Any differences between the Big 3 domestic trucks are what small, niggling, little components are going to craap out first. The similarities are much more pronounced...... they are all built with dodo materials to dodo specs for too much money.... and all that dodo comes together to work reasonably well(amazingly).
However in the modern world vehicle market, N.A. products are definitely sub-standard compared to those from Europe and most of Asia. China and many newer, smaller Asian manufacturers are still the benchmark for Complete Craap, but it sure seems like the Big 3 are trying to win that one.....
Right now in my garage and parked around the place are... (4-6 wheeled varieties only)
08 Vette convertible----- fast, fun and poorly built, borderline junk... somehow it gets 25+ mpg??? Looks good if that's your thing.
09 Malibu LTZ----- complete trash, possibly the cheapest feeling car I have driven since my 82 Suzuki Samurai(not fair to Suzi, she felt more solid, and she was mostly used up when I got my mitts on her), full leather interior that is mostly made from some plastic your computer monitor would be embarrassed to be made of, decent V-6 engine bolted to a terrible 6 speed auto box---- paddle shifters included... pretty ugly too, even with the expensive 'appearance package'... did I mention the full leather interior that is 90% (cheap!!!) plastic?
09 Expedition King Ranch------ how this thing ended up here is a Soap Opera crossed with a horror flick, but there it sits. It uses more fuel while parked than my car does at 200 kph, it takes more real estate to park than I need to practice figure 8's on the bike and cost more than a University Education. And it still feels cheap, uses horrible materials that feel cheaper than they are(how that's possible, I don't know), drives like a GreyHound Bus, is stupidly under-powered and over-fueled... words cannot fully relate how much I hate this dam thing, or it's place in my life. And UGLY!!! It's a rolling
.
99 F350 4x4 dually----- best domestic on the place, or most any other for that matter. Due mostly to the fact that the only original Ford parts are the pristine body, reinforced frame and chipped 7.3 PowerStroke. Ats trans, and Curry axle guts, suspension pieced together from SkyJacker, Rancho and Energy Suspension, and a boatload of other goodies sprinkled around..... good truck. Had to build most of it at home, but still a dam good truck when done. And it's the only one currently for sale
08 Tiburon------ by far the best built vehicle here. Solid feel, good quality materials throughout, has the most miles and still has no rattles(the only one in this group that don't rattle and the first 3 all have less than 5000 km on them), fun to drive(for a front drive car), 40 mpg and all day comfortable to drive. Front windshield glass is soft.. only problem with the car so far. Has the most mileage next to the Toyota. Looks good.
88 Toyota Corolla wagon----- more miles on it than the Odo can count, rusty and beat to dodo, has a funky smell to it and a muffler off a John Deer tractor gives it a unique sound. Still drives better than the Malibu or Expidition and I would rather drive it to the coast than either of the those 2. Gets either 35+ mpg or 30 mpg, depending on if #2 cylinder decides to fire that day or not. Large holes everyplace in the body make it less than ideal for winter driving. Also pretty ugly, but it has lead a life that explains that.
The Big 3 makers are going to feel the hurt of the changing economy in a big way, and it is mostly their own fault for putting out such garbage in the face of the competition's offerings. That sucks for the folks who work there and will not help our economic woes at all, but they did it to themselves. Bail-outs may or may not be an answer, but if they don't start making decent quality vehicles, they deserve to tank. They had better open their eyes and give their head a shake, reality is about to come down on them like Oprah on a cheesecake.
After all that ranting..... winter driving in a domestic pick-up is still way fun and not something I will be stopping anytime soon. Spent most of my life doing incredibly stupid things in trucks over and over and still ain't had my fill.
