More reasons not to buy GM

[tunersteve]

For the record, the Mazda6 is produced in Flat Rock, MI, and the Ford Fusion is produced in Hermosillo, Mexico. Which one's American? (dunno)

And the Regal is going to be made in Oshawa, Ontario...a bit of a moot point IMO.

It depends on how you want to look at it. You can buy a domestic brand vehicle built out of the country, or you can buy a foreign vehicle built in the US. Both of which are made from parts around the world. At the end of the day, the money goes back to the company, not so much to the plant itself.

 

[Mallard]

And the Regal is going to be made in Oshawa, Ontario...a bit of a moot point IMO.

It depends on how you want to look at it. You can buy a domestic brand vehicle built out of the country, or you can buy a foreign vehicle built in the US. Both of which are made from parts around the world. At the end of the day, the money goes back to the company, not so much to the plant itself.

Agreed. The profit is coming back to America (and add's to the US GDP), plus the development happens in the US, which provides a large number of jobs at the OEM and at suppliers. Sure the assembly plant provides jobs too, but all the engineering/development, and testing is based in the US. The components that are shipped to that assembly plant are made from all over, including the US.

GM has also announced a large amount of money they are investing in US assembly plants, which will establish or continue to provide jobs.

 

[fateexceeds]

Only one problem, I can only speak for me, and I'm pretty sure most of my own family, but none of us would actually buy any of those cars. As much as I do kinda like the regal sport, when it comes down to it, I'd still buy a jap car. I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that way.

Matter of fact, the only way I'd buy american, is if there were no other options out there.They've sucked for decades, and that reputation doesn't vanish from my memory over night no matter what the american auto journalist are trying to convince us of.
Time will tell, but I don't think GM is ever going to be anything other then "GM" if you know what I mean.

I agree completely. As I said above, I know many people who decided to switch from American to Japanese cars, and they will not switch back. GM still has a huge hill to climb.

 

[fateexceeds]

Also, an aside: I hope GM's upcoming efforts are better than the pathetic Malibu. As you may have seen me mention elsewhere on the forums, a bus backed into my new 3, so I had to get a rental while the 3 is being fixed. Enterprise provided me with a Malibu instead of the Nissan Altima I was supposed to get, and I can safely say that the Malibu is junk.

I admit that many of my complaints about the Malibu are minor, but it just goes to show how little attention GM pays to detail compared to its Japanese counterparts. First of all, the seats were too soft and unsupportive. Secondly, the interior was drab gray, and although they attempted to spice things up with chrome accents and a leather shift boot, all it succeeded in doing was making the rest of the interior look even worse, kind of like the ricer who puts chrome spinners on his primered POS 1990s Civic, which just calls unneeded attention to it. Third, the steering wheel was hard as a rock and not comfortable to grip; given the presence of the chrome and leather accents, it seemed even more out of place (why not wrap the steering wheel in leather too?). Last and most importantly, the brakes and brake pedal feel were beyond terrible; the pedal hardly moved unless I pressed really hard on it, and even then, the braking didn't inspire any confidence. I'll put it to you this way: I would not want to drive anywhere in this thing with my son onboard because I would be too afraid of not being able to stop the car fast enough in the event of an emergency.

Given how it was touted in the commercials, the Malibu failed miserably to live up to its billing, and even if I were inclined to give GM a chance on some of its other new vehicles, I most certainly would not after experiencing this crap.

 

[skylar2ups]

I would say he is right on.
It takes a decade for someone to consider giving a company another chance with $20K.
You have to prove you have a good product over that time period so people believe your cars will last.

I am unaware of any study or statistic that can link a certain make or model of cars buying demographic to being likely to not maintain it leading to numerous failures.
Everyone has econo cars and if you look at 1990 as a snap shot, would it be better to have bought a Carola, Cavalier, or an elantra?
We all know the Carola won the longevity contest with the Civic over their competition by a LARGE margin. DId some cavaliers last as long, sure, but not with less failures overall and equal percentage of cars.

I certainly will not be giving GM any more of my money for at least a decade after that s*** bomb G5 my wife had.
Sure the engine will last 100,000 miles too bad the suspension, sunroof, and electronics didn't.

I am unaware of any study or statistic that can link a certain time frame with when people will "try again."