GM in doodoo

[RyanZ71]

heard on the radio today more news about how GM is in very big trouble. Now its all over the internet as well, with the employee pricing being offered to everyone. GM was caught with their pants down and unprepared, I believe Ford is in a simular situation though not quite as bad. Some people are predicting that there will be no GM in 5 years and that Toyota right now has enough profit to be able to buy GM out! Grant it when Mercedies Benz purchased Chrysler Corp that helped Chrysler big time and their quality and reliability has gone up, but what do you think about GM? What does it mean for us as truck owners?

[100R1]

For the short term it means that buyers of new GM vehicles will be able to get great deals on them

 

Long term....... Not as bad outlook as Chrysler had back when they went bankrupt and the Federal Government bailed them out (Lee Iacoca Era)

 

 

 

look for fewer "duplicates" of vehicles within the GM family

Buick, GM to be more of a "specialty" brand in a similar fashion as Hummer, SAAB, Saturn is.

 

More out sourcing of parts (perhaps less "MADE IN THE USA") that are non union made

GM to cut 25,000 employes and close plants yet to be named.

 

Moving burden of Health Care Benifits from GM to the Employes will help GM increase profits, GM states that it cost them $ 1,500.00 for every new car sold in health care cost.

 

 

The President of Toyota stated that he could help GM (and the US auto Mfg.s) by raising the selling prices of new Toyota vehicle...........How can they help US Mfg. by making more profit on their already overpriced vehicles ?

[GuyZ71]

I think Ford and GM should start building what Americans are asking for (and buying)...quality vehicles. GM and Ford, and formerly Chrysler, have subscribed to the planned obsolescence theory for far too long. For the last 30 years their strategy has been to build a vehicle that will last 4-5 years and then begin to fall apart. By that time the loan is paid off or d**n near it so Johnny Customer goes back to the General and buys another new car that only last for ~5 years. As time wore on people began to realize that the imports were offering better reliability so they made a change. Now people are buying imports that reliably last for 8-10 years. Contrary to American automotive producer's mentality, people aren't holding onto their Toyota's or Honda's for 10 years. Those customers are so happy with their previous purchase that they're gladly selling or trading their old imports in on new ones while the resale value is still high. What's a 5 year old Malibu worth compared to a 5 year old Camry??

 

I currently drive my Z71 and we've also got a 2000 Grand Prix GT. No comparison when driving our Ponitac and then jumping in our 2001 Acura TL 3.2. The Acura is smoother, quieter, build quality is obviously better and the car is far less quirky. The Pontiac's traction control is a joke. On rainy pavement it takes about 2 seconds to kick in...by that time I've already backed out of the throttle with my foot and corrected. It's even evident when shutting the doors. My Pontiac and my buddy's brand new Impala are loud when the doors shut. My Acura just sort of makes a "whoosh" and the door is closed.

 

I'm telling GM and Ford right now...build a high quality car and raise the price a couple thousand. I'll gladly buy it knowing I'm getting my money's worth.

[firstruck]

Gotta second what GuyZ71 said. GM with exception of the Cadillac division is designing some gawd awful looking cars, classic examples of design by commitee, everything is a compromise and the outcome pleases no one. the Malibu is a great example,,, of what honda was building 20 years ago,,, I was born and raised a GM guy and will stubbornly probably stay one, no matter how ugly thier cars and trucks get, I just wish they'd get thier build quality up to world class standards.

[black&grayHD]

GM is far too corporate and union-oriented as it stands to be a world class manufacturer. It will no doubt take an overhaul to help it back on it's feet. It's disappearing altogether on the other hand is ridiculous, even though it's product lineup is lacking with a few exceptions (new vette comes to mind)

[GMC6000]

GM needs to start with dumping the labor union. Get rid of the worthless union employees, and hire people that are willing to work more than 6 hours a day. Call me anti-union? You darn right I am. Labor unions are ruining this country by demanding less work and more pay.

[fyarbrou]

Another in agreement. I like GM but their quality sucks and has for quite a while. The whole "Made in America" crap is an old worn out song. My Silverado is made in Canada while our Toyota Sieanna was made in Ohio. There is no comparison in the build quality of these two vehicles. The Toyota's dash fits like it grew there. I can barely wedge the radar detector cord into a crevice because things fit so tight. On my Silverado, there are gaps and cracks big enough to fit your hand into. I want to buy American and I want to buy quality. Now that the imports are making vehicles that are actually big enough for Americans to fit in it is going to be Hell for GM, Ford, and Chrysler. GM had better shape up or ship out.

[mcreyaufmiller]

i disagree with the quality comments. I am driving a 98 with over 140k miles, i had a pontiac bonneville with over 250k, i have a 54 truck with 150k, a 81 truck with 80k, and a 78 with290k. all have the orignal motors. that is quality. my 98 runs great and has no oil leaks, nor does it burn any. i would buy antoher truck now if they were not so expensive or ugly. it is getting to the point that only wealthy people can afford trucks when they were orignally designed for farmers and cheap to buy. now they are for yuppies and cost more than any other models. go figure, the yuppier ruined the pricing structure on Harleys too.

[fyarbrou]

Did ya ever notice that none of the earlier American cars came with a speedometer that could list over 99,999 miles? The first one that I ever saw with a 100k + speedo was a foreign vehicle. Wonder why? I am an engineer but it does not take one to figure this out.

 

I have owned several good GM products and actuall just dropped $28K on a new Suburban. The quality is not that great but it is the only thing that is big enough for my family now. Don't get me wrong, I am pro GM but I am also knowledgable enough to know that they are not up to par with Toyota's fit and finish.

[rspillc]

Yes, it seems that GM may be in a bit of hot water, but then again look at Harley Davidson a few years back, they almost went bankrput. But then HD focused on what it did best, getting back to it's roots and building solid motorcycles.

 

That is what GM should do, get back to it's roots and focus on what it knows best, building solid, brand name, quality automobiles. And I do believe that if Toyota should ever make a bid for the General, that would be a bad idea. Remember, GM has been a distinctly American house hold name for many decades, and hopefully that will be the case for many years to come.

 

I think that if GM is bought by Toyota, the distinctive GM name will fade away, and I for one am not about to let that happen. I currently own a 2005 Chevy Blazer ZR2 and have owned several Chevy pickups in the past. I am not about to buy a Japanese Chevrolet. If I wanted a foreign automobile, I would have bought Honda/Toyota/Nissan years ago.

 

I do believe, just like Harley Davidson, General Motors will rise once again and be a force to be reckoned with.

[RyanZ71]

From what I understand, even Harleys have reliability issues and the Honda Touring bikes are more reliable.

[jhm]

The President of Toyota stated that he could help GM (and the US auto Mfg.s) by raising the selling prices of new Toyota vehicle...........How can they help US Mfg. by making more profit on their already overpriced vehicles ?

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

The plan was to raise their (Toyota) prices to make American vehicles more attractive. They do not want to be seen as the cause of the demise of the US auto industry, that would hurt them in the short, possibly long term.

[rdnkcpa]

GM will be around for years to come. They have several billion dollars in cash on hand and are making tons of mney on their other businesses. In the end to stay in business GM has to offer something of value to their customers. Unitl they do that they will continue to lose market share.

[biochemist]

From what I understand, even Harleys have reliability issues and the Honda Touring bikes are more reliable.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well, my father has a 2003 Goldwing...~19k$ and has had 2 recalls, one for, I think an electrical issue and the other with possible frame stress fractures that have to be inspected and fixed accordingly...My brother has a HD, no issues at all since new also ~2003 model...I am not arguing here, just pointing out that even Honda is having issues now. Hey, all these places outsource parts and such, so you are going to have issues once in a while, even Honda with the new CRV...the oil gaskets are not right and can cause a fire with leaking oil. So Honda is changing them on the lots before they are sold. The info is out there, I think people like to bash american companies a little too quickley sometimes, as some of the issues are from parts that are made for them. Also, if you read long enough other brands have the same issues cause they buy from the same places...A while back some engine coils were having issues and while saturn had the most cars with the problem, volvo, VW and Porsche also had to replace their coils, because they all came form the same company. But, you did not hear much about that, all about GM and the issues they had...reporting just needs to be fair on these issues. Also, GM has ~40 billion in cash laying around, they are not as bad off as people think. The healthcare is killing them at 5 billion a year. The unions will work with them as they did Chrysler ealrier...Anyway, all manufactureres have issues with suppliers...even Porsche, that is my point. Later,

[pjmmoore]

I am in agreement with most of what is said here. GM has to compete better by designing better looking vehicles, upping quality in all of its vehicles (please stop using industrial grade plastic for the interiors!!!), and installing more modern engines / transmissions. Most competitors have graduated well beyond the 4 speed automatic while GM makes the 4 speed automatic its mainstay. For the life of me I cannot understand this. Like most of you I am a GMer through and through, but if they don't start to build better looking, better quality autos and trucks I will be forced to look elsewhere. It's killing me to even have to think about it.