Sunday, May 8, 2005
Q De ar Tom and Ray:
I have been noticing that you answer foreign-car questions more often than American-car questions. We own a Mercury Grand Marquis and love the size, reliability and power. So, I am accusing you of being traitors in fairness to the great old USA. -- Peter
A RAY: Actually, there's nothing intentional about the origin of the cars in our questions. We pick from what folks send us, and we try to choose questions that we think may be interesting to all of our readers that day.
TOM: In terms of the merits of foreign vs. American cars underlying your question, it's not all that clear anymore which is which. Toyotas are built in Kentucky, Hondas in Ohio, and Mercedes-Benzes in Alabama. Chrysler is owned by Germans, and your own Mercury Grand Marquis was built in Canada.
RAY: But if we look strictly at the origin of the nameplates (Ford, Toyota, etc.), the latest "frequency of repair" data show that, as a whole, American cars are better than European cars, but still not as good as Japanese cars.
TOM: To use a fairly neutral source, the latest automotive issue of Consumer Reports named the top vehicles in 10 categories. They evaluated more than 200 new cars for such qualities as ride, handling, safety and reliability. Nine of their top 10 picks are Japanese. One is American (the Ford Focus).
RAY: In terms of reliability only, CR called 15 cars "Most Reliable," based on detailed reports from thousands of owners. Every single one of the "Most Reliable" cars is Japanese.
TOM: Of the 14 dubbed "Least Reliable," nine are European, two are Japanese, one is Korean and one is American (the Lincoln Navigator).
RAY: Now, you may argue that Consumer Reports is a traitor, too. But we think their evaluations -- especially those regarding reliability and safety -- are pretty darned good. And they say that, in general, American cars -- while much better than they used to be -- are average to slightly below-average in reliability when compared with today's competition.
TOM: What American cars do often provide, however, is pretty good value. Now that everybody knows that Japanese cars are super-reliable, Toyota and Honda are charging a premium for them over comparably sized American cars. So, if you want to spend less on your initial purchase, you may find a better deal in an American-car showroom.
RAY: Over the life of the car, however, Consumer Reports' data suggest that when you factor in repair costs, you'll spend less on a Japanese car. That's been our observation, too.
TOM: American cars are also known for their roominess. Like your Grand Marquis, they provide good elbow room and nice, comfortable, wide seats for corn-fed, wide-seated Americans (like my brother).
RAY: And the larger cars, like your Grand Marquis, have an inherent safety advantage due to their size and weight. So those are all positives.
TOM: And there are some fantastic American cars out there. The Cadillac STS, the Chrysler 300C and the Ford Freestyle are just a few we've driven.
RAY: We do our best to call 'em as we see 'em, Peter. I'm sure we're not perfectly neutral.
TOM: But we do our best to be fair, and we base our opinions on our real-world experience testing the cars and fixing them in our shop. But we're happy you love your roomy, reliable Grand Marquis, and I'm sure you're not alone.
Dear Tom and Ray:
I have a 1994 Volvo Wagon that is drinking all of its coolant. I can't drive more than a few miles before all the coolant is gone. Then the heater gives out and the car overheats. I haven't noticed any leaks anywhere from the engine. I think it is all coming out of the exhaust. What is the problem? -- Keith
TOM: You may want to just close the newspaper right now, Keith, and pretend you never saw your letter in it.
RAY: Well, if you're still reading, the coolant is definitely coming out of the exhaust. That means the church-and-state-style separation that is supposed to be enforced between combustion chamber and coolant has been breached in your engine.
TOM: You're probably not losing all of your coolant every few miles; if you were, your engine would seize. But you may be losing all of the coolant in the overflow container. And even that's enough for us to conclude that your problem is serious.
RAY: If it's just a blown head gasket, you should expect to pay somewhere in the $1,500 range to get it fixed.
TOM: If it's worse than that, and you've cracked the head or the block, then you're into home-equity-loan territory.
Got a question about cars? Write to Click & Clack in care of The Post or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site athttp://www.cartalk.com.
2005by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman