NationStates Jolt Archive

I am currently looking at a new vehical, as my truck eats about half my paycheck in gas. And I sold my old volvo 740, its just to slow for me.

Safety is the biggest issue for me, as is performance. I am a very very aggresive driver.

I was looking at Mid 90's Volvo 850 T5's, which have a top speed of 150mph and are some of the safest cars on the road.

But alof of my buddys have been yelling at me to buy american.

The question for me is, I know volvo is regarded as building the strongest comsuner cars out there, can any american firm even come close to matching it?

Ive seen videos of volvos being driven off cliffs, and the passengers being ok!

Definately go with import, americans are gas-guzzlers and are badly made (generally) go with a Volvo (or Saab) or maybe a Honda Fit or Toyota.

Definately go with import, americans are gas-guzzlers and are badly made (generally) go with a Volvo (or Saab) or maybe a Honda Fit or Toyota.

Thats what I was thinking, I do use my Ford Truck for work, and its great.

But my volvo 740 nailed a cavalier broadside at a intersection ( my fualt I admit ), his axle was bent, and the body was ruined. My car need a new bumper and headlights... which made me think american cars are unsafe compared to older volvos.

I had a saab 9-5. I would recommend them. It is just about one of the nicest cars you can drive. I actually regret getting rid of it. (-ish). They are even moose proofed.

On the other hand, if you are spending half you paycheck of gasoline you probably should be thinking about buying a Kia.

German and Swedish cars have been known for safety. I swear by BMW and will own nothing but.

I had a saab 9-5. I would recommend them. It is just about one of the nicest cars you can drive. I actually regret getting rid of it. (-ish). They are even moose proofed.

On the other hand, if you are spending half you paycheck of gasoline you probably should be thinking about buying a Kia.

Well its not a lack of money, I do pretty good.

But whenever Im hualing somthing large like a Rooftop unit, I sersouly getl like 9 miles to the gallon. And ever snice I started my job ( classes ended 2 months ago ) I have to do a 50 mile round trip commute. And it has never gone above 12 miles to the gallon. And its a desial so gas is even more expensive. Added to the 400 dollar a month payments im making, its a expensive truck.

Anyday I dont need my truck for work, I can drive the volvo, but the 740 is slow and I want somthing faster.

Plus I dont beleive american cars are as good as volvos.

My first car was an 1998 Audi A4 - used, 120,000 miles. My current car is a 2004 BMW X3 3.0i which I got brand spankin' new, and I crashed it into a tree earlier this year at 45mph and got away with only a broken rib! Damn black ice.

I am currently looking at a new vehical, as my truck eats about half my paycheck in gas. And I sold my old volvo 740, its just to slow for me.

Safety is the biggest issue for me, as is performance. I am a very very aggresive driver.

I was looking at Mid 90's Volvo 850 T5's, which have a top speed of 150mph and are some of the safest cars on the road.

But alof of my buddys have been yelling at me to buy american.

The question for me is, I know volvo is regarded as building the strongest comsuner cars out there, can any american firm even come close to matching it?

Ive seen videos of volvos being driven off cliffs, and the passengers being ok!american cars are a mess when it comes to safety. go for a german car, they are crazy about security.

Definately go with import, americans are gas-guzzlers and are badly made (generally) go with a Volvo (or Saab) or maybe a Honda Fit or Toyota.
You are a mindless drone of Consumer Reports, aren't you?

Get American, or you can get out of America. American cars are the best in the world. There is nothing to debate here.

american cars are a mess when it comes to safety. go for a german car, they are crazy about security.
Wrong.

Well its not a lack of money, I do pretty good.

But whenever Im hualing somthing large like a Rooftop unit, I sersouly getl like 9 miles to the gallon. And ever snice I started my job ( classes ended 2 months ago ) I have to do a 50 mile round trip commute. And it has never gone above 12 miles to the gallon. And its a desial so gas is even more expensive. Added to the 400 dollar a month payments im making, its a expensive truck.

Anyday I dont need my truck for work, I can drive the volvo, but the 740 is slow and I want somthing faster.

Plus I dont beleive american cars are as good as volvos.
Volvos are American cars. They are Fords.

Unless you want something big and mighty I would probably go with an import, although they are more expensive.

How much cash you got?

Being owned by an American company doesn't make them American.

Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, but they still remain English, not German.

Volvos are American cars. They are Fords.

No, Volvo's are Sweedish. Volvo is a car company from Sweeden. Check your Geography out on this one

And if you want to get technical, over 50% of the board of Ford are British, so technically Ford is a British company.

...
Safety is the biggest issue for me, as is performance. I am a very very aggresive driver.
...

Perhaps you should work on that? You mentioned ramming someone at an intersection, and that it was your fault. Does it take a death to change your habits?

By all means buy a safe car, but don't think it gives you the right to endanger other people's lives.
Not being snippy here, just stating the bleeding obvious ...

American cars are substandard right down the line. Fords are the worst, followed by Dodge/Chrysler for worst fuel efficiency. General Motors makes the best American cars (Chevrolet) but they still cannot compare to the best imports when it comes to quality, design and safety.

Hondas are built like tanks, VWs have a history of electrical problems. My advice would be to go with a fuel efficient Toyota or Honda. Cheap, reliable, SAFE.

I had a saab 9-5. I would recommend them. It is just about one of the nicest cars you can drive. I actually regret getting rid of it. (-ish). They are even moose proofed.

On the other hand, if you are spending half you paycheck of gasoline you probably should be thinking about buying a Kia.

Saab 9-3s are more fun to drive. My Dad has a 9-5 and I have a 9-3. I love all Saabs, but the 9-3 is a fun car to have.

Perhaps you should work on that? You mentioned ramming someone at an intersection, and that it was your fault. Does it take a death to change your habits?

By all means buy a safe car, but don't think it gives you the right to endanger other people's lives.
Not being snippy here, just stating the bleeding obvious ...

Well, it was a kid with a fart cannon cavalier and he kept revving his engine at the other end of the intersection and I couldnt figure out if he was going to go, he waved to the side and I thought that was the signle to go. I slammed the gas and he pulled out right ahead of me when I was doing about 40. His car buckled and the front axle was ruined along with the transmission.

I blame myself because he was a idoit ricer and I knew he was gonna do somthing stupid.

Best part is, he got out of his car with tears in his eyes and yelled " WhAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, LOOK AT MY CAR! "

I just sighed and yelled " my volvo owned you " best part was all I need was a grill,bumper and headlights.

So I guess he pulled out in front of me, but I shouldnt have been flooring it.



And to the above, Volvo was bought by Ford in 1999, my car was built in 1989, and the volvo I want was built in 1994, which makes it not a ford.

As far as Saabs go, my freind has a Saab 9000, and its sersiouly way to much work for me.

I really dont think any american car is up the build standards of volvo which is why I want one, look what it did to a cavalier, it got SMASHED to nothing.

And I have about 6000 to spend on a Volvo.

Thats what I was thinking, I do use my Ford Truck for work, and its great.

But my volvo 740 nailed a cavalier broadside at a intersection ( my fualt I admit ), his axle was bent, and the body was ruined. My car need a new bumper and headlights... which made me think american cars are unsafe compared to older volvos.

Please! I was involved in a 3 car accident where I was driving a Chevy Blazer. The person that hit me (from behind) was driving a Neon, and the person that hit them (also from behind) was in a Ford F-350. The F-350 had a scratch on their front bumper, my Blazer had a slightly damaged rear bumper, and the Neon was totalled (sandwiched between my Blazer and the F-350). All seven of us were fine (3 in my vehicle, 2 in the Neon, and 2 in the F-350), with nobody having to go to the hospital. I'd say that's safe.

Another one is back when I had a '77 Olds Omega (4 door Chevy Nova). I hit a telephone pole with it (damaging the pole enough that it needed to be replaced). There was very little damage to the Omega (IIRC, the bumper got a small dent in it), and once the tow truck pulled my Omega out of the culvert enough that the rear wheels weren't in the air, I drove it home. If it weren't for the fact that my insurance company had to be notified (due to the pole replacement), I could have avoided telling my parents.

I'd advise for safety that a Saab or a Volvo are both high up on the food chain, although a Mercedes with armor plating and a bullet proof engine block (rated up to .50 caliber) is pretty fucking invincible.

Please! I was involved in a 3 car accident where I was driving a Chevy Blazer. The person that hit me (from behind) was driving a Neon, and the person that hit them (also from behind) was in a Ford F-350. The F-350 had a scratch on their front bumper, my Blazer had a slightly damaged rear bumper, and the Neon was totalled (sandwiched between my Blazer and the F-350). All seven of us were fine (3 in my vehicle, 2 in the Neon, and 2 in the F-350), with nobody having to go to the hospital. I'd say that's safe.

Another one is back when I had a '77 Olds Omega (4 door Chevy Nova). I hit a telephone pole with it (damaging the pole enough that it needed to be replaced). There was very little damage to the Omega (IIRC, the bumper got a small dent in it), and once the tow truck pulled my Omega out of the culvert enough that the rear wheels weren't in the air, I drove it home. If it weren't for the fact that my insurance company had to be notified (due to the pole replacement), I could have avoided telling my parents.

Your talking about huge trucks, Im talking about tiny little sedans.

And for the record, my main car IS a 05 F350. And I agree, its a tank. I backed into a light pole once and knocked it over O_o thats fucking tough shit.


Run my 740 into a shitty american sedan and see how well it holds up...wait, the american car wont hold up.

Go Volvo or Saab for safety.

I'd never presume anything about buying a brand or - gawd help you - a nationality. Check out the CAR first that you're looking at, then worry about the manufacturer.

There are unsafe, inefficient non-American made vehicles and there are safe, efficient American made ones as well.

Per Consumer Reports (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/P63955.asp) -

For a large or luxury sedan, it seems that Lexus, Audi and BMW are the way to go.

On the other hand, if you want a small SUV, apparently the Saturn VUE took top honors - American made.

Find the cars that look right for you - whether they're American made or not - then compare those cars for safety and other factors themselves. Don't sweat where the car was made.

Get American, or you can get out of America. American cars are the best in the world. There is nothing to debate here.
Damnit, did Kahta move to Cali?

Safety is the biggest issue for me, as is performance. I am a very very aggresive driver.

Oh, as an aside - the SAFEST car in the world will not necessarely save a fool behind the wheel! If you're too aggressive behind the wheel, do everyone including yourself a favor and relax - a safe driver is safer in ANY car than an unsafe driver in the "safest" car made.

Your talking about huge trucks, Im talking about tiny little sedans.

And for the record, my main car IS a 05 F350. And I agree, its a tank. I backed into a light pole once and knocked it over O_o thats fucking tough shit.


Run my 740 into a shitty american sedan and see how well it holds up...wait, the american car wont hold up.
8" thick of cast iron will outhold air bags and seatbelts 99% of the time.

I saw a guy flip an old Dodge Monaco, early '70s model, flip it 4 times, not wearing his seatbelt, and walked away with a few bruises.

You are dumb enough to think safety features are equivalent to chassis strength. They are not. Ask anyone with half a brain.

Your talking about huge trucks, Im talking about tiny little sedans.

And for the record, my main car IS a 05 F350. And I agree, its a tank. I backed into a light pole once and knocked it over O_o thats fucking tough shit.


Run my 740 into a shitty american sedan and see how well it holds up...wait, the american car wont hold up.

My Blazer wasn't huge. It was the S-10 Blazer.

And also, I did mention a car in that post, too.

As people have said here, there are exceptions to every rule, however in general foreign-made cars are better, while American companies build much better trucks and SUVs.

And MrMopar, there will not be anyone left to buy American cars if you talk them all into taking off their seatbelt and dying in car crashes.

Oh, as an aside - the SAFEST car in the world will not necessarely save a fool behind the wheel! If you're too aggressive behind the wheel, do everyone including yourself a favor and relax - a safe driver is safer in ANY car than an unsafe driver in the "safest" car made.
QFT.

Now, I'm someone who is very much into fast driving, and there are quite a few black lines on the streets of my pizza delivery area I can claim credit for...but I am not an "aggressive" driver, and I don't understand why someone would be.

In the majority of cases, a car is a means of transport, one of hundreds on the road at any given time. You're not going to get to your destination any quicker by being a nuisance to other people. Knowing when to be in which lane at which traffic light is a much better way of scraping a few minutes off, and no one gets annoyed or potentially hurt.

For some people, like me, a car is also a hobby and (dare I say it?) a source of excitement and adrenaline. But that has to stay in a seperate place. One has to be able to have one "serious driving" hat, and one "normal commuting" hat, and switch those around. You can't have on both at the same time.

Am I a particularly safe driver? Probably not. The number one risk of death I face is a car accident of my own making.

But I'll be damned before I put myself into a position where I'm gonna cause the death of other road users. When I go fast, I do so on back roads, late at night. It's never going to eliminate the risk completely, but I don't have to challenge fate.

Also, top speed is irrelevant. Whether a car does 150mph, 80mph or 250mph doesn't matter. What matters is handling, steering feel, road hoalding and so on, and maybe for the occasional giggle, acceleration.

Too many US car manufacturers haven't understood that order of things to look for, and that's why there are few genuinely classic American Sports Cars (and no, a Mustang never was a sports car, and neither were most Corvettes...I may make an exception for the most recent Z07, the Ford GT, and the Shelby Daytona).

I say: Get a B5 Audi A4, Subaru WRX or Mazda MX-5.

the only safe car is one that runs on rails. and even that is relative.
has more to do with signaling systems and such then actual vehicule construction.

=^^=
.../\...

Go Volvo or Saab for safety.

They are both safe, fun, and fast.

All the cars in my family are Saabs or Volvos.

My Mom has an 03 Volvo wagon. I have an 01 Saab 9-3 and my Dad has an 05 Saab 9-5. They are three very great cars.

They are both safe, fun, and fast.

All the cars in my family are Saabs or Volvos.

My Mom has an 03 Volvo wagon. I have an 01 Saab 9-3 and my Dad has an 05 Saab 9-5. They are three very great cars.

Now I've owned volvo's and though nice to drive I wouldn't class them as fun.
They're like driving an armchair. For fun driving I'd need something with reasonable acceleration that sticks to the road like glue. Top end is something you'll rarely (if ever) use on a car...... unless it's a very slow car that is.

8" thick of cast iron will outhold air bags and seatbelts 99% of the time.

I saw a guy flip an old Dodge Monaco, early '70s model, flip it 4 times, not wearing his seatbelt, and walked away with a few bruises.

You are dumb enough to think safety features are equivalent to chassis strength. They are not. Ask anyone with half a brain.

Dont start thinking that volvos are weakly built, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN4o8TERuoY

So wait, I should buy a poorly built 70s car just because they have 10 feet of useless metal that burns more gas than my Ford Truck probably does?

God damnit...

Alright, I want someone to tell me why are American cars poorly made???all I hear is, "They aren't made well." Then I'll say somethjing like, "But didn't you own that Ford Torous for like 13 years? I mean what's their major fault? Transmission? Suspension? Those new Mustangs seem to sell well, so do the Corvettes. Do you think that maybe Americans buy the cars they find most appealing?"

New car? Get a white 1977 Trans Am with a nice giant blue firebird on the hood and T-tops.

If you're worried about fuel efficiency, get a Ford Torous SHO like Conan. :D

God damnit...

Alright, I want someone to tell me why are American cars poorly made???all I hear is, "They aren't made well." Then I'll say somethjing like, "But didn't you own that Ford Torous for like 13 years? I mean what's their major fault? Transmission? Suspension? Those new Mustangs seem to sell well, so do the Corvettes. Do you think that maybe Americans buy the cars they find most appealing?"

New car? Get a white 1977 Trans Am with a nice giant blue firebird on the hood and T-tops.

If you're worried about fuel efficiency, get a Ford Torous SHO like Conan. :D

77 Trans Am? Is it a cool ass car? hell yeah, is it for me? Hell no!

The Volvo 850 is the car for me is what I think, Top Speed of 150, which is good enough for me.

Now I've owned volvo's and though nice to drive I wouldn't class them as fun.
They're like driving an armchair. For fun driving I'd need something with reasonable acceleration that sticks to the road like glue. Top end is something you'll rarely (if ever) use on a car...... unless it's a very slow car that is.

You ought to go for a ride in one of these...

http://www.delest.nl/media/img/DCP_4967.JPG

As the OP says....150mph...not exactly an armchair ;)

You ought to go for a ride in one of these...

http://www.delest.nl/media/img/DCP_4967.JPG

As the OP says....150mph...not exactly an armchair ;)

Exactly, thats why I want the 850, my 740 isnt exactly slow, but its not exaclty slow either.

New car? Get a white 1977 Trans Am with a nice giant blue firebird on the hood and T-tops.

If you're worried about fuel efficiency, get a Ford Torous SHO like Conan. :D
A 77 Trans Am has to be black with a gold firebird.

*Starts strumming guitar* Eastbound and down... Loaded up and truckin...

Exactly, thats why I want the 850, my 740 isnt exactly slow, but its not exaclty slow either.

I remember when Volvo entered them (T-5) into the BTCC (British Touring Car Championships).

WOW!

Then I had use of one for a week. I do drive fast (when conditions are right to do so) and that car is incredible. This was what 97ish?

American cars are total shit, I'd recommend getting a Toyota or another japanese car. They *live* for monitering their quality.

Get American, or you can get out of America. American cars are the best in the world. There is nothing to debate here.

Wow, that reminds me of growing up in Michigan in the 80s when owning a Japanese car was equivalent to flying a sickle and hammer in front of your house.

Why do American cars have to be either the absolute best or absolute worst?
I've a 96 Chevy Lumina, and it has always been reliable and has good gas mileage.

It's really funny to me monitoring all of this back and forth stuff.

QC on American mades has gone up way faster than the "imports" most of which are MADE IN AMERICA.

Go try to find a 70's Honda or Toyota laying around... they are all gone to the boneyard in the sky. (I've been looking for an early 80s Supra... they just aren't out there) You still find quite a few American cars from that era (at least around here). Not that I am a big American car fan (I am on Volvo's #12, 13 and 16 right now) plus the '02 Taurus that was my company car.

BTW, since Ford bought Volvo Cars out (sorry people who think they're indie, not so now) they have improved their safety standards immensely. They are using Volvo to design the safe, Jag to put in the speedy-gos, and Aston to put up the coolness... not that I am a big Ford fan. The aforementioned Taurus doesn't fit me right, and the '07 company car isn't any better, ergonomically. My 84 Volvo wagon drives nicer (and has beau coup more horsepower, thanks to Mr. Turbo and Mr. Intercooler)

I keep thinking its like when Ford and Mazda went together on the B-pickups/Ranger... Ford people were so happy that QC went up, Mazda people were mad because QC went down.

To answer your question regarding getting a used car, sounds like you want a Volvo, go get an 850, an S70, or even a S60 that you can afford. Just understand that if you can't work on it yourself, you will pay a proportionately higher rate to have it worked on than a Toyota or Honda.

They are safer, but more prone to break the little nit-picky stuff.

My Volvo accident stories:
1, my little sister drove her '75 wagon (this was about 87 or 88) one day and was stopped on a major street to turn into her drive, when a brand new Toyota Camry that didn't see her stopped plowed into her.

Result: Dented tailgate on the wagon, new bumper shocks on the Volvo. Toyota had the motor and trans laying on the ground, and the whole front end of the car accordianed. We popped the dent on the tailgate, got new shocks, and she drove it.

2. I was driving my 84 Volvo wagon in 1994, when a Dodge W350 dually diesel pickup ran a stop sign and hit me in the drivers side doing 30 mph (his estimate). I saw him, and did try to turn out of the accident. I was sitting there shaken, grabbing the wheel going, No.. we were planning on driving that car to FL (from KS) that weekend... and I still had 500 or more miles worth of driving for work in that car that week. The old man who was driving the truck got out, thought I was having a seizure or something (just really mad!) and runs around the car, which is smashed on drivers side, and obviously bent on the passengers side, grabs the door with both hands, and pulls it open... it FLEW open... you could still open and close it with 1 finger (gotta love Volvo's chassis design...) The bend at the B pillar (behind the front door) was over an inch, and you could still get in and out.

Total damage, car was totaled, but drove home on it's own (barely)

Truck, $8500 damage to front end and frame. I went to the body shop where it was at later that week, talked to the guys there (I worked in that industry at that time) and told them it was my car it tore up... they figured he'd killed somebody by the amount of damage on the truck...

Moral: Volvos are tough.

In my book (from being around body shops for years) in order of toughness:

M/B
Volvo
Subaru
BMW
Saab
Jag
the american cars
VW
Japanese cars

then it gets murky... but toyota, honda, nissan none are as tough as any american car for crash worthiness. Sorry.

I'm not talking cheapest to fix, I'm talking most likely to walk away from the accident.

BTW, forget the 77 T/A or Camaros from that period. They were junk. And ate more fuel than your pickup anyway.

"Volvo: They're Boxy, But They're Good."