Texas tuba player on Car Talk

[Donn]

... and the 1800 station wagons actually looked better than the sedans! (would hate to replace that glass rear door these days, though!)

Ya. But the glass doesn't rust. This vehicle is headed for the body shop to see how far a $6K insurance check goes for a destroyed right rear quarter panel, and the miracle that makes it even possible is a replacement panel located in a nearby yard. If they hadn't been able to find one, I was thinking maybe Dan Oberloh could make one out of a couple tuba bells.

I'm with you on the esthetic point, the older coupe model is more of an acquired taste.

[MartyNeilan]

I know someone who just bought a new Volvo and he's had a lot of trouble with it. The Ford influence seems to be telling...

The Volvo quality troubles started a couple of years before Ford was involved, particularly with their first generation "drive by wire" system that WOULD fail regularly. Interestingly, Volvo has been having a good effect on Ford. The Ford 500 is based on an S80 and gets 5 stars in every crash rating without side airbags. Volvo's philosophy was always that if you build a car right, you don't even need airbags at all. The stability and roll control in the latest generation of the Explorer (and yes, it really does work) was designed by Volvo for their XC90.
The AWD systems in the 500 and Freestyle is lifted right from Volvo as well.
Unfortunately, the much hyped Ford Fusion is based on a Mazda and is a POS.

Marty "who loves both Fords and Volvos" Neilan

[Kevin Hendrick]

I heard that one as well.

He was looking for a tuba carrier and a babe magnet.................

Tuba carrier ... babe magnet ... dangit, ya mean I got that one backwards too??? Yeesh ...

[Chuck(G)]

Interestingly, Volvo has been having a good effect on Ford.

So, Ford's now making cars that are designed to give 20 years of service and run for a million miles?

[MartyNeilan]

Interestingly, Volvo has been having a good effect on Ford.

So, Ford's now making cars that are designed to give 20 years of service and run for a million miles?

Safety mostly, then comfort, handling, and all season performance. Once Volvo quit RWD, they lost their magic. I doubt ANY newer Volvo will do 20 years or 1 million either - the legal issues brought on by the drive-by-wire fiasco resulted in the warranty coverage for 200,000 miles, considered the life of the car.

Interestingly, most "luxury" European car brands are now at the bottom of quality rankings, well below their Japanese and American counterparts. But the Japanese cars made in Japan are still much higher quality than the "Japanese" cars made in the US.

[Joe Baker]

So, Ford's now making cars that are designed to give 20 years of service and run for a million miles?

I've got two Fords in my current stable -- a 2001 Ranger & 1966 Mustang -- that's an average of 22.5 years old!

That's not entirely fair, I suppose, because the 1966 did spend a lot of that time parked and seldom driven; but saw daily use for at least its first 20 years, and it's now my daily driver. The Ranger is my wife's main vehicle -- 70,000 miles, has never needed a repair (even brakes!), and could pass for brand new inside & out save a bunch of dents and scratches inside the bed (I've really WORKED this truck -- hauled many tons of lumber, concrete blocks, etc. in addition to tubas & such). My other vehicles (1995 full-size Dodge van, 1994 Mazda MX-6 and 1996 Monte Carlo) are pretty good, but have all averaged a $200+ repair every 30K miles or so. I'll be buying another vehicle in May that I fully expect to last AT LEAST 20 years: a 2006 Ford Mustang Convertible.

_______________________________
Joe Baker, whose oldest and best friend is one of the guys on the Freestyle/500 platform design team.

[Chuck(G)]

The Ranger is my wife's main vehicle -- 70,000 miles, has never needed a repair (even brakes!), and could pass for brand new inside & out save a bunch of dents and scratches inside the bed (I've really WORKED this truck -- hauled many tons of lumber, concrete blocks, etc. in addition to tubas & such).

I've got an 1992 F-150 XLT 5 liter, maybe gets 2000 miles a year hauling stuff like firewood and dawgs. Oxygen sensors have been replaced twice, the front suspension's been overhauled (within a month anfter the warranty ran out; the dealer said it was just "coincidence" that they noticed it). It's got a pinhole leak in the exhaust manifold that causes it to slowly lose coolant (I'm not going to tear the engine down to fix something so small). Had to replace the actuator on the transfer case...

I don't think the thing has 30,000 miles on it. Ford needs not only to fix its manufacturing, but to fix its dealers...

My next truck will probably be a Toyota. Ford doesn't know how to make scrambled eggs any more, IMOHO.

[Joe Baker]

... 1992 F-150 XLT 5 liter, ... Oxygen sensors ... the front suspension...pinhole leak in the exhaust manifold... actuator on the transfer case...

My father-in-law owned an F-150 from about this same era (maybe 1991?), and it was trouble-prone as well. I don't know whether all of Ford's products were problematic during that period, or if it was just the F150s, but the Fords we've owned certainly have been good. We also had a '99 Escort that we sold with about 80,000 miles because it had a stick and we needed an automatic for my daughter who was learning to drive. It had needed a clutch slave cylinder replaced under warranty (less than 1000 miles), and after that never needed any repairs.
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Joe Baker, whose first Ford was a sweet 1984 Mustang GT (bought new, totaled by the wife in '87), whose only problem was a mysterious tendency to wear out tires.

[Rick Denney]

...whose first Ford was a sweet 1984 Mustang GT (bought new, totaled by the wife in '87), whose only problem was a mysterious tendency to wear out tires.

I had a 1970 Cutlass when I was in high school. It was not the muscle-car version, but in those days even the family cars had an abundance of power. The old open rear end put all the power to one wheel, which seemed to run out of tread long before the other wheel. Parent to family mechanic (ca. 1973): "What makes that tire wear out like that?" Mechanic: "Mizz Denney, that thar's the pullin' tar".

He did try to swallow those words when he saw me sinking into the floorboards, but it was too late.

Rick "whose current Olds muscle car has six wheels and sleeps four" Denney

[Rick Denney]

My next truck will probably be a Toyota. Ford doesn't know how to make scrambled eggs any more, IMOHO.

My farm truck is a '90 Toyota pickup. It has 190,000 miles on it. I need the replace the exhaust pipe. It's been rolled once (by a previous owner). I have replaced the rear bumper, which was rusted out, the water pump, belts and hoses, starter, battery, tires, various ball joints and tie rod ends, and spark plugs. It needs a new radiator, but near as I can tell everything else is fine.

Rick "who hauled four loads of mulch with it last weekend" Denney

[windshieldbug]

Maybe so, but you still can't beat a Brick.

The one that I bought for $50 just to get the fuel injection parts had been parked because the fiber timing gear (weakest part of a Brick) had come apart. It looked forlorn in the garage next to my real Brick, so I bought an aftermarket metal gear. A four cylinder Brick didn't have enough compression to even hurt the valves, so I stuck a couple of SU's on it from an even older Brick, and had a garage full of Masonary. Hauled mulch in the cheap one. Didn't even have to vacuum it out when I was done (but I did, anyway). And still sold 'em when I was done with 'em!

[Rick Denney]

Maybe so, but you still can't beat a Brick.

Too bad they don't have any head room.

Rick "who has looked into Volvos on four or five occasions, and wondered why they weren't designed for all those tall Swedes we hear about" Denney

[Joe Baker]

Maybe so, but you still can't beat a Brick.

Too bad they don't have any head room.

Rick "who has looked into Volvos on four or five occasions, and wondered why they weren't designed for all those tall Swedes we hear about" Denney

I've only been in a Volvo one time. All I remember was having the same feeling as when I'm sitting in a doctor's waiting room: not really uncomfortable, but so bored I couldn't wait to get out.
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Joe Baker, who, remembering the recent discussion about the "perfect tuba", concludes: to each his own.

P.S. -- I haven't gone to lunch yet, so I haven't had a chance to figure out what happened, but my '66 Mustang died in the parking lot here at work this morning and had to be restarted a couple of times to get it parked. At least I know how to fix anything that goes wrong with this car!

[bttmbow]

I had a MINI Cooper S for two years, and found out that for a short trip, with minimal potholes, I could give a friend a ride home with THREE tubas in gig bags in the back with the seats folded down. Also, one was a Nirschl York copy!! I also drove to an audition with three tubas (three hour trip).

I miss that car!