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Posted on 11/14/2011 11:48:13 PM PST by Lazlo in PA
The recession and high gas prices have been major deciding factors in car purchases in the past several years. This can be seen on the list of the ten cars and light trucks models with the greatest unit sales growth in the last five years, as per data from Edmunds.
Interestingly enough, the list does not have a single major Japanese car company model on it. Instead, it is dominated by cars from U.S. companies, second tier Japanese manufacturer Subaru, and upstarts from South Korea, all of which grew sales by at least 60 percent.
Decades ago, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan had tremendous growth and kept gaining market share in the U.S. By July 2006, Toyota’s U.S. share matched that of Ford. Within two years, GM and Chrysler were bankrupt.
Not many analysts expected a Detroit comeback. Probably none predicted that South Korean companies would become the most successful car companies in America in terms of growth. Nevertheless, Kia and Hyundai have taken the U.S. market by storm. They have done so by following the Japanese business example of high quality, fuel efficiency, and low prices.
Most of the cars and light trucks on this list share several commonalities. First, most of them sell for less than $25,000. This threshold has become more important as the economy began to slip into recession in 2007, making low-priced cars attractive. Second, the price of crude oil rose above $140 in the summer of 2008. Consequently, gas prices shot up, and combined with the economic downturn, fuel efficiency became an important consideration. Most of the cars on this list get 30 MPG on the highway (or come close to doing so).
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
I heard that about the Town Car. We buy those off lease. Look where they are today. Gone. Companies are going to get rid of popular V8's to make these ridiculous CAFE standards. Volts all around whether you want one or not.
Kraut engineering is oh-so-fine, I agree. The problem for those vehicles here in the intermountain west is that you can’t find parts, dealer service or a whole host of other things to keep them going.
Despite a very high net worth economic base, you’re hard pressed to see any Benz, Audi, or other high-end vehicles here in Wyoming outside of Jackson Hole.
If there were more Benz parts (and when I mean ‘parts’, I mean pull-offs from a junk yard), available, I’d be hip for one of the 80’s Benz, especially the wagon with the I-5 diesel. Wonderful car.
I won’t own a new GM vehicle, and I never liked the pre-bailout ones either. My big iron is Ford.
I assume new Subarus come with leftist decals already applied?
Have you looked at the Ford Flex? They can be found used at a big discount from original selling price, and are available in AWD. It’s a full-size wagon, but worth a look at least.
I’ve had one for about a year, and my family loves it more the longer we have it. It sits up reasonably high, gets 22mpg on the highway and can carry 7 adults comfortably. Competing products with the same level of options as our Flex were selling for $10K above what we paid for ours, and the low-milage Flex SEL we purchased is loaded with tons of features. No problems with it at all so far.
Nope.
They’re just a solid little car with all wheel drive and a horizontally opposed 2.5L engine that’s been in their cars for so long, they’ve gotten all the bugs out of it.
Who drives it is the least of our concerns. I want a vehicle that, when it is -20F and snowing in Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas or other places where we frequently are in the winter, will a) start, b) be able to drive on the roads.
Most American cars cannot manage these simple, simple requirements.
Not intended for you, but a general joke about Subarus I’ve seen around my area. A great many of them are festooned with leftist/lib slogans. My wife and I were passing one a while ago, and I joked about how many decals would be on it. As we passed the car, we noticed there were a number of decals plastered on it, but they were all religious ones. My wife said “see, they’re not all leftist decals!!!” The very next Subaru we passed had all the usual leftist decals. But to be fair, I have seen a number with no decals whatsoever.
That might not be a bad option for us. I’ll definitely look into it! Thanks. :)
Thanks, definitely another option to look at re: leasing. I appreciate the pointers. :)
Yes, I know. I’ve seen them too. And on Volvo’s, Saab’s and a whole host of other cars. Around union areas, you see plenty of them on F-150’s and Chevy pickups as well.
The young inexperienced drivers did not know how to shift properly, so aside from crashing, they toasted the synchromesh in the gearbox, thus lunching the whole thing
They both have their merits. I’vehad a few big block molars as well,...
I’d put a FUBO sticker on, but the local 0bamanite swine would trash it...
Really, you should see the cars that Skoda (which is Opel, I think) are building today: extremely solid little sedans with the nicest purring diesels you’ve ever seen. Taxi drivers love them in the middle east and Europe, and regularly take them well beyond 500,000km.
THE COMMENT HAS MORE THAN ONE PART WHICH PART DO U THINK IS A JOKE?
WALKING FEATHER....
bwahahhahahah the joke must be that yer walking soooo it looks like you don’t have a ride at all hahaaah
how, chief!
WOW, ya know... sometimes there are just no words....
‘WOW, ya know... sometimes there are just no words.’
Walkin’/F
YER JUST YOU just don’t seem proud to be an AMERICAN,
here are some words for ya
....step forward lad, be a man....be an AMERICAN MAN....how about those words...they good enough for ya...?
HEY, you aint one a them America haters are ya? what the hey..? DID you serve in the UNITED STATES MILITARY at all?
Molars and mopars
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