Do you have a preferred car make? (was Re: Transmission/Clutch BS)

[ehbowen]

My advise?  I'll never buy anything made by Dodge/Ram/Chrysler ever again.  I had a brand new Ram truck (under 2,000 miles) and the transmission dropped out of it due to guess what...  Manufacturer error.  After the run around they gave me, I have never and will never purchase anything from that company.  I've always been a Ford person, and went against the grain when I bought that truck.  Needless to say, after the tranny was fixed, I headed to a Ford dealer who was able to get me out of that contract.

YEP that's essentially what my dad said.

Honestly I wouldn't even HAVE a car if I hadn't purchased this sucker in Atlanta where a car is absolutely essential. Cut to eight months later and a move to Vancouver... since I was still upside-down on the loan I couldn't sell it, so I kept it.

and NOW I'd have to go back to the states to sell it, which is not worth the trouble, so I'll just cough up $3000 in monopoly money and work really hard for several months.

I know that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but the following statements are all true from personal experience:

• 1962 Plymouth Fury: Purchased used [VERY used!] in 1982 as it was about to be junked. No brakes when purchased. I repaired the brakes myself (learning experience), drove it out to Florida after boot camp; rebuilt the engine myself at the base auto hobby shop in Orlando (another learning experience), then drove it back to Texas and eventually out to the West Coast when I was stationed there in late 1985. Drove it around the LA freeways for 3 years, then back to Texas. There were a few minor breakdown items which I took care of myself and the interior was shot (the car had been through a flood; disclosed before I bought it), but the only major repair item which needed to be taken care of in a shop was when the original transmission (typewriter TorqueFlite!) failed at the age of 25. I had it replaced with a remanufactured transmission for less than $300. Then I drove the car back to Houston and kept using it until 1990. I'd say I got my fifty bucks worth out of it....
• 1990 Plymouth Horizon: Purchased brand new in April 1990. I (jokingly) told the salesman that I would need for it to last ten years. The A/C did go out after five years (refrigerant leak) but otherwise no major mechanical issues. The radiator developed a leak and I replaced it myself in 1998, but I don't consider that major. The car was totaled in October 1999 when a truck ran a red light and broadsided it at an intersection. I didn't get my full ten years. Sigh.
• 2001 Plymouth Neon: Purchased new in late 2000. Drove it until August 2008 without a single major mechanical issue. At one point I thought that the A/C had gone out and took it to a local mechanic, telling him to give me a call if it was over $500. He called me back an hour later and said it was a loose wire. Minimum shop charge. Thank God for honest mechanics. Kept that car after I bought my next one, then sold it to my niece at a steeply discounted price (1/3 of Blue Book) after she turned sixteen in January 2009. I would have given it to her, but her father wanted her to have skin in the game. She drove it for six years without a major mechanical issue that I am aware of. The reverse in the transmission appeared to go out for a while, but her husband found that was just a loose shifter linkage. When she finally sold the car in 2014, it was still a good car.
• 2008 Dodge Avenger R/T: Purchased new in September 2008 after Hurricane Ike. I did have a major issue with this one; the engine developed an oil leak and burned up while I was in Washington in May 2012 (~75000 miles) and had loaned it out to my nephew. However, when the car was purchased Chrysler had offered a lifetime powertrain warranty. I had all my maintenance receipts for the car and was able to prove that I had followed all manufacturer's requirements for proper upkeep. They honored the warranty and replaced the engine with a factory new one at no charge. The A/C did go out in 2015, but I was able to have that professionally repaired at a reasonable cost. The car was totaled on the Gulf Freeway in October 2015; traffic backed up suddenly. I came to a full stop just in time, but that silver Firebird behind me did not. I received a fair insurance settlement, with which I went shopping for...
• 2015 Chrysler 300: At 42,000 miles it's just out of warranty, but in that time no major issues. And it's a great car with leather seats and sunroof and more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. My mother loves to borrow it for showing homes to her best prospective clients.

Again, I know that my experience says nothing about what you and others have gone through, but the next time I'm in need of fresh wheels...can you really blame me if I make the Chrysler dealership my first stop?

[Uneryx]

I know that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but the following statements are all true from personal experience:

/snip

Again, I know that my experience says nothing about what you and others have gone through, but the next time I'm in need of fresh wheels...can you really blame me if I make the Chrysler dealership my first stop?

Not at all. I'm glad you have had good experiences. And for what it's worth, the customer service at Chrysler Customer Care was excellent and sympathetic, and even transferred me from the US line to the Canadian line, informed me of a recall, and did the legwork to determine whether or not my problem was covered under the extended warranty for my Dodge.

However, the car I learned to drive on, a 95 Intrepid, was affectionately named Buckin' Betsy because of it's cruddy transmission, and now with ol' Balerion the Black Dread blowing her clutch, that's two for two Dodges with crap transmissions, so I'll probably check out other dealerships next time I need a car.

Which... hopefully won't be for a while, I wanna pay off the current loan and then not worry about such a huge investment for a while.

[ehbowen]

However, the car I learned to drive on, a 95 Intrepid, was affectionately named Buckin' Betsy because of it's cruddy transmission, and now with ol' Balerion the Black Dread blowing her clutch, that's two for two Dodges with crap transmissions, so I'll probably check out other dealerships next time I need a car.

I totally understand. When I was in high school, my father bought me a 1973 Toyota Corona station wagon to drive. Now, I'll not besmirch the entire Toyota lineup due to one bad experience...but I personally haven't darkened the door of a Toyota dealership since!

May everything involved with this situation work out for the best for you.

[Ashmire]

I totally understand. When I was in high school, my father bought me a 1973 Toyota Corona station wagon to drive. Now, I'll not besmirch the entire Toyota lineup due to one bad experience...but I personally haven't darkened the door of a Toyota dealership since!

May everything involved with this situation work out for the best for you.

One thing I know, is that every time I've been forced by circumstances to drive anything not made by Suzuki, I've been struck by the obvious inferiority and continuously needed repairs.  I desperately hope Suzuki somehow makes it back to the US market because there isn't another vehicle worth their weight in scrap.

[Dragonoake]

I know that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but the following statements are all true from personal experience:

I've had a lot of cars over the years, so I'll list a few of the most memorable

The most dependable:
'61 Chevy truck - It was beat up and rusted out with more new sheet metal in the floor than old, and it would rattle for 10 minutes if you slammed the door, but would start every morning no matter how cold it was

Most fun:
'66 Pontiac Bonneville - It looked like grandma's car; but with that 421 Tri-power in it, it was really the GTO's big brother and ate it shiny new Turbo Trans Ams for breakfast

'57 Chevy - In contrast to the Bonneville, this was a bare-fisted street brawler with a dual-quad 409 up front and big meats out back.
It was hard to start and idled like a Harley, plus it broke pushrods, drive shafts, and transmissions on a regular basis, but it would pass anything but a gas station when it was running right

Most disappointing:
'83 Dodge Aries coupe - It was a nice looking car, silver and black with a red pin stripe running down the middle, but it couldn't out run an old lady in a wheel chair

[ehbowen]

Most disappointing:
'83 Dodge Aries coupe - It was a nice looking car, silver and black with a red pin stripe running down the middle, but it couldn't out run an old lady in a wheel chair

Yes, that 2.2L inline 4 (I assume that's what you had) was pretty weak when mated up with a car the size of the Aries, especially when matched with that awful 3-speed slushbox. Put one of them in an Omni/Horizon, however, paired with the five-speed stickshift...and watch out!

[Dragonoake]

Yes, that 2.2L inline 4 (I assume that's what you had) was pretty weak when mated up with a car the size of the Aries

Yep. I used to call it The Mighty Four Cylinder; and I THINK it was a 4-speed (might have been 5)
I always wanted to put a 340 in it, but would have been a major project and it never happened
The closest I ever got to that was sticking a souped-up 500 Cadillac (my buddy's dad knew a guy who ran Cadillac-powered stock cars in the 70's) in a Camaro...
In the words of Deep Purple, "The people laughed 'til she said 'BURN!!"'

I remember sailing up a hill, somewhere south of La Crosse, WS going around 65 mph....
By the time I got to the top, I was in low gear, flat on the floor, and going about 10 mph
It was probably 5 miles or so before the plugs cleared off enough that it would go over 30

Of course, this was the 80's, and the only thing with any guts was the bikes....
I haven't forgotten the one and only time I rode a 6-cylinder Honda CBX