You mean to tell me these guys think that the Honda FIT and the Elantra are alternatives to the Pontiac G5? The oversized Chevy Tahoe is an alternative to a Jeep Commander??
It looks like they only take into account depreciation and crash test studies. What are they drinking?
I dunno, i thought most of that was spot on.
I think it's also pretty good as well. Not perfect, but not bad.
I don't think that Pontiac buyers and import buyers are the same people. Jeep buyers and big GM buyers are different too, but I will admit that the Commander is not built for your typical Jeep buyer.
Seems as though resale value may have been a big part of the equation, in which case the Honda fanboism seems appropriate.
I have a co-worker that owns a Titan. He said he usually get about 18mpg rather than the 13 they reported. He said he can get up to 20mpg on the highway.
The Commander was Jeep's shot at going 'upscale' and it was poorly executed. The Tahoe etc is a much more attractive design, the Commander just looks old skool (yeah I know that was on purpose but it didn't work in that market segment). They had to stick the 3.7 in it to get the cost down but it then became a complete pig. Get a MDS Hemi and the performance picked up but the gas mileage... 
right when the $4/gal gas hit. Not to mention the IQ problems (rear axles that howled on decel with sub- 3K miles, wind noises, water leaks from all over the damn cowl, sunroofs that pour inside, yada yada yada) and no wonder it has to be deeply discounted to sell.
poopshovel wrote: Seems as though resale value may have been a big part of the equation, in which case the Honda fanboism seems appropriate.
My neighbor bought a G5 for his wife. He traded a Chevy Malibu for it. His recreational cars are 67 and 70 Camaros and a 70 Trans-Am. I guarantee you this guy would buy a pink tricycle and ride it to work wearing a tutu before he would buy a Honda, no matter what the resale value was. Korean cars of any shape or size would not be on his list.
On the other hand, I don't think your typical Honda buyer would be heading to the Pontiac dealer to see what they have to match the Fit either.
Jensenman wrote: The Commander was Jeep's shot at going 'upscale' and it was poorly executed. The Tahoe etc is a much more attractive design, the Commander just looks old skool (yeah I know that was on purpose but it didn't work in that market segment). They had to stick the 3.7 in it to get the cost down but it then became a complete pig. Get a MDS Hemi and the performance picked up but the gas mileage...
I always thought the Grand Cherokee was their upscale model. Do they really need two? Of course I never understood why they needed the Compass and the Liberty. I know that the Compass was an attempt to build a non-offroad Jeep for the crossover market but even the wannabe offroaders who buy a Jeep want it to look like the Jeep the offroad guys are driving. I'm not sure Chrysler ever understood why people buy Jeeps.
The info seems correct but could also have been titled as,
Bargain Choices When Buying a 5 Year Old Car
Yes, one of the main focuses seemed to be depreciation over 5 years.
"Better values: Still, for cars that perform better within the mainstream sports car class, take a look at the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Nissan 370Z."
Well that got that part right, Miata is always the answer.
I don't dispute the depreciation numbers. I dispute the fact that somebody looking at a G5 would consider the Honda Fit or the Elantra to be in the same class.
Snowdoggie wrote: I dispute the fact that somebody looking at a G5 would consider the Honda Fit or the Elantra to be in the same class.
You hvae to remember that most of the world are not like this board. The majority have little to no automotive knowledge.
Example: Typical mid 50's high school history teacher decides to by his daughter a car for her 16th birthday. He considers a G5, Honda or Elantra. The daughter shuns the Fit because it is a wagon (but the other Hondas are more expensive), she dislikes the Elantra because it looks like a family car and chooses the G5 because it is a 2 door and most importantly, the right color. Dad is happy because he got a good price (the American car game of high price and high discount) and he feels patriotic buying American!
Snowdoggie wrote:Jensenman wrote: The Commander was Jeep's shot at going 'upscale' and it was poorly executed. The Tahoe etc is a much more attractive design, the Commander just looks old skool (yeah I know that was on purpose but it didn't work in that market segment). They had to stick the 3.7 in it to get the cost down but it then became a complete pig. Get a MDS Hemi and the performance picked up but the gas mileage...I always thought the Grand Cherokee was their upscale model. Do they really need two? Of course I never understood why they needed the Compass and the Liberty. I know that the Compass was an attempt to build a non-offroad Jeep for the crossover market but even the wannabe offroaders who buy a Jeep want it to look like the Jeep the offroad guys are driving. I'm not sure Chrysler ever understood why people buy Jeeps.
Bingo!!!! Chrysler did everything they could to destroy the Jeep reputation but it survived the worst they and Mercedes could throw at it.
The Liberty at least LOOKED off road capable, even if the more plebian 2wd models weren't really up to it. Ditto the Patriot. The Compass and Commander, well, nope. The Grand Cherokee was about as far as the Jeep brand could be stretched without looking silly.
EricM wrote: "Better values: Still, for cars that perform better within the mainstream sports car class, take a look at the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Nissan 370Z." Well that got that part right, Miata is always the answer.
up one for the miata...
370z... can u get that without the syncrorev tranny?.. i wouldnt take it seriously if they didnt offer a manual with out it..
longhorndude wrote: 370z... can u get that without the syncrorev tranny?.. i wouldnt take it seriously if they didnt offer a manual with out it..
No, but SynchroRev can be turned off.
SynchroRev, is that automatic rev matching or something?
Luke wrote: SynchroRev, is that automatic rev matching or something?
Yes.
They missed the K car. Worst I ever had. I'm still scarred by that POS Reliant company car that I had back in the day...
jwdmotorsports wrote: I have a co-worker that owns a Titan. He said he usually get about 18mpg rather than the 13 they reported. He said he can get up to 20mpg on the highway.
Are those the oil or fuel consumption numbers on that Titan?
I would have expected either a V12 powered mercedes or BMW would be on that list. The resale valuse are less than for a V8 model b/c the maintanence cost will probably kill you.
I think if I were making the list i would put any car sold by Lexus/Infiniti/Acura that is nothing more than a rebadged Camry/Maxima/Accord with some wood (real or fake) applied to the dashboard but costs more than $10k than the "lesser" car.
Not saying that those are bad cars in anyway, just saying that I think they are dumb buys.
I had a Pontiac G6 as a rental car not too long ago and based just on that I would not consider any car made by Pontiac that starts with a G followed by a number. It was a utterly terrible car to drive. The G5 must be one less than the G6 so it must be whatever a little worse than terrible is.
TJ wrote: I would not consider any car made by Pontiac that starts with a G followed by a number.
Don't write off the G8 based on the G5.
Bob
Snowdoggie wrote: "My neighbor.... "
".... sounds utterly predictable and boring" is the end of that sentence.
the G6 is a Malibu/Aura sibling, and has been lauded as one of the best mainstream sedans ever made.
the G5 is a Pontiac version of the Cobalt (the SS has been called the best handling fwd car ever), plus it is styled slightly better.
and the G8 is just shreakingly awesome....
G series Pontiacs are okay by me.
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