Deciding between Pilot/Sienna

jen_nah · Apr 15, 2007

double post

jen_nah · Apr 15, 2007

Very true, people often only look at the end residual value, instead of the "net" between the actual transaction price and the end residual.

SafeDad · Apr 16, 2007

Somewhere I remember hearing that the domestic content regulations that apply to the percentages on the window stickers are not quite fair. I recall that the Geo Prizm and Toyota Corolla rolling off the same California assembly line as essentially identical twins had different content percentages because of the way the numbers computed for a Big Three company vs. a foreign company. Maybe my memory is rusty and maybe things have changed since then, but if true that makes those stickers pretty worthless.

I still believe that buying a car with a high domestic content will provide the best return for our economy. Having a majority of upper management and other high paying jobs in the USA is also a boost. The real problem is finding which particular vehicles end up with the highest amount of money returned to the domestic economy when you consider everything. You also need to consider your own savings vs. comparable models because anything you save also gets put back into the local economy. That's a difficult, if not impossible task with today's vehicles- unlike 15-20 years ago.

TheRealMacGyver · Apr 16, 2007

Jen Nah, I was considering ignoring this post altogether, but decided I just couldn't bite my tongue

. I admire you for being passionate about this subject, and I do agree you have made some valid, if not, noble points. Since 1994, I have purchased 6 new vehicles, 4 were foreign, and 2 were domestic. I also purchased 4 used vehicles, 2 were foreign, and 2 were domestic. Of all my purchases, I experienced less problems, higher resale, and lower cost of ownership with my foreign vehicles. I realize that that is just my personal experience and everyone has different stories to tell. One exception was an Isuzu that I purchased, which turned out to have the lowest resale of any vehicle I ever owned, foreign or domestic. My point is that I have made an effort to contribute to our homeland economy, but I also believe that unless my household economy is maintained, nothing else really matters. So this decision really ends up being more complicated than just "buy American to save American jobs". If I was rolling in money, I could go along with that philosophy, however, my money is important to me and I try my best to get the most value added products out of every dollar I spend. I suppose you could make the same argument of people that by anything foreign, which would include a very long list of products. What if we consider American products assembled with foreign parts? This would include most of our domestic vehicles (in one way or another). I'm not sure how an economist would respond to the consequences of all Americans boycotting foreign products, but it would be interesting to hear the outcome.

Again, I commend your efforts, I just don't completely buy the entire argument. And I must say, I am as American as the next guy (or gal), and I find it offensive when my patriotism is questioned. I hope you didn't mean it in that context.

Tim-SF · Apr 24, 2007

jen_nah said:
Have you looked at the GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook? It has 3 rows of seating and the 3rd row is easily accessable. Got the same gas mileage as the Sienna/Ody. Has ample cargo area. I installed a Regent using the long belt path & MA in the one we had for the weekend.

It rode & handled like a dream. Rides like a sedan so not bumpy like the Pilot at all (my best friend owns one and rides just like my Tahoe- like a truck). It was very luxerious inside (like the Acura/Lexus) but for a lot less $$$.

I'll give those a look. Were just hesitant about those and are exploring mainly Honda and Toyota first. Were a bit hesitant on the "American" cars. I don't have enough to look into a debate that has appeared since we've been on vacation. It is just from our own personal experience we've had two Voyagers and another Dodge that did not make it to 100K miles. Our 3 Toyotas have had over 100K without even 1 non mainatenance based visit.

tl01 · Apr 25, 2007

thefosters.2 said:
2maybe3 said:

How I wish the Toureg could sit more than 5 and not guzzle gas *sigh*
How I wish the Q7 was a tad cheaper *sigh*
QUOTE]

I used to work for VW and the Touareg was such a piece of garbage. That dang car didn't get all it's problems worked out for a couple model years. Ughh.
I grew up in a European car family. My mom never owned anything other then BMW's except for her one Volvo. So I grew up thinking that is all I would want to drive as well. But I changed my mind after getting a BMW 540 wagon. I will never buy a BMW again...well I *would* by a M6 but that's a whole different story and I'll never have that kind of money for a car anyway. The other European car I owned was a Saab 9-5 Aero wagon which was a good car driving wise (fun factor was superb!) but reliability was an issue. I also owned a VW Jetta (in high school) and a VW Passat which had their problems but nothing too extravagant. Japanese car wise I have had an Infiniti QX4, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Titan (hubbys), and the current Acura MDX. Sure they might not be quite as fun to drive (MDX and Titan excluded since they are for sure!!) but they have a better ride, way better fit and finish, and I feel better about their reliability then I did with any European car I owned.
That said I would not hesitate to buy myself a new S-Class MB tomorrow if my funds allowed, but being that I can't afford to turn over my cars when they get that "European worn out look" after a year, I will stick with Jap cars for now.

Click to expand...

I don't think many Japanese cars have as good a ride as European cars do in general. My Mercedes R-Class w/ air suspension has a fantastic ride! I can choose sporty, medium, and comfort depending upon my desires. I think the suspension is where European cars TRULY shine.... and what is the the "European worn out look"?

southpawboston · Apr 25, 2007

tl01 said:
thefosters.2 said:

I don't think many Japanese cars have as good a ride as European cars do in general. My Mercedes R-Class w/ air suspension has a fantastic ride! I can choose sporty, medium, and comfort depending upon my desires. I think the suspension is where European cars TRULY shine.... and what is the the "European worn out look"?

Click to expand...

i couldn't agree with you more tl01!! :thumbsup: ride and handling is dominated by european cars (mostly german), while reliability is dominated by the japanese.

i think i know that thefosters is thinking when commenting about the "european worn out look:". i agree, the german cars don't seem to hold up cosmetically as well as the japanese cars. the interior plastics scuff easily, the upholstery wears out sooner, and the cars typically "age" faster than the japanese cars.

Deciding between Pilot/Sienna

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