OT - General Motors to Cut 30,000 Jobs & Close Plants

[whirlcool]

Interesting website about the Olds 350 Diesel. The media were the ones who were stating that the 350 Diesel was just a converted 350 gas engine. I guess since they saw the 350 in both gas and diesel versions they thought it was the same engine.
If you think they messed this up, you should see what the media does to airplanes!

 

[appnut]

My family was pretty much GM through the yeaers. We moved up the ladder as we could affford--Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick. I had a Citation and two Olds, both of which totaled in wrecks. As time went on, I saw my parents & sister's cars decline in quality. In 1991 I was the family renegade and bought a Mazda 626. My sister bought a car-chassis-based small SUV Lexus in 2003 or 2004. She's not regretted. My parents 2002 or 2003 Buick Regal has already had many probs. A stupid design on their Buick, the battery is under the back seat--they didn't even know it was there until it wore out.

 

[super32]

I grew up with GM. My mother had them and so did many other family memebrs. Unfortunattly they were far from reliable. My moms 75' camaro lasted about 8-9 years. She washed and waxed and kept up on the service. It rusted to death and finaly at about 100,000 miles it went up in smoke. She later had a buick park avanue. That car was a joke. So when it was time for me to buy a car I ended up with fords/lincolns. Now i'm back to GM, but not with out some problems. The service and treatment we receive from the dealership is nothing less than superb. I suppose thats what keeps me going back for more. Lord only knows they know me by name and face.

Scott

 

[kenmore1978]

GM

I think it was a combo of Blandness AND quality control that did them in. GM was also bad about coming up with good ideas (diesel engines, V8-6-4) and then screwing up the execution of the idea.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I also remember around 1969 or so that the EPA forced the first auto emissions controls on the automakers. They put them on, but retaliated by knocking the fuel economy down by up to 5 miles per gallon. It was a factor that made the first energy crisis worse than it had to be, causing a lot of people to start looking at the little Japanese cars. The little Honda Civic CVCC worked so efficiently that it met the standards without the extra equipment and that big dark gasket around the rear hatch window made it look like a washing machine. Even people who were not appliance-focused said that. Automakers tried to get the rules changed instead of doing the R&D necessary to meet the standards. Diesel engine manufacturers did the same thing with the pollution standards for diesel powered farm machinery. They lobbied for a couple of years to overturn the legislation, spending untold millions on lobbying instead of spending the money to make the machines conform. Suddenly it was just a few months before they had to make the change so they went to court saying that they did not have enough time to comply and where, at least the first judge, told them, no, they had to comply. And it's because of attitudes like those that people are not buying domestic like they used to. Even today, these "big 3" still believe that they can force people to buy what they make, no matter how inefficient or behind the times while foreign brands anticipate what people will want.

 

[appnut]

And Tom, to a degree, that's the same with appliances.