dominigan on March 23, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Sounds like you got the cars at the end of the line, three times in a row or didn’t do maintenance.

Regular maintenance and an ear for problems helps. But then those are rare outside Detroit and the Manufacturing Belt.

That’s about the average mileage for a UAW/CAW-built truck or truck-inspired van (such as an Astro) to have at the end of its life

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:16 AM

Oh, I was soooo going to stay out of this argument until this bonehead statement.

Our Astro died (transmission and engine problems) one month after our last payment. It had 130,000 miles. We wanted to use it for towing, since it supposedly had the towing package. When we took it into the dealer, he said they had installed the towing supports incorrectly. It had to go to the dealer to get “re-done”.

Our Chevy Lumina (my wife called it the Lemina) didn’t even make it that long. It completely died (transmission) with a year left to go on the loan. We bit the bullet and decided not to fix it since we had already replaced 3 alternators, 4 window latches, a water pump and the passenger seat (broken support).

We have a Buick Terraza now… brand new from the dealer. For the first three months, it was in the shop more than we had it. The entire engine electrical system and 3 of the 5 computer modules had to be replaced (they kept shorting each other out). The automatic door motors have failed twice already (we’ve only owned it for less than two years). We finally turned off the door motors and said screw it.

This will be the last GM vehicle we’ll own. My father-in-law used to work for them, but lets be really honest… these vehicles are crap. My uncle works for Honda… in the same state… and they build much better vehicles, for comparable pay, without all the union crap.

This is a very dangerous road we’re walking down, and we’re playing right into the Dems hands by taking the focus off of their own corruption and their responsibility for the financial crisis – not to mention taking the focus off of the trillions of dollars in “stimulus” and the porked-up budget, which threaten to bankrupt this nation.

We have 2 choices:

1. Let companies go into bankruptcy, and let judges renegotiate compensation as part of the restructuring process.

2. Give the companies loans, but do not meddle with their contracts, including compensation agreements.

Why would any auto company in its right mind offer retention bonuses? Where are the “best and brightest” going to go? They won’t be going to Ford or GM because they are not hiring.
bw222 on March 22, 2009 at 11:00 PM

Because executives can and do work in more than one particular industry. Look at Bob Nardelli’s resume’, for example. He worked at G.E., Home Depot, and Coca Cola before ending up at Chrysler.

To spite some of you, I may just get a Chrysler (or GM car) next weekend when I’m out car-shopping.

Mom never gets tired of co-signing?

Those who buy products based on CR, buy crappy products.

Consumer Reports gives each auto maker a report card based on the reliability of its models and scores from vehicle tests. The grades are on a 100-point scale:

Honda: 78
Subaru: 75
Toyota: 74
Mazda: 73
Mercedes-Benz: 72
Nissan: 72
Volkswagen: 72
BMW: 72
Hyundai: 70
Volvo: 65
Mitsubishi: 64
Ford: 63
Suzuki: 60
General Motors: 57
Chrysler: 48

So Detroit’s woes continue and the Japanese auto makers continue to dominate Consumer Reports’ influential annual survey of the most reliable vehicles.

Toyota, in fact, grabbed five of the 2009 Top 10 picks. The influential survey is part of CR’s annual auto issue, which hit newsstands this week.

The closely watched CR results are based on more than 50 tests of 80 different vehicles.

The winners ranked high in road tests, reliability and safety requirements.

Over all, Detroit’s auto makers fared worse than in the 2008 survey. Chrysler placed 15th, GM 14th and Ford 12th out of 15 auto makers.
- GlobeAuto

Case closed.

Soon I’ll have a chance to buy Detroit, again.

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM

That’s why me and mine stopped buying from Detroit, back when we were still living in the area – we “had” that “chance” far too often for our liking!

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:36 AM

Still waiting for that link on those statistics.

Amazing Grace on March 23, 2009 at 12:23 AM

They may manage 401k’s but that doesn’t put Wall Street any closer to Main Street.

jgapinoy on March 23, 2009 at 12:07 AM

The way they run folks with temp-contract out here in Ohio, yes.

The way that Toyota uses Chinese immigrants in Japan, yes.

Detroit puts the large vehicles in the reach of the masses- see their W platform (which the Pontiac Grand Prix is a part of) for an example.

That’s about the average mileage for a UAW/CAW-built truck or truck-inspired van (such as an Astro) to have at the end of its life.

Your point?

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:16 AM

In your dreams. You have a link from a credible source for that BS statement you just made?

Soon I’ll have a chance to buy Detroit, again.

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Good for you. You’re not even smart in the real estate department either. Why not shoot for the moon and buy New York City?

BuckeyeSam on March 22, 2009 at 9:40 PM

I didn’t have to paint any blood, they just came.

Knucklehead on March 22, 2009 at 9:16 PM

That’s about the average mileage for a UAW/CAW-built truck or truck-inspired van (such as an Astro) to have at the end of its life.

Your point?

It also means that their unionization allows them to concentrate on the car their benefits and not if they’ll have their job in vacation for 4 months per year.

Fixed.

That is why I buy and rent Detroit-designed, UAW/CAW built cars. No other group in the world does (or wants to do) affordable performance

Wha-a-a-at?
Everyone except you knows that Honda & Toyota generally build much better value vehicles than any of the Big Shrinking Three.

sethstorm on March 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Do you really think that only Detroit makes big vehicles?
Do you really think that non-union means slavery?
I think the fact that you have “more than a few family and friends up there in Michigan” is clouding your judgment.

Mojave Mark on March 22, 2009 at 11:21 PM

Give those who wanted government to step in a reason.

Otherwise they’ll want more revenge for the private sector offshoring their work.

jgapinoy on March 22, 2009 at 10:32 PM

As I know of more than a few family and friends up there in Michigan(Lower and Upper), I have no problem supporting the state by choosing Detroit.

It means that I get to buy what is an actual car, not a glorified golfcart. It means that I’m supporting workers that aren’t merely temp-contract slaves, but full-fledged, unionized men and women building great cars and trucks. It means that what I buy pleases me, not Al Gore. It means that the folks who designed the car and platform were people who know US and Canada from a first-hand, citizen experience. It also means that their unionization allows them to concentrate on the car and not if they’ll have their job in 4 months.

That is why I buy and rent Detroit-designed, UAW/CAW built cars. No other group in the world does (or wants to do) affordable performance; nor do they treat their same-nation workers with the same high respect.

Soon I’ll have a chance to buy Detroit, again.

Like world peace and harmony and free unicorns and unlimited health care at no cost and free educations and no more oil and clean air and lower sea levels and all that other good kinda stuff.