Chevy, Ford, Ram, Toyota?

Ridersfan · March 16, 2016

I read this on the internet so it must be true [emoji12]

Unless you have some type of Insider information I assume you base your opinion on what you read just like I do.

There are several versions of the story and I will admit I have no way of verifying any of them , do you? I chose to believe what I read on factcheck.org

It is true that Ford took advantage ($5.9 billion) of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program (ATVM) to develop and tool up more fuel-efficient vehicles. But technically that is not an emergency bailout due to financial crisis.

The feds offered the ATVM program and several manufacturers took advantage of it including Nissan, Tesla, Fisker, and VPG.

Of course each media outlet seems to want to twist the facts to fit their sensationalized message of the moment to improve their ratings or internet hits. So we have to read between the lines to find the truth..... if there is any to find.

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I worked in a ford dealership in the 90's & 2000's and can remember it... can't find it on google for the life of me, but I was there, remember the article (on paper in those days) and I'm not so old that my memory is no good (yet). So, moral of the story is, just cause you CAN'T find it on the interweb, doesn't mean it never happened lol

Sportznut · March 16, 2016

I have family members who are die hard Ford fanatics and liked to give me grief over GM taking the bailout. I then remind them that Harley Davidson and Verizon wireless were also part of the same package that GM was under but I don't see them switching cell phone carriers (verizon only one that picks up around here) and selling or badmouthing their HD's.

I did not know VZ and HD got bailed out. Are we talking about in the same time frame (2007-2010) or are you going all the way back to the HD/AMF days?

I am a believer in letting the market cleanse itself of poorly managed companies.

Makes for a stronger market.

Government should not be rewarding poor management.

Bailouts also penalize the competitors that are managed better.

There might be some exceptions I'm not thinking of but as a general rule I feel this way.

I am especially critical of the American auto industry , both the management and the unions. The American car companies built junk due to greed back in the late 60s and early 70s that allowed the Japanese to take over the market. As an American it pains me to say this but it is the truth.

I remember the UAW striking for an ungodly amount of wages back then. Management buckled and simply passed on the expense and continued to cut corners to keep filling up of their wallets. Did not look at the long-term ....similar to our politicians. Unions and auto manufacturers took the American Consumer for granted. Big mistake.

I have no sympathy. All they had to do was improve the quality of their product , even if it was just equal to the Japanese that would have been good enough to hold onto market share.

Japanese came in and gave the American car companies a beatdown lesson in how to build quality at a reasonable price. This is what made Toyota the most profitable and one of the top two auto manufacturers in the world.

Fortunately for the American Consumer many of the auto manufacturers finally figured out the simple formula to success ( build quality for a reasonable profit) and now we, the consumers, have lots of options when it comes to picking out a quality car/truck.

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MikeNH · March 16, 2016

Ford took govt money during the recession and it saved their ass, period. Their car lineup was junk prior to that time and this money let them turn that around and now they build generally excellent cars with terrible infotainment systems. Without that money Ford would've been dead in the water. GM and Chrysler paid portions of their bailout back, Ford did no such thing.

All three American brands have a good lineup for the most part. Trying to place Ford ahead because of no bailout is creative interpretation of history at best. I call it bullshit.

silveradosid · March 17, 2016

my buddys 2014 f150 with the 5 litre has 82000 kilometers on it. ford tech says it stretched the timing chain and trashed the motor. ford says he didnt do oil changes to their standards and wont cover the repair. have you driven a ford lately lol

silveradosid · March 17, 2016

one other thing for ford , this is what happens when you blow a tire at highway speeds

tnchevy · March 17, 2016

And you can find just as many things to complain about with our GM truck, just hang out it in the issues and troubleshooting section. I would be willing to bet our trucks would not fair much better with a rear tire blowout, the sheet metal is just barely thicker than paper.

Chevor · March 17, 2016

GMC!

Sportznut · March 17, 2016

Ford took govt money during the recession and it saved their ass, period. Their car lineup was junk prior to that time and this money let them turn that around and now they build generally excellent cars with terrible infotainment systems. Without that money Ford would've been dead in the water. GM and Chrysler paid portions of their bailout back, Ford did no such thing.

All three American brands have a good lineup for the most part. Trying to place Ford ahead because of no bailout is creative interpretation of history at best. I call it bullshit.

MikeNH

Nobody was putting Ford ahead of anyone.

Ford has not paid the loan back yet because the terms of the program do not require it to be paid yet. Thank your politicians for that.

Big difference between going through bankruptcy like GM and Chrysler did vs. taking advantage of a program to develop more cost efficient vehicles. Get the facts straight.

I am not an advocate for Ford or any of the brands. But if you're going to use the term b******* describing my post then you should to stop spreading your own.

Sounds like you're stuck in the Ford vs. Chevy loyalty syndrome. Or should I say the Hatfields vs McCoys.

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MikeNH · March 17, 2016

I've owned all three domestic brands and will continue to do so. Ford exists today because of the federal money, period. It wasn't even a loan, it was grant money as far as I know. That's free money. Ford took government money, without it, they'd be bankrupt too.

duramax041 · March 17, 2016

Gmc ! Check out the frame twist test and ramp test vs ford,chevy-gmc, dodge.

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Chevor · March 17, 2016

Ford did another test Mike Row narrated rigidity test.

Daryl Z71 · March 17, 2016

1455668256522.jpgone other thing for ford , this is what happens when you blow a tire at highway speeds

This Silverado doesn't look much better. I believe it belongs to a member here.

Willshire · March 17, 2016

A tire did that to the bumper? wow!

pickmeup · March 17, 2016

Wow . Make ya think twice about spike mats LOL

4x4Pete · March 17, 2016

Oh man! Threads like this are ridiculous! I thought this is a GMC/ Chevy forum. Some of you are really hating them. You should sell your GM product, buy a whatever you like and spoil their forums!