[nitehawk]

I have not bought a American make car since 1988 -- and will keep my streak alive

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

I have not bought a American make car since 1988 -- and will keep my streak alive

which only penalized and continues to penalize the American workers and the US economy....not the company.

The fat cats who were being paid huge bonuses by a government money give away while not performing responsibly while generating phony numbers (phony numbers has a familiar ring to it).

[JP]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

I have not bought a American make car since 1988 -- and will keep my streak alive

Me too.

The last GM car I bought I paid $35,000 for and sold it four years later for $7,000. Holy wa. Never again.

I've been more than happy with BMW and Honda.

[manaboutown]

Back in the seventies I totally gave up on GM after purchasing a brand new 74 Pontiac and a brand new 79 Corvette that were unfixable junk. I switched to Toyota, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche and have been very happy with them, no complaints.

[buzzy]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Back in the seventies I totally gave up on GM after purchasing a brand new 74 Pontiac and a brand new 79 Corvette that were unfixable junk. I switched to Toyota, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche and have been very happy with them, no complaints.

My last American car was a '76 Corvette. Only kept it 22 years and 127,000 miles. Some junk.

Do like Hondas and Nissans, though.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by buzzy

My last American car was a '76 Corvette. Only kept it 22 years and 127,000 miles. Some junk.

Do like Hondas and Nissans, though.

My '79 vette's dipstick for some reason did not show the oil level in the crankcase. It could not be fixed by the dealer. Neither could the shaking ride at anything over about 70 mph. The dealer said "Well, the speed limit is 55 mph. Very funny,yes?

The '74 Pontiac was a Grand Am. The driver's bucket seat was about 15 degrees off straight ahead, bolted to the frame and was not fixable. A man could take his hand and reach between the driver's side window and the door's moulding and pull up the door lock. The car crapped out on me after about 1500 miles because oil was getting into the distributor and the points. I had to keep wiping them off because the dealer could not fix the problem.

Those cars were junk!

[Topspinmo]

74 Pontiac and a brand new 79 Corvette " unfixable I find that hard to swallow.

A view point from middle class Besides those was the ugly years that nobody consider classic or muscle anyway. about 1971 and maybe 72 was the last of the classic muscle cars. For nerds they probably don't even know what look like let along know what year. That's why you rarely see 73 up models collectable (few specialty maybe like Grand Nationals) .

IMO For us that use to work on cars back then probably the last few years of fix-it yourself cars. For those that can't find spark plug they all were unfixable.

As far as your holly grail lux nerd models from over seas. 100 bucks for spark plug or wire (notice I said ONE) way over the top IMO or 800 plus routine services. Most new owners don't keep cars long enough for spark plug change let along doing the routine Maintenance work required. So they never see the real cost. It's the second hand owner's that want the status at half the cost that find that out.

Foreign manufactures and probably most manufactures require factory trained dealership workers to do routine maintenance or you warranty will probably Voided if you read the fine print. Most Any make of car made now days will last three years doing nothing to them that's imported to USA. GM is no better or worse than Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, or your high priced rice burners ect.. But, don't hold the nerd cult following.

Visit Junk yard and you will lots of 10 year old foreign along with all the other brands.

[mixsonci]

If I remember correctly didn't Toyota recently have a HUGE recall, and another "foreign" maker more recently, I think. The reality is that ALL car makers have problems, I've had very good luck with Chevrolet in the past.

[nitehawk]

In 1988 i bought my first foreign car ------ after evaluating
american made cars and the price --
What has Detroit done for me.. If i remember right in WW!! we had fighter planes and bombers that could land on an airstrip on two wheels in a rain storm (maybe a typhoon) and not skid off the runway --- Why ---- pulsating brakes--- but when someonr spit on the street i used to slide off the road --- Where was Detroit ???? - I have and still have a car battery that has a job and i think the only job is to "start the car" the rest of the elec comes from the alternator --- so why does this battery weight about 30 lbs and only last maybe 5 years ( which is better then the 3 years - in 1988 ) yet we can send rockets to mars and have them operate rovers for YEARS - maybe 1/2 the size of the dumb battery i carry around for 5 years to start may car ----- why was the magneto not R&D (used in airplanes and race cars)--- big business large donations from lobbyist of battery companies BS---- Only when Ralph Nader went on his crusade ---(2009 Ralph Nader: Fighting for car safety - Orlando Sentinel) to make Detroi give us seat belts -- which never would have been done without Nader.
Please dont tell me in today day and age we can only get 35 mpg from a gas driven car ... BS ... I do not really believe in conspiracies but the story - but check out the Preston Tucker story.
Well in 1988 my Isuzu gave me all of the extras that Detroit wanted to charge me fortune for --- well i do not forget --- God bless all of the retired auto worker who got $50 p/hour to screw a bolt in to a car yet want to pay there house cleaner the minimum wage ---- I have probably hit a sour spot as tv has a lot of retired auto workers sorrry ---- some of what i have said is not 100% accurate but close enough for me Thanks Ralph Nader for the seat belts that has save many - many lives - no thank to Detroit --- just watch GM try and defend itself at the hearing on tv what a JOKE So good luck American auto makers -- we will bail you out again --- no need to bail out foreign auto makers -- most of them do fine without help BMW-etc

[JerryP]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

I have not bought a American make car since 1988 -- and will keep my streak alive

Buying "American" Could Mean Buying Foreign | U.S. News Best Cars

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

In my humble opinion, of the three major American car manufacturers, GM makes the worst cars. I buy a Ford or even a Chrysler product before a GM product.
Of course my last four cars have been Toyota and now a Lexus. I wouldn't buy anything else except maybe a Honda, Hyundai or Kia.
When American workers make better products and stop crippling their companies with absurd wages and union protection maybe American cars will get better. Until then, they just don't deserve my business.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by mixsonci

If I remember correctly didn't Toyota recently have a HUGE recall, and another "foreign" maker more recently, I think. The reality is that ALL car makers have problems, I've had very good luck with Chevrolet in the past.

Hi mixsonci: You are correct Toyota did have a recall for alleged acceleration problems. the Justice Dept investigated the heck out of them In all those years never once could anyone replicate the acceleration problem for find a basis for it. However it was proven time and time again the likely problem was pedal misapplication especially for people over 65 years of age. they did find one case where mats caused the accelerator to hang up.

Toyota immediately responded to this issue spent millions upon millions to customers and as their reward the Justice Department extorted 1,8 billion from them.

GM is a whole other story and I am interested in watching what the Justice Department will do with government motors who had a real proble knew about it immediately but ignored it because of the cost factor.

I never owned a Toyota and never will. From 1986 on I have only owned Honda and Acura cars. No repairs needed high trade in values and reliability. and they are made in the USA. My company cars were all American and ever darn one of them I had to put a mat under the car to catch the oil leaks.

[mixsonci]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Hi mixsonci: You are correct Toyota did have a recall for alleged acceleration problems. the Justice Dept investigated the heck out of them In all those years never once could anyone replicate the acceleration problem for find a basis for it. However it was proven time and time again the likely problem was pedal misapplication especially for people over 65 years of age. they did find one case where mats caused the accelerator to hang up.

Toyota immediately responded to this issue spent millions upon millions to customers and as their reward the Justice Department extorted 1,8 billion from them.

GM is a whole other story and I am interested in watching what the Justice Department will do with government motors who had a real proble knew about it immediately but ignored it because of the cost factor.

I never owned a Toyota and never will. From 1986 on I have only owned Honda and Acura cars. No repairs needed high trade in values and reliability. and they are made in the USA. My company cars were all American and ever darn one of them I had to put a mat under the car to catch the oil leaks.

I don't own a car at the moment but will be buying one when I retire in December, I am leaning towards a Honda at the moment. I want a small SUV, not a sedan, I'm thinking of the Honda Fit. I know it didn't really get a great safety rating this year, but they are supposed to fix that for 2015. I won't be doing a lot of driving in any case.

[Topspinmo]

we can send rockets to mars and have them operate rovers for YEARS - maybe 1/2 the size of the dumb battery"


I dough you would be willing to pay 20 thousand plus for the batteries made for mars unlike the government some of us don't have open borrowed checkbook. Those batteries are solar powered. NO clouds in the sky on mars. You can get NiCad and Li-ion Batteries now (which are only made in China due to the hazards and cheap labor)( also have to wonder where NASA got these batteries made?) But at 3 to 10 higher Cost in the USofA probably cheap in china. No guarantee they will last any longer than you lead acid Batteries which for the most part are recyclable and recycled and most made in the USA. China trying to corner the lithium market Afgan's have Hugh supply get who's will probably walk right in and take it?

[eremite06]

The only GM's I've owned: '65 Chevy truck and '73 Monte Carlo. Did look at GMC diesel truck last year but now I'm hot on a new RAM Longhorn diesel truck.