Do you own (or did you own ) one of the "10 Cars That Sank Detroit"?

[MetroMPG]

Interesting read...

There will be plenty of business-school case studies analyzing all the automakers' wrong turns. But, as they say in the industry, it all comes down to product. So here are 10 cars that help explain the demise of Detroit (For a slideshow, click here):

Here are cars on the hit list:

Ford Pinto

Chevrolet Cavalier

Chevrolet Astro

Ford Taurus

Ford Explorer

Jaguar X-Type

Hummer H2

Toyota Prius

Chrysler Sebring

Jeep Compass

Source: 10 Cars That Sank Detroit - FlowChart (usnews.com)

[bikin' Ed]

I never did own one, but I really wanted an Astro. I had great plans to chop, lower, and add a V-8 to it. I think it would've been fun.

[Daox]

Great article.

I also voted no.

[ATaylorRacing]

The Sebring was the worst Chrysler built, the Jeep Compass HAS to be the ugliest in the last 50 years.

I am shocked to not see the great looking Pontiac Solctise (spelling) and the even vetter looking Saturn Sky.....I read an article a few months ago that told of how GM was loosing @ $10,000 for ever one they sold!

[MetroMPG]

As I read the list, for some reason I was sure the lowly, unloved Metro/Suzukiclones would appear.

I've never owned any of them, but know people who've had all but two of those (the Jag, Compass). I guess that's nothing remarkable, really.

Originally Posted by bikin' Ed

I never did own one, but I really wanted an Astro. I had great plans to chop, lower, and add a V-8 to it. I think it would've been fun.

That'd make you the 2nd EM member with that desire. Chopped van:
Picasa Web Albums - Eric - Wittnesses

From thread: Chopped & dropped '88 Civic = +5 mpg

[PaleMelanesian]

Honestly, I think the Taurus was a great car, especially the early ones. It was a game-changer when it debuted. One they should have maintained and improved, rather than kill off.

[SuperTrooper]

My first new car was an orange 1979 Pinto Wagon. It moved me back and forth to Louisiana and took me and my friends all kinds of places cars don't belong.

When the first kid came along we bought a 1988 Taurus Wagon. My wife's favorite car of all time, we drove it for 11 years and traded it for our Honda. It is too bad that Ford took it for granted, since it was the American sedan standard for almost a decade. I remember seeing the first one drive by and saying: "Wow! Look at that!". I haven't had that reaction for an American car since.

[Coyote X]

I just bought an Astro I think it is the best small van you can get right now. None of the others can tow 6000lbs and have a usable cargo capacity. But if you stick it in the minivan class and not a midsize class that it and the Windstar were the only ones to fit in, it kind of misses its real purpose.

But really it seems like the person that wrote that article kind of missed the idea behind of some of these cars and has a pretty strong dislike against others for no real reason other than they didn't redesign a perfectly good platform every 3 years. I never liked them to redesign a car, to me they always redesign them bigger but almost never better.

Edit: My air bags just came in today for it

[CobraBall]

Owned 2 different fire wagons, err Pintos.

Easy to work on, great FE, fun to drive.
The early pinto w/100K miles plus, was sold to a kid who put a four barrel carb and headers on it. Would do 120!

For you youngsters the early Pinto had a problem with rear-end wrecks and gas tank fires (much like the current Ford Police Cruisers). Just to make my early Pinto safer, I installed two extra bright truck lights.

Screw the "business-school case studies" , I still like the handling & FE of the old Pinto.

BE wary of people who bi#%* about a particular vehicle, i.e. Nader and the Chevy Corvair. The SAME exact handling problems of the Corvair occurred in the Porsche which was/is Rear-end heavy which can be a problem for the neophyte driver. Of course Porsche & along with the US loving Porsche owners would have figuratively buried Nader had Nader come after Porsche.

[tasdrouille]

Never owned any of those. In fact, all I ever owned was VW diesels. I'm on my 3rd going on my 4th.