Are both closing plants and laying off tens of thousands while sending their work out of this country ,but these guys are coming here to build their cars .The big three needs some management changes real soon!
GM & Form both need to pull thier heads out of their butts!!! Ford amazes me more then GM does in this fiasco, they have a huge foriegn market and yet they can not compete with the foriegn automakers here in the US!
Ford & GM both are more then capable of producing superior vehicles that would meet/exceed in price and quality what the foriegn companies offer.
Thier management stinks!
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
For years, I've blamed GM's problems on the UAW. Now, while I'm sure that the union isn't doing GM any favors, I'm convinced that the REAL reason their sales are floundering ISN'T because the unions are forcing management to pay $28/hr to an unskilled idiot sweeping the floors, but moreso because their products are inferior, and come at a premium.
I can't think of a single vehicle manufactured by an American manufacturer that isn't easily bested by asuperior foreign model at a lower price. There's just no value in American cars anymore. The resale sucks, they're not dependable, they're underengineered and overpriced.
I will give the Americans credit where due - they are at least semi-competitive with regard to S.U.V.'s and pickup trucks. As far as compact cars, sport-compacts, and sedans go, however, they're being blown out of the water.
Who gives a damnabout 3000# econbox deathtraps??? I don't care if gas goes too $10 a gallon, my wife and kids are NOT riding in some beercan in the name of "Quality and Value". SCREW THAT!!! You guys that would put your families in harms way just because you want to tell yourselves, "Yeah but look at the quality I bought!" are full of crap...
My Avalanche is GREAT andit tow my boats, Harley's and hunting buggies like NOTHING from the far east. ANYONE can make a 3000# POC that runs down the road at 70mph and gets 40mpg. BIG DEAL!!! What kind of value is that rolling casket when a semi or my wife's Expedition slams into it? My wife has owned 2 front wheel drive POC. One a Civic 4 door she had in college. That thing was a DEATHTRAP in rain. The grooves in the highway from trucks would fill with 1/4" of water and that Civic would SKATE all over the highway. Same thing for a Nissan Maxima I bought her. That Max is a GREAT car, but it nailed the lid shut for my opinion of small front drive cars. It would skate allover a wet road just like the Civic. After I had it turn completly sideways in the highway with me once with an RV just ahead of me, I said NO MORE. She hasn't been in anything but a van or SUV since. And over my dead body will she be anything else!!!
Better pick em in your favorite colors because you will eventually be buried in them!
RA
sounds likeyou guys need to learn how to drive RED. Other than that I don't really understand your point.
You're right Quik, When I was in the market a couple of years ago it was either going to be a F150 or 4runner. I got the 4runner and now it's got about 130,000 miles and not a sinlge problem (knock on wood)--haven't even replaced the clutch, just the timing belt and that's all. I plan on driving it to at least200,000 or more
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Looney tunes deductive reasoning:
--Me smell Mohican burning
--Me last Mohican
--Must be me!!!
--EEEOOOWWW!!!!!
Back when ford still had the 7.3L Powerstroke in the cutaway E-series chassis's, they had over 95% of the market on cutaways for Ambulance production. Since they came out with that piece of sh#t 6.0, they have lost dramaticly. Ford is loosing big time money on this engine.It turned out so bad thatthe engineers that developed it, were fired, and given 20 minutes to clear their desks, and were escorted out of the building. This info was told to me by a major Ambulance manufacturer CEO. And it's not going to get good for Ford anytime soon. The new 6.4L that's suppose to replace the 6.0 is too big to fit the Econoline, so Ford has to do a complete redesign of the E series, and release is now been pushed back to late 09 or 2010. This is a major setback for those of us needed new chassis, and not wanted to go to the 6.0 for it's liability downfalls. We are now reorganizing our Remount schedule so we won't have to buy any new chassis untill 09. Hope the new Econoline isn't pushed back further.
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"If we don't end war, war will end us!"
H.G. Wells 1935
quiksilver the UAW may not help GM or Ford, but as I said, it is their management that is the problem.
GM proved they could produce a superior product when they introduced the new style corvette, this past years vette was tested against several much higher priced cars of the foriegn ilk and dollar for dollar they could not touch the vette in any department! One of them that was tested against the vette cost $187,000 and the vette beat it by far on all counts and the vette they used for the test cost $67,000!
GM has proved they can do it for less with better quality then imports even with the handicap of the UAW. Why they can not do it with other models then the vette I don't know.
Now if we wish to talk trucks, that is a different story, if you want a REAL full sized pick up that is tough and reliable go American made!
My old truck, a Chevy Silverado weighed 4,400 pounds, had a 5.3 liter V-8 and got 17-18 mpg had 136,000 miles on it when I sadly totalled it in December of last year. It ran just as well then as it did when I bought it, except for brakes and oil & filter changes I did not have to do a thing to it! It did not burn or leak a drop of oil between oil changes.
I now own a 2006 GMC Sierra, same engine and weight as the old truck, it gets 18-19 mpg and runs great and is built solid like a rock! It has a Real full size bed unlike the over priced so called import pick ups.
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
GM & Ford
