R.I.P. General Motors (1931-2006)

Yes, but I think Bob of Enzyte fame with the stupid sophmorific grimmace is
a reason I *wouldn't* buy their product even if I needed to.

Charles of Schaumburg

 

"n5hsr" ...

hehehe I just think they're funny

Natalie

 

With rising fuel cost, it's certainly should be good news for all of
us.

 

You guys realize, I hope, that Enzyte isn't a prescription or even OTC
drug but a virtually unregulated "nutritional supplement." I remember
the early commercials were blatantly pitching "enlargement" and much
more risque than the later ones which talk about "male enhancement."
I wonder if it was the FTC, the FDA, the broadcasters or their own
lawyers who throttled them back. I always thought it might have been
a strategy from the start. Kick it off with a bang and then back
peddle to make any complaints moot.

A good thing you don't need it Charles because it probably doesn't do
anything anyway.

 

If you are going to call me a liar, you might at least make a feeble
attempt to check my facts. Even a polite request for a reference
would save you the embarrassment of my (once again) proving that you
are blowing smoke.

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:rAtnUeuBs3oJ:www.autoweek.com/news.cms%3FnewsId%3D103587

Big 3 fleet sales hid October retail collapse, helped to keep
domestics afloat
MARY CONNELLY | Automotive News
Posted Date: 11/15/05

"GM's fleet sales generated 33.5 percent of its total October volume,
up from 25.8 percent for the period a year earlier. Ford Motor's
fleets also accounted for 33 percent of October sales, up from 24
percent a year earlier."

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/49139.html

Honda, Toyota Sales Up; GM, Ford Sales Slide

By Dee-Ann Durbin
AP
03/02/06 7:38 AM PT

"Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of market and industry analysis,
said GM was pleased with its performance because it relied less
heavily on incentives and fleet sales than in the past. Ballew said
GM's incentive spending was down US$1,000 per vehicle from last
February, while sales to corporate and government fleets fell to 25
percent of overall sales, down from 30 percent a year ago."


http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Auto_News/Feb_Sales_Chrysler_Japanese_Strong.S175.A10097.html

Feb. Sales: Chrysler, Japanese Strong
GM and Ford slip slightly as sales stay flat.
by Joseph Szczesny (2006-03-06)

"Ford, meanwhile, was forced to use fleet sales to prop up their
February sales totals. GM and Ford also disclosed plans for modest
cuts in production during the second quarter. George Pipas, Ford's
sales analyst, said Wednesday fleet sales accounted for more than 40
percent of the company's sales total for February, surprising analysts
monitoring the company's monthly sales call."

 

It is not the fule price that is going up
It is the price of the dollar going down
You will notice the price of hamburgers and houses as well as anything
else costing more dollars
It is called inflation and is caused by the government printing too
many paper slips to pay for wars
You might need to get wheelbarrows to pay for your hamburgers soon
The fall of GM is just one of many signs

 

No, I didn't know that - I have a tendency to mute or fast-forward
commercials, but that one was funny to look at. I also have closed
captioning with my mute button (No hearing problems, just good for when
you're on hold).

Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't been seeing the ads.

Natalie

 

And provide reasonable work rules, benefits and wages.

No, but they have been a disaster to the companies.

No, if I were an employee of GM, I would be fighting tooth and nail for more
wages, benefits and bigger pensions.

Yet, part of their contract is a pension. If GM agreed to a pension, GM
should provide it.

Yet Toyota doesn't have to do this, at least for the Siena.

Yet that Outback has a high value as a per cent of its purchase price than
most American cars, excluding collector cars, which are a different thing.

Toyota not only runs in Nascar, but they win there:
http://www.nascar.com/races/truck/2006/4/data/results_official.html.

That is the Craftsman truck series, but it is part of Nascar.

And Toyota will join the Nextel Cup and Busch series in 2007.

I know it is coming.

Competition is good. It keeps down prices and improves quality.

Just look at what competition from Asia did to the quality of the American
car.

Jeff

 

No sensible person is against private enterprise making all the profit
it can from the free market, but:

1. Most drugs are developed at major universities with public funding
specifically targeted at those drugs -- even Prozac was.

2. Why should the federal government be required to pay full list price
for drugs and be prohibited from seeking better deals on the open
market, as specified by the GW Bush Medicare drug plan?

3. Why do American drug companies sell their products at much lower
prices to countries with nationalized health care systems? They do
this voluntarily, and I've never heard of a private company doing
anything to intentionally lose money. So if they can make sufficient
profit to keep selling to Canada for half the price they charge in the
U.S., why would they stop selling in the U.S. if prices went down?

 

I am not sure most drugs were. However, regardless of where a drug was
developed, the cost of getting a drug to market is borne by the drug
companies, which, in my book, should entitle them to some profit (although,
not necessarily how much they are making).

No reason, other than Dubya is jerk.

I guess their arguement is that they have to recover their cost of
development somewhere. Somewhere is the US. Not sure why they can't charge
more in other nations, however.

 

Right, and the WASTE is the issue, not the thought of a profit.

I've seen the "gate" used by the private Pfizer (or however you spell
it) air shuttle (the one that ferries "VIP"s from Groton, CT to NJ by
private jet shuttle plane) at the Groton airport, as well as the
ridiculous stuff drug vendors do for doctors and hospital buyers.

The rest of the world discovered video and teleconferencing 10 years
ago, apparently the drug industry still feels face to face meetings
are so important that they need their own private airline.

There's good profit, and then there's excessive profit buoyed by sheer
waste.

 

You spelled it right (They're the Viagra people, IIRC) - and this is news
to *me* Wow - now I'm even more annoyed.

I can field that one for you. Doctors absolutely *hate* teleconferences.
I've never seen any of them schedule those, despite offers of being paid
handsomely for them. (I've seen nurse practioners and P.A.s do them).
And, it's all about sales pitch. You just can't 'sell' a product as well
by remote means, so 'in your face' is more effective. They also like to
hear what the docs like and don't like about the drug.

*high-five*

Natalie, finding this thread surprisingly interesting

 

Think it's time for a title change? GM actually started in 1908, not 1931,
BTW. William Crapo Durant would be upset. He owned GM, not once but twice.
1908-1910 and 1915-1920. Then the Sloans bought him out.

Charles of Schaumburg

 

What school of economics did you graduate from?

Newsflash! Oil prices are rising worldwide and that affects everyone on
the planet.

You might consider the competition for petroleum and related products as
the main driving force for rising prices.

Sheeeesh!

JT

 

They killed the whole Eagle brand right away as I recall, though maybe
that was before Daimler got involved.[/QUOTE]
Yes, pre Mercedes.

In Canada also pre Mercedes, perhaps in the USA. But after all that was
just a name, with the same cars sold as Dodge- at least in Canada.

There are often slight differences in Canadian car models. For example
my Father had a Canadian '49 Pontiac 6 which was actually a Chev with
the flat head Pontiac 6. When we visited the USA garage people there
found it quite a different car.

They sure do. Their model lineup is a confusing mess of overlapping
models with different names, but basically the same underneath the trim.

 

As I see it it's Chrysler engines in Mercedes (the V8 Hemi) and Mercedes
drive trains in Chryslers; again the 300.
Now we have the Mercedes B200 and the Chrysler Caliber, both FWD with CV
transmission. I'd suggest the engine/drive train are from the Chrysler
side.
The B200 is almost twice the price of the Caliber, but much better
finished.

 

I have a friend with a restored '56 Buick.
My the profile is so much like the 300 it must have influenced the
designers.
My 300 Magnum rental proved the visibility is poor. The rear window is
large, but so heavily tinted I couldn't see to park at night.

I didn't like it and my friend with us on the trip didn't either. He was
looking for a car and passed it up for a used 2004 Impalla.

 

yes

it started earlier
will it end later?

The sooner the better

It sure will be interesting to see it fall

Then again the fall has already happened it is just a question of seing
what happens to the pieces and where they will rest

The vultures are circeling, the rats are leaving and the wolves howling

 

How dare you be on-topic! TROLL!

;-)

Natalie

 

Did Björn Helgason, (gosinnATgmailDOTcom) intend to be self-effacing

LMAO! Björn Helgason is undoubtedly in all three groups, as he has
exhibited all three behaviours!