- #982 of 3958
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Re: Uncle, can you spare a dime? [manegi]
by cooterbfd
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Nov 28, 2008 (3:06 pm)
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Replying to: manegi (Nov 28, 2008 2:52 pm)
I understand that the cars are very small. As far as competing, VW, Fiat, Ford, GM, Renault, ALL make small cars that get rave reviews worldwide (Ford I speak of their European branch, and GM through Vauxhall and Holden). All made in RHD. Common sense would tell you that if the cars were available in Japan for a reasonable price, you would see a greater market share for the "imports" just based on the sheer number of models available.
Bermuda has the same type of roads you speak of for Japan, except I don't think Hamilton is any more congested than say Boston downtown, yet the variety of cars driven there would make your head spin.
You'd be hard pressed to convince me that the Japanese government doesn't have the heaviest hand in the low number of imported cars.
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- #983 of 3958
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Re: Car Pool to Washington [tlong]
by dave8697
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Nov 28, 2008 (3:37 pm)
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Replying to: tlong (Nov 28, 2008 11:53 am)
Is 30 mpg hyped? My 6600 mile a year commute costs $1.88 less a month in a 31 mpg car than in a 29 mpg car. If gas were to return to $3 a gallon, the monthly difference grows to $3.65 less in gas for the car getting 2 more mpg.
All circles back to not supporting America for whatever reason, now including $1,88 a month in gas costs by not getting over 30 mpg.
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- #984 of 3958
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Re: Car Pool to Washington [dave8697]
by gagrice
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Nov 28, 2008 (3:57 pm)
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Replying to: dave8697 (Nov 28, 2008 3:37 pm)
The cost of gas even when it hit $4.50 here in CA was not the reason for dropping GM vehicles after nearly 20 years of being pleased with GM. It was going to cheap materials and poor build quality. I wanted a QUIET large SUV. You would think that GM could handle that. My 2005 GMC PU had wind noise that nearly drowned out the great Bose sound system. It was due to fitting the doors properly. If I pulled on the door handle while cruising down the highway at 75 MPH it would quiet down. The dealer was unable to fix it. Even then I would have bought a new Denali if the dealer had treated me decent.
I say let GM DIE and the sooner the better. There are companies building good vehicles in the USA that are quiet when cruising down the highway.
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- #985 of 3958
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Re: Car Pool to Washington [dave8697]
by kernick
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Nov 28, 2008 (6:17 pm)
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Replying to: dave8697 (Nov 28, 2008 3:37 pm)
All circles back to not supporting America for whatever reason,
Mine was wanting an AWD mid-size sedan (mazdaspeed6), w/270hp 4-cyl, stability control, Bose stereo and Xenon headlights, and temp. control for an OTD price of $22,200 after rebates. Mazda had it; the Big3 had nothing comparable.
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- #986 of 3958
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Re: effect of the media [elroy5]
by lemko
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Nov 28, 2008 (6:52 pm)
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Replying to: elroy5 (Nov 26, 2008 10:15 pm)
If all Americans thought this way, we would still be driving cars with 80's technology.
What's wrong with that? I still do! I have no problem with either my 1988 Buick Park Avenue and 1989 Cadillac Brougham! I know somebody on Edmunds who still drives cars with 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s technology. 
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- #987 of 3958
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Re: Uncle, can you spare a dime? [maple2]
by lemko
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Nov 28, 2008 (7:10 pm)
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Replying to: maple2 (Nov 27, 2008 5:20 pm)
I understand the Japanese people love potato chips, but their government tariffs them like a confection - thus making U.S. potato chips prohibitively expensive.
GM could build a small car for the Japanese market that makes a Corolla or a Civic look like a 1948 Crosley assembled at the Zastava works, and they'd still be forbidden to sell it in Japan or it would be tariffed so high that the average Japanese might as well spend the money on an S-Class Mercedes.
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- #988 of 3958
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Re: Uncle, can you spare a dime? [tlong]
by lemko
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Nov 28, 2008 (7:15 pm)
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Replying to: tlong (Nov 27, 2008 6:16 pm)
Well, they were buddies in WWII and, by the looks of it, they never let go of their global ambitions. They couldn't beat us in a military conflict, so they're destroying us faster in an economic conflict faster than you can print a counterfeit five pound banknote.
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- #989 of 3958
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Re: Uncle, can you spare a dime? [cooterbfd]
by lemko
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Nov 28, 2008 (7:25 pm)
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Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 27, 2008 6:59 pm)
Heck, if I had the power, I'd toss Toyota, Honda, and others out, confiscate their U.S. plants and divide them among the Big Three. I'd also forbid the Japanese from ever selling another one of their vehicles here again. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Heck, they won't let us into their market, so they don't get into ours! Let's see how fast and how far they fall without the NA market! Will they go to China? The Chinese hate their guts and for good reasons! There are plenty of anti-Japanese rallies going on in China as I type.Will they go to Europe? I think Europe cares more and has more pride in their auto industry than the U.S. than to let this foreign horde pollute their automotive landscape with their bland transportation capsules. 
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- #990 of 3958
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Re: Car Pool to Washington [kernick]
by lemko
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Nov 28, 2008 (7:32 pm)
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Replying to: kernick (Nov 27, 2008 7:18 pm)
If it were only so. I think people will default to one of the imports. When Oldsmobile folded, former Olds buyers didn't necessarily go to another GM division, but rather to Honda or Hyundai. I can't see the die-hard Chevy fan ever considering a Ford or a Mopar. As for me, I'd go to Chrysler, but feel they're already a dead duck. That would only leave me two unpalatable choices - Ford or the imports. Ford would be like forcing me to eat Brussels sprouts, which I hate with a passion. The imports would be like forcing me to swallow a couple of cyanide capsules with an arsenic chaser with a spritz of strychnine.
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- #991 of 3958
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Re: Uncle, can you spare a dime? [lemko]
by gagrice
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Nov 28, 2008 (7:48 pm)
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Replying to: lemko (Nov 28, 2008 7:10 pm)
GM could build a small car for the Japanese market that makes a Corolla or a Civic look like a 1948 Crosley assembled at the Zastava works
Why don't they build them for sale in the USA with UAW labor? The only small high mileage car GM sells is built in Korea. The tariffs are the same for Germany as they are for the USA. Japanese have seen what we have and are not interested.
I looked at Buicks at the GMC dealer where I bought my PU truck. There were a couple Buicks I liked if I was in the market for a nice car. I just do not like cars. I like PU trucks and SUVs. I don't see my tastes changing. I liked the 2006 and older Escalade. Sadly my wife thought they were ugly. Nice riding SUVs. I can see how they pulled Cadillac out of the pit they were in. Without the Escalade Caddy would be on the same pile as Olds, which I liked better than Buick or Pontiac. Just not enough to buy one.
If GM goes away there is always BMW and MB built or assembled in the USA.
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