical problems and a great gas bill since getting out of college with my Toyota Yaris. I love the little thing, and it was quite affordable as a first time car buyer.

Would i rather own a mustang? sure. but thats not practical, when you consider gas mileage and frequency of matinance.

 and i suspect im in the majority of American's on that eval, and thus Detroit's current problem. 

(sedan model, the hatchbacks are ugly. The sedan is no looked, but at least it looks like car.)

There's plenty of American cars that are more practical than a Mustang.  And there's nothing wrong with a little maintenance if it means having a car that runs better/longer, unless you're a teenage girl that is.

now your just being flippant for no reason.

 I understand your view that we should buy american, but thats no reason for this kind of response. I looked at American cars too, and what Detroit offers in my price range, which was lower than i liked, but certainly not unreasonable, is nowhere close to the quality toyota offers at that price point.

and Toyota's are some of the most reliable cars on the road, and last forever if well maintained, which i do with mine. It's been nothing but good to me, and been a joy to drive.

and why should i put up with breakdowns and have to buy parts/ put in labor just to prove im not a "teenage girl" in your eyes?

I didn't buy my car to prove im some sort of macho man who can fix'er up myself when it needed constant tuning and parts upkeep, I did that all through high school and college with my 98' F-150.

 I bought my car based on my budget, the value for the dollars i was putting in, It's reliability, and it's possible upkeep costs.

When i weighed those factors, I had a clear choice, and it's given me no cause to regret it. IF that somehow doesn't jive with what you think is my responsibility to American car manufactures to buy an inferior product to prove something to myself about being patrotic or supporting American labor, so be it.

It's that attitude of entitlement that has gotten Detroit in trouble, and unfortunately, with the government's willingness to string them along with handouts rather than letting the free market solve the problem through competition that will ensure American cars continue to lag behind. I hope for our economy's sake that the big 3 realize that.


Summary: If you want me to buy an American car in 4-6 years, build a better product. Shocking stuff in this brave new world of bailouts for companies who don;t make a superior product, i know.

[mgent]

I'm appalled at the lack of American cars

If Detroit haden't dropped the ball and made a reliable fuel efficient car that i liked instead of 900 variations of SUV's and trucks, id agree.

However, i live on a tight budget as a college grad on his first job, and have had zero mechanical problems and a great gas bill since getting out of college with my Toyota Yaris. I love the little thing, and it was quite affordable as a first time car buyer.

Would i rather own a mustang? sure. but thats not practical, when you consider gas mileage and frequency of matinance.

 and i suspect im in the majority of American's on that eval, and thus Detroit's current problem. 

(sedan model, the hatchbacks are ugly. The sedan is no looked, but at least it looks like car.)

There's plenty of American cars that are more practical than a Mustang.  And there's nothing wrong with a little maintenance if it means having a car that runs better/longer, unless you're a teenage girl that is.

now your just being flippant for no reason.

 I understand your view that we should buy american, but thats no reason for this kind of response. I looked at American cars too, and what Detroit offers in my price range, which was lower than i liked, but certainly not unreasonable, is nowhere close to the quality toyota offers at that price point.

and Toyota's are some of the most reliable cars on the road, and last forever if well maintained, which i do with mine. It's been nothing but good to me, and been a joy to drive.

and why should i put up with breakdowns and have to buy parts/ put in labor just to prove im not a "teenage girl" in your eyes?

I didn't buy my car to prove im some sort of macho man who can fix'er up myself when it needed constant tuning and parts upkeep, I did that all through high school and college with my 98' F-150.

 I bought my car based on my budget, the value for the dollars i was putting in, It's reliability, and it's possible upkeep costs.

When i weighed those factors, I had a clear choice, and it's given me no cause to regret it. IF that somehow doesn't jive with what you think is my responsibility to American car manufactures to buy an inferior product to prove something to myself about being patrotic or supporting American labor, so be it.

It's that attitude of entitlement that has gotten Detroit in trouble, and unfortunately, with the government's willingness to string them along with handouts rather than letting the free market solve the problem through competition that will ensure American cars continue to lag behind. I hope for our economy's sake that the big 3 realize that.


Summary: If you want me to buy an American car in 4-6 years, build a better product. Shocking stuff in this brave new world of bailouts for companies who don;t make a superior product, i know.

I'm not sure i was being flippant.
I can't really argue with anything you said, I just simply disagree that American cars are inferior.  You might think that the problem with Detroit is lack of sales due to bad products, but in my mind it is ignorance of Americans.  People see lower prices and less maintenance and jump.

[rickyfan3.0...]

We have a 2006 BMW X5. It's insane. Worth every penny. It's like being in a space ship, sick stock system and rims too...

[bballdog384]

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
126000 miles

I hated it at first, but after a few years I've learned to love, or at least respect, the van.