SVT Formally disbanded

Topic: SVT Formally disbanded (Read 2869 times) previous topic - next topic

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #30 – March 17, 2006, 12:19:35 PM

I would love to see ford start using more RWD platforms like Dodge has been so successful doing. The GTO is a great idea, a high HP LS1 engine in a small car. But there are two things wrong with it:
-Its heavy, way too heavy for its size. GM dropped the ball on developing a lighter platform. You would think the car is fast, but have you driven one, granted its a 13 second car, but with 400hp that car should be well into the 12s, no excuses.
-Its plain, the car looks like a cavalier if you ask me. I mean atleast make the car look the role, it looks like everyother car on the road, it doesnt stand out a bit. Now why would you buy a car that looks just like every other car on the road?

I will give GM props on the car, and hopefully they will tweak it a bit to look the part.

Dodge is by far way ahead of the game, they have several RWD OHV engine platforms putting out the power and looking very different from anything else on the road. THe cars/trucks say look at me, I have balls. Unless Ford does something "innovative" which they claim they are, things are looking very very bleak.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #31 – March 17, 2006, 12:54:23 PM

Quote

Unless Ford does something "innovative" which they claim they are, things are looking very very bleak.

....says the guy who owns a new Ford. :D

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #32 – March 17, 2006, 01:37:19 PM

Quote

Pontiac lucked out that the Monaro's lines fit so well with the Pontiac brand image. They weren't as lucky with how the public ignorantly expected some in your face retro Fat-Goat.

Lucked out? Well Those I've spoken to who have one didn't exactly buy it for it's looks......It didn't have to be in your face, but it didn't have to be so bland either.....

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #33 – March 17, 2006, 01:54:26 PM

Dodges trucks have to be the ulgiest that i have seen in a while, dont get me wrong the Dakotas back in 98 were. They make the dakota to look like "The Mayor Of Truck vill" and they totally screwed up the Durango (Infact Mercedes was intent to screw the Durango from the beginning they were going to release a new ute called the Power Box which morphed into the new Durango). The only promising thing on the horizion for dodge is the caliber it looks nice and the SRT4 is sporting about 270 horses. Its intresting to see what will become of the top 2 in the next ten years, Both Ford and GM need to get thier act together but dont seem intrested in doing so.

Taken From Forbes.com
http://www.forbesautos.com/reviews/2006/dodge/charger/testdrive.html
[All of this is great news for Dodge, which would love to have a popular passenger car on its hands, given that the Neon and Stratus are pretty passé at this point, to say the least. One reason Dodge wants this kind of new vehicle is it has become such a truck-heavy brand that people forget it sells cars. Dodge says it holds an 18% American market share in trucks but only a 5% share of the passenger car market.]

I wouldent exactly call those numbers ahead of the Game.
And no im not saying Ford or GM are doing any better because they are not.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #34 – March 17, 2006, 02:22:40 PM

Quote from: chrome302jr

Dodge is by far way ahead of the game, they have several RWD OHV engine platforms putting out the power and looking very different from anything else on the road. THe cars/trucks say look at me, I have balls.

Buy one, drive it and you'll also realize they are the biggest hunks of shiznit on the road today. We had a 2005 Chrysler 300C Hemi, it was literally falling apart after one year. Sold it and got a Town Car instead. Believe it or not, we are much happier

Problems with the Chrysler 300 from my experience:

* horribly thin, hard and uncomfortable seats
* vast majority of back seat is vinyl
* Driver's seat leather looked as worn at 14,000 miles as my Mark VIII is at 135,000. (somewhat exaggerated)
* Interior has cheap plastics that smell like a Hyundai
* Vinyl covered steering wheel feels cheap after being used to leather
* Rock and a hard place Armrests
* Bumpers wiggle when new, sag after a year of loading stuff into the trunk
* HEMI gets horrible mileage unless you go 55mph so the cylinder deactivation thing works
* HEMI never idled smoothly
* Power steering whine worse than Fords (that's really saying something)
* Noisy tires
* Rough ride with decent (not great) handling
* HORRIBLE visibility
* Manual lumbar support (yeah its not power) failed after 8 months of use
* Rear doors make a cheap humming sound when closed
* A/C cuts on and off
* No bass for rear seat passengers
* Shallow trunk

Keep in mind this is a $40,000 car.

This was the first Chrysler my family ever purchased and it probably will be the last. This was the fully loaded HEMI with Boston Acustics stereo and even wood trim to replace that retarded Tortise shell plastic junk. Maybe those 60s Mopar Muscle cars were great and the Minivans were decent, but that's it for the Pentastar.

What a pile. No wonder all of Detroit is in trouble.

Yes I'd rather drive a FWD Ford with a puny V6 over a RWD Chrysler any day. Take my word for it.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #35 – March 17, 2006, 03:00:48 PM

I definitely agree with pro-five-oh on Chrysler products. My family bought a brand new Stratus back in the day, because we were impressed with the innovative design and initial ride quality. However, the brakes were gone after 20k miles, and the head gasket started going after 55k miles when we got rid of it. I mean, this was a decade ago and it seems like Chrysler is still the same way, if not worse: Strong design, style and performance ideas for their vehicles, but bad execution. For me it seems like they have too many ideas on their plate, and just spit out the cars as fast as they can without doing adequate second-guessing or refinement - kind of like the shotgun effect of marketing (if we throw out tons of products, maybe one or two will stick). I went to the Philly auto show a few weeks ago, and the newer Chrysler vehicles like the Jeep Commander and Dodge Charger were downright horrible to just sit in compared with other brands. Just as an example, in this day and age, and especially at that price, there should be no excuse to leave the B-pillar metal completely visible when the doors are shut.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #36 – March 17, 2006, 03:08:13 PM

pro, your experience with Dodges certainly is not unique. Even my 9-month-old Neon is showing signs of cheap craftsmanship. Since I've had it I've put alsmost 25k on it (a lot, I know). I've changed the oil every 2500-5000 miles (within the owners manual spec) with Mobil 1 and a Purolator PureOne filter. Yet, still, when the engine is cold the valvetrain rattles like hell and even once it's warm, I can pull up along side of a building and hear an occasional ticking. That's the most troubling of all the problems.

In addition it too has the worn seat, I've accidentally kicked the door sill panel off twice. The car shakes like none other at varying speeds. The brakes squeal already, sometimes the pedal pulsates. I think I'll be going over this car quite in-depth before I drive it to South Carolina.

The whole thing goes back to something my dad said years ago regarding Chryslers. He always said they made good looking cars, but they all end up falling apart. My continued bad feelings about this car are really making me reconsider my dream of buying a new Charger someday. Especially since it's akin to your 300.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #37 – March 17, 2006, 03:52:06 PM

Quote from: jkirchman

....says the guy who owns a new Ford. :D

Uhh, if you read my previous posts I made the reference in which Ford trucks were keeping them alive. Ford trucks are the best selling and best bang for the buck in trucks. However(if you read) the trucks alone cannot and will not keep Ford afloat, especially the way gas prices are going.

The above post was specfically made towards cars, such as the GTO, Stang, 300, Challenger, etc. You dont see me driving a new Ford car do you? Didnt think so. I consider the car and truck dept of Ford separate. As they should be, they are very different. Ford couldnt give away cars and their trucks sell like hotcakes, go figure.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #38 – March 17, 2006, 03:53:40 PM

Quote from: Paul Flockhart

Lucked out? Well Those I've spoken to who have one didn't exactly buy it for it's looks......It didn't have to be in your face, but it didn't have to be so bland either.....

Hit the nail on the head. The public isnt ignorant for wanting something that looks decent, is that not even a consideration?

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #39 – March 17, 2006, 04:03:05 PM

Quote

I consider the [car] and truck dept of Ford separate.

My apologies. Had I known we were going by your model of how Ford as a corporation is organized, I would not have made my initial comment.

I will make an effort to read more carefully in the future.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #40 – March 17, 2006, 04:09:26 PM

Um guys...I realize that you may have had bad experiences with Dodges, but have you driven new Ford and GM cars/trucks. They arent any better. Put it this way, my 05 truck has had more repairs than my last truck @ 100k miles. Including master cylinder failure, brake fluid leaks, vibration at idle, dealer replaced tires once due to irregular wear(Ford now uses Hankook tires), various interior rattles, hood shake, cam phasor tick, and now I find out that the 5.4L 3V engines seize sparkplugs and they break during removal. This is just to name a few.

I think Dodge is ahead of the game because they are producing cars that are actually appealing somewhat. They use a powerful v8 engine, their transmissions suck though. The cylinder deactivation is killer, does Ford use that? Believe it or not, Ive driven an 04 Hemi Ram and it got better gas mileage than my 5.4L F150, and it was quicker. But Im not one to complain about gas mileage, hell dont but an effing hemi if you are worried about gas. Thats the way I see it.

The way I see it, Dodge products are becoming more and more appealing to the public, whereas GM and Ford seem to be losing market share. Hey I dont like it anymore than anyone else, but trust me, Ford is(was) our biggest customer, so I know first hand how they are doing. I dont rely on some biased news article. I see first hand the plant closings, and the fact that we are picking up business from foreign manuf and also Dodge. Thats the cold hard truth like it or not. And come on, you cant expect to get a quality car when you buy an effing neon, really. They are like geo metros, you get what you pay for.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #41 – March 17, 2006, 04:12:46 PM

Quote from: jkirchman

My apologies. Had I known we were going by your model of how Ford as a corporation is organized, I would not have made my initial comment.

I will make an effort to read more carefully in the future.

Its not my model, but you need to recognize that the truck market is Fords bread and butter.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #42 – March 17, 2006, 04:21:08 PM

Quote

cant expect to get a quality car when you buy an effing neon, really.

How the hell is Dodge, or any carmaker for that matter, supposed to attract repeat customers if they don't put a certain level of quality in all of their cars? I'm not saying that the Neon needs to have fine Corinthian leather and real walnut trim panels, but it needs to be of good enough quality to make that person want to consider another Dodge when the time comes to trade in the Neon. They might even be more inclined to spend more money on their next Dodge because of it, too.

On the other hand, if the Neon falls apart at the seams then that person won't be able to walk away from Dodge fast enough and you can bet the next car in their driveway is going to be a Honda.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #43 – March 17, 2006, 04:32:42 PM

that is basically whats happening. I acutally thought about getting a new toyota.

SVT Formally disbanded

Reply #44 – March 17, 2006, 04:49:32 PM

Not that I expect, as Jim said, exotic wood dash and memory power heated seats, navigation and things of that sort. But I would like the car to still be running and drivable when I'm on the last couple payments a few years from now.