The CarGurus Blog

Daily coverage of the world of cars.

United States

Should GM Pull the Plug on Chevy Trucks?


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Do we still need the Chevy Silverado?
Do we still need the Chevy Silverado?

I think General Motors should kill Chevy trucks.

I arrived at this conclusion after a weekend away from my computer (it’s amazing where one’s mind goes when not influenced by the Internet) and driving past a Buick/GMC/Pontiac dealer. I began to wonder how the dealer would cope with the loss of Pontiac.

On the other side of town, I happened across a Chevy/Cadillac dealer, and that’s when my mind’s wheels really started turning. Now that only four GM brands remain, it makes sense for the company to sell Chevy, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac under one roof.

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Best of the 1970s: There Has to Be Something Good from the ’70s, Right?


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In the 1970s, excess and ugliness competed with lame attempts at fuel efficiency. The result? Lots of underpowered, hideous-looking cars that looked back toward the glory of the ’60s and extended a great big middle finger at them.

Very little good came out of the ’70s, but there were a couple of gems among the morbid Mustang IIs and miserable Mercury Bobcats.

First, though, we have to give a little credit to the ’70s for at least trying to deal with a triple blow to the auto industry. First, the Clean Air Act of 1970 was passed, which by itself wasn’t that big of a deal to the automakers. But then the stock market crashed in January 1973, followed by an OPEC oil embargo that raised the price of a barrel of oil by 70 percent.

A sinking economy, government regulations, and high gas prices are just as much to blame for the Pinto as Ford is. Even in those hard times, though, some cars shined and still have a lasting influence today.

Take Toyota, for example. It’s $1,700 Corolla came to the States in 1968, perfectly timed to take advantage of Americans looking for fuel efficiency and low prices, rather than big block V8s. Some early quality and safety issues were addressed, and here we are now 40 years later with a Toyota that arguably owes its U.S. success to the problems of the 1970s. For that, we are thankful. (Anyone care to make a modern-day Hyundai comparison?)

We’re also thankful for the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am. This was one of the last great cars from Pontiac before the brand dropped its large displacement engines in the face of tighter emissions restrictions. Savor those T-Tops and that 400-cubic-inch engine, friends, because once the 1980s arrived, we had a whole new ballgame.

Are any of your favorite cars from the 1970s?

-tgriffith

The Best Cars for Your Money

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What's the better buy: Charger or Camry?
What's the better buy: Charger or Camry?

If car buying was strictly a numbers game, deciding which car to buy would be much easier. Factors like purchase price, maintenance costs, resale value, performance numbers, and fuel economy would determine our car choices.

Most of us have a little thing called emotion fueling our car purchases, though, and the smartest choice might be eclipsed by our obsession with a certain model’s curvy exterior.

For those looking for the smartest car buys financially, the good folks at U.S. News and World Report Automotive have assembled a list of cars that are best buys over the long haul. The full list, along with their methodology, is here (Toyota/Lexus dominate, with eight of the 14 winners).

The best buys aren’t always best sellers or popular, though, so I’m comparing some of U.S. News’ choices with the Owner Favorites in the same categories on CarGurus.com and with the overall best sellers in each category.

Midsize sedan

Crossover

Hatchback/subcompact

Convertible/sports car

  • U.S. News & World Report Best Buy: Mazda Miata
  • CarGurus.com Owner Favorite: Ford Mustang
  • Best seller: Pontiac G6 (I didn’t believe it either, but you can double-check yourself here.)

Minivan

Full-size pickup

This is proof that sometimes the best buy is just plain boring. Putting the tag of “best buy” on a car is a pretty objective thing, because the guy looking for performance and fun is going to think a Dodge Charger is a heck of a better buy than a Toyota Camry!

What cars do you think were left off the “best buys” list?

-tgriffith

Three Superminis You Can’t Buy Here

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SEAT Ibiza Reference 2009dsc00007I love little cars. They generally are much more fun to drive, handle like go-karts, and get great mileage. They populate the entire world… except here in the U.S.A. We do get a few, but not much in the way of real choice, and the ones that end up on our shores are boxy, ugly, under-performing, or all three.

In Mexico I saw what they call superminis everywhere. Some of them, like this SEAT Ibiza (above, right), are really sharp and bigger inside than they look. SEAT (“say-at”) is a Spanish carmaker now owned by Volkswagen AG, like so much else—Porsche may be next—in the auto world. The Ibiza Reference, shown here, comes with a variety of engines, weighing in from 70-105 hp, gas or diesel. Higher-powered, sportier models are available, and they look to be popular in southern Mexico. Tell SEAT to bring us its cars here. They probably won’t, but you can complain about how little choice we have.

2007 Ford KaAnother sharp small car is the Ford Ka, built in Poland, Brazil, Argentina, and maybe someday in the U.S. An older version (probably 2007) is shown here, which is better looking than the new Ka that may come to these shores, according to Alan Mulally. (No, he didn’t say the older one was better looking.) Then it will have the Fiesta to compete with, so don’t hold your breath. If Ford did commit to a full lineup of small cars in the U.S., it could give Fiat/Chrysler and the Asians a real run for their money in 2011. The company’s global reach is surprising. More photos of the new Ka are here.

2009 VW CrossFoxI asked the owner of this VW CrossFox (right) if I could take pix of his car. “Seguramente” [certainly], he said, and I realized I could get by in Spanish with phrases like this and “Si, como no?” for almost everything. One of VW’s line of “city cars,” the Fox series launched a few years ago in Brazil and has spread through Latin America in many iterations. The CrossFox is not much of an off-roader, but is great for Mexican pavement (and the lack thereof), taking the country’s many speed bumps with aplomb. Ask VW why we can’t have this car.

What other foreign-made minis and superminis do you think should be made available to U.S. buyers?

—jgoods

No More Cars Allowed at the “Crossroads of the World”

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Times Square before the traffic ban
Times Square before the traffic ban

New York City has banned traffic on Broadway in the famous Times Square area.

Broadway though Times Square has always been a notoriously traffic-clogged avenue, making life as a pedestrian in the area downright dangerous. Now, rather than a source of drivers’ rage, Times Square is a pedestrian’s playground.

New York’s Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says,

It’s good for traffic, it’s good for business and we think it’ll be a great deal of fun.

I agree. In fact, in the name of great fun, I think we should consider banning traffic in other areas, such as:

The Las Vegas Strip

It already takes just as long to drive as it takes to walk, so why not divert traffic and allow tourists full reign to bring the party to the street?

Waikiki Beach

Oh sure, tourists in rented Mustang convertibles might not like being banned from cruising Kalakaua Avenue, but making it safer for drunk tourists to stumble from hotel bars across the street to the beach is good for everyone!

Beverly Hills and Hollywood

I just want to see the reaction of SoCal socialites no longer allowed to drive their Range Rovers to Rodeo Drive. Making them take the bus would be great entertainment. I wonder if they’d still bring their Chihuahuas?

Where else should traffic be banned in order to become more pedestrian friendly?

-tgriffith