High Tech Car Factory..

[EddieS'04]

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[Tom Schindler]

VeeDub's are still a nightmare to work on.





Tom

 

[scott degroot]

I've had the pleasure of driving a Phaeton once...very nice. They stopped selling them in the US some years ago due to poor sales but the car still sells well in Europe.

 

[H D]

I remember checking out the Phaeton at the Atlanta show before they were released and being really impressed. Then I saw what they thought it was worth... Maybe a test drive would have made the price not seem quite as ridiculous.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I do not feel the price was the killer. In my opinion, the killer was because it was a Volkswagen. Ed O'Neill will will always be Al Bundy no matter what program he will ever be in, likewise, VW will always be the Bug no matter what they build.



A Mercedes-Benz will always be upscale in the USA regardless of what vehicles they produce in their home country.





Tom

 

[Bill V]

I understand what you're saying about VW--but I disagree with you regarding Ed O'Neill. When I see him now, I no longer think first of Al Bundy--To me, he's officially been converted over to being Jay Pritchett.

 

[H D]

That's why the price was so astounding to me. I kept thinking, "yeah, but it's still a Volkswagen."

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Bill V,



You got that right. Modern Family is one of those rare shows that comes along and is just really, really good due to the cast. Ed O, especially.



People change, perceptions change. Sometimes it is difficult to change them, but try hard enough and under the right conditions change happens. About the only thing that remains the same is the simple fact that one should never say never, and rarely say "always."



TJR

 

[Bill V]

TJR--And to think that Craig T. Nelson was offered the Jay Pritchett role, and turned it down...



It's kind of like how Carroll O'Connor turned down the role of "Skipper" on Gilligan's Island--and in doing so, allowed two iconic castings to occur, as the Skipper role went to Alan Hale and he instead was able to take the job of Archie Bunker...

 

[Kevin Lang]

I disagree with you regarding Ed O'Neill. When I see him now, I no longer think first of Al Bundy--To me, he's officially been converted over to being Jay Pritchett.

He'll always be Al Bundy in my book, just as Charlie Sheen will always be Charlie Harper IMO.



Though if I could suggest a better example of being typecast, I'd submit Don Adams. The man was stuck being Maxwell Smart for his whole life, and even when he landed the role as the voice of Inspector Gadget, he was still playing Maxwell Smart, just with a different facade. Sadly Steve Carell's awful performance in the poor 2008 movie mars the memory of the man's greatest role.



On topic, I don't think that VW will be typecast for the Bug in America forever, they're gaining traction with the hipster crowd, and it seems as though they're breaking into the "ricer" market. As a byproduct of that, apparently VW makes a car called the "floG". (It seems the pinnacle of wit to reverse the letters on the VW Golf in my area. :grin I can't say that I've been impressed with VW myself. I know that I am seeing more and more of them on the road these days, and practically none of them are the Bug.

A Mercedes-Benz will always be upscale in the USA regardless of what vehicles they produce in their home country.

I do feel that this is true :cry:

 

[Richard L]

I must agree with KL.

The "Bug" stigma has been long gone from VW's past, and the new Bug has little similarity to the original Bug. Even if VW started making the old rear-engine, air cooled Bug, it could not compete with the modern technology used in the the new VW's. If you can remember...The old Beetles only got about 30-33 MPG at best and were certainly under powered and small by today's standards. They had not AC, or power anything, so the only advantage they had was that they were simple to work on...but then if you look at other cars, weren't most cars of that era fairly simple to work on ??



All newer cars harder to work on than vehicles of 40 years ago?? The technology has changed and we all must adapt to the changing times, as much as we may yearn for the good old days...:grin: Modern VW's are no better or worse to work on than any other vehicle being sold today.



As for Mercedes...Yes it is considered a premium brand in the US, as well as the rest of the world. But when you see Mercedes being used as Taxi's in Germany, it becomes very average in Europe where BMW's, Porche's, Mercedes, and Audi's make up the most of the vehicles you see on the roads...especially in Germany. Not so different from seeing Ford's Chevy's and Dodges on American roads.



What might be a big surprise is the number of Hondas, Toyotas, and other Asian made vehicles seen on the European highways and the lack of American vehicles??? Ford does make some very popular models as does GM owned Opal.



That only points out that people are making a quality/price distinction and purchasing what they feel is the best valued vehicle for their money. Remember that everybody has a different opinion about quality and what suits their vehicle requirements. If you think that brand or where the vehicle is produced, you are only fooling yourself.



...Rich

 

[scott degroot]

Funny that the majority of people don't think much of VW but Audi on the other hand is a desireable car to have, take the badges off and they are the same vehicles, not all of them but alot of them. Kind of reminds me of a customer one time that drove a Lexus ES but swore that Toyota Camrys were the worst car in the world and she would never be caught dead in a Toyota...should have seen the look on her face when I showed her the bottom of the door sticker where it says in big bold letters TOYOTA...can't figure out why she never came back.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Kind of reminds me of a customer one time that drove a Lexus ES but swore that Toyota Camrys were the worst car in the world and she would never be caught dead in a Toyota...should have seen the look on her face when I showed her the bottom of the door sticker where it says in big bold letters TOYOTA...can't figure out why she never came back.

Dad and I seen a woman driving a Mazda Navajo. Dad said to her, "Nice looking Explorer you got there.". She chewed him out and swore she would NEVER buy an American car because they are junk. We just laughed.



Consumer reports said to avoid buying a Mercury Tracer (1st Gen) but recommended buying a Mazda 323. (Same car built in the same plant by the same workers)



A freind at work got a Nissan Quest because they are so reliable. When I suggested he look at a Mercury Vilager (same vehicle, same plant, etc.) he said he wanted a reliable Japanese vehicle.



:bwahaha:



The ignorance of people amaze me!





Tom

 

[Kevin Lang]

A freind at work got a Nissan Quest because they are so reliable. When I suggested he look at a Mercury Vilager (same vehicle, same plant, etc.) he said he wanted a reliable Japanese vehicle.

Less than 20 years ago, Japanese cars were synonymous with low quality (ie: cheap crap), and now they're considered "reliable". That bodes well for Ford, as long as they don't drop the ball.



I find all the instances of people claiming Japanese cars are better than their American identical counterparts to be hilarious. I once heard it joked that the Ford Escape were just the Mazda Tributes which didn't pass Mazda's "Extensive QA tests".:bwahaha:



On a related note, I've also been told by a few Scion drivers that part of the edgy appeal of the brand is that "Scion" is a "word made up by Toyota", or worse, "a Japanese word". Then they rag on my Ford. That's almost too sad for words. :banghead::boohoo::cry:

 

[Tom Schindler]

On a related note, I've also been told by a few Scion drivers that part of the edgy appeal of the brand is that "Scion" is a "word made up by Toyota", or worse, "a Japanese word". Then they rag on my Ford. That's almost too sad for words.

I bet these people can not type using capital letters, proper punctuation, and actual structured sentences. Spell check? Fuhgetaboutit!





Tom