MustangWorks.com : Ford Forums - View Single Post

Mr 5 0 · 04-23-2002, 09:53 AM

Unit:

Car and Driver reported a 14.1 quarter-mile et on the Subaru WRX in October, 2001. 0-60 time was a righteous 5.4 seconds.

Front-wheel-drive vehicles are difficult to work on, granted. I hate 'em. Putting an alternator belt on my wife's Mazda 2.0 took over an hour! Parts can be expensive, too. A new muffler/tailpipe for that Mazda costs over $200. By comparison, a single muffler for my 5.0 costs about $50.

On the other hand, the car (bought new for $19,000. in 1995) has been a model of efficiency and reliability. 125,000 miles and aside from the usual brakes, exhaust, tire, belts and battery replacement, I've only had to replace a starter, the Mass Air Sensor unit - and little else. Starts and runs flawlessly, gets great gas mileage and passes emissions easily. A great utilitarian machine, which is what I - and most people - expect when they buy these vehicles. 'Looks' are secondary - and totally subjective, as we all know.

My Mustang (also bought new, in 1990) has, like most, been a five-star winner for reliability after 116,000 miles. Aside from normal lifespans of various parts (exhaust, brakes, clutch etc) requiring replacement I've had to replace almost nothing due to parts failure. The car is a joy to own in every respect, which is why I hang on to it after 12 years. I know the new Mustangs are vastly improved in most areas but the one I have is so good to me I simply cannot justify parting with it.

I maintain that the Japanese cars are of excellent quality but so are some American cars and everyone can find both a horror story and a success story on reliability in both camps.

I simply choose the car that fits my needs. I wouldn't buy a WRX because it's not the type of car I want, despite it's performance. Like you, I prefer the Mustang in every respect for a performance car.

On the other hand, when I buy a car for my wife, I need a different type of vehicle and if a Subaru happened to fill the needs we have, I would buy it. I don't care where it's manufactured.

I'll probably buy another (Ford-owned) Mazda, due to our good experience with the '95 626, but if an american-made vehicle came along that fit our needs and price range, I would consider it. No bias there, just practical use of our hard-earned car budget for what we need and what's the best buy, which is what I advised in my original post on this topic.

04-23-2002, 09:53 AM	#31
Mr 5 0 Conservative Individualist Join Date: May 1997 Location: Wherever I need to be Posts: 7,487	Making car choices Unit: Car and Driver reported a 14.1 quarter-mile et on the Subaru WRX in October, 2001. 0-60 time was a righteous 5.4 seconds. Front-wheel-drive vehicles are difficult to work on, granted. I hate 'em. Putting an alternator belt on my wife's Mazda 2.0 took over an hour! Parts can be expensive, too. A new muffler/tailpipe for that Mazda costs over $200. By comparison, a single muffler for my 5.0 costs about $50. On the other hand, the car (bought new for $19,000. in 1995) has been a model of efficiency and reliability. 125,000 miles and aside from the usual brakes, exhaust, tire, belts and battery replacement, I've only had to replace a starter, the Mass Air Sensor unit - and little else. Starts and runs flawlessly, gets great gas mileage and passes emissions easily. A great utilitarian machine, which is what I - and most people - expect when they buy these vehicles. 'Looks' are secondary - and totally subjective, as we all know. My Mustang (also bought new, in 1990) has, like most, been a five-star winner for reliability after 116,000 miles. Aside from normal lifespans of various parts (exhaust, brakes, clutch etc) requiring replacement I've had to replace almost nothing due to parts failure. The car is a joy to own in every respect, which is why I hang on to it after 12 years. I know the new Mustangs are vastly improved in most areas but the one I have is so good to me I simply cannot justify parting with it. I maintain that the Japanese cars are of excellent quality but so are some American cars and everyone can find both a horror story and a success story on reliability in both camps. I simply choose the car that fits my needs. I wouldn't buy a WRX because it's not the type of car I want, despite it's performance. Like you, I prefer the Mustang in every respect for a performance car. On the other hand, when I buy a car for my wife, I need a different type of vehicle and if a Subaru happened to fill the needs we have, I would buy it. I don't care where it's manufactured. I'll probably buy another (Ford-owned) Mazda, due to our good experience with the '95 626, but if an american-made vehicle came along that fit our needs and price range, I would consider it. No bias there, just practical use of our hard-earned car budget for what we need and what's the best buy, which is what I advised in my original post on this topic.