Small Cars are Back!

Post by **garylspolar** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 7:29 pm

And what's with this psycho lady in the Escalade? She's following too close! Is she in a hurry to spend the money she embezzled from widows and orphans today?".

Actually, the "Performance Pickup" drivers irritate me.

Post by **wncbmw** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 8:32 pm

rdsmtih3 said

We have four kids, another on the way (?)

You know Bob, they have figured out what caused that now!

And Sam and Garyspolar have already crossed swords!

Gary - don't insult a man's truck! Even ugly ones!

Post by **sshallen** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 9:07 pm

garylspolar wrote:Actually, the "Performance Pickup" drivers irritate me.

Hey, your memory is too good! Sadly, I can't remember all of the "Running Threads/Running Jokes/Running Feuds"! I'm sure it will all come back...

I'm never in their mirror long enough to register.

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:12 pm

Welcome back, Sam.

What really burns me about this subject is the attitude that says "that which is not in MY taste should be outlawed!"

IMHO both sides of this argument has been guilty of this.

Oh well. This is me changing the channel to another thread. Y'all have fun but play nice, now!

Post by **wncbmw** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:58 pm

I don't mind the SUVs if they drive nicely! They pay the price for the vehicle and at the pump!

Post by **Shaman** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:55 am

rph802 wrote: I found everthing I was looking for in the Nissan Xterra. Manual transmission, big but not huge, 5000# towing capacity, room for 5 and their stuff. Nissan reliabilty and holds it value reasonably well and built in Smyrna TN!!

Exactly. I love the 'small' feeling of my '00 CC frontier.
I chose it over the Xterra for the open pick-up bed. Living in Maine and a new home owner, the ability to pile trash and stuff in the compact bed made more sense for us than the enclosed XTerra. A real 'TRUCK' frame and suspension too. Screw Consumer Reports and their Suburbian Mom reviews of trucks. If I wanted a 'plush' ride I would buy a car.

Wife as a '97 Impreza Outback. MAN, those cars are GREAT in snow. Way better for daily winter driving than any SUV.

Post by **wncbmw** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 7:21 am

Shaman - I agree about the Subaru and the snow. I have had 4WD trucks and smaller SUVs (old Trooper) and my '96 Outback is the best in the snow I have ever had. Old enough now that if someone whacks it by sliding into me, I won't cry too much either!

For all around utility though, it is hard to beat a small truck!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:44 am

Screw Consumer Reports and their Suburbian Mom reviews of trucks. If I wanted a 'plush' ride I would buy a car.

I love their reviews. "Best truck" is always whatever vehicle in the test had the least truck attributes... perimeter frame, real bed, tow package, etc.!

And when I read their car reviews, it's almost as if you can read their thoughts between the lines:

We reviewed five compact sedans.

Why do you people insist on driving cars? Why don't you move to a decent metropolitan area and use mass-transportation? You disgust us with your insistance on private vehicle ownership, and, quite frankly, we're appalled that you accumulate "families" that you haul everywhere. Kids? Car seats? How gauche. But since some of you refuse to get with the program and are going to buy a car anyway...

We found the Toyota SubCorolla to be the least offensive of the five. Even with it's excessive 71" wheelbase, it was much easier to park than the mammoth Honda Accord (90" WB).

Hah! I rode in on a train with a combined wheelbase of over 3/4 mile and I didn't have to pay to park! I had to sit next to a smelly guy eating beanie-weenie from the can with a pair of scissors, but that's all part of a diverse experience!

The Suzuki Crumple, however, offers unique features such as one-wheel drive for less impact on the environment and an unpainted "Graffiti Friendly" exterior which was a big hit with budding local artists. We had to rate the Honda as "Shunnable", but the Suzuki and the Toyota have earned our "Grudgingly Recommended" ribbon.

Post by **MattPie** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 11:27 am

Anonymous wrote:[
The Suzuki Crumple, however, offers unique features such as one-wheel drive for less impact on the environment and an unpainted "Graffiti Friendly" exterior which was a big hit with budding local artists. We had to rate the Honda as "Shunnable", but the Suzuki and the Toyota have earned our "Grudgingly Recommended" ribbon.

It's Consumer Reports, what do you expect? They picked Budweiser as the best American Beer awhile back.

Post by **NoRRmad** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 1:24 pm

I hope you understand that this was not an actual Consumer Reports review.

Post by **rdsmith3** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:12 pm

Guest,

That was pretty funny, but accurate, too.

They always find silly things to complain about.

The headlight switch and the windshield wiper switch have a similar appearance and a driver could confuse the two in an emergency situation

Yes, I often need to suddenly turn on my headlights because of unexpected darkness. oops, I turned on the wipers by mistake. Surely I will crash and die.

Post by **sshallen** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:04 pm

NoRRmad wrote:I hope you understand that this was not an actual Consumer Reports review.

Yeah, the bias in their real reviews isn't that subtle!

I would equate Consumer Reports review of automobiles with a vegan's review of hamburgers. "We hate them, but here are our favorites"!!! Never understood why anyone values their opinion.

Post by **CycleRob** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:42 pm

My Nissan Frontier ranges 27---29.8 MPG. My wife's `05 Civic 5-speed gets 36----43.8 MPG. What a fantastic machine it is. Ten thousand mile oil changes, no adding oil ever and it's not that dirty when drained. So smooth, only the tach tells you it's still running. The rear window sticker proudly says it all - - - "Ultra Low Emission Vehicle". With those Ultra Low Emissions naturally comes Ultra Low fuel consumption. It is spunky, shifts like butter, doesn't surge and handles almost like a sports car. The resale on them is very good. This car totally blows away the relatively inferior Ford Escort Wagon it replaced. When Honda makes a 4 cyl pickup, I'd be interested.

Post by **wncbmw** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 7:41 am

Cycle Rob - I am hoping my son picks a 5-spd Civic for his first car! Nice to hear the good report!

Post by **yjleesvrr** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:42 pm

Consumer Reports is good for one thing, and one thing only when it comes to cars: Reliability ratings. Beyond that, I ignore just about everything they say. For the enthusiast point of view, I have relied on Car & Driver since my high school days.