I don’t mind manual adjustments to seats, mirrors or windows. I wouldn’t mind an Aveo if the darn thing got 35 mpg and would last 150K miles without many failures.

Tough to live in a country where the dumbest citizen affect my future through bailout programs, tax rates, poor shopping habits, and poor credit choices.

No wonder Wal-mart is doing so well selling Chinese stuff to us regardless of what that is doing to our economy long term.

No sympathy from me for these people. I’ve got big miles on our vehicles and remain quite content with them – I knew what I wanted and I knew what i was getting and where there were surprises I have learned to cope.

Road/wind/engine noise are the only things I’m unhappy with and this has increased with the age of the vehicle as the door seals have shrunk.

Mileages are: 155K, 167K, 198K, 121K.

Also, if you haven’t tried some of the really nice manual seats that come in some of the cars these days, you are missing out. They can be easier and smoother than the powered ones.

As for child safety seats I agree. The new ones are huge. We just had a new baby and the car seat barely fits in our daily driver (Focus) and only by putting the passenger seat forward. It will not go in the middle but must be used in the outboard seats. Our 99 4Runner isn’t much better so thats why I will be asking Mr Lang to find me a low mileage Taurus X. Need the space, fuel economy is OK for the size

There’s two problems with this. One: I’ve tried and the roof is too low and the omnipresent sunroof robs critical inches. I still need to lean the seat back. Two: an older European car is, in maintenance terms, unpleasant. I wish I had the time to learn to wrench it, and an SO patient enough to put up with what is, really, her car being in pieces.

I’ve always wanted an A8, though.

If you have two kids in rear-facing seats you’re screwed. One rear-facing and one booster is doable if the rear-facing seat is placed in the middle of a second row bench seat.

I tried that, and in most cars I still end up contacting the rear-facing childseat. The best I can do is put it behind one of the two front seats: in my Saab, this renders the front seat problematic for anyone over 5′2″-5′4″. In the Honda Element, though, the seatback doesn’t come anywhere near the carseat. Int he Taurus, it does, but not so much as to compromise the seat. Both cars have very tall rooflines and high hip points in the front seats, which help matters greatly.

I agree with the gist of this thread: that most people spend very little time shopping for a car that suits their needs. At minimum, I make a point of taking or renting the car I’m considering home, both to try stuffing it with our usual detritus–including said child seats–and taking it on a long drive to gauge how the seats hold up over the long haul. On about hour three of a drive, most of the deal-breakers have already shown their faces.

People make carte-blanche assumptions (small cars are cramped, small cars get good mileage, big SUVs have a lot of space). That they do this on what is their second-largest capital purchase is terrifying.

“windswords: The EPA combined ratings for the Hemi and the 4.7L aren’t much different. It’s usually tied or the 4.7L does one better- depends on the application.”

That is true for the current Durango. But we bought the 1st gen (little of Dumbler’s influence on that model) and the Hemi wasn’t available. Only on the all new model. We test drove it and realized it was too big for our needs and guessed (I think correctly) that the Hemi would be too thirsty. If we wanted the larger engine on the leftover 1st gen it would have been the venerable 360 (5.9L). And that definately would have been a mpg penalty.

I sold my pickup, just a Chevy S-10 with a 5 speed and V6 for a small sporty looking econo coupe with a 4 banger and 5 speed. It has crank windows, manual seats and locks. Only power mirrors. I don’t feel under priveledged in the least. Manual windows and locks are no big deal in a small two door. It’s fun to drive (but not fast – just adequate) and I get an avg 34 mpg on the highway. One of my co-workers got a left over Accura RSX a couple of months ago. Stuffed to the gills with goodies (I love how she can talk to the car). But her mileage sucks for such a small car. But then she doesn’t drive 70 miles a day like I do. Hope all that stuff is reliable.

If it were not for these idiots, Big 3 (and the rest of the auto industry) would not sell enough cars. No one needs a new car to match the new year, but GM et. al. need you to buy one.

I agree with Indy500fan. My quiver of cars is:
‘88 Ford Fiesta 1.6 diesel (enconomy)
‘87 Suzuki Samurai 2.4 diesel (off-road)
‘89 BMW 520 gas (back seat)
‘81 Corvette 5.7 gas (wee!)

Total investment: $11,000

If you have a big family, it is your fault for not buying condoms. Also, as a person vertically challenged, you get no sympathy for being 6′9″! (sorry to call you out and use you for an example)Vehicles are mass produced for the average person. If you are special (and at 81″ you are), it is up to you to adapt. If you have 6 kids, all in car seats, suck it up and buy a Van, a Bus or better yet – a limo! It is not our (the buying public’s) resonsibility to ensure you have transport. You should have thought of that.

I know, I personally take responsibility for the auto industry crash since (almost) all my cars are 20 years old. It is also my fault for global warming since EXCEPT for cars and motorcycles, I don’t recycle. But I am getting my just deserts since my Ford and GM stocks are in the tank!

What’s this tripe about “crank windows never breaking” oh and my personal favorite “Power windows are too hard to fix”. The mechanisms seize and the cranks will not turn. I have seen many crank-up window cars whose windows refuse to roll down anymore(because they never break). To fix an power window, one merely needs to take of the door panel, and replace the motor or put the window back on track(which is the EXACT same procedure for fixing a crank window car).

They lady should have done her reasearch, but I would pissed be to if I had to crank my windows(IN 2008!) manually. I hope these pieces of garbage never make a return to mainstream cars. The ONLY time I would want crank windows is in a lightweight competition version of a car, because that is the only place that they belong, keep them out of mainstream cars, automakers. Please.

I suggest you sell it quick and buy a real vehicle before all the rest of the morons figure it out and the price of your toylet goes to zero while the price of those currently CHEAP SUV’s skyrockets.

Smaller cars have lower maintenance and fuel costs, cost less to buy, burn less imported oil and produce less pollution. Whether gasoline is US$4/gallon or $2, it doesn’t matter. Only the scale of savings changes, not the fact that small car buyers save a bundle anyway.

Somehow you just know someone at GM read this and thought, “A Buick Aveo – why didn’t we think of that?”

Best comment EVER!!! The sad part is that I’m sure you’re correct!!

These people go about voting the same way. No wonder politicians can flimflam the public so easily.

Sure, I overreacted, but in the universe of snap decisions I’ve made, this was a pretty good one. You should try it.

- bob

P.S. Just put cheap replacement Hankook tires on the thing. Such a bad idea, I can’t being to tell you. Talk about not doing your research…

The people in this article are idiots.

All cars sold in the US were required to have belts for each allowed occupant as of Jan. 1, 1968.

Chrysler might just be that desperate!

These are the same people who, when buying a home they’re planning on living in for the rest of their lives, didn’t bother to ask that their interests rates would be in 5 years.

–chuck