GM and Chrylser to merge?!

All of my personal vehicles are Older models..the newest car i own is a 96..and i wish i could sell it..
I havent been impressed with anything the Big 3 have put out in the past 30 to 35 years.
My company buys me a new Truck about every 5 to 6 years..the Z71 i drive for work is ok.( but its needed alot of repairs to keep it on the road).I really dont want a new one..this year the Boss said we were going to replace my 2002 Chevy Pick -up..I asked him if i could keep it for a few more years. I dont like any of the current trucks, and im not impressed with what their service records are either..I may have finally got most of the bugs worked out on this one and dont feel like starting over...especially with a truck that looks like ****.
there isnt anything that toyota or other truck manufacturers have to offer me either ...guess im screwed
I think lately the love of the car has just become a vehicle for transportation to most people..no *** apeal..no human element..cold..lifeless hunk of **** that gets them where they need to go and thats it..bummer.

glad i can come home to the 3 cars i like...53 chevy..68 charger..and soon 28 ford..got all of the big three i like, covered.

the biggest thing that i hate to see come out of this mess..is all the jobs lost and how those people will adapt and what it could do to their future and their childrens futures..and it has definet possibilities of affecting my job too

 

As an engineer at a domestic car company I can tell you that I and all of my co-workers certainly do "give a ****". We bust our ***es every day trying to engineer and develop high quality vehicles with the tools at our disposal.

The real problem with the domestic auto industry is short sighted greed....not of the car company...of the owners (the share holders). As with any publicly traded enterprise, everything centers around the quarterly report. To keep the owners happy, you need to show increasing sales / profits quarter over quarter or "investor confidence" erodes, credit ratings get hammered and the money tree dries up, which makes it increasingly costly to get the $$$ to keep running until you get the next car in production. It that car isn't a hit, you're in trouble. It's a house of cards that eats a billion a month.
That quarterly focus trickles down to my level, where parts must be purchased based a budget, not based on quality / function. Engineering evaluation of components gets put in the circulat file and the contracts get placed with the lowest bidder. Sometimes you can get by, sometimes you can't.



..and the model T had no new product innovations...it was the PROCESS that was the innovation.

 

Great point! Exactly what a lot of previous notes here is all about. It ain't you guys (engineers)-but more the budgeteers & bottom liners that we should thank or blame for what we're getting, and the situation facing the domestic car makers. I don't know a lot about the deal with Preston Tucker & his car in '48/'49, but look what happened when he tried bucking the establishment (Big 3) with innovative safety & technology stuff back in the late 40s? Down in flames before he had a chance to prove whether his car would be accepted by the public. Technology certainly isn't the issue.

 

good! maybe chrylser will be able to produce a starter that doesnt sound like a gerbal in a blender!!

 

Maybe my gm trans won't need a rebuild every 75,000 mikes or the steel in my wifes car will be thicker than tin foil. I have a 2002 GMC, a 2004 Malibu and a 2005 Caravan for the wife. They all ****. Cheapo interior, **** fit and finish, paint failure on the Malibu, every morning its a **** shoot if any of them will start. I will be replacing the Malibu with a Rambler or a Studebaker for a daily in the near future. Probably replace my pickup with a 67-72 Chevy Truck.

 

NAFTA screwed most american companies. Net result of globalization.

This merger is viewed as a necessity of survival, but the ripple effect will crush many local economies as there will be duplication of job roles on both sides. (Two engineering staffs, legal, ***embly, etc...) If there is duplication, inside sources say that there will be MANY lay-offs.

As you all may know, the Michigan economy has suffered greatly in the last 30 years due to consolidation and movement of manufacturing overseas. Michigan will take a further economic hit due to job loss. Job loss will equal less fluid money in the local economy. The domino effect to will close more suppliers, tool & die shops, and many specialty companies. The results of this will be more flite from the state and negative impact to non-automotive businesses.

You can almost hear the toilet flushing..

Literally, most "American" cars are simply ***embled here, not manufactured here anymore. This should help fuel the flames, and ensure that we continue to be a consumer nation only.

All I can say is, "Thanks Bill, great idea!"

 

why is it the first thing many of you guys said was that chevy would transplant a hemi in a new car? there isnt a motor on the market that can hold a candle to any of the ls motors.

 

this is the reason the newest car I own was made in 1968!!!!,only thing I will ever buy "late model" is another harley....maybe.now the fun part will be watchin the roundy round nascar boys figure out who's who.....NHRA not enough pro clas mopars to worry about,....damn Walter P must be laughin his *** off in the grave!

 

And how much goes to Executive compensation and Bonuses ?

There is one exec at GM who lives in Florida, and works in Detroit.
The company pays to fly him back and forth every weekend.

 

That is the death of it right there. It would seem that "long term" planning is just not in existance anymore...a quarterly report is make or break, great for the short/near term, but as witnessed doesn't do much to help the long term health.

...yes it was, and the refining of the process...

 

Yuck

 

Well its been almost a year now and Chrysler is Italian now, Gm belongs to we the people( if you buy one now then you buy your own product) and Ford so far has stayed out of our pockets. Oh and NASCAR has their own car now and the engines are a far cry from what was in a stock car in years past. I guess the good old days really were.

 

GM is still run by the same Clowns, now they want to hang on to Opel
a little longer, so they can try to squeeze money out of more European governments, besides Germany.

 

..jeez, what's next?? This economy is something else man. Lets take a look at the new 2011 dochevy Camarchargibu!! Just sounds gross huh?? Oh well, at least it's still american made...right??

 

I will simplify things here, merge Chrysler, GM, and Ford, and re-create American Motors....they were always ahead of the curv anyway

 

I really can't say that I care. I don't like any of their cars anyway. And its not like anything good will go away (thats already happened i.e. Pontiac). Come to think of it, I really don't like anything that Ford is building here lately. As long as old cars don't go away, I am happy.

 

True...great words of wisdom there. As long as they don't mess with the old iron, they can do what they want with new cars. Hell, I can't afford a new car anyways, and if I could afford one, the only thing I would get would be a new truck for towing and hauling purposes. Plus, little new cars scare me. There used to be a video on you tube of a guy driving a dodge neon that gets blown over by winds on a highway in South/Central california!!! Crazy...he's just driving along, and this cop is driving down the highway behind him and picks up the roll over on his video camera!!

 

www.daveramsey.com

Only person in the world that gets it.

 

I forgot,what are tarrifs for again?

 

My 53' cadillac fleetwood gests better gas milage, rides better, fits better and has components that have lasted longer then most cars.
My 92' Cadillac Brougham just got most of the brake system other then the front and mid lines and the MC/Booster combo replaced, door latch broke and oddly enough all the cads similar in the junkyard broke in the same place. the "leather" is cracking on the arm rests and whenever i NEED the window defrosters, the ****ons dont work.
But the Grandtabulos thing above all else.....
The 53's windsheild wipers work perfectly and the 92's delay is broken.......so guess what cars actually my "Fair weather car" haha.

However, despite its minor flaws, the first car i've owned with working AC, no leaks ANYWHERE, a CD player thats amazing AND stock, and has held up. MY buddie just bought a brand new Scion Tc, i can already see that it will never live as long as the 53'......or the 92' for that matter.

 

I thought our fearless leader fired their fearless leader, even though there's no legal or historical justification for doing so, and put some douche in charge who's never even changed a tire and wouldn't know what a spark plug is if he sat on one. That was hooked up to work.