On 9 Nov 2005 15:15:42 -0800, "American Cars Powered By Chinese
Engines." wrote:

I had a '79 Accord myself, bought it in 1998 for $1800. It had 120k
miles on it and I drove it another 60k and then sold it for what I paid
for it. Great cars. snip

I can't remember now, but I think the '79 was the first year of the
non-CVCC Accords with converters, which demanded unleaded gas. The
CVCC engine had 3 valves per cylinder, one for the "rich" auxiliary
chamber and one for the "lean" main chamber, and valve seals on the
auxiliary valve bodies were a routine maintenance item, or they'd suck
oil. However, if maintained properly, the Honda engines lasted fairly
well. Back in the '70s, I got 150K on a Honda Civic with the 1500cc
CVCC, but it didn't get any better mileage than the heavier Accord.
Weak spots on all Hondas back then : brakes, worst in the industry,
and rust back in the "rust belt." Out here, any car can last
indefinitely, since salt is banned on our roads. I got rid of the
Civic for a Rabbit L diesel, which was somewhat of a better car all
the way around. Another VW advantage back then were parts costs.
Brake rotor for an Accord: $95. Brake rotor for a Rabbit: $7.50.
Not only that, the VW's brakes were far better. Only area where the
Honda really excelled over the VW was handling; the Accord handled
like a sports car...rode like one, too, while the Rabbit, while it
rode better, was prone to mushy handling. The Accord was also a
"rattler," the VW diesel was quieter. It took me a long time work out
all the noise problems in the interior of the Accord.

I get a kick out of the Chevy Equinox being billed as "An American
Revolution" when it has a Chinese built engine in it. Damn thing is
assembled in Canada too. What a hunk-o-****. snip

LOL...I get a giggle out of these NASCAR ****heads who think Chevy
small block V8s are "American." They're not. They're Mexican, and
have about a 25% defect rate. GM is going down the tubes for one
reason only: their management is a bunch of losers, and they'll go
down trying to blame labor for their problems. GM hasn't built a
decent car in years, save for the Cadillac Division, which has now
traded quality for "ghetto boxes" and edgy styling and have suffered
major losses as a result. The only winner in the US now is Chrysler,
and that's because the krauts own it.

GM...the Wal-Mart of the automotive world.

dB