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Automotive News & Views Do You Favor A Government Loan To The Detroit 3?
3958 messages, Last post on Oct 02, 2009 at 4:52 PM
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 29, 2008 5:34 pm) 
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Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 29, 2008 6:28 pm) Every once in awhile, I get the idea of buying a new (or newer used) pickup to replace my aging '85 Silverado. But then last week I finally broke down and decided to put some money into the thing. It's in the shop now, getting the power window on the driver's side and radio fixed. And as soon as he has the space in his shop for it, my mechanic is going to fix the one serious rust spot that it has, on the lower passenger side rocker. So, it'll probably be with me for the indefinite future. But unfortunately for the domestics, that means I won't be buying a new truck from them anytime soon. Although I gotta admit, I'm starting to feel this unhealthy attraction to the 2009 Ram! 
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Replying to: lemko (Nov 29, 2008 8:02 am) I've known Honda owners who just got their car back from a 100,000 mile checkup that cost them $1200 and then they said that nothing has ever gone wrong with it. All the 150k+ mile Hondas I've rode in were falling apart where the drivetrain attaches to the frame. I'v kept GM cars to 19, 22, and 22 yrs and sold them in great running condition.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 29, 2008 6:18 pm) One of my great regrets was seeing a light green 73 Impala convertible back when it was maybe 4 years old and not jumping on it. Oh, well... |
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A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Mississippi River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day the Japanese won by a mile. Afterwards, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A "Measurement Team," made up of senior management was formed. They would investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was that the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the Americans had 1 person rowing and 8 people steering. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough people were rowing. To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower: "We must give the rower empowerment and enrichment through this quality program." The next year the Japanese won by 2 miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. Then they gave a High Performance Award to the steering managers and distributed the money saved as bonuses to the senior executives.
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Replying to: tlong (Nov 29, 2008 10:44 pm) 
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 29, 2008 5:34 pm) I had a chance to check these two out at the auto show this weekend, and whoa! The new Malibu is an absolute carbon copy of the Aura! I hope these two have different engines (although I don't think they do) or chassis tweaks or SOMETHING to distinguish them, because otherwise this is a blatant case of rebadging (admittedly rebadging a very good car - the Opel Vectra) which I thought GM was trying to get away from.... ...and BTW, do my eyes deceive me, or do these cars NOT have cupholders? I couldn't even find a bottle holder in the door. On a side note, I made a point of sitting in all the midsize and compact models this time around, and I have to say there is SO little that stands out in this industry these days, Malibu and Aura included. I say that with one caveat: the Chryslers are distinctly, obviously, cheaper and harder inside than all the other brands out there. More roughly built too. 3 days and counting until GM has to turn in its new turnaround plan..... |
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Replying to: tlong (Nov 29, 2008 10:44 pm)  Oh, and the rower GM fired was UAW, so they didn't actually stop paying him anyway, which means the bonus money came out of nowhere...no wonder GM is in such terrible shape. Why is everyone obsessed with GM, anyway? They're a dinosaur in the auto industry. They keep reporting that Ford is in a better position, and has been playing things much smarter. Let GM die, give Ford a bailout in the form of a preferred stock buy (I don't like bailouts in general, but I can tolerate the government buying stock with my money: at least there's a potential for return), and leave Chrysler alone...Cerberus can bail them out themselves if they really want to, why is Nardelli crying to the government instead of to the owners of his company? Or did Cerberus already tell him to take a hike? If they did, maybe there's a good reason, and we should listen. |
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Replying to: dave8697 (Nov 29, 2008 7:02 pm) Amen. There's a vast difference with some folk in the level of care and maintenance given their cars in the past years. While some were afraid not to have HoToy do their 15,000 mile full price repair and checkup, others let their US brand cars go with infrequent oil changes at the corner service station. They didn't take them to the dealer for those other things to be fixed under recalls, secret warranties, and just "general maintenance" like replacing the transmission in your Honda as it fails. 
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Nov 30, 2008 6:45 am)
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