Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
#91
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by PriusGuy04
I test drove the Civic & the insight, Im 6'3" 275 lbs and found them both to have the crampiness of a compact car.
Originally Posted by Donald
How do they figure the class of cars - "Compact" vs "Midsize"?
Originally Posted by PriusGuy04
Also My old saying over the years was "Buy American the job you save may be your own"
#92
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by PriusGuy04
Also My old saying over the years was "Buy American the job you save may be your own"
A BMW build in Spartanburg, SC? The Toyota Camry Hybrid that'll be coming out of Kentucky? Maybe the Hyundais built in Alabama.
My fave (of the week) is the Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-type which is sort of the same car, but I'm not sure which of them is American or British (not to mention the new Ford Fusion that's a Mazda 6 under the skin.
"American" vs. "Import" becomes as complicated these days as what to watch on TV since we no longer have only three networks.
(Of course, all that also ignores that, no matter which "type" of car you guy, it's more than likely at an American retailer, serviced by American technicians, fixed with parts shipped on American trucks.....
BUYING the car is just the tip of a very large distribution and service network with LOTS of American jobs along the way.)
#93
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
IMHO, If the car or any of its parts meet ANY of the following criteria, it is an american car and should be avoided:
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese. The rest start to look suspect because many critical decisions about american design and production are made by accountants, lawyers and union reps. I do not trust these people to do what is best for the quality of the CAR. In cars that I trust, these decisions are made by engineers and designers (the people who should be making these decisions).
It is my firm belief that only quality products deserve to sell, and therefore those who build quality products have inherently better job security. If americans want to protect their market share and the jobs of those who make their cars, they need to focus on building a higher quality product. The quality of the product protects the jobs inherently, at the root of the problem. False protections like tarrifs, government protection, corporate wellfare, and "home-team" loyalty only band-aid the problem and simply prolong the unavoidable demise of a failing system.
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese. The rest start to look suspect because many critical decisions about american design and production are made by accountants, lawyers and union reps. I do not trust these people to do what is best for the quality of the CAR. In cars that I trust, these decisions are made by engineers and designers (the people who should be making these decisions).
It is my firm belief that only quality products deserve to sell, and therefore those who build quality products have inherently better job security. If americans want to protect their market share and the jobs of those who make their cars, they need to focus on building a higher quality product. The quality of the product protects the jobs inherently, at the root of the problem. False protections like tarrifs, government protection, corporate wellfare, and "home-team" loyalty only band-aid the problem and simply prolong the unavoidable demise of a failing system.
Last edited by zimbop; 01-22-2006 at 05:25 PM.
#94
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
I wasnt even thinking of a new car. I had an '03 Accord. The crash tests came out, the Civic was Gold rated, and I had no curtain airbags in the Accord. The Civic was plenty comfortable for me (6'0", 155 lb) and the mileage put me over as soon as this Iran stuff came up. Now two weeks into ownership I love it and I am a much better driver for it.
#95
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by zimbop
IMHO, If the car or any of its parts meet ANY of the following criteria, it is an american car and should be avoided:
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese.
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese.
#96
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Both of my cars came on a boat from japan, fully assembled. My truck, now that's another story. I tried a japanese truck (Toyota T-100) which was a good truck but it got 15mpg. I do better now with a 3/4 ton dodge diesel, which surprisingly enough, is a pretty good vehicle, though 16mpg is still not much to get excited about.
#97
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by zimbop
The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese.
That only works if you (also) buy them in Japan, and have them serviced in Japan.
#98
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by zimbop
IMHO, If the car or any of its parts meet ANY of the following criteria, it is an american car and should be avoided:
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.
#99
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
I did not test drive the Prius, only the Honda. But here are my reasons:
- I wanted a real trunk, and personally don’t care for hatchbacks. I like the security of a separate trunk to lock stuff in. Didn't mind not having the fold-down back seat--if I had to haul something I'd use my spouse's larger car.
- I like lots of visibility when driving, and the back window in the Prius seemed a little too porthole-like. I really like the little triangular side windows in the front of the Honda.
- The insult-to-injury factor of not only paying a large premium for a Prius but also getting on a waiting list for a couple months---while taking the risk of the carpool exemption stickers running out. All that didn’t seem worth it for the 10mpg difference and the larger tax credit. There are Hondas available for not much more than sticker--if you do a little digging outside the big cities.
- I had always been curious about this wonderful reputation Honda has, and figured if I was going to try out the new hybrid technology, that made it a safer bet.
Last edited by tarabell; 01-23-2006 at 09:32 AM.
#100
Re: Why'd you get the Civic over the Prius?
Originally Posted by preludemd
That's not a completely fair thing to say. Honda and Toyota build some of the most reliable cars available and most of them are built by...you guessed it...Americans. It's not the people building the car, it's the company as a whole and it's Management. It's the company environment and attitude. I believe that both Honda and Toyota are better managed as a whole therefore making a much better environment for it's employees thus making quality and "pride in workmanship" and easier concept to grasp. Be thankful for our automakers, especially the "import" brands. They're bringing us work while the "domestic" brands are shipping off to Mexico to be profitable. So, who has the better business model?