Author Topic: US carmakers suffer drop in sales (Read 1458 times)

1K3 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 01, 2006, 11:01:08 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by RedTop
Geesh thats a nice car. Haven't seen those ever. But man 100K? WOW!!!!

Isnt that the one with V-16 engine???

Shuckins · « **Reply #16 on:** August 01, 2006, 11:11:31 PM »

Catering to the whims of urban and suburban drives thirsty for a taste of machismo caused the big three automakers to ruin pickups.

Is there anything more ridiculous than the sight of a vehicle originally designed for heavy work being tricked out with leather seats, surround sound music systems, and tons of utterly useless bells and whistles.

Well-equipped trucks that could be purchased for 5500 dollars in the late seventies cost nearly thirty thousand in 2004.

The oil crisis has seen the bottom fall out of the girlie man (love that term) truck market. Fully equipped trucks are regularly advertised for less than twelve thousand dollars, after factory and dealer rebates.

Now....if I could only afford the gas for one.

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:25:29 AM »

Quick! Blame declining US Auto sales on lack of oil and not the mother****ing UNIONS! QUICK!

Sandman · « **Reply #18 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:32:58 AM »

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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Quick! Blame declining US Auto sales on lack of oil and not the mother****ing UNIONS! QUICK!

Are there not labor unions at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan plants in the United States?

Holden McGroin · « **Reply #19 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:39:26 AM »

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Originally posted by 1K3
GM should kill...

Oldsmobile (the name speaks for itself)

Glad you agree with them: they killed it last year (or maybe two years ago...)

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:56:48 AM »

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Originally posted by Sandman
Are there not labor unions at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan plants in the United States?

Not to the economically choking affect of the US Automaker Unions.

john9001 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 02, 2006, 07:40:37 AM »

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Originally posted by Sandman
Are there not labor unions at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan plants in the United States?

honda has no unions, also honda's plant management wears white jump suits just like the line worker, there are no "executive" offices at honda plants.

Mini D · « **Reply #22 on:** August 02, 2006, 07:55:31 AM »

I doubt any of the engineers designing these cars and the management deciding on designs/features/reducing cost are union.

You can blame a % of the proffit issues on the UAW, but the revenue issues fall squarely on non-union shoulders. The big 3 have lost their way... I'd say cadillac was their only bright spot but they only have one car I'd consider with an overpriced SL500 clone and an oversized SUV dragging them down.

Ghosth · « **Reply #23 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:06:31 AM »

Fact of the matter is the big 3 were in big trouble last year. Got out of some of it by dumping the price in order to move cars. But they still don't have a car on the market that competes well with whats really selling.

Gas prices are only going to go up from here. So Big 3, think 50 mpg minimum. Cut the fancy crap, 90 % of this country just needs good reliable transportation. Lower the sticker price. I'm sorry but I wouldn't even look at a car thats listed over 15 grand.

Go back to a solid 10 year product with a garrentee to back it up and make it STICK! Quit makeing disposable cars that you KNOW will break in less than 7 years. Look at Kia, 10 year warantee, you think they believe in their cars?
It sure looks like they do.

Last, while unions had a time & place in this country they are pricing themselves out of a job. Conditions have changed, times have changed Either change with the times, or watch your company's fold.

lazs2 · « **Reply #24 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:21:22 AM »

don't know if you can blame it all on the unions but... toyota would collapse in America if they had to pay UAW wages and bennies and deal with all the union parts shops here.

The caddy and the vette and the Mustang are 3 cars that are very well thought out and the engineers have kept the costs down making them some of the cheapest performance cars in the industry...

The ecotech 4 banger is probly one of the most advanced 4 cyl around... the modular OHC v8's are the cheapest in the industry.

where American car companies have to cut because of unions is in quality.

engineers try to cut costs to offset labor prices on building the cars and buying the parts and....

things break and fall off.

No way out.. the unions are a cancer that has migrated to every part of the U.S. auto industry.

In the end tho... it won't matter... the cancer will die with the patient.

GM tried to get out from under the union saddle with the saturn and tried to do bussines like the japs do in America... it is too late. the cancer fought em off and took over that experiment too.

If the American auto makers die... maybe a new company can come from the ashes and.. with a clean slate... treat it's workers more like the japs do. We have the best engineers and designers in the world in my opinion..

Toyota has never made a car I would want to drive much less buy.

lazs

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #25 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:45:10 AM »

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Originally posted by xrtoronto
OH! So sweet!

Piggies

Have you see the little piggies
crawling in the dirt
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt
to play around in

Have you see the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts
to play around in

In their sties with all their backing
They don't care what goes on around
In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a darn good whacking

Everywhere there's lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives
to eat their bacon

one more time

lazs2 · « **Reply #26 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:54:35 AM »

dred... are yu saying the caddy is a pig or that the UAW are pigs?

lazs

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #27 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:58:49 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
dred... are yu saying the caddy is a pig or that the UAW are pigs?

lazs

More a Commentary on their owners
Gotta remember the slang term of "pig" wasnt originally ment as a discription of police

lazs2 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 02, 2006, 09:10:22 AM »

So if you like a fine automobile you are a pig? What do you drive? A prius?

lazs

john9001 · « **Reply #29 on:** August 02, 2006, 10:06:11 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
So if you like a fine automobile you are a pig? What do you drive? A prius?

lazs

a"fine automobile" is for rich people with too much money or poor people with champagne dreams, most of us just want basic transportation.

on your put down of the prius, my nephew makes about $110,000 a year and drives a prius to work, his porsche and ford explorer sit in the garage waiting for sunny weekends and a trip to his 36ft boat.