Wierd problem w/ my car

[Bfowler]

i did, i owned a 01 chevy s10, form 0 to about 65k, and everything that could go wrong on it did. my headlight switches broke, my dash lights broke. intake manifold cracked. head light fell out. and i DO know how to take care and maintain cars.

not to mention my parents have bought ford explors from 92 -02 and chevy suburban/tahoes since. everyone had really premature interior wear (buttons falling of and paint rubbing of) the last exploros heater core broke, the chevys both shift at odd times, and the tahoe is just miserable to drive

its not so much American cars will break down. they just don't have the quality i look for in the little things. the interior parts are put together poorly, with shoddy clips, or poorly placed screws. the engines are way behind foreign engines.

take the 4.6 V8. 224 hp, and 265fptq , averages 25mpg hwy (taken from specs on a 04 crown vic)

VS

a bmw 4.0 liter V8 286 hp, 295fttq and pulled off 29mpg hwy
(in 1992) (and yes this motor, and whole car, has proven since then to be extremely reliable)

also, no American car i have ever driven has made me "want to drive it" even by buddies 06 corvette. it was fast as shit...but i just didn't care. the steering was numb, it just didn't inspire any emotion.

the more cars i take apart the more i stand by my decisions above.

every time i do a job on my bmw i find something that makes me thing "holy shit...someone really thought that through.

I'm glad you had good luck with them. but after going to this years auto show, i can still stand by the statement i have been saying since i sold my s10. NOTHING i have ever seen before or since would convince me into buying another American car"

[Mackenzie]

What about ford?n I agree, Most gm cars are actually poorly put together, but they have nice engines.. My crownvic for one has proven itsself reliable over the years. It has got nothing but praises for the most part, 5 star crash rating, very smooth ride, ect. Hence the reason why its been the cop crusier for more than a decade. As for the gasmileage Yes i can agree with you there, but my car isnt desined for gas mileage. Its a large v8, thats a pretty heavy car, and its a family sedan. Also my car weighs more than that bmw, has a bigger motor liters wise, and was far less espensive in 92 btw German cars are more designed for german streets. American cars for the most part are much better for draging, while others are better for windy roads. Their are plenty of american cars that handle well though, the vett is not one of them..

[Mackenzie]

Ever road in a ford gt supercar? Even your german counterparts praised it. As for build quality inside, ford imo is much better constructed than chevy. Take a ride in something like the lincoln mkz, i bet you would be suprised at some of the offerings. btw my car stock has 272pounds of torque stock

[Bfowler]

lol, tuche, never been in a ford gt. when i'm making 7 figures, i will give it a shot

as for the motors. i guess i was trying to stress that bmw puts a ton of engineeering into there engines. to me it seemed that ford motor i mentioned above seems behind the times, bigger displacement, less power.

the lincons actually look sick as hell. if they ever told me i had to drive an american car, that would be the first one i would look at

[Mackenzie]

Yea, my engine isnt the most powerful, but its a very torquey engine. 276 pounds of torque is nothing to sneeze at. Furthermore, have you seen the maraurder? Its esentially my car with a better motor/ suspension, and ect.. The reason I didnt get one was that they are verrrrrrrrry rare to find, and some are still going for 20+ plus. 302 horsepower 318 pounds of torque. Discontinued in 03 though. http://www.top100musclecarsites.com/Mer ... auder.html
Lets not forget about the shelby gt500, or the saleen mustang engine.
On a side note, I plan on rebuilding my engine anyways.. Its the same engine in the previous model mustang gt, except my motor has different heads/ cams, which is why the stang has more power.

[Mackenzie]

check your pm brian

[twisted]

i will continue to buy chevy's as my 94 blazer has 216k on it and runs like new, uses no oil and my 99 burb has 179k on it and its the same and they are huge and very comfotable to drive long distances with plenty of passing power to boot.

brian, i beleive you have gottn lucky with your bimmer , as tsonka used to be a service writer at the local bmw dealer in town and he was responsible for talking me outta getting a bmw! he has seen all the EXPENSIVE COMMON problems that plauge these cars.

but i work at a ford dealership and i see alot of ford problems too.
i also beleive just about anycar can last a long time if properly cared for, except hyundai's

[ydnap]

V6 Hyundai sonata. Cheap, super reliable and amazingly comfy and sizeable.

Dont buy another american car. debate over.

Their is nothing wrong with american cars. Properly maintained, and regularly serviced cars should last several years like mentioned. The huge recall on nissan cars, and several benz's just goes to show that any car/ cars can take a dump on you. I for one know my crownvictoria an (american car) is running way better than my moms toyota, of which has been blowing out smoke lately. In all its just a matter of opinion, but their is nothing wrong with american cars. Ide wager to say most of everyone on this forum hasnt even owned a brand new american car. We often make assumptions based on what he said, or she said, rather than learning for yourself. Not trying to stir up any arguments here, but thats something to think about. Its probably pointless debating on this site since 99.9% on this forum drives imports/ german cars

Well I speak from what I have seen during my time here.

My Ford Taurus - Head gasket at 77,000 miles, new starter, alt, brakes etc @ 100k. Bearing went out @ 102k, trans called it a day at 107. Parts for this car were nearly twice as much as my Tiburon, and thats an import.

Ex wife's parents GMC suburban - New trans at 108k. Cost over 4 grand.

Your old car - trans went out.

Cousin's blazer - Head gasket went, pre-cursored by bad bearings, knocking and god knows what else.

Ex wife's Focus - interior leak @ 8k. Interior melted in the sun @ 12k, all had to be replaced. Trans slippnig like a fucker @ 20k, ended up selling it.

Ex wife's 05 malibu LT (a $28k car) - Electrical problems @ 9k, we bought it with 7k on. Power steering pump dead @ 11k. More electical problems @ 13k, ended up finding out when they wired the car they didnt use any rubber gromets and the wires were shredding on the sharp metal shorting themselves out and causing weird shit to happen.

Ex wife's friend's Dodge Neon. Motor died @ 60k (disposable car) she went onto buy an elantra.

Ex wife's bosses 04 Neon. In 07 this car developed serious serious electical problems. She spent about 4 grand on a new ECU, new harness and god knows what else. In the end Dodge gave up and offered her more than it was worth, she bought a new neon (she didnt have a choice, it was that or take a massive loss and be car-less).

Cousin's ranger - Trans died @ 102k.

Friend's Cherokee - dead trans @ 90k

Step brother's cherokee - dead trans @ 82k

Now when I compare that to my Tiburon which I paid $900 for (which has ran solidly for nearly 3 years of me owning it) I find it very very hard to reccomend American cars. Not only that, but my car had 80k on when I got it. Its now @ 110 in less than 3 years and runs better than ever with good gas milage to boot.

The fact is (whether you know it, or whether or not you want to admit it) US cars are crap. Thats not me talking down on them, it's proven fact the world over (Ask Brian to tell you about the reviews in the back of the top gear mag he sent me).

If you compare any single one of them to an import counterpart the US car looks like a big fat Folly. Example, let's compare a Mustang to a Skyline. They sell many Skylines, all comparable to Mustangs. The 'lines cost about the same per model per spec and theyre MUCH better cars. Faster in their class, safer and better economy.

TBH I think the only reason the USA hasnt started allowing the Jap imports like the UK and canada is because it would kill the US's car makers for good. I mean how could you possibly WANT to own a mustang when you can get a Skyline with around 30k on it in beautiful condition for around $4500 and up?

Hyundai are just getting better and better, with the only excuse not to get one now being that youre either patriotic or just a snobby badge whore (and thats not aimed at you, its just the way things are).

[Mackenzie]

I cant count how many of my friends cars that are imports, that are constantly problematic. yes my old lincolns trans went out, but that was with tons of abuse, and 200+k on the odometer Maybe older ford cars are suspect, but Like i mentioned the newer ones are great. My car runs great, infact stronger than most imo. If you look it up euro cars have tons of issues especially benz. In this case, to each his own.

[Bfowler]

check your pm brian

whoops, sorry, i will pm back, i looked then forgot to reply.

the gt 500 engine? lots of power, but doesn't impress me. its huge and super-charged. it should make more power

5.4 liter supercharged. 500 HP 480ft of torque

the most comparable bmw engine is either the

4.4l m5 V8 motor 394hp and 500fttq (1 liter smaller, and NO supercharger, and 7 years older)

or

the currant bmw 5.0l v10 510 hp 520FTtq, granted its a v10, but its still smaller and not supercharged.

the ford motor makes a ton of power, but seems like it should be much better considering the supercharger

[Mackenzie]

You mention all this should be better, but why is it that all the domestic for the most part own all other types of cars at the drag strips? sorry had to btw why should it make more power? Its called the gt500, so its ment to make 500 horses.

[Bfowler]

so why couldnt they do the same number with a smaller/lighter engine?

they dominate becasue of the gear ratio. most of the bmw cars will hit and cruse at near 160 off the showroom floor (ok, with the governor removed) even


the old school american cars dominate becasue they are so easy to work on, and the guys that like to race them grew up with them. there is more guys who know how, and are willing to tune them.

the 2007 gt500 runs the 1/4 in 12.9

the 99 m5 in 13 even
the 2007 m5 does it in 12.4


so its pretty damn close!

[twisted]

i still say the Buick GNX is pound for pound the badest car on the planet

it has a v6 weighs 3900lbs and is areo dynamic as a brick and runs 13.4@104 and was rated @276hp &360 lbft

[Bfowler]

in like 1989 too!

ok, thats on american car thats pretty bad ass!

[Mackenzie]

The shelby isnt all that imo really. Now the saleen mustang is another story Not as powerful, but a better built car. Im still content with my domestic car though. Not much horsepower, but you should see the look on peoples faces when I pass their ricers.. My torque is what gets the car moving good, and ofcourse the cubic inches. I dont have any hatred towards imports, just not my cup of tea. Now exotics are another thing

[ydnap]

Of course its a case of each to his own, and luck really.

[ydnap]

The shelby isnt all that imo really. Now the saleen mustang is another story

Not compared to this.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rPbSmKyxIgA

My friend's is UK built by brits, and its pushing 900. Ive never seen a mustang anywhere close...

Do like the body on the saleen though

[Mackenzie]

^^ Im at work so unfortunately I cant view the video right now, but I can tell you right now, that their are chevys and fords near my area with upwards of 1000hp. You may have not seen anywhere up towards that range, but my friend you need to make a trip to the south

[seandiguer]

Im a journeyman mechanic, and i would have to say, it sounds like the oil pressure sending unit is bad. Its a very common problem especially if you notice it leaking. (tail sign that its bad) If your engine isnt making and strange ticking or heaven forbid knocking sound its probably a simple fix. The best thing to do is have the pressure checked.. Its fairly cheep to find out. A shop would remove the sending unit, hook up a pressure guage and give you a reading.. As long as its about a min 8 psi at idle warm, your probably good to go and it just need a sending unit which is about 25 bucks. All together to have the pressure checked and and new sending unit installed should run about 100dollars. If the pressure is good and you replace the sending unit and it still comes on, its probably in the instument cluster or in the wiring. In which i would recommend just driving it. It can get VERY expensive tracing wiring problems. .
You could just try changing it yourself and see what happens.. its probably the cheepest way to go. The socket to fit the sending unit runs about 8 dollars.

[Mackenzie]

btw its not only the gear ratio, its also the torque our cars put down to the ground. American cars are known for their torque

[Bfowler]

dammit....i just showed you the torque specs on em! they aren't torque slouches either..

jap 4bangers on the other hand....sigh

[Mackenzie]

From what I gathered, ford hasnt made any real powerful natural aspirated engines besides their racing engines because of money for developement. I could be wrong though. Its not that they cant, they just havent. Chevy does though. In all honesty, they dont need to because they sell a ton of mustangs, and ect, but it would be nice to see some stronger natural motors.

[VW337]

picks up horse, beats on it just a little, then pushes it to the ground.



I have been the proud owner of 3 American cars, 2 chevy's and 1 Ford.


The 1977 Chevy Nova, the motor literally exploded, not once but twice. Drove for the better part of 2 a year.
The 1978 Chevy PU, shot a valve all the way through the exhaust and actually ran better until I tried to start it again. Drove for the better part of 6 hours.

The 1990 Ford ButtStain 5.0L, ran for about a day prior to all of the steering column wiring going up in flames as I was making a right hand turn into oncoming traffic. Repaired that then the ECU went up in flames, the window motors quit, the heater core ruptured, the radiator exploded, the driveline cracked, the right front wheel hub split in two. Dorv ethis car for the better part of 4 months.


I purchased a 1968 bug with 160K miles on it, invested $16 in seat covers, bought a new battery, and drove it for 2 years.

Bought Corrado, drove the shit outta it. Drove it like it was stolen, then it was stolen.

I bought a 1974 bug drove it for a summer after my Corrado was stolen, invested nothing in it, not even seat covers.

Bought a 1996 Jetta GLX VR6, drove it for a while, traded it for an Audi CSi


the list goes on. The only Issue I have had with German cars was my 1988 Porsche which had an ignition switch bug that refused to be remedied, so I used a screwdriver and had a good alarm.

I total I think I have owned better than 20 German cars and invested nothing in them other than basic maintenance, and in some cases no maintenace other than topping off the oil every week.



I will likely never own another American vehicle.

[ydnap]

The 1990 Ford ButtStain 5.0L.

hahahahaha, fuckin awesome name

[ydnap]

^^ Im at work so unfortunately I cant view the video right now, but I can tell you right now, that their are chevys and fords near my area with upwards of 1000hp. You may have not seen anywhere up towards that range, but my friend you need to make a trip to the south

Can they be reliably daily driven though? or are they good for about 2000 miles or less like a race car would be?