This is the second Chrysler product we bought and our last.
  We had a Caravan with nothing but problems
  and now Robin's PT Cruiser is starting. The starter
  just went out. The shift lever has stiffened up.
  She bought it on looks :)

   Chrysler should have been left to go bankrupt but instead
  we spent billions bailing them out.

  Paul Lamar


  Chrysler has had quality control problem issues periodically over the
 years.
 Things get bad, consumers go elsewhere and they go on a QC program. Cycle
 repeats  over and over. This has been a long stretch of bad. I think they
 have
 gotten into the "more new model releases" thought pattern and have not
 realized the problem. Look at Toyota and Honda; some of the best selling
 cars
 globally. They do not introduce many new models. Just update and refine the
 existing products. I worked at the local Chrysler dealer for a while and
 they
 have nothing to interest me. Look at Consumer Reports and Car and Driver.
 They
 both have magazines out right now with ratings. The ONLY Chrysler product
 they
 recommend is the Ram 1500 pickup. They are pretty good but I have
 reservations
 there as well. For pickups, the new Ford Ranger/Mazda BT50 seem to be very
 good. Truck Trends did a test on the Ranger and describe it as a great
 truck
 with one problem, they are not bringing it to North America. In Russia the
 BT50 four door loaded is $35762CAD. 2.5 diesel gets 29 MPG US highway. The
 Ford is the same. Size and look is more like the discontinued Ford Explorer
 Sport Trac.
  Might be good idea to take Robin to look at the new Mazda 3 Skyactiv. 2.0L
 with 155HP is advertized to get 40 MPG US. These are rated very good with
 4.5
 stars out of 5. Typical Japanese quality.

 Dale Davies

 When it comes to piston engine IMHO it is hard to beat Honda.
 I love the 2004 Odyssey we have. Once I took out 300 pounds
 of rear seats that 3.5 L V6  MOVES!!!!


 Paul Lamar



 My 12 company pickup trucks were all Dodge- but only the 2500 or up, with
 the Cummins Diesel, manual transmission and the best suspension available.
 These trucks routinely go half a million miles and get 25 MPG. Not bad for
 a truck that empty weighs 4 tons.

 The chevys that we ran never made 100K without issues and never got more
 than 15 MPG, and the Fords were worse.

 I haven't had such good service from the other Chrysler products- the
 trucks and cars with the gas engines suffered from poor fuel economy and
 maintenance problems like the Fords and Chevys.

 I did notice something from having a fleet of trucks for over 20 years- my
 Dodge trucks that I get such good service out of are made in Mexico and
 have been since 1992 with the body style change, and the others are made at
 various plants in the US.

 Another observation- I am restoring a 1974 Hatteras boat, and have almost
 completed disassembling my 1968 Bellanca Viking. The Craftsmanship that
 exists in these two markedly different items is remarkable. The Viking has
 a steel tube fuselage that was hand welded with an acetylene torch. And the
 welds are absolutely beautiful. The fit of the steel tubes is remarkable.
 No gaps, no filler welds, just pride and craftsmanship at its finest. The
 Vikings wood wings are absolutely a work of art. Aside from a liberal
 application of glue (not a bad thing) each part fits perfectly. All 1200 of
 them in each wing.

 What we get today, particularly if its made in the US, doesn't compare. In
 spite of the CAD systems where each part can be laid out to withing
 thousands of and inch, and then cut on a machine by a computer with equal
 precision, after the machines get through it has to go to a person that
 doesn't know what "Craftsmanship" means. Its very discouraging.

 Craftsmanship and quality mean only one thing- care enough to do it right.
 And accept nothing less than that.

 Thats what you are experiencing with your vehicles. As long as they get a
 check, they dont care.

 My speech "Never do anything for money- do it because you want to, and do
 it the best that it can be done. If you do what you do the best it can be
 done, success and money will follow you around. Chase money and you will
 never catch it."

 OK- I'm off my soap box now.

  Kevin Alderman

Cummins makes great engines.
I have always liked Vikings. Those are exceptional airplanes. Has anybody made a
carbon fiber wing yet? When the economy recovers next November it might be a good
biz for somebody.

Wood rot scares me :)

We have a shop in SZP that repairs Vikings and it seems they are
always working on the wings.

Here is an idea. Put the whole wing (with out fabric) in a big
autoclave and pressure treat it with epoxy. Might be cheaper than
carbon for FAA approval.

Paul Lamar