Chrysler execs to drive used fleet returns

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Oct 14, 2006 (AP)? The top 250 executives at Chrysler are test driving 3-year-old vehicles to check reliability and the consumer experience at the request of Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Tom LaSorda.

The executives will turn in their 2006 and 2007 vehicles for two 10-day periods to test-drive a used fleet of Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chrysler Town & Country minivans, Dodge Caravan minivans, Chrysler Pacifica crossovers and Dodge Ram pickups, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.

Having test drives for used vehicles was LaSorda's idea and he was seen recently driving an old Grand Cherokee, the newspaper said.

"In our positions we're pretty fortunate that we typically get to drive new cars," said Steve Walukas, vice president of corporate quality. "I know in my own situation, my friends, neighbors and relatives say, 'You wouldn't know what it's like to drive a car with a lot of miles on it.' This is a true way to understand."

The program for executives at DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group began in August and will run for two more months, Walukas said. The executives will evaluate each test-drive with a report on first impressions and another report on how things went during the 10-day trial, the newspaper said.

Chrysler says it has about 30 million vehicles in the U.S. and the average age is six to eight years old.

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In my opinion, 10 days is not nearly enough. They should have these things minimum six months. That way they can see what would actually go wrong with a car that age and what areas need to be looked at. This is a step in the right direction and I hope other American car companies follow suit.
 
I agree they need to live with the car for no less than 6 months.

My dad's 2004 Town & Country is just now starting to make worrying noises :x

Maybe they'll get the picture that their cars cant stay on the road for very long.

I dont know why I'm spouting off random sentences :lol:
 
http://img157.imageshack.**/img157/8489/manatee26jssmallcy7.jpg

How will they ever survive driving such old cars for that long?!
 
Wow, 10 whopping days? That sure is the consumer experience in a nutshell there. Golly gee, maybe they'll make a trip to Friendly's for an ice cream or something. Or even an excursion to Home Depot for some plywood like what's always being shown in SUV commercials. Man, the possibilities are endless.
 
WOAH! Ten days! These execs are living life on the edge!

That's a joke. As has been mentioned, a minimum of 6 months to get a real feel for what can (and will?) go wrong with the cars.
 
Not to mention the cars are only 3 years old. If anything goes wrong in even a 2 month long period on a consistant basis, your car is really really terrible. We've had out car for almost 3 years and we've had 1 problem with it o_O.
 
Nice idea, but 10 days is just pointless, and really sends the wrong message.
 
Seems to me that the only benefit to come of this is a little better quality with the trim and interior coverings.
Exec. Log for 2005 Town & Country:
- "Amazing power for a car with 30k miles! The mileage is actually better than my new car. I never knew!"
- "Ride is smooth over most surfaces. Are the tires as old as the car?"
- "***Immediate dispatch to Quality Control!!! The depth of the carpet under the driver's heel is 15% thinner than the rest of the car!!!"
- "Be sure to send a bottle of wine to Mr. LaSorda as congratulations. His idea really paid off. We'll have the best carpet in the business!"
 
Fleet vehicles are likely to have a crap load of miles on them, to have been treated like a rental car, and to have a nice funk which even the deepest cleaning could not get out. Anything more then ten days might be considered cruel and unusual punishment.
 
"If you can find a better car, buy it!"

Ok.
 
Exec. Log for 2005 Town & Country:
- "Amazing power for a car with 30k miles! The mileage is actually better than my new car. I never knew!"
- "Ride is smooth over most surfaces. Are the tires as old as the car?"
- "***Immediate dispatch to Quality Control!!! The depth of the carpet under the driver's heel is 15% thinner than the rest of the car!!!"
- "Be sure to send a bottle of wine to Mr. LaSorda as congratulations. His idea really paid off. We'll have the best carpet in the business!"


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!111!11


I'd seriously think this was satire, or like somthing from The Onion if you didn't tell me otherwise.
 
Susurrate said:
Fleet vehicles are likely to have a crap load of miles on them, to have been treated like a rental car, and to have a nice funk which even the deepest cleaning could not get out. Anything more then ten days might be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

So why is my immediate thought to make this mandatory for all multimillionaire auto executives?
 
Good idea, but I agree that 10 days too short a time. I think that the execs should be proud of their products and they should as a matter of course drive their own companies' cars, and I mean for what ever car company they work.
 
I couldn't survive 10 days with one of those cars. ehehe
 
kem said:
I couldn't survive 10 days with one of those cars. ehehe
Yeah, they need to be commended for surviving the blandness that long. :lol:
 
Raven18940 said:
kem said:
I couldn't survive 10 days with one of those cars. ehehe
Yeah, they need to be commended for surviving the blandness that long. :lol:

Exactly why they need to drive it for six months or longer. Maybe they will do something about their designs and construction.
 
kem said:
I couldn't survive 10 days with one of those cars. ehehe

It depends what you want. I drive a 97 town and country, and whilst its nothing special, its nothing bad either. Sure, its not a lexus, or 7-series (and thank god too) but its what it is, an if you accept that, they're not bad. Sure, its got nothing on my twin-turbo MG metro, or my fathers old 70s ford mexico rally car, but its what it is. An everyday transport vehicle.

Having said that, its good that the ones that make the decisions are going to see the end impact of them. I'm glad I got the 97, and not a later model, as mine has all the lit up switches, which later ones didn't (like the mirrors, and windows and door lock switches were made non-lit to save money)
 
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