If GM could match long-term reliability with their stellar advertising and
marketing they'd blast everyone else out of the competition. I love the
commercial where the lady Engineer parks a 40' SUV with 4-wheel steering
next to some biker's - I grin every time I see it. There's too many of us
older farts that have GM horror stories that we are not letting go and are
not seeing the probs imports have today with an unbiased eye. IMO, most car
makers are just making product and it's dumb luck when something great makes
it to the real world...



"Warren" > wrote in message
...
> > The Chevy Vega (which I believe was first introduced in the 1970 or 1971
> > model year) was actually (just a bit too far) ahead of its time.
>
> I agree totally. I once learned from Pontiac that it was originally
started
> off as the new generation of Camaro (like it's Pontiac Cousin Astre was to
> be the new Firebird) and that's when they started experimenting with the
> aluminum block. (Actually, Chevy did make some 1969 Camaros with
> aluminum...ZR1 - was that the name? I understand some of the suspension
was
> aluminum too...) But I recall the V8 Vega models - being smaller and
having
> such a motor - was something pretty competitive in it's time - until
> cylinders got scored...
>
> It's a shame that GM just did not test their cars and refine them (once
upon
> a time) each step along the way. Saturn seems to listen at times.
>
> I recently read in the Kansas City Star that GM pulled a Toyota executive
> out of retirement to work with them, and one of the comments he made [to
> GM - paraphrased] was: "You only test up to the warranty limits you offer.
> You must test to the limits of the failure of the vehicle..."
>
>