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Superior, WI Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Puzzled [jlbl]

by andys120 on Tue Nov 18 08:40:05 PST 2008

Can anyone tell me more about body differences along 4a-250 Triumph series? I'm a-quasi expert on these cars. I owned a non-IRS '66 TR-4A and my 'Bro owned a '68 TR-250. I know less about the TR-5 PI since we didn't get that one in the USA but I believe that except for under the hood, badging and the nose stripe it was identical to it the US market version The main differences between the TR-250 and the TR-4A were- -Nose stripe across front hood, fenders (TR-250 only, not on TR-5 PI) -Side marker lights in side of rear enders, -Backup lights under tailights -Aforementioned stripe on front hood. -Stripe outlining sides of convertible top (luminescent) -Full-wheel covers on disc wheel versions -No knock-off ears on wire wheel versions. -Fold-down sun visors. -Taller seat backs. -Matte finish wood on dash, black instrument surrounds -No faux crank hole in lower grille. 1968 Triumph TR-250> . FWIW the TR-250 was a far superior car to the earlier TR-4/4A with more power and better build quality as well as some welcome amenities (sun visors!). The non-IRS 4-banger might be a little quicker thru a very tight curve but the 6 cylinder car was the one to have IMO. Unfortunately in '69 safety regs caused Triumph to drop the Michelotti-bodied cars in favor of the comparatively ugly Karmann designed TR-6.

Let's inject...

by grbeck on Tue Nov 18 07:46:01 PST 2008

...some facts into the discussion, please. Not ALL of the Big Three are going to collapse simultaneously. These companies are in very different situations, even though the lazy media prefers to lump them together. Ford has the money to make a go of it until it brings new product - Fiesta, all-new Focus, restyled Taurus - to market within the next 18 or so months. The company has reduced production capacity to bring it in line with demand, and sold Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston-Martin, all of where were cash drains and distracting management from focusing on the core brands - Ford and Lincoln. Quality is on the upswing, too. General Motors is in dire condition. But a restructured GM is still a viable enterprise. Only problem is that a restructured GM would be a much smaller company, sized to serve about 15-18 percent of the market. The best solution would cause the buy-American crowd and Lou Dobbs to have a stroke. But if the government really wants to save GM, it should turn it over to a foreign company - preferably Toyota - and give said company carte blanche to make the changes necessary to right the ship. GM's current management has a mixed record at best. The quality is still uneven; the brands are still a mess, with too much badge engineering and overlap; it changes nameplates too often; and there isn't anything on the horizon that will really increase market share. The Volt is not going to be a money-maker, and the Cruze doesn't look any more exciting than the Cobalt. The Camaro is sharp, but one retro-styled pony car isn't going to save GM. The brutal truth is that Toyota has done a much better job of meeting the needs and desires of American consumers (check the sales figures and market share trends); its quality is still, as whole, superior to GM's quality; its marketing is far superior; and its brands have essentially displaced comparable GM brands in the hearts and minds of customers. Toyota is the new Chevrolet, while Lexus has far more prestige than Cadillac among the younger, more affluent customers who will matter in the coming years. With a restructured GM, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab would go away. Buick and GMC would be combined into one division - call it LaSalle - and share platforms with Chevrolet at the lower end (although no economy Buicks, or LaSalles, please) and Cadillac at the near-luxury end. Chevrolet and Cadillac would be GM's big guns. The Jobs Bank would go away, and UAW members would accept work rules the same as those at the transplant operations. If the government is going to inject any money into GM, use it to fund the UAW VEBA. Most of upper management needs to go, too. Keep Bob Lutz for continuity. If GM needs anything, it is culture change. The world no longer revolves around GM, but I get the impression that GM management and the UAW haven't quite figured this out yet. Second, "good enough" isn't good enough anymore. But the last thing we, the taxpayers, need is for GM to receive aid that only postpones the inevitable, necessary restructuring. If we give GM money now - the way GM and the UAW want us to do it - prepare GM to beg for another cash infusion in about 6-12 months. As for Chrysler - it's toast. Cerberus has suspended new vehicle development, leaving the company basically dead. At this point, the best thing that could happen is that foreign companies buy up the remaining valuable parts of Chrysler - Jeep, the minivans, the Dodge Ram and maybe the LX cars. The rest is worthless. And the collapse of one of these companies will not bring about the next Great Depression. If Chrysler collapses, for example, Ford will pick up the slack, especially in rural areas. There will still be a vibrant domestic automobile industry. People seem to miss that Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai are expanding their presence here, building vehicles that were designed HERE with American tastes in mind. Their footprint in American will only increase. And the collapse of one of the Big Three will have very little effect on areas outside of their operations. There won't be marauding bands of unemployed auto workers in southcentral Pennsylvania if GM or Chrysler collapses. Nor will there be Unemployed Auto Workers Gone Wild in San Francisco, Dallas, Orlando, Seattle, Boston, etc. Sorry, but the Big Three aren't that big anymore. It's not 1965 anymore...and let's not quote hysterical press releases from biased, industry-funded sources to "prove" otherwise.

Re: Toyota Avalon [joshuag]

by captain2 on Tue Nov 18 07:38:38 PST 2008

Toyota needs to fix their transmission problems on their current Avalon as an owner of an 05, I know exactly what you are talking about. Toyota has iundoubtedly taken a most aggressive approach to its transmission programming and likely one of the reasons why the Av's FE is superior. However, what you are perceiving as a transmission problem is not really a tranny problem at all, it is a programming problem, that undoubtedly is effecting the way the car responds to your 'commands', but is also something that is becoming a common problem with many many of these new fangled multi speed 'electronic' trannies including those on some of the cars in this group. Ford's 6 speed as it was originally in the 500 was noted and reviewed to be 'hesitant', as has Hyundai's, as has GM's, as has VW's etc etc.. It's kinda a condition of the breed that I would imagine will continue to be a problem as long as these mfgrs. chase the almighty mpg (as well as all the 'safety' features that can now be added with all the electronic/computer 'interference'). Not to excuse Toyota for its overly aggressive (IMO) programming or for that matter how they are handling it afterward, but the fact remains that the tranny (5 or 6 speed) itself has been rock solid and it is 'working as it was designed' as I'm sure your Toyota dealer has told you. In my case I have 'learned' to drive the car as 'it' wants me to drive it, and on that basis it works just fine, in all respects. It has been over 2 years and 60000 miles since I remember any tranny delay or hesitation even happening, although I'm sure I can 'induce' the beahvior if I wanted to. The whole concept of the car 'telling' us what it wants (and FTM making a decision (of sorts) on driver 'intent') does sound ridiculous, but I'm afraid is something that will get worse before it gets better, and is not at all uncommon. There are computer nerds somewhere that are definitely deciding how we should drive and what our individual capabilities are. Isn't technology wonderful?

Re: BMW Gadgetry [jmaroun]

by kdshapiro on Tue Oct 14 13:27:37 PDT 2008

BMW's auto windshield wiper is neat, but should you turn it on in normal mode (non auto sensing), it's a non trivial experience turning the darn thing off. You might find it a non-trivial experience, I didn't. A quick flick of the stalk does it. After 3 years with BMW's fancy turn signal invention (started in 06 models), I still fall victim to an induced back and forth left/right juggling of the lights. It's very embarressing since people behind you can see the lights. Still I like the idea but they've got to improve the interface. Took me two turns to get used to. With my 06 330, I enjoyed the compass meter embedded in the mirror. I also enjoyed the electronic folding mirror. This time however, with my new 335i :blush: , I've opted to live without these items that come with the $2000! Premium package. Walmart sells a $15 electronic compass that mounts smartly on your mirror. Life isn't so bad without the folding mirrors..and BMW's black leatherete is quite a good, if not superior, substitute for its leather seating. The leatherette is in no way superior to the leather. The leather has a feel, touch and smell the 'ette' can't come close to. Unfortunately,... I found BMW's navigation / iDrive interface too cumbersome and most importantly, too intrussive to the driving experience. I was able to grasp the most important functions, while driving the car. It wasn't rocket science. What was really bothering me, is that it took me a while to figure out how to turn off the seat heater from idrive, even though the heat icon was clearly visible to me. :blush. The thing doesn't shut up. The screen is always on..even when blank, it dominates the cabin. Such devices should hide themselves away or be way in the background IMO I can't remember which model, (135, 335, 550, X5, X6, 535, 650 or 750, missed the M3 and Alpina), did what. But I seem to remember BMW is not the only manufacturer to provide a 24X7 nav screen. But I really liked idrive with nav, I paired my BT phone to the unit while driving without a problem. I like the clean upfettered look of the BMW dash, it was a smart move to stick all this stuff into i-drive.

BMW Gadgetry

by jmaroun on Tue Oct 14 11:14:51 PDT 2008

BMW's auto windshield wiper is neat, but should you turn it on in normal mode (non auto sensing), it's a non trivial experience turning the darn thing off. I find BMW's refrigerated compartment under the arm rest some what quirky. Such a small volume is nearly useless. They should either increase usable volume ( I guess make it deeper) or eliminate the thing alltogether. After 3 years with BMW's fancy turn signal invention (started in 06 models), I still fall victim to an induced back and forth left/right juggling of the lights. It's very embarressing since people behind you can see the lights. Still I like the idea but they've got to improve the interface. A glove compartment that could fit at least the car's user-manual, registration, and insurance documents would be appreciated. BMW should either enlargen its glove compartment or shrink its elaboratly dressed German styled user manual. With my 06 330, I enjoyed the compass meter embedded in the mirror. I also enjoyed the electronic folding mirror. This time however, with my new 335i :blush: , I've opted to live without these items that come with the $2000! Premium package. Walmart sells a $15 electronic compass that mounts smartly on your mirror. Life isn't so bad without the folding mirrors..and BMW's black leatherete is quite a good, if not superior, substitute for its leather seating. A really cool feature in a BMW these days, IMO, is the cruise control. It has a most natural and pleasing electro-mechanical interface. I especially like how the cruise control maintains itself while I down or upshift (6spd manual). Very well done! Unfortunately, most gadgets in the car lack such brilliant enginering grace. Example Primo: Unfortunately,... I found BMW's navigation / iDrive interface too cumbersome and most importantly, too intrussive to the driving experience. The thing doesn't shut up. The screen is always on..even when blank, it dominates the cabin. Such devices should hide themselves away or be way in the background IMO. That's why I feel a portable Navigation device like a Garmin would be more effective, much cheaper, and less distracting from the experience (you can turn it off and tuck it away). BMW has a long way to go to convince otherwise. Joseph San Diego

new S4 >?335i>?M3Re: S4 vs. M3 [rlee6462]

by jmaroun on Mon Nov 17 11:27:27 PST 2008

Something tells me you're on to something enlightening. I would've bought an S4 had it performed equally with 6 cylnders instead of its thirsty 8, was lighter by 200lbs and had improved mpg. I chose the next best thing, an 08 335i sedan with manual. The new M3 styling was as numb as it's steering feel. I considered an 06 M3 with competition package but its body style is dated and I figured the 335i might hold its value long enough if a superior car came along while offering a near equivalent experience. I'm delighted with the 335i but am dissapointed with its clunky and quite rattley clutch / manual transmission. (google bmw clutch rattle. this was observed by bmw mechanics and claimed to be normal) First and second gear in the 335i are rarely pleasant experiences unless you go all out full throttle. :) Furthermore, symptoms of HPFP (fuel pump) failure are loomming (lately, my ignition times are intermittently taking upward of 5 to 7 seconds!). I figured that after more than two years, BMW would fix this well known and wide spread issue..but it seems that even my late production 08 model (june 08)..one of the last produced before the 09 LCI, may become part of the statistics as well. That said, it isn't surprising that I've got my heart's hopes set on the new S4 comming out early to mid 2009. A 6cyl superchaged awd S4. It boasts better hp and torque than the 335i while weighing nearly the same (that is about 200lbs lighter than the current V8 S4)! Judging by early release pictures, the S4 will easilly out style any BMW. I hope to trade or sell my 08 335i for the new S4 After reading the reviews..I eagerly await Edmund's review which is usually unbiased, informative and fair. :shades: Joseph San Diego