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2008 Minivans - READ ONLY

1261 messages,  Last post on Feb 27, 2008 at 7:47 AM

You are in the Vans & Minivans Forum. Your Host is Karens

What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan, Hyundai Entourage, Mazda MAZDA5, Kia Sedona, Car Comparisons, Car Buying, Van


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#429 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [mfletou1] by marine2
Oct 06, 2007 (9:34 pm)

Replying to: mfletou1 (Oct 06, 2007 5:44 pm)

I'm just not compelled with arguments to buy American anymore, because all you really are doing is rewarding years of bad financial decisions and captiulating by short sighted unions. I'm vehemently anti-big labor at this point because I believe it is destroying American industry, but the automakers have nobody to blame but themselves for giving in everytime someone threatens a strike.
  
If an American product is superior to a Japanese product, I'll consider it. I can think of some instances where this is the case. Even with the new Chrysler minivans, however, I'm not sure that this segment is one of them. Right now, 07 Odysseys are running under 08 Grand Caravans, and I think the Honda is probably still the superior prodcut, so...

 
There seems to be a lot of people not willing to give the American owned automakers a try again or will always believe that foreign vehicles will always be superior. I guess that is your choice. But you can always find something superior with one minivan over the other. In some ways the Honda and Toyota is superior to the Chrysler minivans. In other ways, Chrysler minivans are superior to the Honda and Toyota. I don't think we have to go over the things each one has that the other doesn't, we've discussed it many times. But when you buy American made or owned, you are creating and saving American jobs, completely out side of the automotive industry. Maybe even saving your own.
 
Let me put it this way. If we sit down with a calculator and add up how many vans Toyota and Honda sells and figure out the profit they make on each one. You have to believe at least half of that profit is leaving the country, creating jobs in Japan and not in America. Not only that, but very American that has a job with the automobile industry, creates jobs outside of the auto industry. Jobs that you and I have because of them. Because these guys buy furniture, go on vacation, buy insurance, food, eat out, buys cloths, guns, etc. So even if you work for the airlines, department or furniture store, sell insurance, work for the city, county or state, these guys help give us a job. Just look at what the American auto industry can do for just one segment of our industry. It's a trickle down effect in most of our industries, not just this one.
 
The U.S. auto and machine-tool industries are now in the throes of the greatest destruction of human and physical capital in American history
 
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2005/3250auto_n_nukes.html
 
I just realized this should be in the (Minivan Shopping - Domestic vs. Foreign) thread and not in the 2008. So if your going to answer, that should be the place to put it.
#430 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [mfletou1] by hansienna
Oct 07, 2007 (8:34 am)

Replying to: mfletou1 (Oct 06, 2007 8:25 pm)

The engineers and penny counters who decide vehicle content are mostly responsible for poorly received vehicles...NOT those who make or assemble the various parts that go into a vehicle.
 
"Bloated" and "Capitulation" are words used to incite a certain political power base by blaming the actual workers for problems instead of carefully investigating the real cause of a problem.
#431 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [hansienna] by mfletou1
Oct 07, 2007 (9:32 am)

Replying to: hansienna (Oct 07, 2007 8:34 am)

I'm not talking about poorly designed vehicles, I'm talking about being hampered by excessively high labor costs. Even if a US company built a perfect minivan, that consumers flocked to and was universally heralded as the best, they'd STILL not make the same level of profit it on it than their competition because of big labor and decades of bad contracts and a culture of inefficiency.
 
You are right though, this discussion should go to another thread so I'll shut up now. Though frankly, the foreign/domestic discussion is redundant to this one because the only competition thread we can have compares domestic to foreign since that's all there is--one Canadian minivan against Japanese and Korean ones.
#432 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [hansienna] by dennisctc
Oct 07, 2007 (10:10 am)

Replying to: hansienna (Oct 07, 2007 8:34 am)

I see auto workers first hand - "working". I've seen them bashing electrical connectors with a crowe bar to mate them and blaming the supplier for bad product. I've seen them smoking inside vehicles at lunch, burning a leather seat and blaming the supplier. I've seen them tossing their lunch trash on the floor during lunch. I've seen workers laying around during the week, leaving early due to union rules, then coming in Sats and Sundays for overtime and tripletime!! Making way more money than what they're worth.
#433 of 1261
Another take on Chryslers..... by dennisctc
Oct 07, 2007 (12:45 pm)
2008 Minivans
#434 of 1261
Re: Canadian minivan against Japanese and Korean ones? [mfletou1] by hansienna
Oct 07, 2007 (1:19 pm)

Replying to: mfletou1 (Oct 07, 2007 9:32 am)

Which is the Canadian minivan and which are Japanese ones?
 
Chrysler is headquarted in the USA and T&C / GC are made in Fenton, Missouri, USA; and in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
 
Toyota is headquartered in Japan but the Sienna is made in Indiana, USA.
 
Honda is headquartered in Japan but the Odyssey is made in Alabama, USA after being made in Ontario, Canada for years.
#435 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [dennisctc] by tedebear
Oct 07, 2007 (1:22 pm)

Replying to: dennisctc (Oct 07, 2007 10:10 am)

I've seen workers laying around during the week, leaving early due to union rules, then coming in Sats and Sundays for overtime and tripletime!! Making way more money than what they're worth.
 
There is no such thing as triple-time in the auto industry. Double is as high as it gets and that's only for Sundays and holidays, when most of the plants are shut down and only maintenance personnel are working.
 
I've seen much of what you're talking about in various jobs I've had over the years. I used to work at a furniture warehouse and the employees would take breaks and sit, smoke and eat on new furniture that we were trying to sell.
 
I would suspect you'd encounter the same thing if you were around a Toyota plant long enough or anywhere else.
#436 of 1261
Re: Honestly.... [tedebear] by dennisctc
Oct 07, 2007 (1:30 pm)

Replying to: tedebear (Oct 07, 2007 1:22 pm)

There is no such thing as triple-time in the auto industry. Double is as high as it gets and that's only for Sundays and holidays, when most of the plants are shut down and only maintenance personnel are working.
 
I don't know where you're getting your info at, but I have neighbors and friends working at plants here in Detroit and could name names, getting double and triple time. Guys getting in a 6am, driving a hilo for a few hours, then skipping out with sup's approval to got boating in the afternoon. Smoking inside an enclosed space like an SUV is wrong.
 
I doubt very much Honda or Toyota would put up with that behaviour ONCE, as they're not protected by antiquated unions.
#437 of 1261
Re: Canadian minivan against Japanese and Korean ones? [hansienna] by marine2
Oct 07, 2007 (2:02 pm)

Replying to: hansienna (Oct 07, 2007 1:19 pm)

Which is the Canadian minivan and which are Japanese ones?
  
Chrysler is headquarted in the USA and T&C / GC are made in Fenton, Missouri, USA; and in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
  
Toyota is headquartered in Japan but the Sienna is made in Indiana, USA.
  
Honda is headquartered in Japan but the Odyssey is made in Alabama, USA after being made in Ontario, Canada for years.

 
But where is the billions of dollars in profits going? Are they staying here and creating jobs for other Americans? Does it help strengthen our dollar and cut our balance of trade?
#438 of 1261
Re: Canadian minivan against Japanese and Korean ones? [marine2] by dennisctc
Oct 07, 2007 (2:17 pm)

Replying to: marine2 (Oct 07, 2007 2:02 pm)

But where is the billions of dollars in profits going? Are they staying here and creating jobs for other Americans? Does it help strengthen our dollar and cut our balance of trade?
 
Don't forget about investment in capital, tooling, and technology. It takes a lot of time and money to develop a new vehicle...money spent on tooling new components like engines, trannys, LED lighting, seating etc....

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