Post by: charby on May 15, 2006, 07:29:56 AM
I know that they aren't the quickest ducks on the pond.
-C
Post by: RadioFreeSeaLab on May 15, 2006, 07:43:34 AM
EDIT: Oops, I was thinking about the Pontiac Aztec.
The Vibe isn't too bad.
Post by: Guest on May 15, 2006, 07:47:49 AM
Post by: mtnbkr on May 15, 2006, 07:49:38 AM
Chris
Post by: Declaration Day on May 15, 2006, 07:49:44 AM
Post by: K Frame on May 15, 2006, 08:00:22 AM
Post by: charby on May 15, 2006, 08:51:50 AM
Quote from: baus44
...and lacks an 8' bed, 4X4 and a V-8....
Yes it does, but If I wanted a pick-up I would have said.. so guys what do you think of the 2006 Chevy 2500 4x4 crew cab with duramax diesel?I need something easy on gas but I can still load it up with wifey to be and my lab for a two week road trip. Plus I want a hatchback.
C
Post by: Harold Tuttle on May 15, 2006, 10:22:09 AM
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=M3H
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsTrim&vehicleCode=MZ5
and the chevy HHR
http://www.chevrolet.com/hhr/
also the Honda Fit
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Fit
the fit will haul an alapaca:
Post by: Guest on May 15, 2006, 11:10:06 AM
Post by: Bogie on May 15, 2006, 02:22:40 PM
Post by: garyk/nm on May 15, 2006, 03:47:55 PM
www. MINIusa.com
www. northamericanmotoring.com
Anything with a GM nameplate is to be avoided at all costs.
Post by: Harold Tuttle on May 15, 2006, 04:02:02 PM
you do know that you can not haul south american pack animals in a mini
don'tcha?
Post by: grampster on May 15, 2006, 04:36:07 PM
She likes it and it gets good gas mileage. New grandson told me that gay guys are always coming up to her and asking how she likes the car. Heh Heh. I'm not sure about the significance of that. Not that there's anyting wrong with that.
Post by: Ex-MA Hole on May 15, 2006, 04:39:08 PM
I drove it and drove in it. Wasn't for me. It just didn't feel right.
Personally, I'd drive one before I think about it too much.
Post by: JAlexander on May 15, 2006, 05:42:56 PM
Quote from: Bogie
Do you know what I'd just flat-out love? A Dodge Dakota-size truck with the diesel engine and 1 ton rear axle from the Dodge/Mercedes/Freightliner Sprint van. That big ol' van gets 25mpg. Think about how much better a smaller truck would get, and you'd still have the same towing capacity (5,000 pounds).
So what you really want is for Toyota to import the Hilux to the USA. Hey, me too. Looking at the toyota.au Hilux figures, it gets an average of 29mpg with the diesel engine, tows 4960 lbs, and 160 hp. I know I've said this before, but I'm convinced that if Toyota made the Hilux available in the USA there'd be a run on them. A lot of the farmers and ranchers who're currently driving Ford, Chevy, and Dodge diesels would switch over.If you want to see them, check here: http://hilux.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/HomePage/0,4666,1586_544,00.html
James
Post by: Preacherman on May 15, 2006, 06:28:08 PM
Post by: garrettwc on May 15, 2006, 06:33:36 PM
Same thing for the Land Cruisers. No, not the overpriced yuppie haulers they sell here. I'm talking about the beat 'em to heck off road vehicles that Toyota used to put up against the Land Rover Defenders.
Post by: Strings on May 15, 2006, 06:37:02 PM
Post by: Guest on May 15, 2006, 08:43:20 PM
Quote
Personally, I think the saving on fuel that they'd provide would more than offset the emissions problem - burn less fuel, emit less gases, no?
Your not kidding. It is even more absurd that U.S. emmisions laws prevent the import of virtually all modern-tech small displacement motorcycles. We are talking about vehicles that get 75-80 miles to the gallon, but they make such effecient use of their displacement that they cannot pass our emissions laws. There are some *really* cool machines that we wont ever get to see because of a set of laws that completely ignore every pacticality in favor of beurocracy.I really wish that someone would bring back the *compact* pick-up, I looked at Toyota Tacomas recently, and imagine my dissapointment to discover that they have grown into the "mid-size" category which prohibits me ability to park it anywhere that would be convenient for me.
Post by: mfree on May 16, 2006, 05:13:09 AM
Then they went with a Ford 4l V6. Bleh.
Post by: TarpleyG on May 16, 2006, 06:37:58 AM
Quote from: Bogie
...gets 25mpg. Think about how much better a smaller truck would get, and you'd still have the same towing capacity (5,000 pounds).
Yeah, it's called a Chevy Colorado. I have one and love it.Greg
Post by: charby on May 16, 2006, 06:41:10 AM
Quote from: garyk/nm
MINI Cooper S. You will not be disappointed.
www. MINIusa.com
www. northamericanmotoring.com
Anything with a GM nameplate is to be avoided at all costs.
I'm interested in the Cooper but just isn't big enough for my needs. www. MINIusa.com
www. northamericanmotoring.com
Anything with a GM nameplate is to be avoided at all costs.
I've had good luck with GM products.
-C
Post by: mfree on May 16, 2006, 10:13:23 AM
I wish I could get a small diesel in a small pickup though... I got as close as I could come, '03 Sonoma SL with the base 2.2 and five speed. 27mpg highway, and I can still haul stuff. Not feeling guilty (or broke) while commuting alone is a huge plus
EDIT: BOGIE, DUDE! I've seen it with my own eyes, there are Sprinter box cabs out there. I passed the local dodge dealership once and rub my eyes, there's a Sprinter with a stake bed. Hideous, but with all the features you're after
Post by: charby on May 16, 2006, 10:16:14 AM
I have a 91 S-10 Short Bed 2wd, 5 speed, 2.8 with 106K that gets 27 mph on the highway pulling my 14' boat. Why can't GM still make these?
-C
Post by: Gewehr98 on May 16, 2006, 10:24:10 AM
Regarding the "GM products are to be avoided at all costs" zinger, I could very easily say the same of the Ford products I used to own and have since walked away from, including a fairly recent Explorer model. Bottom line, everybody in the automotive business builds a lemon or 1000. It's up to the consumer to find out if they won the prize.
Post by: charby on May 16, 2006, 10:27:39 AM
Post by: mfree on May 16, 2006, 10:45:50 AM
.... it is? I may be keeping my little truck longer than I thought then...
Post by: brimic on May 16, 2006, 02:36:29 PM
Quote
Not a big fan of the Colorado/Canyon myself. They seemed preoccupied with rakish angles on the sheetmetal, and how cheap they could make the plastic interior pieces look.
When I was looking for a new truck a few years ago, I loked at the Colorado as well. The cheapo interior which is similar to the Equinox was a deal breaker for me, wasn't too keen on te 5 cyliner engine either- I know that Audi used to make one, but in my mind an engine should have an even number of cylinders and Chevy isn't Audi. I ended up just keeping my Nissan for purposes as a beater pickup truck.Pontiac Vibe- I would feel kind of goofy driving around in a car that sounds like the name of a sex toy, maybe its just me.
Post by: The Rabbi on May 16, 2006, 03:46:20 PM
Quote from: brimic
Pontiac Vibe- I would feel kind of goofy driving around in a car that sounds like the name of a sex toy, maybe its just me.
It isn't just you. I thought the same thing. Didnt Toyota or someone make a car in the mid-1980s that had a name also like a sex toy?
Post by: Gewehr98 on May 16, 2006, 04:04:17 PM
Quote
Visconsin?? Oh boy another invader to the upper midwest!
Not really. I was born and raised there, and left Wisconsin for my military career in 1986. I always wanted to return to that area, especially after being assigned to the People's Republik of Kalifornia for 10 years, and am just now making it a reality. So I wouldn't call it an invasion - more like a re-occupation. 
Quote
"the 2.2L 5-speed is dual-fuel capable"
.... it is? I may be keeping my little truck longer than I thought then...
Mfree, you'll have to either look in the owner's manual, or keep an eye open for the dual-fuel label in the gas filler door and special parts in the engine compartment. The true dual-fuel 2.2L S-10 pickups have what's called a fuel composition sensor on the frame rail near the foot area of the passenger compartment, just behind the front A-arm on the suspension. It's mounted directly on the frame rail, and has a fuel line going into it from the fuel tank, and one heading to the engine. It tells the engine computer what type of fuel is coming down the pipe, and then the computer remaps the ignition advance and fuel injector timing to run on any mixture from straight gasoline to E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). GM started doing this for extra CAFE credits with their S-10/Sonoma/Hombre line beginning with the 2000 model year, but I don't know what percentage of the total 2.2L pickups were dual fuel. 2002 was the last year for the dual fuel S-10/Sonoma.
.... it is? I may be keeping my little truck longer than I thought then...
Post by: mfree on May 16, 2006, 06:38:25 PM
5 cylinders are A-OK, they balance properly and all that. It's just a space-saving measure. Modern engines control fuel burn better with smaller cylinders, and since they had an engine already with decent emissions and mileage but had 6 cylinders and needed a four, they dropped one, because dropping two would have made it *too* small while using the same cylinders, rods, etc.
I read a long article about it a year or two ago when those new engines came out. Decent motors, too, as well as the 2.2 Ecotec, very overbuilt. Seems the tuner crowd (the real ones, not the Nawz Kiddiez) got a stock one to make 350HP with no issues, asides from the added turbocharger.
Post by: Sylvilagus Aquaticus on May 16, 2006, 08:27:09 PM
pocketapocketapocketapocketapocketa......
like a little trawler.
Last fall I got to drive the new Colorado crewcab 4WD alongside a comparable Tacoma. Out of one, into the other at a GM Test Drive event. I hate to admit it, but the Tacoma felt a LOT better than the Colorado.
Sitting in the Colorado makes me wonder if the anthropomorphic model for the truck was a close relative of Quasimodo.
Too bad the Toyota diesel isn't stateside.
Regards,
Rabbit.
Post by: Strings on May 16, 2006, 08:50:57 PM
Post by: charby on February 23, 2007, 06:28:51 PM
Well I bought a 2004 Pontiac Vibe today. 21,160 miles on it and price was to good to turn down. So far I like it, I'll know more this summer after a trip to Yellowstone and to BWCA.
-C
Post by: Gewehr98 on February 23, 2007, 06:35:15 PM
Post by: charby on February 23, 2007, 06:40:08 PM
Probably, IIRC Toyota and GM already have quite the partnership going on. I thought GM was trying to buy everyone, first Ford when they were in dire straights and now Chysler.
My Vibe is Toyota Matrix in a Pontiac wrapper.
-C
Post by: Bigjake on February 23, 2007, 06:41:57 PM
Quote
A lot of the farmers and ranchers who're currently driving Ford, Chevy, and Dodge diesels would switch over
a cold day in hell, my friend. Even if it was marginally better, and assembled in the states, no way in HELL there will ever be a foreign vehicle in my stable.
Post by: Declaration Day on February 23, 2007, 07:10:28 PM
I've owned a couple of "American" vehicles that were built in Canada or Mexico.
These days, the badge on the hood is often more of a marketing tool than a true brand identity.
Post by: Gewehr98 on February 23, 2007, 07:57:02 PM
My Chevy S-10 was built in Canada. I $hit you not.
And my '78 Harley has Japanese forks, carburetor, and generator, that was nigh unto 30 years ago. Globalization isn't for the faint of heart.
Bigjake, I hate to tell you, but that computer you're typing away at patriotically? Open the case and have a look-see. There's a metric assload of Chinese parts in there, I guarantee.
Post by: Sergeant Bob on February 23, 2007, 08:12:48 PM
It would wear out a set of back tires in about 15 to 20,000 miles.
It had some serious alignment problems, but there was no way to align the rear wheels.
He checked some car forums and said it was a relatively common problem, which the manufacturer would not fix.
I rode in it and drove it and it wasn't a bad driving car but, it was definitely an econo-box.
You might want to do a bit of research before taking the leap of buying a Matrix/Vibe.
Post by: bedlamite on February 23, 2007, 10:57:33 PM
True words.
My Chevy S-10 was built in Canada. I $hit you not.
My Chevy S-10 was built in Canada. I $hit you not.
The door sticker on my S-10 says Linden, NJ
Post by: Strings on February 23, 2007, 11:26:20 PM
Damn... were ANY of 'em built in the US?
Post by: crt360 on February 24, 2007, 02:18:29 AM
I heard a few days ago that Hyundai was interested in purchasing Chrysler.
Post by: charby on February 24, 2007, 04:04:27 AM
-C
Post by: theCZ on February 24, 2007, 05:03:26 AM
Post by: Declaration Day on February 24, 2007, 05:04:01 AM
I heard a few days ago that Hyundai was interested in purchasing Chrysler.
That would be great for Chrysler.
I own both a Hyundai and a Chrysler, and the Hyundai is a much higher quality vehicle.