AFTER Owning a Prius, Could You Ever Buy GM ?

Absolutely I would. I currently own 2 GMs along with my Prius. Both have been more trouble-free than the Prius (although the Prius hasn't been bad, the GMs have been pretty flawless). I have a 2006 Impala LTZ that my wife drives (nice to have one full-sized car, and it gets 28 MPG on the highway, not bad for the size) and a 2006 Silverado that our son drives (4WD is a necessity in Colorado for someone who is in the trades as he is - an electrician).

We owned two 1997 Pontiac Grand Ams and they were flawless for the 4 years we had them on lease. I owned a 2006 Cobalt SS for a while, but all of the trouble from it I caused by trying to hot rod it (poor thing).

I really don't understand the GM bashing. Yes, they have made some really bad cars. But so have Ford, Chrysler, and even Toyota (anyone own a Tercel?). Mercedes has even made cars I wouldn't own (like the 1992 S-series - TERRIBLE!). I avoid those cars that are reported to be a problem, and/or that I do not find meet my needs. I buy according to my need at the time, not brand.

Right now I'm trying to trade my Prius for a 2010 Malibu. I will not be returning to Toyota after all these troubles if I manage to get out from under it. It's not a lemon, has been very reliable, but I just don't want it any more - it doesn't suit my needs. The real-world mileage on Colorado highways was a disappointment from the beginning (admittedly MUCH better than anything else, but for everything I have to give up in performance, ride, noise, handling, and crosswind sensitivity the gains aren't THAT good). I much prefered the Cobalt SS and really prefer the Impala, which just proves that there is a REASON there are so many different car models out there for the vast spectrum of needs/tastes/likes.

 

LOL!

This vehicle on the left is built on a G30 body:

It has burned less gas in a year than the Prius ... we haven't started it once.

Bob Wilson

 

I've owned two GM vehicles: a 1969 Chevrolet Nova when I was a college student, and a 1985 Chevrolet S10 Blazer (which I bought cheap and sold for more than I put into it, one year later - the only car that paid for itself...) They were both OK vehicles, did the job assigned to them.

Long ago, I owned a 1992 Mercedes 400E (32 valve, 4.2L V8 in the E-class sedan body.) That car had the opposite of the unintended acceleration problem. From time to time, the engine would lose power while I was driving on the freeway.

Fortunately, my local dealer at that time (in San Jose, CA) took my problem report seriously. After receiving my permission, the shop foreman hooked up the MBZ diagnostic tool to the car and drove it home. After he commuted in my car a couple of times, the problem happened to him and they determined that an electronic part in the throttle control needed to be replaced. An expensive repair, but what do you expect with MBZ.

I had occasion to rent a Malibu recently. I was impressed and thought it does well in its role as a family sedan. It seems smaller on the outside than a Camry. I had also previously driven a new Camry as a service loaner. I found that car to be bigger than I prefer.

 

There are desirable cars to me by every manufacturer. I could easily buy a GM. They have some fantastic cars. I am not as high on Ford. Their style just does not do anything for me. But I have owned my fair share of them in the past. I just like cars. I drive about all the cars to see what they are like. Never know till you experience them.

 

The above are my sentiments exactly.

My parents have been burned by 3 GM products. They were crap but nowhere near as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard for Big 3 products. One of them was a 1980 Chevy Chevette. What a hunk of crap that was. It was noisy, cheap, and couldn't acceleratate, stop or turn well.

After our last GM product, an 86 Olds Cutlass Ciera, my parents started buying Japanese w/our first, a 91 Camry. (They did buy a 93 Dodge Caravan later, which was mostly ok except for the transmission.) After that, it's been Toyotas and Nissans for us.

Before, they were anti-Japanese car partly because of wanting to support the US economy, somewhat paranoid about being physically attacked for having Japanese car by bashers, and I think to some degree what Japan did to China long ago (since we're Chinese). But, I think they got fed up and personally, I don't care. Their experience w/Japanese cars now has been far better than we had w/American cars.

GM has almost nothing that interests me. The only thing that GM makes that's interesting to me are the Corvette and previously the Saturn Sky, sorta. Unfortunately, reliability on those two ranges from horrific to so-so. Besides reliability, the (now dead) Sky unfortunately is all around inferior to the Miata. The Corvette's a great value but outside what I like to spend on cars.

The union of GM products that interest me AND are reliable at the moment == nothing. They still have FAR too many products w/worse than average to average reliability. I'm not talking about the crap JD Power "Initial Quality Study". Who keeps their car for only 90 days and throws it away? There's not much correlation between IQS and long term reliability either, contrary to their claims.

This thread belongs in "Other cars", IMHO.

 

We had a Chevette too and you're being too kind.

Bob Wilson

 

I had never own a GM vehicle, but it is hard to believe what I am reading here...

 

I've been GM all my life until the recent Prius and Corolla. I'd definitely buy GM again if I ever see a large quantity of red circles in Consumer Reports. I'd much rather have the profits go to the U.S., than Japan.