Ford Focus

[shakenbake]

Ford Focus is a s-h-i-t box one of the most unreliable cars. Honda= Value, Quality, Realiability, Technology, Class leading cars. Ford is crap and always will be. Imports are dominating the north american market. Sucks for you if you drive american trash.

Yeah, believe it.

Esepcially when you unexpectedly snap a timimng belt and you have to replace a Honda engine because they designed it so the valves hit the piston heads. Not the case with a Focus ZTEC engine, which is a free-reving non-interference design.

Before you make such wide-sweeping remarks and dis some one else's product, be prepared to back up your claims.

The bottom line is that every auto maker makes trash, some worse than others.

 

[shakenbake]

The only reason the North Americans know how to build 4 cylinders, is because Ford is in bed with Mazda, Chrysler was with Mitsubishi, and GM with Suzuki(also Toyota at the Kammi plant).

That, my friend, is a good thing. Go to Europe and see the quality of Ford and GM over there.

Lately, it seems to be rubbing off on their North American products. Ford owns mazda (which had its own problems until Ford, yesy, Ford, turned them around) and Volvo and others. Chrysler had a part ownership in Mitsubishi. GM and toyota have a collaboration that goes back at least 20 years. Remember the Chevy Nova of 1984 or 1985? It was a Toyota Corolla. The Vibe is a Matrix, etc, etc..

It doesn't matter a damned what the nameplate says. Globalisation has changed the automotive industry, probably for the better! You buy a car on its features and from personal recommendations, as well as reviews for reliable sources that are unbiased (if you are lucky to find such reviews).

 

[shakenbake]

i have a vw.. 7 year 100000..warrenty.. i drive hard and no problems... gas and oil changes... my first import car... i would buy another one ..in a heart beat... my 2 cents... just buy a car and drive it.. resale value doesnt mean squat...they all become worthless...i had a $35,000 gmc truck and in the end it was not worth squat.. i drove it into the ground... it was the best truck i ever had.. rip my ST Jimmy sls...

Buddy, you are so right. Don't expect a car to last forever, and drive it to the max, get out of it as much as you can. That is what they are for.

 

[Meister]

Third party suppliers are shit?

Tell that to Dana Fruedenberg, Dow Corning, AGS automotive systems, a whole host of big and small suppliers and other third party suppliers. This is how all the automotive industry works. I dont believe that any auto maker in the world makes all the parts that go into their cars.

As for innovation, it is safe to say that many, if not most, innovations came form the North American development teams, like fuel injection, turbo charging, disc brakes, etc.

Very good points. I find most people that state Japanese is holy grail and North American is the worst shit don't understand the Auto Industry. There are many North American/European suppliers that supply Japanese Automakers and vice versa. The automakers are just assemblers now and even that is starting to be contracted out. Magna is completely assemblying various cars for different auto companies.

 

[Cobster]

Third party suppliers are shit?

Mistyped it. Corrected it now.
Essentially saying that American car manufacturers buy their "shit" from other companies.

As for innovation, it is safe to say that many, if not most, innovations came form the North American development teams, like fuel injection, turbo charging, disc brakes, etc.

Disc brakes first created in England.
Let's not forget the ever popular "internal combustion engine" by the German, Rudolf Diesel. aka - diesel engine.
Without it, fuel injection wouldn't come into play.
Fuel injection invented/created by an English man - Frederick William Lanchester. He also started to dabble with fuel injection.
However zee Germans took fuel injection (Dailmer, Benz & Co.)it to a whole new level.

Finally, you can't make a distinction between domestic and import any more in this world economy. Look at most cars, and you see them and their components made all over the world.

Right, mainly Japanese insides in American outsides. lol
I'm sure there's a few vice-versa scenarios, but not a whole lot. lol

 

[shakenbake]

Mistyped it. Corrected it now.
Essentially saying that American car manufacturers buy their "shit" from other companies.


Disc brakes first created in England.
Let's not forget the ever popular "internal combustion engine" by the German, Rudolf Diesel. aka - diesel engine.
Without it, fuel injection wouldn't come into play.
Fuel injection invented/created by an English man - Frederick William Lanchester. He also started to dabble with fuel injection.
However zee Germans took fuel injection (Dailmer, Benz & Co.)it to a whole new level.

Right, mainly Japanese insides in American outsides. lol
I'm sure there's a few vice-versa scenarios, but not a whole lot. lol

Cobster;

What I meant to say was that a lot of these ideas were successfully brought to commercialisation in North America. Fuel Injection was first comemrcialised by, I believe Bendix Aviation. (Or was that turbocharging? Darned, my memory must be suffering from old age. Next it's my sex life out the window). Turbocharging and turbine engines on a North American car. Disc brakes on a car commercially on a Chrysler. Hey, North America has a lot to be proud of. Unfortunately, greedy capitalists and some overly hungry unions have wrecked it for all of us. Not that capitalism and unions are completely bad.

Anyway, from the site that you gathered the information you have quoted, there have been inventions and firsts from both sides of the Atlantic! So, innovation knows no boundaries, just like sex.......

Anyway, this is an interesting thread! Please don't close it, yet!