Saying Goodbye

[TracyL Smith]

Hi all,



I wanted to thank you all for 4 years of support, fun and great information. I traded in my SportTrac today for a more economical car, driving 31,000+ miles a year and gas the way it is - well you know it was getting very expensive for me. But, I did want to take the opportunity to say Thank you All!



I have gone back to the 4cyl route and bought a Pontiac Vibe, 34 mpg - knowing it gets a minimum 31 mpg actual from friends who have them - is really going to save some $$. It was hard, but financially a good decision - I will miss my ST and you all -



Thanks,

Tracy

member since 01

 

[James FreemanJr]

wow 4yrs on the board and only 19 posts. Good luck with the new car.

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

Good luck with your Vibe. My son has one and gets 30+ in Boston area.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I almost bought a Matrix (Vibe twin) before I bought my first ST. I have been reconsidering that decision with the gas prices so high, so I know how you feel. I'm just hoping for the prices to come down some, since I still have four more years of payments.



Goodbye friend...we barely knew you.

 

[Michelle Widell]

I had a coworker who traded in his extended cab Ranger for a Vibe - same reason - gas mileage.



One year later, he traded his Vibe for another Ranger. Said he missed driving a truck.



Good luck - maybe we will see you again.

 

[Chops]

Good luck with the Vibe, I understand with the fuel prices and if you don't use the ST as a truck anyway.

There's no way I could fit 16' pieces of crown molding, or dual hung doors, or a pallet of pool coping, or a bedroom suite, or a full drum kit.....in a car so I'm stuck with sucky mileage.



Cheers!

 

[Chops]

 

[Mike Wilson]

T, Thank You for buying an American vehicle, vs. Rice! As I work at General

Motors, I doubly(?) Thank You! Yes, I am a proud Trac owner, but since the

Wife works at Ford, it's putting bread on the table, also. Many Vibes in

the parking lot at the plant, have heard good things about them.

Good Luck, and don't be a stranger!!!

 

[Deleted deleted]

tracnblack... you do know what a Vibe actually is?? it's a TOYOTA. It's the same car as my Toyota Matrix. lol American vs Rice... you crack me up!



The only thing made by GM in either vehicle is the radio and the battery. The engine is a 1.8L Corolla engine - same goes for the tranny.



Have to give Pontiac some credit there, they know who builds the best 4cyl engines and went with Toyota.

 

[gary s]

ditto darin, i switched my fleet of ford focus wagons to toyota matrix. the fords were killing us at auction as we were receiving 50% of the purchase value after 1 year !.

the toyota's are doing much better with reliability ans resale.

T, best of luck and enjoy your vibe

 

[Dale Carter]

Takes a lot of gas to make up for trading a nearly paid off Trac for a new Vibe.

 

[Dan gelb]

well i have a St and a Ranger and dont really need either

we dont have children and once in awhile haul stuff

St sits in the Garage most of the time now but aint no

way in the word im getting rid of my trucks for a car

but thats me.



good luck with the new car though

 

[Mike Wilson]

Darin...Let me clarify myself before you "Bring it On!"

I know what the "G.M./Nummi (Toyota) Joint Venture" is. It was established back

in the late 80's in the Freemont/ Van Nuys plant in California as a way for G.M. to

admit that they were a "little" bit behind in the ball game when it came to quality

and durability. G.M./Toyota joint design and manufacture with basically the

same cars rolling off of the assembly line together, with the exact same shared

parts (major mechanical). Only differences were some exterior and interior trim

such as badges, placement of vents or minor controls, and a few different

trim pieces on the exterior to define "brand integrity" (i.e., Matrix vs Vibe emblem).

Examples:

Chevrolet S-10/ Isuzu Hombre;

Toyota Matrix /Pontiac Vibe;

Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series Pickups;

Chevy "Luv"/Isuzu "P'up" (remember that one from the ''70's-'80's!!!)

Saturn Vue/Isuzu Axiom/Chevy Equinox/Pontiac Torrent;

Geo Prism/Toyota Corolla;

Ford Probe/Mazda MX6 (Flat Rock, MI., Assembly Plant);

Shall I go on?

Oh, and by the way, before I make my final point, G.M. radios are currently made

by Panasonic (Yeah, boy that's sure an American company!), G.M. batteries

are made, mainly, from components supplied outside the U.S., just assembled

here and installed, starters are made by Valeo, (France), etc...

And another "By the Way", our Trac engines and transmissions are made and

assembled in Germany (at least my 2005 was). (Darin MADE me say that!!!)

What I meant to say , was "Thank You for buying an American Vehicle, which

the title would read, vs. a Foriegn Automakers brand, whereas, the profits would

go back overseas to Emperor Hirohito, or whomever is in charge of Japan right

now, rather than General Motors, Ford, etc...

Next time you "Pick a Fight" with someone on this site, make sure they do not

have (a) Degree(s) in Automotive Technology, Business Administration, American

Business Principals and Practices, Economics, Business Law, American English,

etc.. or you just might end up on the losing end of the battle!

...An Aside...

(same as a p.s.; post script);

Can We not refer him (Darin), to a "Ricer" website, where he would seem to be much

happier and more contented with himself?

 

[TracyL Smith]

Hey all,



Thank you so much for you wonderful messages, sorry to start a little spat over the ricer/usa - I was fully aware the motor is a Toyota, guilty - that is one of the reasons I went with the Vibe.



As for mileage, I am driving over 31,000+ miles a year, when I traded in my ST had 110,000 on it - being a single 'soccer' mom - I had to do something since this was the second biggest outlay in my finances - if I had my druthers, I would of bought a new ST.



Thought I would drop in a photo, this is my 3rd day driving it and I am really impressed with the handling and get up and go. I can still haul pretty much in the back that I need, and I have so many friends with big trucks sittin' in thier driveways, they let me borrow them for when I need to do things like haul bulk mulch.



Y'all have been great and if things get better - I may be back!



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Deleted deleted]

Hey tracnblack, wished you'd been more clear on the first post and then you wouldn't have had to 'bring it on'. Just figured you were yet another person that was a 'buy American' not realizing that most of the components come from the world market place, not just within the borders of the US.



You did make one error - the tranny for the ST is made in France, not Germany. We wouldn't want to upset our German members here.



And saying the profits going to Toyota go straight to the Emperor would be like saying the profits for a Pontiac go straight to Pres Bush. :wacko:



I think I'll hang around here.... even though I don't own a ST, there's a lot of useful information to still be found here between the political bantering/posturing.



T: Nice ride... I've had my Matrix for 2.5 years now, 30,000 miles later and the only thing I took it to the dealer for was to replace a twisted drivers window gasket. In and out in 1 hour. My gas mileage average is 31.5 mpg.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Darin,

Did not mean to posture or banter so rudely the first time! That is what I love

about this site, we can all learn something every day.



T,

Black is the only way to go. Looks sweet! Best of luck...

TnB.

 

[Dale Carter]

And saying the profits going to Toyota go straight to the Emperor would be like saying the profits for a Pontiac go straight to Pres Bush.

Pretty sure he was kidding. Nice sense of humor