Must Haves

[Matt]

Mexico is in North America.

[Turkeytop]

Mexico is in North America.

But not Union

[SD45]

GM is going to stop building the Malibu, which does not break my heart.

I drove a 2011 Malibu that was falling apart after 115,000 miles. It was the only car I replaced the transmission in.

I replaced the Malibu in 2017 with an Accord, which is currently at 112,000.

One of the best cars I drove was a 2003 Cavalier. Nothing to it, crank windows and no power locks. It also survived hitting a deer at 60 mph.

[zzand]

Rate This, the first was a loaded Charger, current is Jeep Grand Cherokee.

[zzand]

Turkey, you may want to look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee. North American made and Union made. The Laredo model would be your best bet. Yes it has a few extra gadgets but they are easily ignored. The Pentastar V6 is the best engine. Hemi is too much a gas hog. They ride silky smooth and are great cruisers for road trips.

[Turkeytop]

I love the Grand Cherokee. But it's out of my league. It's what I would call a luxury SUV. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars extra for bells and whistles I don't need and wouldn't use.

Like my father before me I've been a Chrysler guy all my life and still am. But my last three vehicles have been GM. My poor dad must be turning in his grave.

[Honeyman]

I thought MW and others said Jeeps were shitboxes.

[Rate This]

I thought MW and others said Jeeps were shitboxes.

I see tons of various Jeeps on the side of the road broke down or abandoned in my travels. An obnoxiously larger number of Chevy Equinoxes and Dodge Journeys too. I don’t know if that’s a proxy for build quality or clientele quality… they may be more sensitive to abuse.

[zzand]

The Grand Cherokee is pretty bullet proof. Others, not so much.

[Willie108]

Believe me, anything with a Jeep nameplate on it is a piece of crap.

[zzand]

Believe me as a Jeep owner you are dead wrong. Have owned 3 and never an issue with any of them. You take care of your vehicle it will take care of you.

[Rate This]

The Grand Cherokee is pretty bullet proof. Others, not so much.

Relatively rarely do I see Grand Cherokees with a problem. Lots of Patriots, Compasses, Renegades and occasional Wranglers. Chargers, Challengers, Rams, Durangos, 2 and 300’s… not too shocking either.

[Realist]

What type of vehicle are you looking for, TT?

We just got 4 brand new 2024 Malibus at work. Really nice car and a massive upgrade from the Focus’ that they replaced

My current vehicle is a 2020 Equinox. It's the third Equinox I've owned. Boring, but very reliable. I have always bought vehicles that are Union built in North America. In fact, the Equinox were built right here in Ontario.

But GM has moved production of the Equinox to Mexico. It seems the big three are now building only trucks and luxury SUVs in North America. So, if I have to buy an import, the available selection has just gotten a lot wider.

Some of the Mazda products look interesting and also Mitsubishi. Nothing by Toyota excites me. The Rav 4 is built in Ontario, but it isn't Union made.

Have you considered a base model Chevy Traverse? And if you want to save $$$, see if you can still find last year’s model before the redesign. Made in Michigan and very comfortable vehicle. We drove the Buick equivalent 2 summers ago while on vacation and found it to be a great vehicle

[Turkeytop]

Have you considered a base model Chevy Traverse? And if you want to save $$$, see if you can still find last year’s model before the redesign. Made in Michigan and very comfortable vehicle. We drove the Buick equivalent 2 summers ago while on vacation and found it to be a great vehicle

The Traverse might be too big for me. I'm not a large person. 5'6" 142 lbs. I might need a booster seat.

I could buy the base model of any vehicle. The problem is if I want to add some optional features, like AC, cruise control or satellite radio, they don't allow the buyer to select only the options they want. Instead, they want them to upgrade to a higher end model that includes those features along with a package of other features they don't want or need. It adds thousands of dollars to the price.

I don't need all wheel drive. I don't need chrome wheels. I don't need blue teeth. I don't need a sun roof. I don't need leather seats. I just want AC, cruise control and satellite radio. But they won't add those features to the base model.

[Rate This]

Have you considered a base model Chevy Traverse? And if you want to save $$$, see if you can still find last year’s model before the redesign. Made in Michigan and very comfortable vehicle. We drove the Buick equivalent 2 summers ago while on vacation and found it to be a great vehicle

The Traverse might be too big for me. I'm not a large person. 5'6" 142 lbs. I might need a booster seat.

I could buy the base model of any vehicle. The problem is if I want to add some optional features, like AC, cruise control or satellite radio, they don't allow the buyer to select only the options they want. Instead, they want them to upgrade to a higher end model that includes those features along with a package of other features they don't want or need. It adds thousands of dollars to the price.

I don't need all wheel drive. I don't need chrome wheels. I don't need blue teeth. I don't need a sun roof. I don't need leather seats. I just want AC, cruise control and satellite radio. But they won't add those features to the base model.

I have a base model GMC Acadia… it has cruise, satellite radio and AC. Everything else is basic.