Jump to content

Chrysler


monsoon

Recommended Posts

While it would be nice to retake some category outside of muscle cars and larger trucks (sorry Toyota) I doubt the minivan market will ever become America's Hollywood style again. Plus, Honda and Toyota have had the best minivans for the last decade in almost every class. I can't see domestic retaming the timid end of any vehicle lines again. With the second coming of Alfa, MG, and Lotus, it would not surprise me to see more European makers reentering the american market once again to compete with the resurgence of the compact car market.

the most popular minivans of the most of the 90's were the chrysler brand ones... the dodge caravan, plymouth voyager,a nd chrysler town and country. they came a long way and many of them are still on the road today. i've driven them and they'er extremely comfortable to drive and handle quite well (handle better than most SUV's).

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 70
  • Created
  • Last Reply

the most popular minivans of the most of the 90's were the chrysler brand ones... the dodge caravan, plymouth voyager,a nd chrysler town and country. they came a long way and many of them are still on the road today. i've driven them and they'er extremely comfortable to drive and handle quite well (handle better than most SUV's).

The Chrylser vans are still the most popular in the country and have a strong owner loyalty, one of the most enviable in the automotive industry. While the Honday Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, and Kia Sedona have made great strides lately, they still haven't completely knocked off the Chrylser vans. Chrylser needs to make sure though they keep their vans fresh and fairly cutting edge to hedge off any further erosion of their share of the market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chrylser vans are still the most popular in the country and have a strong owner loyalty, one of the most enviable in the automotive industry. While the Honday Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, and Kia Sedona have made great strides lately, they still haven't completely knocked off the Chrylser vans. Chrylser needs to make sure though they keep their vans fresh and fairly cutting edge to hedge off any further erosion of their share of the market.

of all the minivans, i like the looks of the chryslers the best. but i think the others are more reliable and safer, regardless of their looks.

also, i think it would be prudent for all minivan manufacturers to at least have the option of AWD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

of all the minivans, i like the looks of the chryslers the best. but i think the others are more reliable and safer, regardless of their looks.

also, i think it would be prudent for all minivan manufacturers to at least have the option of AWD.

I think with optional side airbags, minivan safety is a pretty level playing field. Honday and Toyota definetly lead in the reliability camp.

GM and Chrylser have offered AWD options, off and on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you guys hear about GM's new longer 5 year/100,000 mile warranty?

I think that could help boost GM's sales. I think a lot of people were really drawn to one of the asian automakers(hyundai i think it is) because of their 100,000 mile warranty.

Anyway, this is the car i want to get. A Pontiac Solstice.

146309.1-lg.jpg

pont_sols_overview_feat_03.jpg

Pretty sweet looking, i think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you guys hear about GM's new longer 5 year/100,000 mile warranty?

I think that could help boost GM's sales. I think a lot of people were really drawn to one of the asian automakers(hyundai i think it is) because of their 100,000 mile warranty.

hyundai has a 10 yr/100,000 mi warranty. i think GM knows not many people will reach 100,000 miles in 5 years. 20k a year is a lot to do consistently unless you drive a lot for work. i did a lot of driving in teh first year i owned my car with a couple 1000 mile trips and i only managed about 18k. so i have a feeling that rather than do the standard 5 yr/60,000 mi warranty, they threw in 100k so taht it looks like more, but it'll really only last the 5 years (which isn't bad... my car's standard warranty was 3 yr/36,000 mi, which was already gone when i bought it and it's only a 2003 (65k on it now, i bought it about a year and a half ago with 42k).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A huge number of new car buyers trade their vehicle in less than 5 years. Having a remaining GM warranty will make resale of the vehicle higher than one without it. (even if there are not many miles on it) This will be an incentive for a lot of people to take another look at getting a GM vehicle. I think in the last few years reliability hasn't been that much of an issue for GM as they have improved their products a great deal. Ford and Chrysler still have major issues with reliability and unfortunately GM unfairly gets lumped in with them. Extending the warranty is one way to fix this issue.

GM has a lot of positives such as leading edge engine and transmission technology, more than a century of experience in car building, and they have reduced their US labor costs significantly. They need to figure out how to put it together to make a product that appeal to consumers beyond the truck market. The Pontiac posted above is a good example of that. I think GM needs to lose Buick and focus that energy on Cadillac.

Ford is a long ways behind GM. Ford's biggest problem, is they have built products that are dangerous and that fall apart and have had the attitude that if you don't like it then too bad. I think they have realized that if they want to stay in this business they have to change the business model where a new buyer purchases one Ford, and that is the last one they will ever buy. Their only saving has been the truck and SUV market and mainly because they have only had one competitor, GM, until recently.

Chrysler is a train wreak. Despite having the full backing of Mercedes-Benz, it is unable to produce a product that anyone wants. It's vehicles are a mishmosh of ideas and in its attempts to stuff every design clue into a vehicle that would appeal to everyone in the market, they appeal to no one. And I don't know what they were thinking when they stuck a Chrysler body onto a Mercedes SLK chassis and decided to sell it under the Chrysler brand. Nobody is going to pay the premium for this vehicle just to drive around in a Chrysler. Dr Z, it seems just doesn't get it, and I've noticed that he has recently disappeared from TV. No doubt the recent announcement that Chrysler has lost over a billion dollars has sent him back to Germany with a bad case of indigestion.

Speaking of Chyrsler mini-Vans have a look at this. As I said earlier, Dr. Z is happy to deceive us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A huge number of new car buyers trade their vehicle in less than 5 years. Having a remaining GM warranty will make resale of the vehicle higher than one without it. (even if there are not many miles on it) This will be an incentive for a lot of people to take another look at getting a GM vehicle. I think in the last few years reliability hasn't been that much of an issue for GM as they have improved their products a great deal. Ford and Chrysler still have major issues with reliability and unfortunately GM unfairly gets lumped in with them. Extending the warranty is one way to fix this issue.

well, at the same time a lot of people are keeping their cars longer as evidenced by financing contracts of up to 8 years on some new cars. I think the warranty will indeed attract more buyers as they won't need to buy and extended service contract to keep their vehicle under warranty during the term of their car payments.

GM has indeed gone far in reliability, I will give them that. However, I feel their dealerships still need to improve their service deparments.

GM has a lot of positives such as leading edge engine and transmission technology, more than a century of experience in car building, and they have reduced their US labor costs significantly. They need to figure out how to put it together to make a product that appeal to consumers beyond the truck market. The Pontiac posted above is a good example of that. I think GM needs to lose Buick and focus that energy on Cadillac.

I don't know if it is necessary to abandon Buick. I will say that of all the recent releases, I do think the LaCrosse and Lucerne are very attractive automobiles. (OMG, I must be getting old to say I think a Buick looks good!!)

Ford is a long ways behind GM. Ford's biggest problem, is they have built products that are dangerous and that fall apart and have had the attitude that if you don't like it then too bad. I think they have realized that if they want to stay in this business they have to change the business model where a new buyer purchases one Ford, and that is the last one they will ever buy. Their only saving has been the truck and SUV market and mainly because they have only had one competitor, GM, until recently.

Ford HAS to build products people WANT TO OWN. Outside of the Mustang, F series, and Focus, there is nothing in their product range that people are rushing to their delaerships to buy. If they don't correct this SOON, Ford will be an "also-ran" here.

Chrysler is a train wreak. Despite having the full backing of Mercedes-Benz, it is unable to produce a product that anyone wants. It's vehicles are a mishmosh of ideas and in its attempts to stuff every design clue into a vehicle that would appeal to everyone in the market, they appeal to no one. And I don't know what they were thinking when they stuck a Chrysler body onto a Mercedes SLK chassis and decided to sell it under the Chrysler brand. Nobody is going to pay the premium for this vehicle just to drive around in a Chrysler. Dr Z, it seems just doesn't get it, and I've noticed that he has recently disappeared from TV. No doubt the recent announcement that Chrysler has lost over a billion dollars has sent him back to Germany with a bad case of indigestion.

Not saying Chrysler hasn't made some interesting styling judgements in recent memory, they've at least taken it to the edge in design. Their re-introduction of the Hemi engine also has helped them as of late. Quality remains an issue talked about quite frequently and how it has declined at Mercedes as well since the merger. While most American Trucks and SUV's I like (Ford and GM models included), there are very few cars outside of the Chrylser line-up that I would even consider.

Dr. Z's dissappearance from t.v. was due to the reintroduction of the employee pricing promotion, which was a disaster this time around for Chrylser. I believe they thought(along with GM and Ford) that people would come back to the trucks and SUV's with gas decreasing and forget about the recent spat of $3 a gallon. People haven't come back this time and probably won't. Crossover vehicles and sedans are the next wave of purchases for new cars in this country. Chrysler has done well with recent released models such as the Charger, Magnum, Caliber, and 300. Their Pacifica has picked up since gas started going up. However remote this may be, I still think there may be a possibility of Daimler dumping Chrysler.... we'll see.

Speaking of Chyrsler mini-Vans have a look at this. As I said earlier, Dr. Z is happy to deceive us.

The IIHS gave the fan with side airbags an across the board "acceptable," granted not the best they could do, but better that the GM options. I believe the gov't testing gave them 5-stars. I would still feel safe in them. However most automakers, especially American, really cry when they don't get the best ratings here and cry "foul."

(don't know how I messed the quote thing up, I'll try to fix it later guys!) edit: The forum does not all so many line by line rebuttles. Posts are better if you just state your mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i don't know why GM would abandon buick... they got that mid-range luxury market with it, and the rendezvous has some nice features.

maybe ford should concentrate on the cars people want from them and make them the best they can. the focus is ugly as hell though. i think the ford 500 and the mercury milan (and teh ford fusion i think) are a step in the right direction, but the milan/fusion look just like the new jetta (which i think is uglier than the milan/fusion). but if ford can get those to be good and reliable and safe and toss in some features that people want as well as a warranty and a good pricetag, they'll sell.

i don't like what chrysler has done. the windows are all small and the sides are high allowing for less visibility. a lot of automakers have done this as well though... the new VW's are like that. but with the hemi stuff and the cars you mentioned, they are taking a step in the right direction. i do like the charger, but i hate the looks of the magnum and the 300. they're boats with tiny windows.

and finally, you messed up the quote thing by putting too many. i think the limit is 3 or 4 to prevent people from doing a point by point reply/rebuttal like you just did. :whistling:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My city's police station bought a Dodge Charger police car, it doesnt look that great, but it has A LOT of balls. It looks cooler than a Crown Vic, i think.

anyway, Chrysler has some nice cars 300 looks really nice.

but i think GM is headed in a better direction than Ford. Ive been in a GM factory with my dad before, and they have good quality control, anything messed up they pull off the line and send it the the repair area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My city's police station bought a Dodge Charger police car, it doesnt look that great, but it has A LOT of balls. It looks cooler than a Crown Vic, i think.

anyway, Chrysler has some nice cars 300 looks really nice.

but i think GM is headed in a better direction than Ford. Ive been in a GM factory with my dad before, and they have good quality control, anything messed up they pull off the line and send it the the repair area.

we've been getting some impala cruisers. i don't like the looks, they need more color to them. the providence police dept didn't put much into the impala for markings, so it looks like an ugly flat white color with a little bit or writing on it. the newer crown vic cop cars we got look really good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least they got rid of the stupid Dr. Z adverts it seems. They need to try something more sophisticated such as this.

I'm glad he's gone, he always got on my nerves. I don't like that most of our "home made" cars are made outside out borders. I'm proud my car's a Chevy, and made in America up in Mich.

It's sad, my mom works at the Delphi plant across the river, the only business trips she takes now are either to Canada, Mexico, and only one to Saginaw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm glad he's gone, he always got on my nerves. I don't like that most of our "home made" cars are made outside out borders. I'm proud my car's a Chevy, and made in America up in Mich.

It's sad, my mom works at the Delphi plant across the river, the only business trips she takes now are either to Canada, Mexico, and only one to Saginaw.

What kind of Chevy do you have?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will say that over the past 7 years that I've been working with my company, we've had Chevrolet Luminas, Astros, Impalas; Ford Tauruses and Crown Vics; Buick LeSabres and Lucernes, Chrysler 300M's and LHS'. The Fords gave us the worst service of all, especially the Taurus. We couldn't keep a transmission in them to save our lives. We gave up on Chrysler because the local dealership wouldn't honor our fleet program anymore, as far as vehicles, a couple had transmission problems but not on the level of the Taurus.

The GM vehicles seem to have the best engines and as of late transmissions (anything pre-2K I wouldn't recommend.) The biggest problem GM has is the details. We have problems with errant warning lights and electrical options quite often with their vehicles, but not the major problems we had with the Fords.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes they sure do. That's why I said it was made in Mich., just incase you didn't get that from my old comment. But yes, I'm very proud that my car was produced in the USA!!

I wasnt sure if that was made in MI, does it say what city it was made in?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will say that over the past 7 years that I've been working with my company, we've had Chevrolet Luminas, Astros, Impalas; Ford Tauruses and Crown Vics; Buick LeSabres and Lucernes, Chrysler 300M's and LHS'. The Fords gave us the worst service of all, especially the Taurus. We couldn't keep a transmission in them to save our lives. We gave up on Chrysler because the local dealership wouldn't honor our fleet program anymore, as far as vehicles, a couple had transmission problems but not on the level of the Taurus.

The GM vehicles seem to have the best engines and as of late transmissions (anything pre-2K I wouldn't recommend.) The biggest problem GM has is the details. We have problems with errant warning lights and electrical options quite often with their vehicles, but not the major problems we had with the Fords.

The regional planning commission I work for has had the same damn problems with those Fords. Those things breakdown like clockwork. At least 1 or 2 of the transit vehicles are in the shop during a given week. Madness, I tell you, madness! :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.