If the American Car Companies Fail...

[kaboom10]

Originally Posted By: Ed_T

Ford blew it with the 500//Taurus exterior design. What a dowdy looking vehicle. All I see driving them around here are old men.


GMs Aztec proved the design dept was allowed to take drugs at work.

 

[kelpie]

I'm another one who will only buy American cars. My GM cars have been very good and I don't see any reason to switch now to any foreign make. BTW I look for a high domestic parts content also. It would be sad to lose our domestic industries.

 

[kelpie]

Originally Posted By: lovcom
Originally Posted By: globey
Well said, Saturn Fan. That's why we should support the Big 3 by purchasing from them. Regardless of perception, the Big 3 make quality autos. I will not drive an import car. I have no problems with my Ford Fusion and would buy another one if I had to. I grew up riding in nothing but American and I will drive nothing but American. Just my view.


Have you heard of tough love? Perhaps you're the type of parent that will contiually bail out your teen aged son, even after the 5th DUI...and this policy of yours only enables the son to be a loser.

Same for buying American cars, even as they produce absolute craaap. If you really want the domestic car makers to improve the worse thing you can do is to keep buying them.

If you want proof that the domestics make junk check this out: http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reliabilitylm0.jpg

Don't cast your pearls before the swine...never give your trust to those that have not earned it.

The true American traitor are the domestic car companies, and NOT those Americans that buy foreign cars...after all, it is very unAmerican to buy craaap, and to make it too.


Lovecom, you obviously have no clue to what you're babbling about. I have seen most imports not last long as domestic models, and import parts are usually at least double what domestic parts cost. Imports generally have more maintenance too (timing belts). The Japanese make a throwaway car that fools like you pay too much money for.

 

[kaboom10]

I attend an exercise class 3 times a week and one of the members is the owner of the Ford dealership where we get our vehicles. He tries to sell every one a Ford but tell them to at least buy American if not a Ford. I just can't talk him into arm wrestling for a new truck. lol

 

[kingrob]

Originally Posted By: kaboom10
I attend an exercise class 3 times a week and one of the members is the owner of the Ford dealership where we get our vehicles. He tries to sell every one a Ford but tell them to at least buy American if not a Ford. I just can't talk him into arm wrestling for a new truck. lol


He sounds like a pretty good guy. Some dealers are like that. They'd rather see the profits at least go to another American company if it's not going in their pocket.

FWIW I think each American company has a vehicle for you. If among the big 3 you still can't find the car that suits you, you just have blinders on.

 

[javacontour]

Local Ford dealer around here has pulled his newspaper ads because the paper has outsourced jobs to India.

http://stlcofcc.wordpress.com/category/business-corporate/

 

[Tornado Red]

Originally Posted By: kingrob

FWIW I think each American company has a vehicle for you. If among the big 3 you still can't find the car that suits you, you just have blinders on.

I'd like a mid-size wagon with small turbodiesel engine (2.0-2.5 liters) with a 6-speed manual transmission. 4-wheel disk brakes and ABS a must, stability control would be nice, independent suspension of course.

Which one of the Big Three sells that car in the US?

 

[kingrob]

I stand corrected. I forget people need an excuse to buy a VW.

 

[javacontour]

PS, I'm not a fan of the website I posted above. It just had an interesting collection of local news related to foreign buyouts and factory closings.

 

[kaboom10]

He is a good guy and his sales and service crew go the extra mile to give the customer satisfaction.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: kingrob
FWIW I think each American company has a vehicle for you. If among the big 3 you still can't find the car that suits you, you just have blinders on.


I want a car that has a 1.6L engine, looks good, low horse power, high reliability, high mpg, 2 doors, 4 seats, last 300K miles, great handling, high quality interior.

I think the only thing that works for me is something in the mid 90s. Even Japanese cars today are too bulky and fat for my taste. Too bad Mustang of that era doesn't come with a 4 banger or a 2.0L, it would have been perfect.

The closest thing is a mid/late 90s Miata or 240SX.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Too bad Mustang of that era doesn't come with a 4 banger or a 2.0L, it would have been perfect.


Mustang was available with a 2.3L I4 from (at least) 1987 to 1993. Most of the ones from those years that I see for sale have the 2.3L I4 in them.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: brianl703


Mustang was available with a 2.3L I4 from (at least) 1987 to 1993. Most of the ones from those years that I see for sale have the 2.3L I4 in them.


1. Too heavy (I want something in the 2500-2700lb range)
2. Too big of an engine (I want 1.6-1.8L)
3. Not good looking (to me at least, 94+ are ok)

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Ed_T
Chrysler will likely drop first, then FoMoCo.

GM will survive in a vastly different configuration, smaller.

Ford blew it with the 500//Taurus exterior design. What a dowdy looking vehicle. All I see driving them around here are old men.


Ford's not losing money hand-over-fist like GM. They are actually selling vehicles, they do NOT have a huge vehicle lineup with a cornucopia of brands like GM does, which is part of the reason GM is in bad shape and has been/is very hard to turn around.

While the Taurus/500 did not/has not sold well, the Fusion, Focus, Mustang and F-series continue to do so. Obviously the figures have changed and sales are down, but I see lots of brand new vehicles of these models on the roads all the time.

Dooming any manufacturer on the sales of one model is hardly just.... They'd all be out of business if that were the case.

I imagine if GM gets the help it's requesting, it will purchase and dissolve Chrysler, leaving just GM and Ford as the N/A automakers. They will dissolve or sell-off Hummer, and perhaps eliminate one or two of their brands to focus their efforts on vehicles and platforms that sell.

Really though, none of us know what will happen, so it's a waiting game as this all plays out.

 

[tonycarguy]

The auto industry will need to go through severe downsizing or consolidation, in the same way airlines did 6 years ago, or railroads many decades ago. It's just how the economy works. Right now there are too many auto manufacturers producing too many cars while competing for too few buyers. Jobs will be lost, which on a personal level is unfortunate but on an economic level is a necessity. GM won't go out of business; they will either downsize or merge with another mfr. Either way, the industry has to resize itself to the marketplace. The strong survive and will absorb the weak.

The government should NOT bail out GM. Why give money to the weak companies that produce too many products that not enough people want to buy? I've always wondered why the government tries to help companies that screwed up. If you owned a restaurant that was losing money and made a chicken sandwich no one wanted, should the government give you money to keep the place open? Why does GM deserve a penny of taxpayer money?

 

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: kingrob
FWIW I think each American company has a vehicle for you. If among the big 3 you still can't find the car that suits you, you just have blinders on.


I want a car that has a 1.6L engine, looks good, low horse power, high reliability, high mpg, 2 doors, 4 seats, last 300K miles, great handling, high quality interior.

I think the only thing that works for me is something in the mid 90s. Even Japanese cars today are too bulky and fat for my taste. Too bad Mustang of that era doesn't come with a 4 banger or a 2.0L, it would have been perfect.

The closest thing is a mid/late 90s Miata or 240SX.



Same thing for me, but I want four doors.