Subject: I'm Old
From: Andrew

"I am so sorry."

That was my brother's response when I told him that my wife and I bought a minivan. This is a common reaction, but being left-handed and filled with an inability to comprehend that which is not logical, the reaction is lost on me.

I'm 28 years old, I own a sport bike and I've had lots of two-door "sporty" cars. I can't get over people's hatred of minivans.

Have people so quickly forgotten the Mystery Machine? Or The A-Team? Does anyone remember the episode of The Simpsons where Homer could only dream of being cool enough to hang out with the kids that owned the love machine, complete with water bed, mirror ball and appropriately named "the Second Base mobile "? How about the VW Micro Bus?

Vans have been cool and they still are. When I test-drove one recently, I was just aghast at how comfortable, quiet and downright luxurious these things are. They're cheaper than SUVs. They ride better. They haul more. They're safer. You know how many fly honeys some 18-year-old kid could fit in a minivan? More than in his slammed Civic, that's for sure.

Maybe the powers that be should make a "cool" version of their minis. I bet you dollars to doughnuts (mmmm... doughnuts) that if you painted a Honda Odyssey like the A-Team's GMC... (ohhhh)... put a spoiler on it and shag carpet on the walls... open up the exhaust...

I'm so there.


Subject: Mini SUV Comparo
From: Mike

I loved the story. I think it's great that the Hyundai continues to get accolades and recognition for being a good solid vehicle. However, there are two errors concerning the Santa Fe. First, you got the engine power ratings mixed in your narrative. The Santa Fe has 177 lb-ft of torque, not horsepower. Second, in the Top 10 Features table you list the Santa Fe as "N/A" in [the] Roof Rack row. The cross bars are an option on the Santa Fe, so it should be an "O."

Other than that, a great, well-balanced story. However, I think that your editorial staff might be in the minority when it comes to the styling. Everywhere I go here in San Diego, I get compliments and people asking about my Santa Fe.


Subject: Mini SUV Comparo
From: Russ

I enjoyed your Mini SUV Comparison article. I thought it was well done and very informative. It was obvious a lot of hard work went into it. I feel, however, that not enough emphasis is put on off-road capability in your rating system for SUVs. What you came up with in your "best mini SUV" was actually "mini SUV most resembling a minivan." If fuel economy, highway handling and cargo capacity were a person's major considerations when purchasing a new vehicle, any sensible person would purchase a minivan over an SUV. We live in Colorado and off-road capability was, for us, a major factor in the selection of our new vehicle. Our Liberty had less than 1,000 miles on it when we had it on Engineer Pass in the San Juan Mountains. I did not see any Escapes there. In my opinion, good off-road performance is a must in this class of vehicle.

Because the majority of small SUV buyers do not take them off-roading (and that's obvious when you look at how most of them are engineered), and because even buyers like yourself spend the majority of your time on pavement, we emphasize vehicle ability in that environment. That said, the Jeep Liberty is your best bet for a budget billy goat, as we pointed out in the story. — Ed.


Subject: Planned SUV Long-Term Tests
From: Dennis

As an employee of a Tier 1 supplier to both GM and Ford, I'm surprised you are considering two low-volume models in your long-term test [program].

I don't see the weekly build plans very often, but I know that the Mountaineer volume is a small fraction of the Explorer volume. Even with the recent uncertainty, I'll bet the daily volume of Explorers exceeds the weekly volume of Mountaineers. Sure, it's a prettier-looking vehicle aimed at the Lincoln Town Car types (our local Edward Jones broker probably has the only Mountaineer in the county) or somebody that can't quite afford a Navigator, but I'm ready to order the Explorer Limited. With the Mountaineer AWD, you can't get the 4X4 low gearing. It's made for rain and snow on paved roads only.

The TrailBlazer [probably] has more volume than the GMC Envoy, but I'm not too excited about them. We supply parts for the old Blazer but not the new one. If you wanted to compare similar vehicles, the last Oldsmobile to be made comes with AWD. Olds and Mercury make more similar models, like the Explorer would be closer to the TrailBlazer.

I'm confused reading this article that says you look for models that more people actually buy then pick low-volume models for your first 2002 purchases. Your neighbors at Car & Driver can't stand any of the SUVs but note that the Explorer had a record monthly volume of 42,000, annual volume of 445,000 or so, and total 3.5 million in just a few short years. There is no mention of Mountaineers...

We initially selected the Mercury over the Ford because we try not to duplicate makes in the long-term fleet, and we currently have a Focus. The Mountaineer would give us the ability to test this new platform (Explorer/Mountaineer) without having two Fords in the program. We wanted the Envoy because, with the impending demise of Oldsmobile, it is the more upscale version of the remaining GM SUVs, and competes better against the Mountaineer. — Ed.


Subject: Long-term Volkswagen Passat Test
From: Sean

I have enjoyed reading the long-term test on the VW Passat that you and the other editors at Edmunds are doing.

Since you guys seem to be obsessed with automatic locks and how they operate, with some liking them to work one way and others preferring a different way, I thought I'd let you know about the VW since I haven't seen it mentioned in the long-term test articles.

It is possible and simple for any (competent) VW dealer to reprogram the automatic locking function.

For example, VWs come from the factory with the door locks programmed to automatically lock at 8 mph. However, if the owner doesn't want auto locking, it can be turned off by the dealer (or by anyone who has one of VW's scan tools or equivalent).

Likewise, the VW door locks will all unlock when you remove the key from the ignition. For those who don't like that due to safety concerns, the dealer can disable the auto-unlock. This is my personal preference, because with the VW you can just pull on the inside door handle and the door will unlock and open, you don't have to hit the unlock button to be able to exit the car.

Also programmable is how many times you have to push the unlock button on the remote to unlock all the doors. It can be programmed so that one push of the unlock button will unlock all the doors or it can be set so that one push unlocks just the driver's door while a second push will unlock all the remaining doors.

The dealer can also activate/deactivate the alarm horn when locking or unlocking the car and can activate/deactivate the parking lights flashing when the car is locked or unlocked.

I've seen these various issues brought up in the Passat review and in the New Beetle review and I thought I'd let you know that on VWs, these options are programmable so the car can be tailored to the owner's preference. It wouldn't take a dealer more than 10 minutes to configure these settings.


Subject: Long Term Lincoln LS Test
From: Brian

[I take issue with] several points [in] your latest review of the Lincoln LS. Your editor should have read the owner's manual. The Miles To Empty indicator is [still] there when the Low Fuel warning message appears. All she had to do was hit the Reset button and it would have gone back to the Miles To Empty indicator, which accurately tells you how many miles to empty you've got left. As a matter of fact, the Low Fuel message appears at 50 miles to empty, and reappears every 10 miles until you fill up. This is spelled out in the owner's manual quite clearly. The lack of a basic understanding of how a car works is rather bothersome when to rectify it would have been a rather minor issue of RTFOM.

Second, Edmunds did not get preferential treatment for the brake rotors warping. Several of our owners have had the same problem and Lincoln and its dealers have consistently treated this as a warranty item. Perhaps the German manufacturers that you enjoy to aggrandize should take [this treatment] into consideration. This isn't a wear item, unlike [with] BMW [which] would charge $600 for a brake job. So, again you are wrong. Lincoln stands behind their product so your statement that "We don't think that the average LS owner can expect such tender care" is incorrect.

Third, how does a transmission that doesn't shift as quick as your editor would like qualify as a "repair liability"? We track all of our owners' problems and the automatic transmission that is in the LS has never shown up as a repair problem. Slow shifting has, along with inadequate refilling of the transmission fluid after a fluid change, but we have never had any issues with the transmission's reliability.

I believe that you owe the readers an apology for your incorrect statements.

Sincerely,
Brian Gowing
Founder/President
Lincoln LS Owners Club

Regarding each of your points, our responses are
1. You're right,
2. Could be, and
3. no way. We've had to have our Linc's tranny replaced entirely, reprogrammed twice, and the AdvanceTrac went on the fritz the first day we owned the car, landing the LS in the shop for the first three weeks of its lease. In our opinion, this constitutes a "repair liability." — Ed.


Subject: Most Wanted Luxury Wagon
From: Anonymous

I slightly disagree with your [Most Wanted] pick, since I have owned a 5 Series BMW Wagon and now own a 2001 Audi A6 Avant Quattro which is far superior [to] the BMW or Mercedes. It has the excellent quattro system, and the superiority in quality [compared] to the BMW is noticeable. The ride is excellent as well as the larger cargo capacity. I have driven it throughout the USA and the comfort that the car has is outstanding. I feel that Audi needs to get the appropriate credit [for] its quality and craftsmanship and I strongly suggest [you] take a closer look at this car. I also had no problems with my car at all; the only downside [is] that the closest dealer is in Dallas and I live in Fort Worth, but the dealer always takes care of me. Even the dealer, which also owns Mercedes and Lexus dealerships, has noted that if only people would take a closer look at Audi and what it represents as well as the quality they would think really hard [about] considering [a] car [other than] the Avant. I have surely gotten an excellent deal for my money.

Audi has gained a new customer and fan.


Subject: Mercury Cougar
From: Lauren

How could someone possibly think that the Toyota Celica could even touch Mercury's Cougar V6?

I currently drive a Ford ZX2 and it would chew the Celica up and have it for a mid morning snack. The power in my little Escort is, of course, no match for the Cougar.

Please don't get me wrong, the Celica has wonderful styling but between the Cougar and the Celica, I would go with the Cougar.

I think who ever wrote the article about the Cougar should do their homework a little better.


Subject: PT Cruisers
From: Dianne

Hi, I was looking to purchase a PT Cruiser. Why didn't you pick that for one of the Most Wanted? I hear they are selling quite a few...

We named the Chrysler PT Cruiser our Most Significant Vehicle for 2001. This year, the car landed in the midsize station wagon category (because of its prodigious maximum cargo volume measurement) where the VW Passat and Subaru Legacy/Outback stole some of its thunder. Still, we like the PT. Read about it in our long-term test updates.


Subject: Mazda Tribute
From: Brenda

I purchased a 2001 Mazda Tribute in April of 2001. This vehicle was involved in an accident on July 24, 2001. The repairs were completed last week! The three-month delay was due to parts not being available for Mazda Tributes. Our vehicle needed a left strut and Mazda informed us that those [wouldn't] be available until November 9, 2001! The only way we are able to drive our vehicle now is that the dealer who repaired our [Tribute] substituted a Ford Escape strut and even those are rare. We accepted the vehicle last week knowing that a wheel is bent, but there are no 2001 Mazda Tribute wheels available in the entire country! (No, the 2002 wheels don't fit.) I never imagined when I purchased this vehicle that parts would not be available for repairs. I verified with Mazda customer service that this is a national problem and not just an excuse my repair shop gave me. I hope you will take this into consideration when you recommend the 2002 Mazda Tribute as a [Most Wanted] vehicle. When consumers buy automobiles, most of us assume repairs can be made in a reasonable time. Does anyone consider three months reasonable?

Hot sales of both models worldwide, but particularly in North America, is keeping the Kansas City assembly plant where the Tribute and Ford Escape are made running at full tilt. Parts shortages are commonplace when a factory is building as many vehicles as possible to meet strong demand. As demand slows in coming months, parts availability should improve. — Ed.


Subject: New Web Page Design
From: Mike

I have to tell your company that this new way to look up an auto is horrible. I could not find some of the cars I wanted to look up. They took something simple and turned it into a maze.

Thanks for listening but I will not be back!


Subject: Your site is great!
From: Gail

I just wanted you to know that I have thoroughly enjoyed viewing your site. The site is easy to get around in and oh so informative. I had tried several other sites, only to be bogged down and disappointed for lack of information. I can't believe you offer this free on the Internet!

Your advice on buying a new car is so helpful, and I have printed some of the specs, test and opinion columns, so that my husband and I won't get stung this time around. I only wish I had pursued the Internet more and found your site when I bought my Trooper.

We are about to buy an additional car for my husband, and now feel when we make that first offer we will be able to do it with confidence and assurance that we are not offering too little or too much.


Subject: Rear-Drive Slip
From: Ed

I am having a problem with my new car [and was hoping] you can help me. When it rains and the street is wet, I do not get any traction [with] my back wheels when I start to pull away from a stoplight. If I am having that problem now, what is going to happen when it snows? After I bought my car, someone told me that I should have purchased the traction control. I asked the dealer about this problem and I was told that even if I put snow tires on my car the same thing would happen. I was told to put sand bags in my trunk.

On the new 2002 Grand Marquis GS, a traction control of some type is standard. After speaking to some other people who own the same car (1999 & 2000) [I've found that] they have the same problem. How can I correct this problem? Can I have them add the traction control [to] my car? I think that the company knows about this problem and that is why they are adding the traction control as standard equipment on the 2002 models.

What is your suggestion?

Your Grand Marquis has rear-wheel drive. Rear wheel slippage in rain or snow has been a common problem for rear-wheel-drive cars for decades. In fact, part of the reason so many manufacturers have designed vehicles with front-wheel drive is for that layout's superior traction ability in rain and snow, delivered thanks to the fact that the majority of the car's weight sits over the front axle in a front-drive vehicle.

To solve your problem, try tossing some weight, like sandbags, in the trunk of the car. And when winter arrives, get yourself a good set of snow tires. Traction control cannot easily be added to your car at this point, but with decent tires and weight added over the rear axle, you should see some traction benefit. — Ed.


Subject: Dealer Rip-off Stickers
From: Herb

Good article on the subject [of dealer add-ons]. I have bought cars in the Detroit area for the last 25 years and have found that items on the dealer sticker are generally not "installed" when I look at the car and thus can be ignored. If you are armed with good cost information, like an Edmunds printout, they know you will walk if they push paint protectant, etc. As usual, the unknowledgeable, inexperienced and unwary pay.

The Lexus story you discussed is a textbook case of how not to buy a car. In my opinion, if you sign a contract on a car without an idea of MSRP and Invoice costs, you are asking to get ripped. Maybe the dealer figured that this guy was so anxious to drop 70 large that an extra 5 wouldn't be noticed. I'm surprised [that] the dealer, instead of the lame chrome wheel story, just didn't say the car is in short supply, that that was the price and did he want the car or not? Where is it written that the dealer can charge no more than MSRP? I'm having trouble feeling much sympathy for this guy.

As far as the Ford Focus story is concerned did the customer ever consider just going to another dealer? There must be more than one left out there.

Curiously enough, just yesterday I was checking out the Acura website. I had previously checked the Edmunds site and found that there were no factory options on the TL Type-S but their website had a whole list of dealer add-ons. I am thinking about buying one and it will be interesting to see how hard they push this stuff. It seems Acura, at least, is doing their part to try and maximize dealer profits.


Subject: Dealer Add-ons Article
From: Bill

[Thanks for the] interesting and largely well-written article on dealer add-ons.

Interestingly enough, though, I didn't see you mention that SC 430s (until very recently) were wholesaling for at least $5,000 over MSRP. (Last two I sold, $61,911 MSRP cars, did $64,700 and $65,200 at dealer auctions and this was within the past two weeks so prices have come down a tad on them.)

As late as August they were still touching close to $70,000 at auction.

I think you left that part out!


Subject: Greatest Car Chases
From: Ed

I agree the car chase from Bullitt is probably the best I have ever seen and it was on real streets. I have driven some of the route. Actually most of the route. I was driving a 1970 Mustang Mach 1.

Of course, I could not go down Divisidero like they did in the movie. One, the police would have locked me up. Two, who would have stopped the traffic?

The first time I took my wife and children down Divisidero in the Mustang, they screamed the whole way down. Of course, I took them down other streets to include the crooked part of Lombard.


Subject: Greatest Car Chases
From: Mocking Funster

I cannot believe that Miles Cook has enough brains to realize that Two Lane Blacktop is one of the true greats, yet he never mentions (probably doesn't know) that the '55 Chevy, when finished, went on to appear in another great movie. It is the same car driven by Harrison Ford in American Graffiti. Every "car guy" in the free world knows this.

We imported Miles from East Germany when the wall fell. Not his fault. — Ed.


Subject: BMW Z8 Road Test
From: Colin

[Regarding] Neil Dunlop's Z8 road test article...

I know some of your "critics" claim Edmunds has an [overt] BMW slant. This article is "classic." I guess the center instrument cluster doesn't seem to look so bad on a BMW Z8 vs. a Toyota Echo. No slam about a $120,000+ super sports car having an instrument cluster like the econo-death-box Echo?

Funny, I thought your editor in chief complained that readers claim the Edmunds folks don't know these things or don't choose to mention it. Well, if Neil is such a "gear head" who tests hundreds of cars and is supposed to know the industry, [failing to mention] that the Z8's instrument cluster looked Echo-like seems like a joke. Even a mere novice like me knew this one.

Sure, I know Neil probably knew. However, I thought you folks were not going to pull punches.

Anyways, tell Neil to have a nice time in Tahiti.

Didn't you hear, Colin? Times are tough and budgets are being cut. Now BMW only flies us to Cabo on the weekends. --Ed


Subject: 2001 Toyota Echo
From: Jeff

Just a note to tell you that I love my new Toyota Echo. I am writing because I feel the information given about the Echo is a bit misleading.

1. Under the "Top 10 Least Expensive Vehicles," you state that the Echo tends to hobbyhorse and wag its tail on the freeway. How about this: I have just driven from Washington D.C. to Knoxville and I did not have this problem in the least. I'm sure every small car has a problem with cross winds and trucks passing due to the light weight. I didn't.
   
2. One thing I do not like is the mirrors. They are not easy to adjust. Recommend to everyone that they opt for the ability to adjust the mirrors from the inside.
   
3. We bought our Echo from Carmax. No haggle, no tricks, no trade off to the manager, and no pressure! Their fast and friendly service had us in and out with our new car in a very short time.