XPost: alt.autos.toyota.camry, alt.autos.toyota, rec.autos.tech   
   From: demi@moore.net   
      
   On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:59:30 -0500, Nate Nagel    
   wrote:   
      
   >Ashton Crusher wrote:   
   >> On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:17:49 -0500, Nate Nagel    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> Mike Hunter wrote the same tired old crap.   
   >>>   
   >>> Mike, just STFU.  You're an idiot.  Any fool can see that there are real   
   >>> differences in design and quality between different brands of   
   >>> automobile.  Any fool except you, that is.   
   >>>   
   >>> *plonk*   
   >>>   
   >>> nate   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> There is VERY little difference.  It's mostly perception and   
   >> preference based on the quality problems of the domestics one or two   
   >> decades ago.  People have long memories.  In the 70's you could figure   
   >> on something going wrong with your domestic several times a year.  Now   
   >> it's pretty rare.   
   >   
   >Balls.  I've had enough minor issues with my company vehicles to   
   >seriously doubt they will be worth repairing, if it's even possible, 20   
   >years from now.  There's a 22 year old Porsche in my driveway.   
   >   
   >nate   
      
      
   We have thousands of vehicles in our fleet, almost all domestic.  Just   
   sticking with "cars" for the moment, generally when we get a new one   
   we drive it for 150,000 miles and about 10 years and in that time it's   
   rare to even have as much as one non-maintence repair a year.  The   
   last car I had that has now been retired was a 95 caprice.  In the 13   
   years and 125,000 miles we had it it had to have three minor warranty   
   repairs in the first couple years, after that I drove it for the next   
   decade and never had to do a thing to it but routine maintenance.  Our   
   last two E350 Ford vans ran up to 250K with nothing needed outside the   
   changes we made like bigger alternators to run equipment.   V-10   
   automatics that were flogged for 250K miles and they ran like new when   
   we auctioned them off and they looked like new (once they were   
   shampooed).  I see the same thing over and over with our domestic   
   fleet vehicles.  Yes, you may have had a couple problems but I can   
   tell you that the current domestics are nothing like what they were   
   producing in the 70's.  I see a friend of mine plow big$$$$ into his   
   imports while I'm driving one of our fleet vehicles I bought at   
   auction - had 147,000 on it when I bought it, had 190,000 when I   
   traded it in for case for clunkers.  Paid $2500, drove it for 7 years,   
   "sold" it for $4500. Put $1500 into it over the 7 years to make it   
   like I wanted.   
      
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