Large Cars...

Which car do you think is the best in the large car market.
Chevrolet Caprice/Impala
Buick LeSabre
Chrysler 300M
Dodge Intrepid
Ford Crown Victoria
Mercury Grand Marquis
Pontiac Bonneville
Take into account every aspect and post your opinions here.
I have to pick the caprice/impala just cause i own one lol, but if i didnt pick that than i'd maybe pick the 300M.

Chevrolet Impala- Crap
Buick LeSabre- Crap
Chrysler 300M- My choice, but no longer in production
Dodge Interpid- My in-production choice- but still pretty crap
Ford Crown Victoria- Ladder frame- very crap
Mercury Grand Marquis- as above
Pontiac Bonneville- Looks good, but otherwise crap.

yeah i didnt want to put in the new 300 because its not for sale yet is it?
btw you dont like the large car market do you? lol

Chrysler 300M by a large margin. Intrepid would be next. Everything else is just plain boring.

Well, the Nissan Maxima and Honda Accord (USM) are both pretty big cars and I like them both, but I live in Europe and Big cars aren't exactly very common over here. The only big cars take the form of Limos!!!

i guess i would say the intrepid. i hate them all but i hate the intrepid the least. hahaha.

I'm also liking the 300M over the rest. Really, hardly any of these car appeal to me, with the exepction of the Bonneville (slightly). Maybe if their was a GTP it would of been a harder choice.

Dodge Charger (when it comes out)

http://plaza.ufl.edu/nismo1/dc.jpg

Eh, I picked the Grand Marquis just because it's the most reliable of them all. (Police use it's cousin after all.) It's a bit more plush than the Crown Vic too. They're okay in the power dept. too compared to the others in the poll. I don't think I'd buy any of them though, I don't have a use for a large car.

I pick the 300M easily over the others too.

Why haven't you included any Europeans? Everyone know they are the best in the large car market. Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo... Maybe also include Vel Satis and Peugot 607 although they are not of my personal favorites!

Why haven't you included any Europeans? Everyone know they are the best in the large car market. Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo... Maybe also include Vel Satis and Peugot 607 although they are not of my personal favorites!


Well probably he just wanted an american car comparison.

I would go with the 300M with the Intrepid in second. Same car, different body panels and interior.

yes your right Neutrino. i own a caprice so that was kinda why i did this poll but the main thing was to see what people thought were the best choices. i guess to make this a closer poll i should have used the Concorde instead of the 300m but i decided to stick the 300m in there instead. and yes i think the charger will be a cool car coming up. not as cool as the oldies mind you though.

Why haven't you included any Europeans? Everyone know they are the best in the large car market. Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo... Maybe also include Vel Satis and Peugot 607 although they are not of my personal favorites!

They should be the best, they cost twice/three times as much. :rolleyes:

Converted to US dollars a Peugeot 607 would cost a little above that of the above mentioned cars, is better than them, but not by much.


And Yes, the Europeans large cars are too expensive and the Americans large cars are just plain awful.

the Holden Statesman and Ford Fairlane are the king of the over-sized tanks.

I don't find the 300M to be a big car at all. The legroom up front is pretty shitty(for a 6'er), and the cabin feels tight and crammed. This comming from a guy whose gone through a '98 & '01 Grand Prix. The powertrain is also pretty lacking on the 300m - I know that shouldn't really matter for this comparo but because of its sleek and somewhat sporty image a lot of people seem to drive the car like its got balls, when in fact it doesn't.

I agree that most of the others in this comparo suck like the Chevy & Bonney, but I really dig the Crown Vic's/Grand Marquees - now that is what you call a "BIG" car. Good olde rear wheel drive V8 boats that feel like you're riding on air.

As far as reliability or dealer service goes I can't say that Ford is any worse or better than GM or Mercedes(literally). Everything is about pricepoints these days. My buddy with his dinky little overpriced Compressor is always taking it in and yelling at guys to look at issues. People shit on Ford quality or praise Chrysler service when in fact it really depends on a) which factory the car came from, and b) which particular dealership you go to get it serviced.

Don't mean to usurp this thread, but GM's car & truck plant here in Oshawa, Ontario was voted as North America's best plant last year in terms of quality. That is where your Impalla's come from, so the likelihood that the car will be a lemon or nagger will be low (I happen to hate the car simply because its so fucking bland and boring). As far as dealerships go its all over the place - almost have to go round checking them out, bringing your car in for service if possible to see how they treat you and watch the guys work.

Having someone you know on the inside is always a plus (helps charges disappear from your invoices!)

I don't find the 300M to be a big car at all. The legroom up front is pretty shitty(for a 6'er), and the cabin feels tight and crammed. This comming from a guy whose gone through a '98 & '01 Grand Prix. The powertrain is also pretty lacking on the 300m - I know that shouldn't really matter for this comparo but because of its sleek and somewhat sporty image a lot of people seem to drive the car like its got balls, when in fact it doesn't.

My parents have owned two 300Ms and I can attest that this couldn't be further from the truth.

Converted to US dollars a Peugeot 607 would cost a little above that of the above mentioned cars, is better than them, but not by much.


And Yes, the Europeans large cars are too expensive and the Americans large cars are just plain awful.

the Holden Statesman and Ford Fairlane are the king of the over-sized tanks.

European large cars are better?? What are you talking about? Maybe in the 80's and early 90's, but if it's one area besides large trucks that American companies excel in it's building BIG land yachts, it's all they've done in the past. I don't remember who said it in here, but somone mentioned that driving a big american car is like rolling to wherever you want to go in your la-z-boy recliner, you have to fight not to go to sleep they're so comfortable. Slow, powerless (unless it's a caddy or a Grand Marq), with shitty gas mileage, but definitely the most comfortable of all car types. If old people buy them, they'd better be comfortable.

You obviously have much more experience with the 300M than I do Polygon. I was actually surprised to learn that the 300M has 42.2" of front legroom - identical to the Grand Prix's legroom. This leads me to believe that the model I had the pleasure of riding shotgun in a few times must have had a problem with the front passanger seat, as I was unable to stretch out my feet with the seat back as far back as possible.

I'm not hear to impose the Grand Prix into this comparo (cause its NOT a big car), but just to illustrate the point of why I don't consider the 300M to be a "big" car: the Grand Prix has 38.8" front headroom to the 300M's 38.3", 16 cubic feet truck space vs. 16.8 ft3, 98 ft3 interior space vs. 105 ft3. As for why I felt the 300M's interior was more crammed than a GP? Perhaps its larger/deeper seats appeared to take up more cabin space.

As far as the 300M's performance goes, I will clarify that it is definitely among the top with these other big cars (but put my money on the Bonney). Its just the way I see some people act when they're in this car (including my friend)... they should stick to racing Grand Am's and Sentra's. Mustang's and GTP's are out of its league.

You get spoiled when the car you learned to drive with had 280 lbs/ft of torque I suppose. OK, I think the 300M is a quick mid-big sized car.

You must be taller than I. I'm 6' 2" and I have no complaints about the legroom in either of my parents 300Ms. I have an Eagle Vision TSi, which is a very similar car, and I can't complain about the legroom in that either. As for the power, the 3.5L is no LT1 but it has plenty of power and gets that car up and moving pretty quick for being around 3,500 pounds or more. Neither of the Ms have lost a race, and my Vision which has a inferior version of the 3.5L has only lost to a 360ci Grand Cherokee.

:grinno: Oh I wasn't even bringing my car into this discussion - the 280 lbs/ft I mentioned was my Pop's '98 & '01 GTP.

and ya about the legroom I was saying that there must have been something wrong with the front passenger seat of the 300M I rode in.

I like the Chrysler 300M becuase it looks cool and it seems that most of the other people like it too.

lol Devilz. you should have picked the caprice/impala than and supported my car:). i dont actually like the styling on the 300m that much. i guess the bonneville has the best styling in my opinion, but remember that looks weren't one of the main issues with the large car market(or at least it doesnt seem like it).

Oh okay well I don't know so much because I'm new here and I don't know too much about these things but I think the caprice/impala is pretty good though.

oh ok thats cool. check out some of the forums and im sure your knowledge will grow rapidly lol. i dont think there is anyone who couldnt learn something about cars from AF.

Well, out of the choices....I'd have to say the Intrepid...just based on what I've seen done to it.
The guy I worked with, shit...who taught me the tricks of Fiberglass enclosures and plexi lighting had a 99 Intrepid: lowered 3 inches on 18" Veloche Spikes, and instead of INTREPID on the trunk lid...he bought another set of the OEM lettering and rearranged them to read "TRIPPIN"
The best part was the system.....back seat-gone. In place was a door to door floor to ceiling wall. 3 Kove Armageddon U2-15's with about 6 cu.ft. Of port area behind the headrests. Had 6 Memphis 1500d's(1 per voice coil) in a nice trunk presentation. THE loudest thing I've ever heard in a street setup and registered a 167db at a USAC soundoff, pretty good given the slope of the windshield caused the seal to pop with the pressure.

As far as large cars go...I've always had a sweet spot for the final generation Cadillac Eldorado. V8 powered luxury 2-dr coupe. Too bad it was only auto and FWD.
Hmmm, always wondered what a Twin-Turboed LS1'd, T56 6-speed manual,RWD Eldorado would act like ;)

I'm not really sure being a Pontiac nut I'd probably say the Bonneville, only because the choices aren't that great, then again the Grand Marquis has a V8, but I'd still have to say the Bonneville.

out of all the choices up there i would never have thought that the bonneville would be the only one not to get a vote. i should have used the concorde instead of the 300m, than it might have been a bit more interesting.

out of all the choices up there i would never have thought that the bonneville would be the only one not to get a vote. i should have used the concorde instead of the 300m, than it might have been a bit more interesting.

I know what you mean about the Bonney - I think a lot of people are unfamiliar with the new 2004 model. The Bonneville was such a wicked car back in the early-mid 90's: the passenger seats were 12-way power/lumbar and HUGE, sound system kicked, and it was the first GM(or any other) vehicle to have HUD (Heads up Display) - which for those who have never experienced it before is simply amazing.

Then GM went and totally fucked the design of the Bonney in like '97 I think. The new Grand Prix GTP's got the same 3800 supercharged V6 and were faster, lighter, sportier, and got HUD too. The worst came a few years back when GM started borrowing parts (like the shitty leather seats from the Grand Prix) and using them in the Bonney.

I was surprised when I saw the new Bonney at the Detroit Auto Show a few weeks ago. The front design is very sporty/aggressive and the rear end isn't pug-fuggly anymore. The interior is redesigned with very nice carbon-fiber trim and brushed aluminum accents. The biggest surprise is the new Cadillac/NortherStar powerplant they've dropped in:

278 cid/4.6L DOHC 32V V6
10.0:1 compression ratio
275 HP @ 5600 RPM
300 lb/ft torque @ 4000 RPM

Give it time but this car will be getting people's attention again.

EDIT: I can't believe they don't offer HUD on the Bonney anymore. :disappoin What a shame.

Whoever just voted in the poll read this:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=162405

Thread closed