Consider buying American!

"Jeff" > wrote in message
news:fxosj.31$dh.15@trnddc01...
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>> Back in 1985, I hired a Buick Park Drive and a Pontiac Grand Am while in
>> the USA.
>>
>> The Buick was passable, but with very sloppy suspension etc.
>>
>> The Grand Am was appalling, one of the worst cars I have ever driven and
>> certainly the worst new one.
>>
>> At the time back in the UK I was driving a 1983 BMW 735i. Obviously this
>> was better than most EU cars of that era, however the US cars of the time
>> were laughable in comparison.
>>
>> The trouble [for the US car industry] is that 25 years after that 735i
>> was built it is probably still better than most US cars sold today in
>> almost every department. Some of them are still laughable e.g. the
>> Chrysler PT Cruiser - poor drive, poor ride, poor handling, poor
>> performance, poor trim, poor seats, poor reliability and so on. You
>> would be better off in a ten year old base entry model 3 series than a
>> new one of these.
>
> A BMW 735i probably cost about 3 times as much money as most American cars
> of the era, too.
>
> You get what you pay for, especially considering the high cost of
> maintaining such a vehicle.

But you don't have to replace it after just a few years.

Obviously cars are / were not taxed as much in the USA and over there a BMW
was a premium import.

Where it was made it would be a lot cheaper.

The main point was that a car designed and made in Europe a generation ago
is still better than most US made cars now.

The corrolory would be that current EU mass market cars (e.g. Ford Mondeo,
Vauxhall Vectra etc.) are better than their BMW market equivalents (3 and 5
series) of the mid 80's.

To put it another way the US is about 25 years behind Europe on car design,
build and quality control.

>
> jeff
>
> Jeff

wrote:

> On Feb 12, 8:41�am, Jeff > wrote:
>
wrote:
>>
>>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23124844/
>>
>>>GM just made it known that they lost 39 billion in 2007, the largest
>>>ever annual loss for a US automaker.
>>
>>>The big three are losing money, and if we don't give them the support
>>>they need, they are going to go under. �Consider buying an American
>>>car.
>>
>>>Here are some American models recommended in the 2007 Consumer Reports
>>>Annual Auto Issue:
>>
>>>Buick Lacrosse
>>>Buick Lucerne
>>>Cadillac CTS
>>>Cadillac CTS-V
>>>Cadillac DTS
>>>Chevrolet HHR
>>>Chevrolet Impala
>>>Chevrolet Malibu
>>>Chevrolet Tahoe
>>>Chrysler 300
>>>Chrysler PT Cruiser
>>>Dodge Durango
>>>Ford Five Hundred
>>>Ford Focus
>>>Ford Freestyle
>>>Ford Fusion
>>>GMC Yukon
>>>Jeep Liberty
>>>Lincoln MKZ
>>>Lincoln Town Car
>>>Mercury Milan
>>>Mercury Montego
>>>Pontiac G6
>>>Pontiac Torrent
>>
>>What about Toyotas and Hondas made in America?
>
>
> Toyota and Honda assemble cars all over the world, but the profits go
> back to Japan.


So?

They, (Honda/Toyota) build a far superior product.

JT

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article <uyosj.32$dh.21@trnddc01>, Jeff >
> wrote:
>
>>> Does he buy GM or Ford or Chrysler, with a track record that would make
>>> a Russian tractory factory blush from embarassment? Or does he buy a
>>> Japanese nameplate--where, to be sure, one could get a bad car, but the
>>> odds are so incredibly against that?
>> The old track record for the Michigan 3 isn't so good. But the track
>> record for the more recent cars is good.
>
> But it's not NEARLY enough of a track record compared to the Japanese
> nameplates--not nearly enough for Joe Sixpack to throw his hard earned
> $25,000.

Funny, the only carmaker to have increased sales last month was GM.

I guess you don't know Joe.

Jeff

Grumpy AuContraire wrote:
>
>
> wrote:
>
>> On Feb 12, 8:41�am, Jeff > wrote:
>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23124844/
>>>
>>>> GM just made it known that they lost 39 billion in 2007, the largest
>>>> ever annual loss for a US automaker.
>>>
>>>> The big three are losing money, and if we don't give them the support
>>>> they need, they are going to go under. �Consider buying an American
>>>> car.
>>>
>>>> Here are some American models recommended in the 2007 Consumer Reports
>>>> Annual Auto Issue:
>>>
>>>> Buick Lacrosse
>>>> Buick Lucerne
>>>> Cadillac CTS
>>>> Cadillac CTS-V
>>>> Cadillac DTS
>>>> Chevrolet HHR
>>>> Chevrolet Impala
>>>> Chevrolet Malibu
>>>> Chevrolet Tahoe
>>>> Chrysler 300
>>>> Chrysler PT Cruiser
>>>> Dodge Durango
>>>> Ford Five Hundred
>>>> Ford Focus
>>>> Ford Freestyle
>>>> Ford Fusion
>>>> GMC Yukon
>>>> Jeep Liberty
>>>> Lincoln MKZ
>>>> Lincoln Town Car
>>>> Mercury Milan
>>>> Mercury Montego
>>>> Pontiac G6
>>>> Pontiac Torrent
>>>
>>> What about Toyotas and Hondas made in America?
>>
>>
>> Toyota and Honda assemble cars all over the world, but the profits go
>> back to Japan.
>
>
> So?
>
> They, (Honda/Toyota) build a far superior product.
>
> JT
>

They used to. But, the Michigan 3 also build good cars.

On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:46:07 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>On Feb 12, 8:41?am, Jeff > wrote:
>> wrote:
>> >http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23124844/
>>
>> > GM just made it known that they lost 39 billion in 2007, the largest
>> > ever annual loss for a US automaker.
>>
>> > The big three are losing money, and if we don't give them the support
>> > they need, they are going to go under. ?Consider buying an American
>> > car.
>>
>> > Here are some American models recommended in the 2007 Consumer Reports
>> > Annual Auto Issue:
>>
>> > Buick Lacrosse
>> > Buick Lucerne
>> > Cadillac CTS
>> > Cadillac CTS-V
>> > Cadillac DTS
>> > Chevrolet HHR
>> > Chevrolet Impala
>> > Chevrolet Malibu
>> > Chevrolet Tahoe
>> > Chrysler 300
>> > Chrysler PT Cruiser
>> > Dodge Durango
>> > Ford Five Hundred
>> > Ford Focus
>> > Ford Freestyle
>> > Ford Fusion
>> > GMC Yukon
>> > Jeep Liberty
>> > Lincoln MKZ
>> > Lincoln Town Car
>> > Mercury Milan
>> > Mercury Montego
>> > Pontiac G6
>> > Pontiac Torrent
>>
>> What about Toyotas and Hondas made in America?
>
>Toyota and Honda assemble cars all over the world, but the profits go
>back to Japan.

Whereas the domestic manufacturers don't even have profits.

On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:20:02 -0000, "R. Mark Clayton"
> wrote:

>A man walks into a car spares shop and asks if they have a hub cap for a
>1995 Lada - "sounds like a fair swap" says the chap behind the counter.

No, No, No.

A man walks into a car spares shop and asks "Can I get a hub cap for
my 1995 Lada?" "Sounds like a fair swap," says the chap behind the
counter.

Jeff wrote:
> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>> In article <uyosj.32$dh.21@trnddc01>, Jeff >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> Does he buy GM or Ford or Chrysler, with a track record that would
>>>> make a Russian tractory factory blush from embarassment? Or does he
>>>> buy a Japanese nameplate--where, to be sure, one could get a bad
>>>> car, but the odds are so incredibly against that?
>>> The old track record for the Michigan 3 isn't so good. But the track
>>> record for the more recent cars is good.
>>
>> But it's not NEARLY enough of a track record compared to the Japanese
>> nameplates--not nearly enough for Joe Sixpack to throw his hard earned
>> $25,000.
>
> Funny, the only carmaker to have increased sales last month was GM.

"One swallow does not a summer make"

on 2/12/2008 6:33 PM Jeff said the following:
> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>> In article <uyosj.32$dh.21@trnddc01>, Jeff >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> Does he buy GM or Ford or Chrysler, with a track record that would
>>>> make a Russian tractory factory blush from embarassment? Or does
>>>> he buy a Japanese nameplate--where, to be sure, one could get a bad
>>>> car, but the odds are so incredibly against that?
>>> The old track record for the Michigan 3 isn't so good. But the track
>>> record for the more recent cars is good.
>>
>> But it's not NEARLY enough of a track record compared to the Japanese
>> nameplates--not nearly enough for Joe Sixpack to throw his hard
>> earned $25,000.
>
> Funny, the only carmaker to have increased sales last month was GM.
>
> I guess you don't know Joe.
>
> Jeff

Maybe for the last month, but how about the whole previous year?
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...lCw6AD8UOVK4G1
http://tinyurl.com/33xdmz

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

"Jeff" > wrote in message
news:fmhsj.6463$Wr4.5418@trnddc05...

>>Consider buying an American
> > car.

I did before I bought my BMW but American cars are not very good.

>> Cadillac CTS
>> Cadillac CTS-V
>> Cadillac DTS
>> Chrysler 300

This is the list after cutting FWD crap and SUV's.

They're all too big and ungainly, unfortunately. I had high hopes for
the new CTS, but what a pig it's turned-out to be. Maybe if I was a
big fatass like most Americans, it would be OK.