not bashing anyone, in response to jeep-ex. comparo

[Majisto]

The main beef I have with Chrysler is its cab forward design that they so love to do. Because of this design of pushing the wheels as far out and away from the cabin as possible, the turning radius on Chryslers is absolutely horrible. My aunt has a Concorde and that thing can't pull a U-Turn to save its life.

I also had to jump start it one time because Chrysler electronics are from the stone age, and I couldn't find the battery Turns out the battery was hidden underneath the car almost. Thankfully Chrysler knew about this and put a place to jump the car that connected to the terminal of the battery since it was impossible to reach it from the top.

All in all though, I like the long wheelbase of Chryslers because they are very smooth on the road, and they grip well, but there's something odd about Chrysler design that gives me a love/hate relationship with it. The Explorer is simple, and thus, I like it Never driven a Cherokee, but I think they're nice. Certainly better than the floaty Wrangler

I drive street mostly, and the X is just a better road car, and the SOHC has yet to lose a race

 

[alphabets13]

my gf has a 2000 GC and i love the smooth ride. thats the major difference i see between mine and hers, but other than that i love my X. i'm lookin to get smoother shocks, then i'll be set.

 

[wj-jeep-guy]

about the 94 gc: ok, the flash only applies to 99+, so i dont know, a fluid cahnge is probably in order.

the cab forward design is not associated with anything jeep, just sedans and convertibles, the GC's turning radius is VERY small for an suv of its size. smaller than almost anything.

i tow a 2000-2500 lb trailer with my grand and havent had any problems with anything, but the real frame is a good thing to have.

another thing i dont like about jeeps is that they are of low quality and are poorly built. it really sucks to buy a 30,000+ dollar vehicle and find so many little problems. mine is a 99 w/ no problems. surprisingly, but the quality has always been getting worse. but ford admits that their [newer] vehicles are of poor quality as well, but i cant really say except that i had a 2001 taurus SES V6 and it sucked. the inside was SO cheap and plasticy, and you could see those huge lines where the plastic is melted together. not that jeep/chrysler is a whole lot better.

but i still love my grand for power and ON & off road ability.

 

[X-1]

After reading all the post, I have to agree that both have their pro's and cons, I personally like the cherokees, would have bought one instead of the explorer if it had not been sold out from under me. My opinion, they will both take you where you want to go.
I can say that with 179,000 miles on original running gear my explorer is built Ford tough, and has never let me down.
Now I say wheel what you got, and have a good time.

 

[wj-jeep-guy]

wheel and enjoy it i do, i hope you all enjoy your exploders, er explorers (j/k) as well i do my jeep!

 

[Xplodor]

WJ-Jeep,

Are you coming out to Truckhaven with us next month?

 

[Majisto]

Hey, no Taurus bashing I like my bull even though Ford's FWD transmissions suck...

 

[wj-jeep-guy]

if i am free then i would love to come to truckhaven. i may be getting a 3.5-4" lift pretty soon, which i hope i can get before that but its really not needed a whole lot, and since it is my DD, it wouldnt be really prctical. plust, with the SFA, i can get death wobble, where the axle wobbles side to side violently. this is also due to coil springs.

sorry about the taurus bashing, just how i felt. other than interior issues and WIERD ASS shifting patterns and whatnot it was pretty good.

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by wj-jeep-guy
if i am free then i would love to come to truckhaven. i may be getting a 3.5-4" lift pretty soon, which i hope i can get before that but its really not needed a whole lot, and since it is my DD, it wouldnt be really prctical. plust, with the SFA, i can get death wobble, where the axle wobbles side to side violently. this is also due to coil springs.

sorry about the taurus bashing, just how i felt. other than interior issues and WIERD ASS shifting patterns and whatnot it was pretty good.

Heh that's alright I hear it all the time. It's not a very nice car really but it only cost me $8,000 with 38K miles so I ain't complaining when I get a V-6 and power everything The seats are more comfortable than most other sedans. I get compliments on it all the time. Then again these people drive imports, so heh, no comparison really

 

[wj-jeep-guy]

wow, 8k! id buy it for that much!

 

[explorer4x493]

Originally posted by MikeTEC
The Jeep's I-6 engine is a mighty good one, but then, my 93 X' OHV 4.0L has 128K w/o any major problems. Mike

Ya and you've probably got a good ways to go w/ yours. I had 198,000 on my '93 before i even sold it...

 

[Stephen]

Originally posted by Majisto
I get compliments on it all the time. Then again these people drive imports, so heh, no comparison really

I ain't saying a word lol

 

[TarHeel085]

Originally posted by Majisto
Hey, no Taurus bashing I like my bull even though Ford's FWD transmissions suck...

yes they do! what tranny do you have in it the AX4N?

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by TarHeel085
yes they do! what tranny do you have in it the AX4N?

Oh yes...the AX4N...one of the biggets jokes of a transmission ever built. How Ford can build such a solid rear-drive tranny and such a cruddy FWD tranny is beyond me. I guess the AX4N being essentially a Pinto 3-speed auto with an overdrive doesn't help it much

Oh and to Stephen, I meant cars in the Taurus' class, as in Camry, Accord, not Lexus If a Lexus is compared to a Taurus, then something is wrong.

 

[Stephen]

Oh I know what you meant LOL, and my remark stands, I still ain't sayin nothin.

In all actuality, the new Accord and Camry literally run circles around the Taurus. Its not a fault of Ford's, the Taurus is just old. The Camry and Accord are much more powerful, refined, have much higher quality interiors, MUCH more reliable, much better resale etc. Especially the new Accord, have you seen it? Electroluminescent gauges (same technology, constantly lit analog gauges with a 3D effect as in my Lexus) a great navigation system (Honda/Acuras version is said to be better than Toyota/Lexus, although I prefer the Toyota system) DVD video systems built right in, all for under $27,000 loaded. The new Accord makes the class leading in everything brand new Camry look outdated and it was all new in 2002, the Taurus just can't compete with these two cars until Ford revamps it from the bottom up, and with Ford's track record when it comes to new models, you know how that could turn out. They improved the Taurus somewhat for this year, a "wood" leather steering wheel etc, but its not nearly enough to compete from the competition from Japan that rules the family sedan market, even VW is coming out swinging, the Passat is a great car.

The Taurus is a nice car, but its typical of what we'e seen from the "old" Ford, something just good enough to get by that doesn't excell in anything, and thats just not good enough for such a competitive market segment. I'd put the Taurus at fourth, with the Accord being first, then the Camry (really these two are opposable because while the Accord has all the new gadgets and goodies, the Camry is a much smoother and more ride biased car, where the Accord is sportier and they're dead the same in quality and reliability) then the Passat, then the Taurus, then the Chevy Impala (which is typical GM mass produced crap).

 

[Stephen]

Look at it this way, here's the Accord EX, fully loaded V6, leather, wood look interior, navigation, DVD entertainment, fog lights, MP3 player, 8 disc CD changer, $28500.

 

[Stephen]

And the Camry, fully loaded with leather, navigation, 6 disc changer, $29955.

 

[Majisto]

But that's just it. $28,000 is a rip-off. Who in the hell would spend that kind of money for an Accord? It doesn't even get much better mileage than the Taurus. I get 24 MPH with almost all city driving with my bull, and I doubt a V-6 Accord would do much better. Yes, the V-6 only makes 155 HP, but the 200 HP Duratec V-6 gets exactly the same mileage, and Honda's V-6 is NOT as nice as the Ford V-6 because of its insanely ridiculous high maximum horsepower output thanks to the VTEC system.

You have to understand that this Taurus with 38K miles costed only $8,000! I'd like to see an Accord or Camry that cheap with power everything, and a V-6. It just won't happen. Sure the Taurus is a somewhat antiquated body, heck the chassis isn't probably as durable as the Accord's solid frame, but in the car market, it comes down to the bottom line, price, and the Taurus has the imports beat easily.

I can put after-market parts that the Accord has built-in, and still save more money, in the long run. Why do I want a navigation system anyway? It's just more parts to break I like my cars simple, and to the point. I want it to move quickly when I press the pedal, and I want a comfortable seat as I fly down the road.

 

[Stephen]

And the taurus options out to almost $27,000 without goodies like all the siude curtain airbags, navigation systems, no DVD entertainment.

 

[Stephen]

Who would want to pay $27,000 for a Taurus when they can spend $1,000 more and get an Accord with DVD navigation, much better reliability, better dealer service, a DVD entertainment system, a fun car to drive?

A low resale like that makes the Taurus a good car, for you, the second owner to purchase, but that royally sucked for the first owner, he paid $25,000 for that car and got about $6500 for it after two years, thats TERRIBLE!

Plenty of people are lining up to pay $28,000 for the Accord, they command sticker, and there is a wait list, Ford can't give new Tauruses away. The quality, reliability and fun factor is just not there. Its just an ordinary car, whereas the new Accord is unique.

You obviously don't have much experience with Japanese cars, but nothing on these things breaks.

The car is just no longer competitive in the new car market, but I do agree, you got a great deal and its a great car for ya!