newer dodges and family are junk. i like how some of the cars and trucks look, but they have so many TSB's and crap parts on them, its just a headache. gm is doing some nice things with the newer trucks. rubberized undercoating on the frames and cross members! i've seen it on the avalanche and an escalade esv. those suckers have 22"s stock!

if i were looking into a new car, import wise i'd stick to hondas and toyotas. nissans not so much...though the owners always love them. vw and audi is a no no. domestic market is leaning towards gm. i've heard some bs issues with new fords that put them in the realm of dodge. shop wise!

allow me to be the first to offer input having nothing to do with offering an alternative idea or reliability statements: those cars drive terrible. the question is not necessarily whats wrong with them, but whats right with them? awful drive, awful drivetrain, awful interior, and a subjectively awful exterior. my point is such: you would have to be an idiot to pay any money more than an even trade with your jeep for that vehicle. the competition puts it to shame. drive one, and then go drive a mazda 3 or ford fusion. if you can honestly tell me you like the avenger better i will go trade my camaro in on a prius because i will have lost hope in the automotive industry

hey al there hasnt been any recalls on the tacoma, and my frame has no rust on it, and i have had no problems at all, and neither has anyone else that bought one. the reason i said i shouldnt have bought it is my old truck, i could crash into **** and run over stuff and wouldnt care....i gata keep this one in one piece until its paid for. as a matter of fact mine is a 4.0 v6 w/ 6sp and i raped my cousins 08 gmc std cab long bed with the 5.3 and an auto. gm cars suck

Here is some reading for you. Your Tacoma looks newer than the ones that are affected (1995-2000).

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/t...for-bad-tacos/

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/07/t...s-to-15-years/

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1200e2

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=209056

the news one are being investigated for the same uncontrollable acceleration as with teh prius.

LOL, they are buying tons of tacomas back at 1.5x book value. Then there is the engine sludge issues.....

there is the same problem with the Camrys. My friend got a brand new engine because of the engine sludge issues.

My buddy had an 05 Tacoma that was a nice truck. he put like 20k on it and a few months ago he decided to trade it in on something less expansive since he is getting married next year. Well, good thing he did because it dropped a valve two days after he traded it in. :shock: we couldnt believe it.

My personal, subjective view on the matter?


Saying one of these is not bad looking / the interior is decent is akin to saying brian peppers looks like any normal human being

When there were spy shots of the dodge avenger I was strongly considering it.... I LOVE the styling, interior wasn't half bad, power plant seemed fine to me. The only thing that might stop me from buying one is because I can get a Benz for the same price ;) If I could not, then I would get one.




My experience with dodge.....

2004 dodge neon.
Best of 38 mpg
Worst of 26 mpg

Nothing broke in the 30,000-35,000 miles I had it.

I was VERY happy with it.... I had ZERO complaints about it. Sure it was a relativerly cheap interior..... but it ALWAYS cleaned up nice and VERY durable and it cost me $12,100!


My experience with GM.....

1997 Pontiac Firebird
1996 Pontiac Trans Am
1972 Chevy Chevelle

Both Pontiac's have had wiper issues, window issues, pop up headlight issues, rattling/ cheap interior issues.

Chevelle - very few things could go wrong on it

My experience with Mercury....
1991 Mercurcy Topaz
1992? Mercury Sable

Cheap cars.... topaz had the rear drum brake explode twice.... the internal parts shot through the brake drum.... sable had the brakes fail on me... F that, I want working brakes.

My experience with Hyundai
2002 Hyundai Elantra

Wife's car..... factoring the "slight" lack of maintenance before I was in the picture, I am damn impressed. Sure it is an inexpensive car... GREAT gas mileage (34 mpg)... minor problems but still going at 130,000 miles

My experience with Mercedes-Benz
2003 C230 coupe
2006 E350
2007 E350
2007 SLK280

Flawless cars... each one gave better fuel economy than advertised... best of 35 mpg in the E350... they were PUT THROUGH HELL and survived all nightmares. I will continue with the benz's

What specifically don't you like?

http://www.islanddragway.com/melissa/malibu.jpg


I dont like any of it. When I walk away from my Camaro, to this day, I still turn and look at it and think "damn, thats a nice looking car." There is no part of me that would say that about a meh designed sedan. The malibu looks just like anything else on the road, there's nothing that sets it apart, and like I said, I couldn't even recall exactly what it looked like, when I even purposely checked it out while it was at the Rockaway Mall over the winter. Nothing stands out at all.

The Avenger on the other hand, I saw one, did a double take because its not a Charger, and every time I've seen one, I've said "damn, that's a nice looking car."

Thats what I specifically don't like about the Malibu.

*shrug* I have that "damn that's a nice car" reaction daily to the Malibu in our driveway

I do, too. Well, not to yours of course, but to the one we're considering.

LOL, just like Ford, you circle the problem. LOL


Different strokes I guess, I think all the dodges try too hard to look like ram trucks. That's wy they make different cars.

Top Dollar: So you're him, huh?... The Avenger, The Killer of killers. Nice outfit, not sure about the face though.

My daily quote from The Crow, and nowhere near the topic of this discussion. :wink:

http://www.michaelwincott.org/Wavs/T...ingcards5.jpeg

exactly..

to me, the malibu looks like you can take a badge from any other company and slap it on there and make it believable. The avenger and charger, even if you don't look at the grill, are unmistakably Dodge. :shrug:

The more I look at that the more I'm thinking "mmm, that's one sexy piece of machinery :drool:" :nod:

where are you getting your crack from? that's one fugly piece of... machinery as you called it.

i would drive the new civic before i touch that.

I cant believe I agree with you....

LOL

I dont like how they decided on where the panel separations were going to be. The fender/bumper joint goes right up the middle and to the hood right through the middle, and the fender joint going up the window pillar, and the hood looks like it came off a toy car, it looks way too small, and the lines look like mud, nothing sharp or sleek or even contrasty, just a blah line to the car. It just looks way to plain. It just looks too half assed for me.

Thats actually a really ****** angle of the car. My neighbor just got a brand new LTZ, and my goodness this car looks pretty. But what really makes this car stand above the rest, is that in the past only the top trim looked the best. But from the LS to the LTZ, every model looks stunning in person.

And thats just the outside. The inside, where you will spend the majority of your time with the car, blows any type of lead the Avenger might have.

http://www.cardata.com/images/2008_n...T_interior.jpg



http://image.motortrend.com/f/car-ne...u-interior.jpg


Its not even FAIR! I guess you cant please everyone, but the Avenger is by far the worst car in its class. Even if it does look like an ugly Charger.


The "captured" hood of the Malibu is going to start being a trend. A lot of cars will start to use this look. Instead of making the hood part of the leading edge of the nose, it will just be a flap of metal that does not play around with the features of the front end. Another car that uses this "captured" hood is the G35 and G37. Camaro also used this look for the concept.

malibu's are in no way stunning. they just work well.

That "captured" hood needs to be "set free"

LTZ is pushing 30k mark, for that price i would rather drive the new CTS or MB C300. Both of those are way better, although cost a little extra...