HA HA You don't make any sense sometimes VPS...

When DevilsReject was speaking of twisting words and belittleing people, he wasn't speaking of this thread...


I said DCX (DaimlerChrysler), including Mercedes, I didn't say Chrysler...

 

It Will still be a Ford, and it will still SUCK ***.

And Last, It will cost more than the average family can afford.


Its amazing how Blind people are when they say Chrysler will have to “Catch up�.

80% Of the advancements in the Domestic Auto Industry were pioneered by Chrysler.

 

jgralka, its obvious that Chrysler is testing to see if there trucks sales will go up in sales or down due to auto theft.... LOL I bet it helps them.

 

Umm perhaps you have been cave? We already did this, except we whacked over 30,000 jobs. Also Chrysler is going to ax 10 percent of its hourly workforce this year. I for one already got the ax. So by the end of this year alone we will cut about 6-7000 jobs. Now thats on top of the previous cuts from last year, about 5000. So in the past five years we have lost over 40000 jobs corporate wide. Its not that rosy in DCX land. Currently they are also looking at killing the third shift at Warren Truck. That would be another 1000 jobs just at warren, and about 350 at other parts plants do to the cut shift.

Now I do think we make some of the best products on the road, but we are followers for the most part. The only real thing we came ahead of the curve was the minivan.

A list of foul ups could look like...

1. Full size SUV. Hey we are here for the party. Only about 10 years too late.
2. The 4.7/3.7 Don't get me wrong they are good engines, I used to build them. But when they came out they were 10 years old already. There are several V6's that will kick the 4.7's butt.
3. Pony car, or lack there of. If the challenger does come will it sell at 3.50 a gallon? Lets hope so.
4. Full size van. I'll pass on the Sphinkter thanks.
5. Hybrid, where is it?
6. Charger. Not what people wanted. Sales have been mediocre at best. Police sales will save it.
7. Magnum, the answer to a question nobody asked. And it shows nobody's buying it. Average monthly sales have been about 1500 per month. Look for it too be killed at the start of the Challenger.


Not hardly. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Of the 8 I know that own them like I said 7 of us have had it stolen. One of them twice. None of them are planning on purchasing another. Why put yourself at risk? Plus insurance is starting to skyrocket on rams due to this problem.

It makes the company look foolish in my opinion, we can't build a truck that hard to steal. What are we in the 1950's?

Don't get me wrong I love this company, I'm a second gen employee. My dad has 30 years with the company and I have 6. I want nothing more than to see it flourish, but we seem to take one step forward, and two steps back.

Joe

 

The Durango is full size enough for me. Though it did come late. Can't argue there.

Several 4 cylinders will kicked some V6 butt. Several V8's will skick some V10 butt and several V10's will kick some V12 butt... What's the point?

Gas isn't 3.50 here, must suck. Cause it's a dollar less in Florida.

Actually we were early to the party in the full size van department, but we took a vacation and brought one back. The Sprinter comes in 3 different styles. Tall, normal/wide and chassis... It's just the tall one that gets to me. But notice how all these delivery/mail companies are buying the tall ones? Perfect for them.

It's coming, but yes, it's late. I could care less about a hybrid anyway.

It wasn't what people wanted because of the name. That's it, end of story. Dislike because of taste is a given. One of my favorite quotes from MPH mag, was when someone wrote in complaining about "Too many doors". Their reply was, "Actually, we quite like the Charger. As long as you keep in mind that it's just a name, and think of it as it's own car, you might stop hating."

Sales only suffer because of the 3 LX's. All together the LX's kick all other full size passenger cars butt's. But it's hard for the Charger to sell, when it's 2 cousins are more desirable.

The Charger was also picked as the #1 car for 20k-25k, by AAA.

Again, it's a VERY popular car. The best looking wagon there is and arguably the fastest (SRT-8). But not everyone is looking for a wagon. It's there for the people who are...


All together, I agree with only 2 of your 7 "foul ups". The others, I just think you are trying to hard to come up with something and/or it's your personal opinion.

I don't mind a good constructive critizism, but a few of you try a little too hard to make DCX sound so bad... When in reality, it's not as bad as you say.

 

It came very late, and I know several who would love a fullsize Dodge SUV. The Durango is being moved into the full size class for good after 2008. With the 2nd Gen model becoming larger, its actually close in size to the Tahoe.

I agree with J on this one Chase....the point he is making...is the only reason Dodge still has the 4.7L is so that they can say they have the only V8 in its class on the Dakota. Otherwise, the motor most likely wouldnt even be in use. All of the other mid-size trucks have already dropped V8 motors from their options because of their higher powered V6 motors. Honestly, I think his point is simply to say what a lot of us who have owned/driven vehicles with the 4.7L have said all along. Either give us more power out of the 4.7L and make it worthwhile to buy, or scrap it already. It's not about V8's being beat by V6's, its simply more power out of smaller engines with slightly better gas mileage....Not to mention look at what you went after for your mom's new truck?

No, but its been up to $3.50 once already in the last year. I for one ditched my great truck because of it. And who's to say it cant get there again? I watched gas jump .35 cents in ONE day at some gas stations here in Indianapolis. Went from $2.07 to like $2.40 literally in the time it took for me to go to work and come home. His point is about the future, not now. And honestly, would you buy a gas hog CAR at $35k that drinks a gallon of gas every 15 miles? I dont think alot of people would. You and I have gone round and round how the Stratus in an SRT-6 model would have done the coupe/pony car status really good for Dodge. Again, I gotta agree with J on this one.

Surprisingly, I agree with you Chase. The full size van market isnt a big deal for Dodge/Chrysler. The Sprinter has become more of a working van anyhow. Most people nowadays arent buying full size vans. They're going the route of the full size SUV.

Again, I agree with you Chase. The hybrid tech. is a waste of time and money. Hydrogen is our best fuel bet and people are just screwin around wasting time with realizing it.

The Charger name alone hurt this car alot. Then they release two other cars that are virtually identical. That killed it off even more. Then, to make matters worse.....its fuglier then sin IMHO. The 300C and the Magnum would both get my purchase before this car. And that's without even commenting on the 4 dr aspect. Truth is, the 300C is nothing more then a upscale version of the Charger with a different front/rear fascia. Much like the Stratus/Sebring models are. #1 car for 20k-25k? You can keep that.

Its popular now, but for how long? There's a reason why very few companies make station wagons. It's called mini-vans. I personally love the Magnum, but I do feel like its time will be short lived. It's unfortunate too, because if I wasnt in line for a Challenger/Camaro in 09....Id love to have one.


I'll give you that some people bash DCX alot....and I'll be the first to say I do bash them about some of the stuff they are currently putting out. Mainly the fugly Dakota and these hideous concepts. Too many big boxy cars and seems like everything decent looking Chrysler gets. But, alot of people share the same sentiment. Even you do Chase in some regards.

 

Like I said, I agree it came too late... But it's big enough for me now (My Mom's 1st gen has more than enough space), and I can't stand that it's getting bigger...

I guess I did take it wrong. I agree, and yes it's Tacoma V6 vs Dakota V6 that I'm chosing for my Mom. (Not quite time yet)

What's the point of buying a $35k, 425 hp, V8, sports car and then worrying about gas milage. Most people that think about buying the Challenger, won't even think about gas milage. If your buying a high performance vehicle, gas milage should be in your vocabulary.

Yeah and that's what the Sprinter was created for. People with businesses that need a van, companies like UPS/DHL/FedEx or airports that use them as air port taxis.

All true, E85/hydrogen are the best sources. The hybrid cars that would interest me are fully electric ones and how much fricken power would those have. Half and half hybrids are worth ****.

Yes, the Charger name hurt it, but the simple fact is, it's just a name. Again, the "fugly" idea you have, is just your opinion. There are A LOT of people who like it. I happen to like the 300C being the upsale version, and the Charger being the aggressive one. It fits nicely. And you can't deny what AAA thinks, lol...

The Magnum and performance vehicles, obviously aren't in the same class. Like I said, it's a beautiful unique vehicle and the best looking wagon there is. People will buy it... I don't think it will die out. Check down in the car sections of this forum. You'll see how popular it is when you look at it's hits versus the other car sections.

I happen to like the Dakota very much. It's not actually boxy. It's bascially a "sharpened" version of the "first" design. I like the boxy 300C and the boxy Charger. The boxy vehicle that gets to me is the Nitro... I agree, they are going with the boxy look a little too much, but I happened to like most of them. I don't wish for them to be replaced. I just wish they would give me something aerodynamic.

 

WHAT IN THE FAWK??

Some of you people are WAY OFF. Anyone thinking the "Charger" name hurt the 06 Dodge Charger sales #s, are far away from automobile competence, sorry.

It had more interest the Day before its launch than the 300 had before its launch.

I hope I miss read that somewhere but if I didnt, Tisk Tisk, Get with the program guys. Its called Marketing, These companies are here to SELL CARS.

Rather you like the LX Cars or not, they are the best bang for your buck in the world period.

Also you might not wanna like Chrysler either, since they will be the car backbone of Chrysler for years to come.

Added:
How many people here know the Original 300s were 2 doors???

Why dont I hear anyone bitching about this fact since new 300s are all 4 doors.......

 

While I agree with both of you on the hybrid crap, the point is the Japanese are selling the mess out of it. You have to catch a trend while its hot.

Lets be honest here most will not come with the 6.1. Most will probably be 3.5/4.0 versions. While the next most popular will be the 5.7. Most people that buy mustangs buy it for daily transportation, not just performance. If it gets 15 MPG on the freeway it isn't going to sell well. Gas is not 3.50 a gallon here, yet. Its about 2.50-2.75. But just wait till summer hits. We will see 3 bucks easy. And by the time we finally see this car 3.50 is not a far stretch.

Magnum sales have tanked over the past 6 months. 1500 units a month is squat. We built 1500 a day at Warren. I assume the Brampton plant has a similar capacity. If the Challe is to be built there, something has to go. My sources tell me its the mag.

Yes the Sphinkter is selling well for commercial use, but tanked for personal sales. We just handed GM about 225000 extra sales a year.

Point here is DCX is saying how great we are doing waving around their razor thin profits. Yet if it was 10 years ago we would be cowering in the corner wondering what went wrong. Unless they pull a rabbit out of their hat I see the second half of this year being poor for DCX. They are forcing dealers to take inventory they don't want.(When a dealer takes a car the company labels it SOLD) Which is where the inflated sales numbers are coming from. This is going to come to a boiling point sooner or later.



Joe

 

A lot of automakers are goin boxy and some of the most expensive cars are, too. Rolls Royce....etc. etc. Car trends are car trends but in all actuality the number one reason as to why you should buy a vehicle is its form and functionality. In a consumer market like our's we buy our vehicles b/c we want luxury, sport, off road, safety, miles per gallon, reselling abilities, or all combined. We are americans and we want to show-off our fat asses and buy new vehicles w/ our income. We could have a perfectly good paid off vehicle and trade it in for car payments because we are impulse buyers. When all we really need is a car to get around in. I buy moderately used cars because I dont think I can afford newer cars probably for the same reasons that people arent buying as many new american cars when all these older, still attractive, cars are still around.


This thread was originally about 60 MPG truck...WTF are you going to do w/ a truck that gets 60 mpg? Ummmm....If you got a family probably nothing unless you get a big cab...

How much will this f-150 cost? Ummmm......probably more then you are willing to spend on any ford truck for that matter. Its nice that they want to do all this HYBRID technology but what good does it do to pay more money to save more money? If I want gas mileage Ill buy a small older model compact to drive daily to work for a fraction of the price and get 40 MPG and up.


The only people who would probably go for that truck are the people who use 5th wheels or trailers or do long hauls for whatever reason.

ALL automakers have their faults...but it doesnt mean that they cant get better.

And DR I agree w/ you on some of the vehicles Like the DAKOTA....absolutely the UGLIEST frickin DAKOTA ever made. I liked every dakota until this last model year and would be ashamed to drive one. The Rams look great......well.......the rest of the line-up looks great. But give me back my exciting sport compacts DODGE!!!! AWD FWD RWD whatever!!! I now own an 01 intrepid, 97 grand caravan and still have my dodge neon. 3 Chryslers...I bought them used and am very happy w/ them b/c I have two FAMILY vehicles and my fun little compact. I gotta say I come from a long line of Chrysler fans and owned a lot of other brands of vehicles. Not any other brands have held up as well or drove as comfortably as my Chrysler's and Mitsubishis. It could be the way they were taken care of previously or could just be luck. I dont know. We may think a few cars are Ug-----LEE but there is always someone out there who think they are great. Good for them. All we have is our opinions on make and model as do they. Some opinions are just a little more unanimous kind of making it a failure.