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#31
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Nordic Skiing Automobile
Gene-
I agree with you 100% on the Lemonaide site- it is a very helpfull accurate site. I am not sure I agree with your other point. I guess the biggest factor is WHO do you trust. You do not know me as a skier or an auto repair professional -so you have nothing to base my opinions on. I was just trying to offer good helpfull information to my fellow RSN members because I KNOW my abilities, knowledge,honesty and experiences are far superior to anyone else in this group. I guess you will have to ask some of my customers about that. I do have to differ with your opinion on the average auto consumer- I get to see them in action everyday. I gree the SMART consumer will use many sources of info, but MOST of them are controlled my marketing and media hype. By the way- I was very leery about comparing auto repair people and doctors because of the poor reputation both groups have. We just have to remmeber that there are MANY good people in both groups but we all get lumped together as bad. I guess I'll just go back to helping by customers who already know they can trust the information I give them. Joe Gene Goldenfeld wrote in message ... Joe Ricci wrote: The size of any test group is not as important as the quality of the test group. Consumer Reports relies on feedback from consumers who are very often NOT an unbiased group. They are also NOT a knowledgeable group. The AVERAGE automotive consumer does not have the proper knowledge to make good decisions. Many people also have a hard time admitting that they made a bad purchase. I prefer to rely on automotive professionals for information. I am not the ONLY auto repair shop owner who thinks this. I think doctors are a good source of medical information, auto repair professionals are probably a good source for automotive information. Auto sales people are not in the same group as auto repair people. I'm glad you made this latter point, Joe, because throughout this thread I've been thinking..."This guy really wants me to hold in high esteem a sample of opinions that includes all those auto repair guys and chains that have been trying to rip me and everyone else off forever, whether through willful dishonesty or just plain incompetence." Likewise, one can speak of a sizable proportion of doctors...well, I'll stick to the topic. The irony is, Joe, that the biases of tens of thousands of CR's respondents you are criticizing are in good part shaped by the auto repair professionals they come in contact with, the ones that provide them the explanations of what's wrong with their cars; i.e., people like you. Nonetheless, if the long-term trend in U.S. and Canadian sales figures for Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru and a very few others are good indicators, I'd say that consumers are a lot better at making car decisions than you give them credit for. I think the smart consumer, and perhaps most, take a look at a variety of sources and try to make the best of them in the context of their needs and desires. To that end, thanks to Peter Hoffman for mentioning Lemon-Aid, which I'd never heard of. Phil Edmonston's site is probably the most intelligent (and modest) discussion of auto recommendations, problems and fixes for the consumer that I've ever come across. Gene Goldenfeld |
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#32
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Nordic Skiing Automobile
On Mon, 4 Aug 2003, GR wrote: 4) I agree it is good to get info from both sources if you can, I have not had good luck with the skill level at auto shops, so I don't trust them. I have been happy with my local Honda dealer, but that is at some extra cost of course. Going way, way, off-topic here, I'll just say that my experience has been that repair shops are like just about anything else in life. There are poor ones, reasonably good ones, and even some great ones. It pays to talk to your friends and find out what shops they like, then give them a try. I have a few shops I patronize regularly and a few more that I patronize occasionally. I like small shops where I can get to know the mechanics and owners (sometimes the same person) personally and learn over time what they are good at, what they aren't so good at, and what jobs they don't like to do. I rarely patronize the dealer repair shops, and for the most part find them the most frustrating to deal with. But again some are better than others. -Mitch |
#33
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Nordic Skiing Automobile
No votes for the Volvo Cross-Country?
Bob -----Original Message----- From: Mitch Collinsworth To: Multiple recipients of list NORDIC-SKI Date: Monday, August 04, 2003 10:11 PM Subject: Nordic Skiing Automobile On Mon, 4 Aug 2003, GR wrote: 4) I agree it is good to get info from both sources if you can, I have not had good luck with the skill level at auto shops, so I don't trust them. I have been happy with my local Honda dealer, but that is at some extra cost of course. Going way, way, off-topic here, I'll just say that my experience has been that repair shops are like just about anything else in life. There are poor ones, reasonably good ones, and even some great ones. It pays to talk to your friends and find out what shops they like, then give them a try. I have a few shops I patronize regularly and a few more that I patronize occasionally. I like small shops where I can get to know the mechanics and owners (sometimes the same person) personally and learn over time what they are good at, what they aren't so good at, and what jobs they don't like to do. I rarely patronize the dealer repair shops, and for the most part find them the most frustrating to deal with. But again some are better than others. -Mitch |
#34
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Nordic Skiing Automobile
Volvo XC Rules! Got a 99. Will drive it until about...oh...2019.
Eric "Shmo" Chandler Duluth, MN |
#35
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Nordic Skiing Automobile
I prefer rear wheel drive for a more "spirited" drive out to the trails. I have a BMW 318i Wagon that has plenty of room for boots and junk in the back but is small enough to be bags of fun on snow-packed/frosty roads. Doubt mine'll make it to 2019 though... Joseph PS: If you ever drive past me spun into a snow bank on the side of the road, will you stop and pull me out ;-) In Eric W. Chandler wrote: Volvo XC Rules! Got a 99. Will drive it until about...oh...2019. Eric "Shmo" Chandler Duluth, MN |
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