Are B-Sized Cars Really That Important?

[waymondospiff]

OT:

Admittedly, sarcasm was present in my post, but do not assume what you do not know. Can your Mazda 6 run a quatermile time of 14.6 or faster? If it can't, you'd be eating my fat 255/55/18s. Can you fit a five and a half foot long driveshaft in the trunk without folding down the rear seats? My father's Accord nor his CRV could and I doubt your 6 would either. However, my car did. Don't diss real cars, not Japanese tin cans.

Well, considering that a stock Marauder will run 1/4 miles in about 15.5 sec and a Mazda6s will run about 15.4 sec, a 14.6 sec run on a Marauder would most likely cost some money. Given the same amount, you could probably do it in a Mazda6s. Of course, for less than the brand-new Marauder, let alone engine upgrades, you could slide into a stock Mazdaspeed6 and run 14 flat.

 

And a driveshaft? That's random. Why would I not be allowed to fold the seats flat? That's the whole purpose of them: to carry bulky items.

 

Listen, I'm glad you like your car, and I'm sure you get picked on enough for it. But don't dismiss my "Japanese tin can" because it uses modern engineering to achieve better acceleration, handling, ride, and fuel economy.

 

I don't think B-cars are all that necessary.

 

As I said, younger folks are more likely to by used when money is limited. That's how I got my current vehicle anyway.

Anybody who believes (using Ford as an example) selling some one a focus to get them in the"family" to buy bigger and more expensive cars down there life line are contributing to why the automotive fields is going to crap.

 

To both, I don't know what to say. I haven't done the research myself to "prove" an upgrade-family lineup works or that a B-Car is important. All I can do is trust the research done by others and what is proven from marketing, history, engineering, and today's marketplace. These all seem to point to the need for cheaper B-Cars and family lineups.

 

I guess another way to look at it to compare to demographics used by marketing people for television ads. They want 18-24, 18-30, or 21-49...the older viewing audience isn't looked at too highly by the marketers. The same thing with the car companies. They don't want the 50+ people buying their cars (of course they do, they just won't admit it) because they want a "self-sustaining" market that will come back and buy their next car. Scion leads to Toyota leads to Lexus. Fit leads to Accord leads to Acura. That's the goal.

 

Scott

[Roadrunner]

Now with the focus wagon being axed, I was waiting till Feb. to buy a second car for the wife, Ford has nothing that I want or anyone I know, who doesn't work for Ford, wants. I will only buy wagons, or hatches.

 

Not interested in the Freestyle, huh? Yeah, I wouldn't be either from initial viewpoint.

However, give it a try. It worked out really well once to move a carload of stuff (although, for that purpose an Explorer would have been better to have).

Edited October 19, 2006 by Roadrunner

[DRyanC]

I want the same mileage as my focus or better, preferrably better. Which is why a focus wagon would have been nice, or even a wagon with the 1.6 Ford has everywhere else. I don't need a 1/4 mile monkey car. I need a car that 99% of the time never leaves town, so it would never see above 60kph (40mph). So if it takes to the next light to go 60 then fine. It goes to the grocery store and back, to the mall and back, to the grandparents and back. It needs to be just a simple wagon that gets great mileage, 40+ mpg. My parents have a ranger and an Escape. Can't stand driving them, they sit to high. I don't like driving like I'm sitting at the kitchen table.

 

A corolla wagon would be good, but we don't get them in NA. Don't want a ZX3, already have one. The 5 door Fiesta would be good but not sold here. Mazda3 wagon only has the 2.3, a mazda2 would hit hte spot. The "new" city golf from VW is a joke. A real city golf is what south america gets, check that out, then I buy one. The honda fit is to expensive, to get keyless entry a Fit would cost 20,000CND. I'm leaning towards the Versa from Nissan or a Yaris. The Yaris I'd get a 3 door and move the ZX3 to the wife but I don't really want to do that. Or like I said a sportKa and pass the ZX3.

 

Oh the goodness of the internet, nowhere else could I rant and have people read it and not care.

 

DRyanC

[StevenJ]

OT:

 

Well, considering that a stock Marauder will run 1/4 miles in about 15.5 sec and a Mazda6s will run about 15.4 sec, a 14.6 sec run on a Marauder would most likely cost some money. Given the same amount, you could probably do it in a Mazda6s. Of course, for less than the brand-new Marauder, let alone engine upgrades, you could slide into a stock Mazdaspeed6 and run 14 flat.

 

And a driveshaft? That's random. Why would I not be allowed to fold the seats flat? That's the whole purpose of them: to carry bulky items.....

Scott

 

No, that 14.6, well 14.65, was with just about $900 worth of mods (K&N CAI, Under drive pulleys, SCT Tune) but I could of pulled it off just as easily with just a tune which is just $400. The whole point of the driveshaft was to show that the panther cars can carry bulky items without having to fold down the rear seats at all. Of course you can't do that in a panther car anyway since the gas tank is in the way. I'm just giving you crap for giving me crap. Trust me, you could get a Marauder to run 13.8 N/A for about $2,800, no nitrous, no exhaust work, and no blower requried and that's half a second quicker than a Mazdaspeed Mazda 6. You'd be surpised what the panther car is capable of. BTW, I got my car for $21,000 after tax slightly used, again going back to the point about younger folks buying used before a half assed b-car. Of course, my expection is an extreme exception. Oh yeah, don't give me any bull crap excuse about handling, until you've driven an 03+ panther HPP CV, GM, or MM. The Marauder pulled 0.88 on the skid pad which is even higher than the Mazdaspeed Six 0.86 according to Edmunds. BTW, that's with the half assed all seasons the car comes with stock.

Edited October 20, 2006 by StevenJ