End of a era.........

[BigM]

Glad you got another job. Still no jobs around here. Consider yourself lucky.
As far as GM. In 78 I bought a  new chevy truck. It started knocking. Warranty covered it. The line bore was off in the block. New engine. Then a guy ran into me. Needed a new fender and rear end. Took it to the Chevy dealer. At that time was the add of replace parts with genuine gm parts. Well the rearend was not positrack as I had and the first place to rust was the genuine GM (aftermarket) fender.So, no more genuine GM vehicles or parts for me. I Have a Dodge Diesel and love it.

[G-Man]

Mark,

You are very fortunate to have lined another job up -- I'm glad it worked out for you.  So many here in the US have not been that fortunate... good luck with the new job...

Well Said !

[solo1]

You know, in the early 80's I switched to japanese cars...they got better gas mileage and were more dependable.   I drove german cars in the 90's because I could afford them, now in the 2000's I came back to the United States made cars.   My buick gets in the 30's has a life expectancy of 200k miles and is very comfortable (styling and profiling) as my kids say...    I have a 1/2 ton dodge pickup that gets as good gas mileage as some smaller vehicles.  It has a hemi and keeps me sane when I can't ride the bike.  There are a few other vehicles that I won't detail here, but my American made vehicles run neck and neck with the foreign stuff, and in many cases are much more dependable in harsh environments.

That being said, I am not sure the bailouts were the way to go, but I do not like government interference in private sector anything.  LIke others said, the public voted with their dollars, but to some extent, there were not dollars to spend.

Very well said.  That's about where I stand today.  I drive a Highlander, very reliable, and drive the Miata when I need a little fun and can't ride. Both are foreign made (another wise statement).  I probably will trade both in for A US car if I find that I can't keep both.

To say, buy American,  is hard to pin down.  Many 'American' cars are not made in the US, although technically Made in Mexico is American (Central America).  In  defense of US vehicles, Mark drives a 2004 GMC 1/2 ton that he used to pull a tandem trailer to California and back in six days, hauling a Pontiac Bonnieville, no problem and that was asking a lot of a half ton.  I was impressed.

GM is coming back, Ford is doing even better.  Now if we could only be more competitive in price so that we go back to being a manufacturing nation instead of a service nation.  A certain portion of our workforce will have to wake up and accept that the "Glory" days are over.
Manufacturing will have to wake up and put a lot of effort into keeping jobs here instead of sending them overseas.  The government will have to realize that they cannot create jobs (except government jobs) and leave the private sector do that.

The old saying "Who's going to pull the wagon when everyone wants to ride" is more true today.

My .02 for what it's worth. As Smokin' Joe says "Let's ride"

[R J]

American made.......   That is a joke anymore.

Sure, some vehicles are almost 90% American made, but that is about it.

Some of these little car models the dealers have in their inventory, are to help get the companies gas mileage figures up where the Govt wants them.

They were carrying the Pontiac name, (Vibe) but made by Toyota.   

Same with Harley, they are ASSEMBLED in America.    Only 2 or 3 parts are made in the US.   One is the engine, it is made and assembled in York and Milwaukee.

The Valkyrie, was made close to 96% in America if you want to get real technical. 

I always drove American name brands till 1996.    We bought our 9th Lincoln, and in the 1st 120 days, it spent 88 of them in the dealership.  It had problems from the git go.   Dealership and I decided it must of been made on a Thursday, just before a long weekend and someone got in a hurry to get their quota off the assembly line.

Dealer bought it back, we went up the road about a mile and bought an Infiniti, Nissan made.       Drove it about 90K, traded for a 2000, lost my butt on trade in, put about 70K on it and bought  a 2004.     Mom totaled it in July.  Insurance settled, other insurer, one who ran the stop sign.     We looked at everything from the Lexus, oh yeah, SUV only, to Ford.    Wife and daughter drove them all.   3 of them the dealer let us have them for the weekend.

Fell in love with the Buick enclave.    Wife wanted one, dealer could not produce and the factory was not taking anymore orders, end of model year and too early for the 2011.

So, she let up on her requirements.    Started the routine over again, only this time she looked at the Toyota Highlander.    She found one she liked, the dealer made her a hell of an offer as it was a 2010 model and he wanted to clear out inventory.       We bought it, for 1/2 of window sticker and the dealer paid the sales tax, license and etc to put it on the road for my figure.    Gave them the insurance check and a few more $$$$ and we have not looked back.......

Currently, she said she liked this unit better than the enclave.   It is her vehicle, and as long as momma is happy, everyone is happy.

[Hoser]

We have a 1998 Lincoln we got in 2000, 4.6 ltr v-8. 142K later, It has had brake pads twice, just put on the third set of tires on it, that's it. Gets 25 mpg all the time. Also have 94 F150, 5ltr v8 162K miles.  3 sets of tires, brake pads twice, U joints twice, One new battery 5 years ago.  I bought it new, definitly does not get 25 mpg, but I can go over 500 miles on the 35 gal gas tank... We got our money's worth. That's why I be a Ford Guy.  Hoser  

[RoadKill]

We have a 1998 Lincoln we got in 2000, 4.6 ltr v-8. 142K later, It has had brake pads twice, just put on the third set of tires on it, that's it. Gets 25 mpg all the time. Also have 94 F150, 5ltr v8 162K miles.  3 sets of tires, brake pads twice, U joints twice, One new battery 5 years ago.  I bought it new, definitly does not get 25 mpg, but I can go over 500 miles on the 35 gal gas tank... We got our money's worth. That's why I be a Ford Guy.  Hoser  

"One new battery 5 years ago"    Wow!! Ford must make the bestest batteries EVER ! !  I'll never buy a junk ass Honda again! Only got 9 yrs out of that battery 

[Hoser]

That's just a year less than my Ford, Hell, I haven't replaced the battery in the Lincoln yet, and I'm on my second battery in an 11 year old Valkyrie.
I clean the posts and grease them yearly, keep them charged, and everything except the Ford sleeps in a nice heated garage.  Did I mention I maintain all my vehicles almost too much?  My lawn mower and power washer weed eater, chain saw, etc. are all ancient and run like new. I rode a 75 Kawasaki Z1 for twenty years before I got my Valk.  It was kept up also, but a coil shorted out and burned up the wiring harness or I probly would still have it, too.  Learned it from my old man.  Thanx, Dad.  

[MCRIDER]

Yesterday was my last day at work. After working over 20 years as a tech at a Pontiac/GMC dealer we lost our GM franchise (thank you Obama).

Maybe you should lay the blame where it belongs... on GM management that drove the company into bankruptcy with poor choices and lousy models, and the unions that sucked GM dry.
 
Folks like you amaze me.  You bitch about stimulus funds, then you bitch about the fact that your particular franchise wasn't saved.

Leave it to some jerk on this board to turn a hardship situation post into another one of your anti-American company rants.  Class act there strong eagle.  You'll get yours in the end.  Everything get equaled out.

You are amazing.  "Anti-American company rant"? What nonsense is this, sonny?  Can't you read for meaning?  OP says the closure of his franchise was due to Obama.  I say he is wrong.  You contribute what... ignorant nonsense.  Speaking of class acts... you aint one.

Yes, anti-American rant.  You couldn't make a comment without driving an American company into the ground.  The man lost his job most likely because too many people are trying to be trendy and buy from foreign companies.  Like I said, class act sir.