I have a theory about American Cars....

[thunderbyrd]

I have been happy with my ford edge. And I was never a ford man.

 

[imwjl]

I think every once and awhile, employees at an American car company are all on the same page, and produce a great product. By that I mean, management, engineers and line-workers are all clicking together and are making great cars. At least until middle management screws everything up.

I say this because I know there are some great years for American cars. The late sixties produced some great American cars for example. My current 2014 Chevy Silverado has been bullet proof so far and I would put it up against any other car world wide. So, I am not sure what was happening in 2014 at the Chevy Silverado plant, but they had things clicking.

So I would like to hear from you guys, some bragging about your American cars, especially trucks. If you have vehicle that is as good as any other car you have ever owned, post your compliment as a PSA for others.

Please tell me exactly how middle management screws everything up? In most organizations they are sort of human glue and a vital layer between labor and the c suite.

The first decades in my work life were serving the auto industry or part of it - first in assembly plant, then production and quality management for a parts maker. Never did I see middle management assembling things wrong or take shortcuts in assembly. The picking on middle management was mostly a simple easy cop out - people not in the union or execs. Middle management never made the short cuts and bad decisions execs and labor did. I doubt they left their lunch garbage inside the last new Chevrolet I purchased.

I'm a bit confused by your truck comments because our real American truck maker is PACCAR. A Silverado is a pickup.

We where I'm at now still lease and own domestic cars and light trucks and keep about 1/3 beyond the leases into high mileage. They are much better but rarely have the long-term durability and wear well like a Toyota or Honda. We have vehicles probably much like and same age as your Silverado. They are certainly better but at scale can show little and at times bothersome issues. For example the same age Toyota in our family with more domestic content and labor has worn better than our Stellantis, Ford and GM purchases.

Overall our fleet and personal experience has been a lot like the crowd-sourced reviews and Consumer Reports long-term tests. The 3 Teslas the company has bought have held up well and been very reliable and the 3 Jeeps the worst. While we're a small just less than 1000 person enterprise our results seem to reflect general data. Our Sprinter vans had good drivetrains but the Ford vans bodies lasted longer.

Part of my time serving the auto industry was in fleet management. Then as now individual vehicles don't always reflect a broad swath of production.

 

[pbenn]

"...I miss what AMC had going for them...great engineers who built vehicles with ease of maintenance in mind expecting the owner to do most of it themselves...."

If only AMC had moved beyond vacuum wipers and kingpins with the rest of the industry, but they couldn't. Instead of putting so much into Javelin/AMX in '68, they should have made Hornet wagons with four-wheel drive, for about a decade.
There. I've said it.
Yes, I'm a Collectible Automobile reader (!) Good post.

 

[pippoman]

This is the fifth XJ Cherokee I've owned since buying the first one back in '94. I could think of loads of things to complain about, but of all the vehicles I've owned it's my favourite. I hope I can keep finding good ones for as long as I'm driving. With my low mileage this one should see another decade unless it gets legislated off the road.

View attachment 1079267

Drive it here in Memphis and see how your “should see another decade” theory works out. Dodge Chargers and Challengers are lasting for a few days, but maybe nobody will notice that hunk of a vehicle!

 

[Powdog]

I’ve had five of the classic 1966-77 Broncos and this was the peach. 1973, 4900 lb GVW package. Took me everywhere and never gave me a lick of trouble. Long gone, but the girl is still with me.

 

[Rowdyman]

1966 Cutlass Supreme was awesome, 64 Impala too.
I loved my Tracker but the frame turned to dust/rust.
Had a couple of Panthers and they are great! RM

 

[Dismalhead]

I had a 2004 Impala that we bought new. It was a hunk of junk.

 

[Peegoo]

2004 Toyota Tacoma quad cab shortbed here, made in Fremont CA (frame and cab) and Long Beach CA (bed). Bulletproof 3.4L V6 with timing chain. Almost 300K miles and never had the top off the engine. Original starter. The only things I've had to replace besides tires/brakes/wipers/tune-ups/battery are driver door window regulator ($40), a right bank ignition coil ($60), and a short length of plastic fuel line the squirrels chewed through. This truck is a little beast and still looks great with no rust anywhere on the body.

 

[GGardner]

About ten years ago, I was issued a new Ford Fusion for work. Probably the '13 model. Man, that was a freakin' solid car. Peppy. Comfortable. Fine interior. Cool, understated exterior. No mechanical problems. And so of course, they were discontinued. Sigh.

 

[bobio]

Sorry, but I have nothing positive to say about American cars.

Moved to Toyota in 2016 and when the time comes to trade in the Prius or the Rav4, they will be replaced with another Toyota. Prius just hit 80,000 miles with absolutely no issues. The Rav4 just keeps on going even though careless drivers and mother nature keep trying to destroy it ... lol

 

[Hodgo88]

I miss what AMC had going for them...great engineers who built vehicles with ease of maintenance in mind expecting the owner to do most of it themselves. They couldn't keep up with the others in the style department due to lower profits, but there are no vehicles built today that come close to allowing the owner to handle most repairs....not even some mechanics.

I will say this: by modern standards, my '22 Subaru is much more maintenance friendly than other new cars. I'm sure there's a nervous system-esque wiring scheme under the carpet, but when you pop the hood it's clear they at least expected you might change the oil. No stupid plastic covers to take off, oil filter is accessible with the car parked on the ground, right from the top. This is what it looks like under the hood from the factory:

 

[lowatter]

I was fortunate enough to buy a 2007 Chevy Silverado extended cab from a gentleman that bought it when he retired in '07. He only used it here and there and kept it in his garage and it only had 36,000 miles on it when I bought it for only $7500. 4 years ago. It still only has 45,000 miles on it and it'll be the last vehicle I'll own if it doesn't get wrecked or ?. It had the original tires on it which I replaced when I got it. It's incredibly clean and near mint for a 16 year old truck. I haven't had any issues with it whatsoever. Great Truck.

 

[Painter644]

Wor

There were certainly some classics like the GTO and 442. Unfortunately workmanship, tooling and design took a hit a few years later when the fit and finish in American vehicles took a sharp dive. The assembly line blues were famously blamed but it was really a failure at many levels.

Worked at a Chevrolet dealer in the mid-‘60s while in college. Given the number of sabotaged cars that came through - I’ve never owned another American car since my ‘59 Bonneville convertible…I’ve routinely gotten 175-225K trouble free miles out of various VW/Audis. Currently 22 years and going strong: ‘01 A4 2.8L Q.

 

[ChicknPickn]

Well, it's no news that older F150s are great trucks. Our 2010 XLT with the Triton 5.4L V8 asks little of us and is a pleasure to drive and use for horse hauling. Change the oil and filter, pay a little attention to belts and hoses, and that's about it.

 

[Deeve]

C'mon Tesla owners, let's hear it!

those reviews will be submitted by the car itself . . .

 

[Esquire Jones]

I had a 2007 GMC Yukon that was about as good as it gets for what it was. Seven passengers if you want, or take out/fold up some seats and it would hold a LOT of cargo.
Great tow vehicle. Super comfortable highway cruiser.

Plus it was very capable ( for a truck) in other ways. Disc brakes all four corners. Huge sway bars. V8 punch. Great cooling system; could idle all day in 90 degree temp without overheating.

The only reliability issues were caused by corrosion inherent to where I live. Other than that it only required routine maintenance. They say GMC trucks are Chevy with lock washers lol.

Still rocking my 05 Yukon. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned. They did something right with those trucks.

According to the sticker on the door, “proudly made in Arlington Texas”.

 

[ficelles]

...great engineers who built vehicles with ease of maintenance in mind expecting the owner to do most of it themselves.

Sadly that ship has now sailed. I know of people scrapping vehicles less than 5 years old due to electronics failures rendering them uneconomic to have repaired and no chance of doing it themselves.

 

[imwjl]

For American automakers shining bright, now is a better example than recent decades. There's lots of neat things with more coming.

GM just invested soaring profits into things that will keep them competitive. They're probably our best chance against the Chinese. They just invested $650,000,000 in Nevada. With the improved supply chain news they could deliver a lot that's been promised. They are going more vertical which better competes with USA Tesla.

Ford has had to limit orders on great new products. They should get a pat on the back for Maverick ute.

Stellantis isn't really American but a lot of people think Dodge and Jeeps are. They have a new engine in those brands that is a really big boost in power and efficiency over the Hemis that have been popular for power. GM also has a new engine initially in Cadillac and pickups.

Then we have the startups! Tesla, Rivian, Lordstown and more.

 

[Milspec]

I will say this: by modern standards, my '22 Subaru is much more maintenance friendly than other new cars. I'm sure there's a nervous system-esque wiring scheme under the carpet, but when you pop the hood it's clear they at least expected you might change the oil. No stupid plastic covers to take off, oil filter is accessible with the car parked on the ground, right from the top. This is what it looks like under the hood from the factory:

View attachment 1079303

Good to see. I have seen vehicles so badly designed that you had to raise the motor or remove a fender to change the oil filter! How many owners are going to do it?

 

[Tarkus60]

If only AMC had moved beyond vacuum wipers and kingpins with the rest of the industry, but they couldn't. Instead of putting so much into Javelin/AMX in '68, they should have made Hornet wagons with four-wheel drive, for about a decade.
There. I've said it.
Yes, I'm a Collectible Automobile reader (!) Good post.

My brother in law bought a brand new 1968 AMX man we loved that car. My sister got pregnant and he traded it for a 1970 340 duster, which was cool but never the same.
My uncle bought a new GTO every year...always a automatic. My dad gave him a hard time for not getting a 4 speed.