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

If you think that Hondas and Toyotas (not "Toys", that is the mark of the
ignorant lout) are no better that the domestics then you have been living in
the '60s on a permanent basis. Toyota and Honda have long since left GM and
Ford in the dust. GM will soon be in bankruptcy and Ford will probably
follow quickly. Read Consumer Reports to get an *objective* quality
evaluation. Yes the domestics have improved but NOT across the board-their
quality is still spotty. Then GM and Ford have a *lot* of former customers
that they have screwed over that have very, very long memories of shabby
treatment by GM and Ford. Those folks will never, repeat never, buy from GM
or Ford again-their First thoughts will be about Toyota or Honda.

 

It is incredibly had to follow this thread.

Please stop top posting.

Jeff

Yet Ford owns Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover adn Austin Martin. Volvo and Jaguar
are parts of the overall Ford product line. When Ford made the Lincoln LS,
they made sure that the Jaguar had a similar car based on the same chasis
with a more powerful engine. Mazda is also a partner with Ford. Ford owns
over 1/3 of Mazda.

So the point is that Ford imports a lot of cars, even if they don't have the
Ford brand name and has recently imported cars with the Ford brand name.

Actually, they have, on average, over 70% domestic content.

I never said the Aspire was build by Mazda.

 

Actually, last year, more than a 1/5 of the components were built outside
the US and Canada. Domestic content includes components built in both the US
and Canada. So the Toyota Sienna has 90% domestic content (Canada and US)
while the Ford Mustang has 65% domestic content (Canada/US).

So Ford had a lot more than 20% built outside the US.

http://newsletter.csmauto.com/4thQtr2005/charts/article3.gif

Thanks for posting inline. It makes it easier to read.

Jeff

 

(...)

I am not so sure GM or Ford will go into bancruptcy. I am not sure they
won't, either.

I disagree. I think that Consumer Reports is biased against American car
companies. American car companies have better qualtiy than Consumer Reports
gives them credit for.

Or Kia, Mazda, Nissan, DC, Volvo, Saab, VW, Porshe, Audi, etc. The point is
that there is a lot of choice out there. For Ford and GM to keep up, they
will have to continue to improve quality and design.

Jeff

 

I get about 6%, because the value of the stock including the dividend
doubles every 12 years or so (went up from 2.18 to 22.88 in about 44 years)
based on the info you led to me on finance.yahoo.com. My earlier estimate
was based on the approximate divident yield and increase in stock price.

(The law of 72 says that if you compound interest or returns, then the value
of something doubles in a period of time equal to 72 divided it rate of
return, so something returning 6% doubles in 12 years, something returning
12% doubles in 6 years.)

Jeff

 

How come I've read professional reviewer comments like "spotty build
quality (Edmunds on the F250)" on consumer sites and magazines about
Ford and Chevy full-size trucks? I personally know several locals who
have had some serious ABS problems with Silverados and Tahoes.

Full size truck drivers tend to be very, very brand loyal. It's not
unusual to hear them describe themselves as "Chevy Men", etc... I
doubt many of them would actually admit their vehicle HAD a problem,
others wouldn't know a high-quality vehicle if it ran them over. On
a side note, many of these same people consider Harley Davidson as
quality construction and make fun of BMW, Ducati, Triumph, and other
amazing new motorcycles. <G>

I couldn't believe how many full sized truck owners called me crazy
because I asked my dealer to track down a rattle on my new Tacoma.
Over and over, I heard, "it's a truck" from full-sized truck owners,
who called me "overly picky" and "anal". I also head "It's a truck,
trucks make noises"... No kidding!

My very-early 2005 Tacoma had a cab mount issue and noisy rear springs
that Toyota corrected on the running line and TSB'd affected trucks.
My noises were fixed without a fight, and the truck is dead-perfect
now. "It's a TOYOTA, it SHOULDN'T MAKE NOISES!" The dealer
agreed! <G>

 

Edmunds survey included lots of people so trust their judgement or survey
results more than me. I have only talked to several people about their
trucks. It's natural for people to say great things about their cars and
trucks.
If I was going to buy a pick-up--it would be a pick-up made by Toyota.
I'm gald that the noise problem was fixed without a fight. I had an issue
with a Dodge pick-up and the service manager refused to solve my problem.
I have never again owned a Dodge, GM vehicle or Ford vehicle. I now
own a Honda Accord.
Jason

 

I am not aware of Honda's fleet policies so I cannot speak for them. Toyota
does provide some fleet incentives but the price of a Corolla is still
higher than the price of a GM or Ford product that is the same size and a
rental car company that keeps its inventory for only a year will want to
invest as little money as possible. The other part of the equation is
buyback programs where the manufacturer buys back a percentage of the
inventory from rental car companies. Toyota was a late entry into this
program. The rental car companies will sell the cars in the a best
condition through their used car outlets, dispose of the rest through auto
auctions and factory buy back programs.

 

you got it - the big corps are the modern day feudal warlords
loyal only to themselves, they epitomize the word TRAITOR

and anyone who deals in or with their stock is a traitor too...

dump it

only buy shares and products from companies that are not traitorous ingrates
that have grown fat on the labor of citizens only to screw them
blind when they see the fat profits available from slave labor overseas

pretty soon *you* will be a slave too, if you let them keep going

ps: do you think the majority of baby boomers are going to get retirement
bennys?


not a hope - it is cheaper for corps to run overseas and not pay a penny

 

Really? Then why is the first number of the VIN on the Sienna a '4' and
first number of the VIN on the Mustang a '1,' as required by federal law?
Surely you don't believe Camrys built in Japan are built with American
parts, do you. LOL


mike hunt



.. Domestic content includes components built in both the US

 

If you have a problem with how I post, don't open my posts, WBMA

 

Part of the cost that they consider is the money they will get for the car
when they sell it.

 

I guess that explains why GM, Ford and Chrysler in 2005 continue to outsell
all of the twenty some import brands combined, the buyers believe they are
better vehicles on which to spend their hard earned money. LOL


mike hunt

 

He's simply trying to point out to you in a nice way (as several
others have also done) that what you are doing by top posting is
seen as rude. However, you don't seem to want to be courteous
enough to even consider the polite requests.

 

Can't prove it by me. My one grand son has a 2004 Honda that is always in
the shop. He wanted to be like his 'buds' and drive a ricer, now he things
he should have kept the 2003 Focus I gave him. What really pisses him off
is he had to pay for the Civic and all the mods. I not longer buy imports,
even if I don't drive them.


mike hunt

.. Almost everyone now knows that Honda cars and

 

Both Toyota and Honda offer fleet discounts at the same amount as GM and all
the rest. It just that they are not very successful at getting much of the
fleet business, with the exception of rental car companies. Rental car
companies turn their vehicles over in a year or less, unlike cooperate
fleets that keep them for five years or 200K WOF, because of federal
deprecation tax laws.

mike

 

Perhaps but the fees are the same for every driver in the state


mike hunt

 

Not in Pennsylvania. The Constitution requiers taxes to be equal among
payers

mike hunt

During which hours can one drive on other people's lawns?.

 

Both cars and light trucks he been required to meet the same Federal crash
standards for over ten years, and they meet them more easily than cars
because of their size and greater mass.


mike hunt