Record losses..

[Monty Mikho]

GM last week released a record loss of over 1 billion dollars. The worst since 1992!! Guess who was in office then? Oh wait lets point the finger at someone else... :roll:

[Rod Lenz]

Yeah, let's blame the president for GM's poor management.......while your at it, blame him for the big safety recall too........Monty, you know I like ya, and I'd like to view the world through your eyes..............BUT I CAN'T GET MY HEAD THAT FAR UP MY ASS!!!!!!

[Chris Uratchko]

C'mon Monty... I'm in your world over there we BOTH know GM is a big mess internally.

Pretty sad when all your contract work force has all the brains while the direct employees are dead weight..... and THEN you decide to eliminate all your contract work force.....

Who's going to do the work now???? The direct Engineers?? :lol: These direct engineers don't even know what a car is.

You ain't seen nothing yet. Bad days are in GM's future.

[Jimmy Biggs]

Hey wow some thinkin GM Workers.........When Drug Rehab cost every car buyer $700 (thats per car!!!)....thats 2 payments :shock: .....and these factory workers are makin what per hour???.....I can solve the problem.....pay them $10 an hour....the Drug Problem will go down.......and what Great Idea has GM come up with lately???? :oops:

[Mike Tritle]

I read they're climing into bed with Daimler Chrysler to develope a fuel cell car...

My gosh, now somebody is going to report that GM and DC management is gay!

[Monty Mikho]

I will not blame Bush for the problems at GM, but I will blame him for the status of the economy. Ford, GM and Chrysler all use contractors. For them it's the best bang for the buck. They pay the contractors by the hour with no vacation pay, no holiday pay, no health insurance, no liability insurance, no S.S., no retirement package and no tie downs with the employee (contractor). Is GM perfect? Absolutely not! But neither are the other 2. Is Toyota and Honda a better company? The way they run it, yes? The product they produce, no! The market is being dominated with import cars. The Jap cars are taking US sales away. We are exporting jobs and importing the goods. Who's to blame for this? I would have to say the past few Presidents along with congress. Why you ask? When you open up the boarders to cheap labor the companies are gonna run outta here for it. But lets step back and look at the big picture with employee pay. GM has shipped out 1/2 of the jobs to 3rd world countries with 3rd world pay. Are the cars any cheaper? NOPE!! So yes we can pay the American worker $10.00 an hour. But I will bet my life an average car will still cost $35,000 to buy. Remember this fact! 7% of the cost of a car is for the labor costs put into it!!! Why does GM spend 80% of its resources worried about 7% of the cost.. Maybe this is the problem with them...

[Mike Tritle]

Think about it...somebody has to buy the imported stuff for them to continue to import it. We are our own worst enemy.

I just went through a BIG transmission problem with my Dodge Truck but I'll be hanged before I'll buy a Toyota or Honda truck next time. However, I will search for what's best between the big three before buying one of theirs. Let em compete with each other, but I'll not contribute to the demise of American Industry. I along with several others made a recent career change for that very reason.

The industry that profits most from importing into this country is the oil companies (fuel for...) and (...the boats) shipping!

[Monty Mikho]

I agree, Mike. I have had more than my share of problems with cars from GM. I ended up buying a Ford and it was an excellent truck before the oil pump went and the motor with it. I went out and bought a GM again. Excellent truck so far and I also would never and have never bought a car outside the big 3.. We it's the Big 2 now since Chrysler is no longer American... :cry:

[Mike Tritle]

My old Ford is still running in AZ. Sold it with 165000 on the clock, original 460 and all. Replaced trans at 128000, three sets of tires, a starter and barrels of motor oil (regular maintenance).

Keith Seymore works in the truck engineering area at GM and has given me a new perspective on their product. Problem is, diesel engine is Japanese, leaving Ford and Dodge with the only complete American product in it's class. Many of them are assembled in Canada and Mexico but the profit $$ return to the US to roost rather than in the far east.

[Jimmy Biggs]

I don't want to alarm you American Car Zelots....but aren't Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW.........Building Cars in the US???? :roll:

[Rick Miller]

I don't want to alarm you American Car Zelots....but aren't Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW.........Building Cars in the US???? :roll:

Yes the cars are built here. But where does the profit ($) go?

[Mike Tritle]

I don't want to alarm you American Car Zelots....but aren't Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW.........Building Cars in the US???? :roll:

Yes they are, just like we make em in Mexico and Canada, eh? They found it less costly than shipping from Japan, gave them more capacity to fill the "need" over here. However, engineering, design, marketing and other high paying white collar jobs along with profit final resting place is in Japan/Germany. At least DC has left the Chrysler engineering side somewhat in tact here in the US. Not sure how the corporate structure routes profit $$.

The other huge problem coming up is outsourcing of components. Heard from reliable sources (two people, one next door to me and another 5 doors down the street, that lost their jobs at a local rocker arm plant) that Cummins outsourced their rocker arm business to India. DeKalb lost an entire manufacturing company to that deal and 90% of the workers were displaced as the result.

Now I have to wonder how many components are outsourced in the Ford/Navistar diesel engine???

[Jimmy Biggs]

If we're talkin Profits here.....Don't the Union Workers, Parts Suppliers, Local Supermarkets.....Sandwitch Shops......Malls....All Profit from a Plant building Cars in the US.....Locally as well as Nationaly.....I think your cutting your noses off in a Liberal Media attemp to make "Evil Corporations" the bad guys....when in all reality they put money in to all our pockets.......from ME (advertising :-D ) to the "Lot Boy" (what I started my carreer as)....to the General Manager of the Plant

Here's something to put in your pipe.....every job that goes overseas....we get 2 1/2 more here......'cause they need our stuff there too

[Bobalos]

Yeah, let's blame the president for GM's poor management.......while your at it, blame him for the big safety recall too........Monty, you know I like ya, and I'd like to view the world through your eyes..............BUT I CAN'T GET MY HEAD THAT FAR UP MY ASS!!!!!!

ROFLMBO. that was priceless.

Bob

[Chris Uratchko]

Actually Mike, that's not true about engineering marketing, design and general R&D being overseas with Nissan, Toyota, Honda.

Each one of these above has their Engineering Tech Centers located here in the states, and Michigan to be exact.

ALL Engineering, Design, and Developement of specific models is done here with American Work force.... and then Built here with American work force.

Chrysler is owned by the Germans, my Dodge Ram is built in Mexico, so where's that money going and what American hands touched it besides the dealership??

Honestly I said I would never buy another GM car EVER AGAIN. my dilemma is that I am paid by GM programs... so I don't know what to do as I should buy a GM as they are in need of support.

[Bobalos]

I hear you chris,

when I was going to buy my helmet I was torn between ordering it through a mail order place or getting it from a local shop. I endedup getting it through the shop & paying about $80 more than if I bought it on line, but the money stayed in San Diego & it supports the programs & events (as well as the local shop) that are important to me. it was worth the bucks IMO, to keep the money were I could see it.

Mind you this is not the purchase of a car, but when you are talking about a billion dollar industry, I think that its important to spend the money where you can see its affect. every buck I spend @ the local shop, keeps them open a little longer.

Bob

[Sledgehammer]

Yeah...GM....let's not talk about my wonderful 3 yr old paint job that started flaking that I have been fighting them about since then. Notice the roof of my truck at the Cecil County event.

Let's not talk about the crushing year that GM had last year.....riding high just a year ago on strong sales of its brawny, profit-hauling full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles, GM earned $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2004 and its stock traded at near $50 a share.

But in the last 12 months, faced with increased competition and consumers choosing more fuel-efficient vehicles as gas prices skyrocketed, GM's U.S. market share has dwindled to 25.6 percent through March, from 26.8 percent last year, as sales fell 5.1 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

Sounds like they got a little comfortable on the top and slipped and tripped.

I know the Ford products are starting to look more and more appealing. Atleast they keep their paint a little better than my Dually. :evil:

[Chuck L.]

Honda and toyota can suck my ..............

[Jimmy Biggs]

Honda and toyota can suck my ..............

Toyota is kickin but right now(record sales in April).....why.....they have a good product.....No I don't have one......however their checks help pay for my American Junk :P

[Bobalos]

I don't want to alarm you American Car Zelots....but aren't Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW.........Building Cars in the US???? :roll:

"built in the US" or "assembled in the US"? I would like to know how many cars are TRUELY "built in the US".

Bob

[Jimmy Biggs]

I don't want to alarm you American Car Zelots....but aren't Nissan, Toyota, Honda, VW.........Building Cars in the US???? :roll:

"built in the US" or "assembled in the US"? I would like to know how many cars are TRUELY "built in the US".

Bob

Good line Bob......You may not want to know.....even with American Cars :roll:

[Bobalos]

I realize that. Its just one of those trivia questions, I would be curious to know.

Bob

[Chris Uratchko]

I know 1.3 billion in profit sounds like a lot for a quarter, but in terms of percentages, that is WAY below what most corporations find acceptable.

[Mousehouse]

When was the last time a GM, Ford or any american made car lasted for more than 5-6 years before having major problems? Most of the above manufactures don't build their cars to last. I buy several millions of dollars worth of cars a year for my employer and most last 5-6 years before they are junk and have to be sold for pennies on the dollar. Yes we abuse most of them but not all. Resale value of american cars sucks. They basically have no value after 5-6 years.

This will ruffle a few feathers but most if not all of the union employees for the above companies are over paid for what they do.

I ask why is the auto industry in the US this way? Why don't they build better cars that last longer? Why is GM in trouble? It wouldn't have to do with them not being able to come up with any new ideas and over paying their management.

[Mike Tritle]

Hmm, let's see...
My 78 Dodge pickup: Totaled in 93 with 169,000 miles on the clock
78 Dodge Aspen: Sold with 176,000 and at last report in 99 had over 300k when the body just fell off it.
88 Ford Taurus: Sold with 158,000 in late 96, got totaled 11,000 mile later when it hit a deer.
95 Taurus (was replacement when we sold the 88) Only 76K when hit by an Excursion from behind and totalled.
90 Ford Dually: Sold with 167,000, 40K of which was in front of the Auto Meter Pit Support Trailer from 99-01. Also pulled my flatbed w/Cuda to several races. Last report is chasing back and forth to AZ from IL by the guy I sold it to who loves it. Don't know repair history from day of sale. I did replace the trans at 113,000.
01 Dodge 1500 Ram: I bought this one with 38K and have had a few more problems in the 50K I've put on it including front axle u-joints and having to rebuild the trans due to a bad lock up converter. It now pulls the Cuda to the races.

02 Taurus (replaced the 95) Former rental car, had to rebuild the trans at 35K but it was fully covered by the 3-36 warranty.

I can't kick. Either I've been real lucky or the way my wife and I drive and how I maintain these guys must be worth something...

As for the corporate troubles, yea, they need to reorganize their management priorities, I agree. Too many chiefs who really are not up to speed with the activities of the indians. I think there will be some wising up real soon, United Air Lines is a current example of how that's changing. When I heard the union rep say so what when asked what if the airline goes under, it was really aparent to me the problems lie company wide and root in a short sighted me first outlook. Hey, what would you rather have, a decent yet somewhat lower income or none at all???

[Mousehouse]

Mike I noticed most of the cars you have listed are not new or close to it. The cars they use to build were built better or by someone that cared. I am talking about cars that are currently built or within the last several years. You will find very few that don't have problems within a short period of time.

How many people have a vehicle with over 100,000 miles that is still a good running vehicle? If someone is going to pay thousands of dollars for something you would think it would last as long as possible.

[Jimmy Biggs]

'78 Dodge Aspen....as per Lee Iaccoca.....R&D done by Consumer :shock: