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US cars rank high in total qualityStrategic Vision releases its annual list of the highest-quality vehicles.
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Where do you think ALL those wrecked late models end up at? The insurance auctions, that's where! Not the junkyards right away...that's where they get sold to, and where all the used parts come from. Now take that & all the Pep Boys, Autozone's, Advance Auto's away, and where would you get your parts for a oil change from? Or a new set of brake pads? The dealer of course, for 3 times the money, and no option to do the work yourself to save a buck! For the un-informed, just search out SEMA ( THERE'S A CLIP ON THE TICKER ABOVE THIS FOR SEMA, AS I TYPE THIS) THE AFTERMARKET IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY. Contrary to popular consumer opinion, aftermarket parts are built to meet or EXCEED the manufacturer's specs. And, in some cases CORRECT PROBLEMS THAT WERE INHERENT TO THE O.E. DESIGN!
As an A.S.E. Certified master automotive technician with 25+ yrs. exp. I can confidently say that Chevy vehicles are the most dependable, reliable & cheapest to maintain, over ANY OTHER MANUFACTURER... FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC! I have never bought a new vehicle, probabally never will. I always get the "castaway" cars & trucks, that some idiot drove around low on oil (thusly blowing up the engine) , or the older vehicles that the people with larger paychecks than brains are too proud to drive, because the car is "too old", OR "needs work" (usually meaning they drove the wheels off it, with a total lack of maintenence), or my favorite..."it's not in style anymore!" Go right ahead fools....take on another car payment, and for what you spent on your down-payment, i'll fix your cast-off, and drive the hell out of it for another 100K!
And YES.....I am still supporting the U.S. economy, by purchasing either new or used replacement parts. There are a lot of Americans that work within the auto industry, and not just at the new car plants either. Without the aftermarket, the auto industry would crumble faster than a stale cookie!
All I have to say is 2004 Mercury Sable with 302,000 miles and still strong. All I have done is the obvious torque converter (these cars/Taurus were infamous for that). I do NOT drive it easy but I do change the oil fairly regular. It is about 60% highway mileage, and 25% stop and go. If your car is under 50,000 DO NOT talk about reliability. I love my American made car!
Second Ford to get past 200,000 miles.
