Posted on 09/11/2006 9:22:16 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
Cougar Ace towed across the Columbia Riverbar enroute to Portland, Oregon to offload close to 5,000 2007 Mazdas following the greatest maritime salvage operation in maritime history.
Per AutoBlog: http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/11/cougar-ace-update-no-mazdas-aboard-will-be-sold-as-new-vehicles/
Mazda has announced that none of the 4,700+ vehicles aboard the ill-fated cargo ship Cougar Ace will be sold as new vehicles. According to a press release issued by the automaker a short time ago, cars that are damaged beyond repair will be scrapped immediately. Cars that are deemed fixable and saleable, however, could be sold through Mazda's dealer network as used vehicles. Mazda stresses that no decision on saleability will be made until after the full load of vehicles is unloaded and inspected in Portland, OR. Cougar Ace left Alaska under tow on 9/1 and is expected to arrive in Oregon tomorrow.
For its part, Mazda is being completely transparent about this and will publish the complete list of VIN numbers for every vehicle aboard the ship at MazdaUSA.com and their Canadian site, Mazda.ca, As has been stated before, the cargo consists mostly of Mazda3s and Mazda CX-7s.
Cougar Ace suffered a near-catastrophic mishap on July 23 when an error during reballasting at sea sent the vessel into a steep list. She stayed afloat, however, and her crew was rescued. Sadly, an accident on board claimed the life of Marty Johnson, a naval architect working on the salvage team that ultimately righted the ship off the Alaskan coast in late August.
We're pleased to see that Mazda is handling this the right way. Publicizing the VIN list is a great good faith measure, and doing so inoculates them from accusations of trying to pass on damaged goods to customers. In fact, we wonder if the list will actually help them close a few deals along the way (assuming some cars are in repairable condition).
Think about it: given their history, some may view the cars on board as odd collectibles -- reminders of a fascinating and dramatic maritime event. In this case, the VIN list serves as irrefutable proof of the cars' backgrounds.
Still, you won't find us lining up for one if they show up in dealerships. We prefer cars whose trips across the ocean are more boring and uneventful.
Should have bought a TVR Tuscan 2 Convertible. ;)
The 07 Altima is a much better design than the former model, you need to see this from Nissan; http://www.nissanusa.com/altima07/ , click on styling and photo gallery for 360 view of the car.
I believe the engine problem was resolved under warrentee, but it still gives me enough concern to think twice before purchasing a Nissan.
Yup. I got a 94 Sentra LE w/186K on it. Had to take it to the shop yesterday and have them put it on the lift just to change the oil filter... (it's got that damawful filter at the back of the block arrangement)
The kid looks at it and says "Man, that's one clean rig...". I say hey, stuff will last if you take care of it. How much of your business is dames who never change their oil and then complain their car isn't running good?
He says "Oh, about 90 percent!"
So I got it home and finished changing the oil. Still gets 36-38 highway and 25-27 putzin around town. Should be able to easily get another 50-75K out of it.
Thanks for the link - I'll stick with my opinion of its styling, though - inoffensive, but uninspired....
If your car is as clean as you make it sound, I wouldn't think another 50-75k is a stretch at all.
Along a similar topic, I've seen data on transmission failure rates for some vehicles... even on more troublesome transmissions, there is a HUGE difference in reliability when they are serviced regularly at 2-3 year intervals. Very similar to your mechanic's 90 percent comment.
US automakers need a decent, reasonably priced rear wheel drive sedan. I will not purchase a front wheel drive car, I do not care for the driving dynamics.
You obviously have no clue about the global market and American business. All American business has requested for years...is a level playing field. Why should Toyota be allowed to dump their cars on American markets, charging a lower price based on the knowledge they can keep competition at bay by keeping American cars out of Japan using dirty tricks?
We over regulate American business and actually cripple their ability to compete. Japan subsidizes their business as do most other countries. This violate WTO policy, but don't expect any fairness for American business in the WTO boardroom or for that matter in congress or the whitehouse.
American business provides prosperity for Americans. If good jobs such as in manufacturing go away-prepare yourself for socialism. Our system is based on employee provided benefits. Maybe in retrospect this was a bad idea. However, at the end of the day, this a fact. We will end up with national healthcare and a host of other social welfare programs which will replace this employer based system. You may think your foreign car purchase is a good deal, but in the end it will cost us dearly.
I believe true patriots understand the importance of American business. As for GM not being patriotic. You talk like a liberal. Corportations are comprised of people who may or may not be patriotic. This is not a faceless corporation- some large entity. We are talking about people with children, families and friends. People who live in the US. People who will always care more for what happens in this country then those who are loyal to Japan or Europe.
Bashing American business used to be the job of the Democrats. Yet, I hear people on this board bashing Walmart, GM and Ford etc. on a regular basis. You can not be considered a patriot if you are bashing Americans -even if they work in an industry which you obviously despise.
The 05's weren't subject to that - so it's a one year fluke.
On the other hand, it's still not on the scale of the 92-05 Ford truck fire problem, which was both poor QC and just bad design to begin with.
Nor do I - I hate front drivers.
Fortunately, Chrysler has the 300C and Dodge Charger for us. Inexpensive RWD sedans - they're the screaming deal in the sedan market now.
What, the one from the cruise control switch made by Texas Instruments that was installed in Fords from 94-02 (not 94-05)? FYI, that switch was used in many vehicles from many makes, but only Ford recalled the switches (the problem comes from the position they were mounted in). There were 65 confirmed fires. That's bad. But that's also out of some 20 million switches.
The Altima recall referred to "several" reports of engine fires..... If they had just one, that's a four times higher fire rate than seen on that cruise control switch.
The problem isn't just the position, it's the idea. Why would you leave the cruise control system powered when the car is off? The switch shorts, heats up, since there's no air moving in the compartment the brake fluid overheats and ignites, and you can pretty much kiss the truck good by at that point.
That's why the trucks catch fire. And it's more widespread than 94-02, since there have been documented cases of 03's and 04's catching on fire because of this. I have pictures of one that cooked off down the street from me.
Well said.
Thanks-I am so sick of conservatives bashing GM, Ford etc. They now have the best warrenty program in the industry. 100,000 miles-this is not purchased it comes with the car. This say something about their commitment to quality. Some people on this board hate all American cars. In my opinion, this us just as anti-American and unpatriotic as those who rant about big business on the Dem underground.
I am hoping with the recent steep fall in gasoline prices that perhaps sales might be a bit better than this article suggests.
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