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Post by Parkman on Apr 22, 2022 7:08:22 GMT -5
My grandpa had the original LaCrosse. I liked it, it seemed very similar to the generation of Impala that came out in 2006. We had a brand new one in driver's ed, the basic model with cloth 3 seat bench seats front and rear and the column shift. I really liked that car, it reminded me of an old car from the 90s for some reason like the Crown Victoria or Caprice. When I bought my first car I really wanted one of those in the LTZ or SS trim but they were too expensive. Then when I got my second car I couldn't find any of them, would have looked into the new gen as well but there weren't any on the lots that I recall. I feel like the 06-13 though (and went fleet for 14-16) though not all that fancy with tech and such, were just good, honest cars. They were also built on the old GM W platform from 1988 so had a lot of history. I did like the Corolla in the 03-08 gen and the one after it. I kind of wanted an 03-08 in the SE trim but they were also quite expensive given the Toyota brand resale value. A friend of mine has an 04 Camry SE. I always thought it was a nice riding car with the SE package and pretty nice looking. As far as I know he's still driving it who knows how many miles it has now. Another friend's mom has a 14 Camry SE with the XSP package, it's a very cool looking car. I rode in it several years ago and it was very nice. She had a Sienna XLE before that which was a very nice van and then when the kids moved out she went with the Camry. I think with the Camry it all depends on how it's configured, the Sport models are a lot more interesting to me. I've been a little frustrated with my Taurus lately. It's a great highway cruising car but when you get into tight crowded spaces especially crowded parking lots with tight aisles it just feels hard to judge the width. It feels like you're going to sideswipe someone especially when you're trying to make tight left or right turns with somebody stopped on either side, or getting into tight spaces. The Dodge Charger I had as a rental was like that too but with this Taurus I thought I'd be used to it by now but it just feels like it's just a huge car still. I don't know why. The Charger to me was worse because the body stuck out well past the windows just like the old 60s and 70s ones did. The Lacrosse to me was a premium car even In The first generation. Although say what you want about GM interiors of that era (I agree they were cheap) the lacrosse when configured right looked like an in between Chevy and Cadillac right where Buick was supposed to me positioned. The fact they did the lower trim levels kills me they had that on a Buick and kills any prestige value someone may view it to have. I liked the 2005-2013? impalas. My wife liked them when we were dating however the latest and last generation she liked more but she didn’t like the viability. I agree with you they were just run of the mill Chevy cars. You mention a Cruze or Malibu to someone and they’ll talk about the Cruze being cheap or a Malibu somehow affiliated to someone they know having an issue. Or go into older models col alt, cavalier, Corsica, etc. the impala however of later years just a run of the mill Chevy sedan nothing bad and no thrills however I did find the 2000-2005 ones to be hideous. Corollas I respect their quality however that Cvt is extremely unpleasant. I’m pro Toyota everything however when it came to the compact car I drove one and bought the Elantra much better car, Corolla just had a nicer interior and bulletproof liability. My moms friend had several Grand Marquis and crown victorias. Got a 300 when they first came out piece of junk got rid of that after like 2 years. Then went to the Mercury Montego and liked that then got a 2014 Taurus.. she said it was nice but not nice. Same thing she said you couldn’t judge depth it was a very straight car she described it as. Ended up needing a bunch of repairs and she traded it on a last model year Fusion she loves that. My wife looked at the Taurus one year at the auto show she liked it I just felt for a big car it didn’t have the big car feel.
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Post by Cole D on Apr 22, 2022 21:39:50 GMT -5
My grandpa had a 92 Buick Skylark for a while that was really base model, manual locks, mirrors, windows etc. Don't think he drove it much, he also had a 94 Buick Regal that he really liked. It rode nice. I guess they always had basic ones. He was always buying and selling cars even up to his 80s. He'd have one new car and an older one to use also. LOL
Another thing with the Taurus is the huge rear pillars. I was trying to merge onto the highway the other day and couldn't see a thing to get over. I like cars with quarter windows like all the previous Tauruses and the 500/Taurus. I wish they had somehow had them on the last gen.
I test drove a Fusion when I got the Taurus. I liked the visibility in the Fusion and the car didn't feel so bloated on the road. However the ride quality wasn't as good, my dad didn't like it said it was noisier and felt cheaper. I think it's likely the Taurus sits higher and the underpinnings are shared with the Explorer. Overall I like the car, I think there isn't really a perfect vehicle out there to be honest, so I just kind of live with it. LOL
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Post by Parkman on Apr 23, 2022 4:39:33 GMT -5
My grandpa had a 92 Buick Skylark for a while that was really base model, manual locks, mirrors, windows etc. Don't think he drove it much, he also had a 94 Buick Regal that he really liked. It rode nice. I guess they always had basic ones. He was always buying and selling cars even up to his 80s. He'd have one new car and an older one to use also. LOL Another thing with the Taurus is the huge rear pillars. I was trying to merge onto the highway the other day and couldn't see a thing to get over. I like cars with quarter windows like all the previous Tauruses and the 500/Taurus. I wish they had somehow had them on the last gen. I test drove a Fusion when I got the Taurus. I liked the visibility in the Fusion and the car didn't feel so bloated on the road. However the ride quality wasn't as good, my dad didn't like it said it was noisier and felt cheaper. I think it's likely the Taurus sits higher and the underpinnings are shared with the Explorer. Overall I like the car, I think there isn't really a perfect vehicle out there to be honest, so I just kind of live with it. LOL Lol. Gotta love it my great uncles the same way. I remember after my great aunt died he decided he never had a convertible so he’d replace her Lexus with that. So he sells the Lexus spends a summer looking at every convertible imaginable was looking at a brand new Mercedes goes to lunch to think about it and goes to a Nissan dealer and buys this hideous 10 year old Mercedes slk in bright red it was so hideous and uncomfortable. He hit a curb about two years later and traded it immediately on a new beetle. I’m glad someone else has that problem even with blind spot monitors it still a nerve wracking feeling you get then. My wife freaks out when she goes to merge if she can’t see fully whixh essentially rules out most suvs because the blind spots are horrible and why we ended up with the Sportage. I would have bought a Rav4 most likely for her otherwise. Although the Sportage is very nice I have to say. I still think Kia’s are cheap cars in my head but people love them. I’m surprised he felt that way about the Fusion. Granted I never drove one. I’m still furious they discontinued it. I don’t know how they couldn’t make them profitable I mean for starters they made them in Mexico. I honestly have always thought if I was older my wife and I would have bought one of the Fusion variants (the first generation new) Most likely the Milan. I mean I get the whole fuel economy thing but switching everything over to 4 cylinder and turbo 4’s is not for me. The Aston Martin knock off look on the fusion also I found to be hoakie. I always had a soft spot for the Lincoln MKZ but the second generation the rear was hideous and I LOATHE not having a traditional gear shifter either on the steering wheel or center console. The rotary shifters and buttons will not be tolerated over here lol.
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Post by Cole D on Apr 23, 2022 8:02:50 GMT -5
My grandpa had a 92 Buick Skylark for a while that was really base model, manual locks, mirrors, windows etc. Don't think he drove it much, he also had a 94 Buick Regal that he really liked. It rode nice. I guess they always had basic ones. He was always buying and selling cars even up to his 80s. He'd have one new car and an older one to use also. LOL Another thing with the Taurus is the huge rear pillars. I was trying to merge onto the highway the other day and couldn't see a thing to get over. I like cars with quarter windows like all the previous Tauruses and the 500/Taurus. I wish they had somehow had them on the last gen. I test drove a Fusion when I got the Taurus. I liked the visibility in the Fusion and the car didn't feel so bloated on the road. However the ride quality wasn't as good, my dad didn't like it said it was noisier and felt cheaper. I think it's likely the Taurus sits higher and the underpinnings are shared with the Explorer. Overall I like the car, I think there isn't really a perfect vehicle out there to be honest, so I just kind of live with it. LOL Lol. Gotta love it my great uncles the same way. I remember after my great aunt died he decided he never had a convertible so he’d replace her Lexus with that. So he sells the Lexus spends a summer looking at every convertible imaginable was looking at a brand new Mercedes goes to lunch to think about it and goes to a Nissan dealer and buys this hideous 10 year old Mercedes slk in bright red it was so hideous and uncomfortable. He hit a curb about two years later and traded it immediately on a new beetle. I’m glad someone else has that problem even with blind spot monitors it still a nerve wracking feeling you get then. My wife freaks out when she goes to merge if she can’t see fully whixh essentially rules out most suvs because the blind spots are horrible and why we ended up with the Sportage. I would have bought a Rav4 most likely for her otherwise. Although the Sportage is very nice I have to say. I still think Kia’s are cheap cars in my head but people love them. I’m surprised he felt that way about the Fusion. Granted I never drove one. I’m still furious they discontinued it. I don’t know how they couldn’t make them profitable I mean for starters they made them in Mexico. I honestly have always thought if I was older my wife and I would have bought one of the Fusion variants (the first generation new) Most likely the Milan. I mean I get the whole fuel economy thing but switching everything over to 4 cylinder and turbo 4’s is not for me. The Aston Martin knock off look on the fusion also I found to be hoakie. I always had a soft spot for the Lincoln MKZ but the second generation the rear was hideous and I LOATHE not having a traditional gear shifter either on the steering wheel or center console. The rotary shifters and buttons will not be tolerated over here lol. I liked the Aston Martin look of that gen Fusion myself, I actually preferred it to the earlier iterations. The one I test drove was beautiful, was a nice sort of coppery orange with tan interior. That was another thing, my dad did not like that Ecoboost 4 cylinder the Fusion has, said it was too complicated and too much on the engine. So with the Taurus it has the regular 6 cylinder with deactivation unless you go for the SHO. In the next street over from me someone has an orange colored Taurus SHO and another house has one like mine but in black. I also pass an electric blue colored Taurus all the time nearby on the way to work. I like the look of the SHO personally, I think those are the only ones that really have any cache, mine has wheels like one. Someone asked me once if it was an SHO. My uncle had 1999 or 2000 Impala, they weren't bad looking at the time, but I really preferred the 06-13. Strangely GM kept the old version around as a "Impala Limited" for 2014-2016 for fleets and rental places, not sure if they sold direct to the consumer. Most of them I think were the top LTZ version. I had a 2001 Malibu can't really complain about it, it just started having the issues old cars get but it was reliable. The interior was pretty nice in it, all soft touch surfaces and it had a great sound system actually IMO for a factory one, and the head unit was pretty nice for the time, speed compensated volume, RDS etc. Funny thing about the 2006 gen Impala, the earlier years had 3 rear head rests about mid height that were fixed as part of the seat. Then a few years later all 3 got really tall I guess for crash reasons, and people complained because they couldn't see anything out of the back window (and it didn't help that gen never had a backup camera or backup sensors) so they ended up getting rid of the center one which helped somewhat.
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Post by Cole D on Apr 23, 2022 9:24:28 GMT -5
Lol. Gotta love it my great uncles the same way. I remember after my great aunt died he decided he never had a convertible so he’d replace her Lexus with that. So he sells the Lexus spends a summer looking at every convertible imaginable was looking at a brand new Mercedes goes to lunch to think about it and goes to a Nissan dealer and buys this hideous 10 year old Mercedes slk in bright red it was so hideous and uncomfortable. He hit a curb about two years later and traded it immediately on a new beetle. Same, lol. He would buy a car and not like it and then trade a few months later. He had a 99 Taurus, loved it and kept it for a few years, then traded that for an Aveo, he hated that car, said it was far too noisy. The dealer just said it was the nature of a car with small wheels and sitting low. So he traded that for an 04 Malibu, didn't like that one either, then finally got the 05 LaCrosse and kept it for quite a while. He also had an 80s Grand Marquis, but before I was born and a 92 Caprice, I barely remember that one and a Corsica. Oh and the Chrysler LeBaron that "talked" "please close the door" "please fasten your seat-belt" LOL
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Post by Parkman on Apr 24, 2022 17:34:16 GMT -5
I think the SHO was just too late to be relevant anymore but I do respect it. A lot of parents feel that way about the ecoboosts thats for sure. The old there is no replacement for displacement line is true! As much as I'd prefer more power with a turbo the reality is a naturally aspirated engine is more reliable. I think the Impala's went to fleet only when they hit the Impala Limited model I know the Silverado LD stayed to consumers and fleet. The Malibu was one of those cars of your generation it just was over shadowed by the Japanese imports. When the 2008 model came out everyone loved the design but I've heard so many complaints where the more blan previous model just floated through time lol I was amazed how much I hated the visibility of the 2008-2012 Malibu. The Taurus were a versitle car of that era. Always felt they had a stigma they didn't deserve. Odd though to go from that ton AVeo I knew someone who had one interesting car very interesting person lol. He's been all over the board with US sedans . I remember my dad telling about that feature before that is funny. Now look we have people who listen to Siri religiously.
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Post by Cole D on Apr 27, 2022 22:49:40 GMT -5
Yeah they did the same with the gen Malibu I had, went as a fleet only model for 04 and 05 after the new model came out for 04. I always felt like the 04-07 Malibu was sort of an update of the previous gen more than anything too new, shared some characteristics. I thought the Malibu Maxx hatchback was really interesting, never saw many around though I see one at a daycare near where I work.
I really liked the look of the 08 gen Malibu, especially with the leather in that brown and cream two tone (I think it was called cocoa and cashmere?) did not like the brick red leather though. I think I remember reading that the 08+ Malibu people liked better than the more expensive 06+ Impala and it took a lot of sales from it. I don't know that the Impala really even offered much over it. Never was in a Malibu of that gen, rode in my grandpa's 04 once or twice though. I never had any experience with the final gens either, I did look at one when I went to trade in my old one, really liked the look of it but the price they wanted seemed high to me for what it was compared to a Buick or something.
I always liked the oval theme Taurus, my aunt also had a 96 as well as the 99 my grandpa had. Didn't see what was wrong with them really. I also really liked the 08-2010 or so whichever years they took over from the Five Hundred/Montego.
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Post by Cole D on Apr 27, 2022 23:01:05 GMT -5
I'm sure I said this before, one of my friends that I used to go to church with had an Elantra 04 or 05 I think. I really liked that car, rode nice and it was pretty fancy, leather seats, sunroof, fog lights, etc. Unfortunately ended up with an electrical problem nobody could find, then she got married and got a Ford Freestar. Traded that on a Dodge Journey.
Another friend of mine had an 06 Volvo S40, I loved that car but it was pretty cramped honestly. It was also expensive to fix of course. She ended up getting a Kia Optima back in 2013 I think it was basic but had the convenience package which added a few things like power seat, auto mirror, etc. Never heard how reliable it was but she traded it on a new one at some point so she must like it.
I loved that gen Optima and Sonata but drove neither. I remember once she told me that she test drove the Sonata but said it tended to pull to one side for some reason. Still see lots of both on the road from that gen. The newer Elantras seem to have gotten as big as an Optima to me. I've finally warmed up to the new Optimas, the rear reminds me of the late 90s/early 00s Optima in a way. One of my friends has the Stinger it's a nice car.
The lady and her husband that run the local Dairy Queen had a Genesis I want to say and she has a Telluride, I really like the look of them.
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Post by Parkman on May 2, 2022 21:43:48 GMT -5
I always thought the Malibu Maxx was an interesting concept but that was at a low point to be a Chevy I always wondered if it would be more popular if at a different GM time besides pre bankruptcy everyone in the sedan market heading to Japanese marks at that point.
I remember my wife and I started dating in high school she loved the new Malibu and I loved that brown and cream two tone. We always said we'd get a Malibu one day.. Never did but I can assure you if we did she would not have allowed that interior Lol. Funny enough one of her friends has a 2010 Malibu in the ruby red but not that interior.
The Taurus I loved the 2000-2007? style the best. The 1st/2nd gen which I can't see a difference were cool and radical for their time. The 1994 or 96? model I was not a fan of, I think they're hideous although very radical for their time. The rebadged 500's I hated I thought it looked horrible of course I wasn't a fan of the Five Hundred either. The MKS I loved and the final generation Taurus was fine. I think the problem was they had a CVT which a lot of people hated and I think there was so many different models, full size models were on there way out and the styling was too traditional and didn't stand up. I think too at that time you still had Lincoln in a metamorphasis and Mercury for the high end Ford buyers where if you wanted luxury you went Lincoln or elsewhere. Ford's cars never seemed to hit that premium area like Chevy's do to some extent but then again thats more suv's and trucks.
The Freestart thats something no one has anymore although a lady at my church has one. Loves the thing bought it new years ago had an eyestore first gen. Windstar before.
Volvo's I'm not a fan of. My Aunt had one in the 80's then decided to buy an S80 in 2012 new. Lasted till 2021 some computer module went was gonna be $4k to replace car was worth $7k she got a Miata instead.
I think the current Sonata looks likea catfish. The 2018-2019 model I think was gorgeous. If my wife bought one when we bought our Elantra we'd still own it I'm sure but I don't know why we didn't consider it lol.
Those Telluride's are nice. I like that they're square and come with a V6, personally I'd probably get the Palisade instead I don't like the baller on a budget reputation the Tellurides give.
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Post by Cole D on May 4, 2022 19:54:26 GMT -5
The oval version came out in 96, I loved it, I know they were very controversial though. The pastor at my church had a 2000 model with leather, sunroof, rear vents, etc. It was a nice car. I think those probably did have the best styling.
The MKS was nice, always reminded me of a Lincolnized Taurus though. LOL Lately I've been liking the MKT, never knew it was a three row vehicle. The Lincoln Continental was interesting, didn't seem to last long, like 3 years I think.
My aunt had an 08 I think Volvo V50, basically the wagon of the S40. She liked the car but I think it had some issue with the timing chain and the clearcoat was going bad and other things so she traded it for a Subaru Outback.
Dunno why I put Telluride, I meant Palisade. LOL
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Post by Parkman on May 8, 2022 21:23:06 GMT -5
My wifes Sable was a nice car. When we were dating well right when we got engaged our mechanic was like its time to get a new car engines about to go and she did. Smooth car though not as smooth as a Toyota V6 but i Enjoyed that car.
I Never liked the MKT lol. I know someone who had one kept it very short went from an Acadia to MKT then to an Acadia Denali. I thought about a MKC which now the Nautalis for my wife but she does not like the idea of not a traditional shift which I agree with (who knows how our next car whill go).
I'd take the Outback over a Volvo anyday. We had many debates about Subaru's but the CVT is what shot that down if it had a normal automatic my wife would have a Forester but I couldn't do it. She wanted one in 2017 when we were shopping and I refused and again in 2021. Pending no accidents (knock on wood) she won't be getting a new car for 10 years.
Random thought I will always own a truck if I have an additional car it'd probably be a convertible however I am kind of liking the Kia Seltos as of late.
Lol!
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Post by Cole D on May 8, 2022 21:48:56 GMT -5
I have no idea what else I'd have. LOL I'm more of a sedan guy and not many of those left. I'm thinking if I get my own place I'd like to have a second older vehicle to putter with. I wouldn't mind an old Panther platform car but not that practical since I already have a sedan. I think I want an older minivan or a truck though I'm also partial to the older Explorers and newer ones. I told my friend with the 2008 Silverado I'd like to buy it if and when he gets an electric one. It probably wouldn't have a lot of life in it at this point but I wouldn't be driving it much. I always wonder how much it costs to have a second vehicle added to your insurance and just have liability on it.
I liked the styling of both older and newer Volvos but the parts are a bear to get and very expensive.
The Acadia I do like those vehicles. Two of my neighbors had Buick Enclaves I thought they were nice cars. They were basically GM's 3 row crossover replacement for the minivans I guess.
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Post by Cole D on May 21, 2022 14:40:55 GMT -5
I've really liking the Lincoln Town Cars lately. I especially like the 1990-97 and the 1998-2011? One of my neighbors has a late model one.
LOL Another neighbor of mine really seems to like Chrysler Town and Country vans. They used to have a 2002 (?) T&C LX years ago, then a few years ago they traded that for a 2007 Touring. And for about a year or two they've had a Grand Cherokee. Then last week they traded that and got a 2009 (?) Limited. Years ago the people that lived in that house had an 80s Plymouth Grand Voyager with the wood panels.
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Post by Parkman on May 22, 2022 9:23:52 GMT -5
I get the Panther hobbiests and the love for them. I've always found all of the variants to be hideous. But that pushrod V8 is legendary! Explorers seem to be good 1st owner cars (not the current Unibody) but everyone I know who bought an Explorer as the second owner never had luck lol. Electric Silverado BLEHH LOL. A used extra truck is never a bad thing unless it becomes a money pit. I live in NJ where we have some of the highest car insurance (among everything else) I have an S-10 that is liability only. ITs about $500 a year.. Worth every penny but I drive it constantly. The final Town car is classier then the original redesign update of 98 or whatever. I like that they have a Hood Ornament I wish they could come back. Cadillac is a lost cause but at least they still have a sedan unlike Lincoln I loved the new Continental. Odd to go to a Grand Cherokee. I think the new ones are beautiful. My wife always wanted one but as long as Chrysler is manufacturing them I can't do it.
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Post by Cole D on May 24, 2022 20:52:58 GMT -5
I do like the look of the new Grand Cherokee and the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer especially. Although I wouldn't want all the upgrades like all the screens everywhere, etc.
The Explorers I really like the 13+ Explorer and also the 2006-2010 Explorer, and the 2006-2010 Mercury Mountaineer. I think they were nice looking SUVs and you could get quite a few modern features on them even then. They also seem to sell pretty cheap at this point, but the 2011+ still seem to be holding pretty high asking prices.
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