Mexican Acclaims, any Difference in Quality?

[jmcgill]

I was distressed to find out that my 95 Acclaim was made in Mexico, but now am interested to find out if there was any difference in quality between these Mexican Acclaims and the ones made in the US.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[me!]

Only thing I am aware of .. seems the paint sticks to them a bit better.....

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

I was distressed to find out that my 95 Acclaim was made in Mexico, but now am interested to find out if there was any difference in quality between these Mexican Acclaims and the ones made in the US.

Perhaps you were "distressed" because you have owned Mexican-made VWs, which are even more shoddy than their German-built counterparts. Or perhaps you were "distressed" because you harbour certain stereotypes about Mexicans. Either way, your dismay is baseless. The Mexican-made Chryslers have tended to be of very good quality. There've been six of the AA-cars (Spirit, Acclaim, LeBaron sedan) in our family, and the Mexican-built examples have been consistently better built. Fewer squeaks and rattles, trim and parts fitted more carefully, and the paint jobs are better and more durable.

DS

 

[jmcgill]

Perhaps "Distressed" was not the best choice of words for the occasion. I have owned 2 Mexican built cars before, one VW and one Ford, both have been of less than perfect quality. I was more surprised than anything....I didn't know that Chrysler had manufactured cars in Mexico in the 1990's.

I've not been unhappy with my Acclaim, it runs fine, and the fit/finish is what I'd expect for an 11 year old car. I don't appreciate the insinuation of stereotyping.....I was asking a legitimate question based on my and many people's experiences with other cars.

Joe

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

I don't appreciate the insinuation of stereotyping.

Tough. You picked the words you used, I responded to them.

 

[Art]

By the way the PTCruiser is made in Mexico and has a great reliability record according to Consumer Reports.

 

[markansas859]

Perhaps "Distressed" was not the best choice of words for the occasion. I have owned 2 Mexican built cars before, one VW and one Ford, both have been of less than perfect quality. I was more surprised than anything....I didn't know that Chrysler had manufactured cars in Mexico in the 1990's.

I've not been unhappy with my Acclaim, it runs fine, and the fit/finish is what I'd expect for an 11 year old car. I don't appreciate the insinuation of stereotyping.....I was asking a legitimate question based on my and many people's experiences with other cars.

Joe

I had a 1985 Plymouth Reliant, 2.2L carbureted..... built in Mexico

nothing but trouble

carburetor replaced twice, all engine emissions parts and hoses replaced at least once, radio replaced twice, front discs recalled.....

chrysler took it back after 16 months, to prevent being on the end of a lawsuit they had no hope of winning, 2 inch thick stack of warranty slips.

last year, I owned a 1986 Dodge Aries 2.5L, EFI with 70 something thousand miles..... made in USA, and never failed me

and Ted M

you whined about me trying to sell it..... to show you that people still love aries wagons, I got a call just today from Pennsylvania, wanting to know if I still had the car for sale, 6 months after I sold it.....

Iwish I still had it sometimes, but the Dynasty is more comfortable

 

[The Bathtub Admiral]

It was explained to me by a professional painter that in Mexico they don't have the environmental laws that we do in the US/Canada/Europe so they can use the oil based paints vs water based and the results show.

 

[jtees4]

Perhaps you were "distressed" because you have owned Mexican-made VWs, which are even more shoddy than their German-built counterparts. Or perhaps you were "distressed" because you harbour certain stereotypes about Mexicans. Either way, your dismay is baseless. The Mexican-made Chryslers have tended to be of very good quality. There've been six of the AA-cars (Spirit, Acclaim, LeBaron sedan) in our family, and the Mexican-built examples have been consistently better built. Fewer squeaks and rattles, trim and parts fitted more carefully, and the paint jobs are better and more durable.

DS

I can only speak from experience with two Neons. We bought a 97 and then a 98. Bothe new. The 97 was Mexico..the 98 USA (Indiana). World of difference...especially in fit and finish. Specifically, every single peice of rubber around windows, engine bay etc etc. came loose on the Mexican car within months. Both ran great. The 98 got stolen, my son still has the 97. Don't get me wrong, great car, but there was definately a difference.

 

[jmcgill]

I can honestly say that the Fit/finsih on my Acclaim is very good, especially for a 1995 with 150K miles. The paint is decent in some places, but is flaking in others.....no worse than many of the cars of this age I've seen. The acclaim is the first non-Jeep chrysler product I've owned, so I appreciate all the non-adversarial responses I've received.