CU made a hasty decision to give Suzuki an unacceptable rating a long,
long time ago. To save face, they have stuck to their guns, which is to


There often appears to some editorial bias
in the CU findings. I commented on the
silly disparity between late 1980's ratings on identical Chevy and Toyota
vehicles made in the same plant to identical specs, but I have some across an
anecdotal item that seems to suggest that CU continues to give some imports
"extra credit" based on nameplate alone:








In the past I did not have the luxury of test driving or investigating vehicles
properly prior to purchase. My first vehicle was part of former relationship
(1987 Mercury Topaz, purchased new) the next vehicle replaced the Topaz when it
ceased to function. That replacement was my 1986 Honda Prelude, (purchased Fall
1992) . When I drove the Prelude until it could take no more, I then acquired
my 1996 Acura Integra (purchased new Fall 1996).

Thankfully this time my vehicle is in great health, so I have had the
opportunity to enjoy the search. I would like to share with you some of my
discoveries. See also my past experiences with test drives and vehicles I have
owned and grew up with! ENJOY!









(some snipped)







Saturn (1992)
Not long after Saturn came out, I was looking for a car. I went to go check
them out. First let me talk about the salesperson, was it she was rude or was
she that stupid? I test drove the Coupe, and there was a horrible glare on the
windshield the entire time I was driving no matter the direction of the sun,
she made the comment that I would get used to that! I returned the comment
about their safety standards would have to be as they were, if the driver can
not see out of the windshield accidents are inevitable! This sealed my
feelings, and was closed with the mediocre history added with their
unimaginative styling, then the cult following cinched it!



Chad's Cars... he apparently has had more, but these are the ones I have
witnessed!


Currently Up for Adoption (1-25-03)
Toyota Tacoma 2001 with off road package & extended cab.
In white with beige interior. Pain in the but to get into, I need a ladder! I
am not crazy about the truck like ride, although it is not as much so as other
trucks, which is a plus. Good looking vehicle, (except I don't like the
interior, Toyota never had nice interior, though I hope they are working on
that)

The other thing I don't care for is how Toyota has been working so closely with
GM over the years, yeah it has been slow but still it has been happening.
(Chevy Nova/ Geo Prism & the Toyota Corolla.) now there is the (Pontiac Vibe &
the Toyota Matrix) Of course I found it funny that Consumer Reports like the
Matrix over the Vibe, even though they are identical, apparently there is just
a little something else there that made the difference! I am thankfully Honda
has avoided this so far, I just hope they continue to do so!