Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Do as I did, buy American, I have a 1993 Lincoln town car, bought it 4 years ago, American made and extremely reliable, gonna get another Lincoln next year and give this one to my uncle.

Kenny's PT is American!

ricaddic wrote:Do as I did, buy American, I have a 1993 Lincoln town car, bought it 4 years ago, American made and extremely reliable, gonna get another Lincoln next year and give this one to my uncle.

All we've been talking about so far is American cars----Ford, Chevy and Chrysler aren't American?

I would love to be able one day to stand behind saying that America can make a great car....but I've yet to see it (after trying with a Ford truck, the other vehicles I've owned- BMW, Morris, and Toyota were all 1000% better build quality than the American car). The US should realize that its forte is no longer in the automotive sector. Obviously other companies abroad can do it better and cheaper. We're better off sticking to computers and information technology. It's terrible, but it's the truth IMO.

-C

The problem, imho is that the US car industry has been resting on it's laurels for far too long.
Producing big gas hogers in a very low quality in terms of finishing and material quality.
The European/Japanese car industry feels much more dynamic and tries to move with the market, it seems that the American car industry tried to move the market with itself...

The US car makers seem to try and fix that, but I am affraid that it is too little and too late, hopfully the grants from the government will give them (mostly GM et al) the time needed to start making good cars.
I understand that Ford are in a much better situation after getting ready to the smaller market years in advance.

I know one thing, if I lived in the US of A - I would definitely buy an American car (although I am a sucker for German cars), I believe citizens should support their economy if they can, a dead car economy in the US = disaster.

And Kenny - as for your water pump problems, MANY cars have the same problem, including all french makers and some German ones. The timing belt can get water from the water pump, that's why when people change their timing belt - the water pump is being replaced as well regardless to it's condition, and yes - when the pump is dead you will most likely need to replace the belt as well. This is a very common engine design and such problems happen all the time.
I wouldn't go as far as blaming all Chrysler cars as being rubbish, I know many friends who had their "indestructible" Toyotas and Hondas going for service to fix malfunctions more times than I care to count.

Very good points Gil !


Particularily about the US auto makers trying to "move the market" themselves, instead of analyzing trends and responding. Ford is nicely spread out even in the UK and other markets (where they have been for years---Ford Transit/Cortina/Escort ring a bell? All great cars virtually unheard of in the US, all from Ford).

I'm afraid the big money contributions by the US. Gov't will inevitably be wasted. As a consumer- regardless of citizenship, we have the right to pursue the best product at the best price----that's a basic principle of the free market system.

"Buying American" gets pretty sticky too, because most other major auto makers have plants in the US, employing Americans, designing in America, selling in America etc... with Toyota plants in the midwest and south....BMW's made in South Carolina, MBZ all over the place- there is plenty of "foreign" auto money supporting the US economy, that's for sure!

You're absolutely right- Chrysler has made some great cars, too. The PT cruiser was wildly popular---you can't deny positive sales records. I think the Crossfire was particularly good as well (....mostly due to the fact that it's a MercBenz SLK underneath and inside! ).

I think the "us and them" mentality is destroying the US makers, and strengthening the foreign builders. Collaboration is key in the new globalized market, and I think if US makers didn't try so hard to be "different" (apparently by catching up with 4 year old trends way too late, and sacrificing build quality), and took some notes, and collaborated (Crossfire is a great example), they could do quite well.

Just some notes- sorry for the rambling, I love this topic!

-C

gibsonlp wrote:And Kenny - as for your water pump problems, MANY cars have the same problem, including all french makers and some German ones. The timing belt can get water from the water pump, that's why when people change their timing belt - the water pump is being replaced as well regardless to it's condition, and yes - when the pump is dead you will most likely need to replace the belt as well. This is a very common engine design and such problems happen all the time.....

More specifically, on some 4-cylinder engines it is a prudent thing to replace both the timing belt and the water pump due to the design of the engine, which could either be an 'interference' or 'non-interference' design. If you replace the timing belt and NOT the water pump on an 'interference' design valve-train, then the higher tension from the NEW timing belt on an OLD water pump shaft and pulley could be inviting trouble and cause a failure of the pump......throwing the proper tension off of the timing belt and causing it to slip off of it's pulleys, then causing the camshaft(s) to stop turning and the valve-train timing goes to hell in a hand-basket....then you're talking about replacing the whole engine.......not ALL 4-cylinders are like this, but some ARE.

Water pumps on 4-cylinder engines are normally driven by the timing belt. As parts wear over time, the chances increase for compnent failure. Both timing belts and water pumps on 4-cylinder engines are items that should be replaced at certain intervals (for the timing belt specifically) to maintain long engine life.

Had the pump on the loneRanger start leaking in the middle of nowhere,Utah and we had 2 fun days finding a replacement and changing it out in a state park campground.It was a pain in the ... but we saved a bunch of geetas.And the park interns were a pair of barely 21 cuties

JustEmptyEveryPocket

i'm a sucker for mazda sports cars,and have spent a lot of time and money keeping up an 87 rx7 and a 93 miata over the years. buying them both used,and having to spend thousands for brakes,suspension,the wankel engine,has been a pain,but i have really enjoyed driving these cars. a sign of my creeping ageiness is that the miata recently decided it didn't like to shift in really cold weather,and i just decided not to deal with it. i traded it in for a 3 year old scion xb-- talk about an image change, ,but at least i can squire my bass equipment around town now.....i guess my point is that unfortunately now i have a car payment,but feel like i probably won't be having to worry about mechanical issues,so it is a tradeoff...

I've owned a string of Miatas over the years, partly because I worked for Mazda Design on a series of Miata projects, beginning in '91 or so...

My most recent, as some here know, is a '95 Merlot M-Edition, which I purchased in late '06 for a terrific price from a dealer here. I got a good price because it had been sitting unsold for an extended period of time. This, in turn was because of the racing roll bar that the original owner had installed, which must have scared people off. I had it removed right after acquiring the car. The car also has a Jackson Racing cold air kit and JR stainless cat-back. These help performance and economy noticeably. It will outrun a non-S Boxster.

When I got it, it had well under 100K. It turned 130K last week, still on the same tires, engine, brake pads, clutch, etc. I hate the factory radio, but I've had a replacement ready to slot in with no time to do so, so can't complain.

The car has had a clutch master cylinder, radiator, and timing belt done (preventatively, since I didn't know the car's repair history), though the engine is a non-interference design, unlike the FIATs I drove in the '70s. That's it. Everything still works--cruise control, air conditioning, ABS, and it's as much fun to drive as they always are, with minimal maintenance. With regular oil changes, these little 1800cc motors can do 250K with little loss of efficiency.

My boss, Tom Matano, is credited with the design of this and the lovely 3rd-gen RX-7 (the curvy one), so I had him sign the IP. I'll probably drive it for a long time.

I remain a staunch Mazda fan.

But, Paul, how many Ricks can you throw in the back of one of those Miatas?

don't get me wrong-i still love the mazda's,this deal on the xb was just too good to pass up,which actually surprised the heck outta me. 3 years old with only 7400 miles,5 speed,clean as a whistle for $11,800 with 4k tradein.......a no brainer ...of course i am gonna miss those "top-down" days......

kiramdear wrote:But, Paul, how many Ricks can you throw in the back of one of those Miatas?

Depends on whether you want to drive it...

beatlefreak wrote:

kiramdear wrote:But, Paul, how many Ricks can you throw in the back of one of those Miatas?

Depends on whether you want to drive it...

I know. The last one I looked at had about enough room for me and lunch.

Back to Kenny's problem.......... man, that SUCKS BIG TIME!!

My previous car was an Australian Holden Vectra with a Belgian 16 valve 4 cylinder Opel 2.2 litre motor. At the beginning of the service section of the manual was a large message printed in red......... WARNING - TIMING BELT MUST BE CHANGED EVERY 60,000 KM WITHOUT FAIL!

Luckily(?????) the water pump clagged it at around 55,000 km so it was a no brainer!!

If I recall correctly, THAT little exercise cost me in the region of $1200 so it seems there may be world parity pricing on the job!!