Pajamas Media

62 Comments

1. Avery K Irvin:

Acworth, GA: I just returned my leased Chevrolet Silverado and Replaced it with a beautiful ’stone green’ Ford F150.

Jan 7, 2009 - 1:02 am 2. lee:

I’ve been driving my Honda Accord since 2004. Ganbare, Nippon!

Jan 7, 2009 - 1:45 am 3. Peg C.:

I’ve been on the Boycott the Big 3 bandwagon for months. We’ve had cars by all 3 within the past 3 years (Corvette, Mustang, Jeep) and that is OVER. We now have a VW and a Honda. Not another penny of my $$ is going willingly to the Big 3 or their retirees or the UAW’s political machinations. If only I could withhold my taxes…

Detroit, you no longer exist to this family.

Jan 7, 2009 - 2:27 am 4. Typewriter King:

I’m not new to boycotting companies that egregiously engage in corporate socialism. I haven’t watched a single NBA game since Oklahoma City shelled out millions to attract the former Seattle Sonics. Today, I can’t name a single OKC Thunder player.

But one can’t really live the mainstream American lifestyle without making concessions. It would be more difficult than boycotting goods from China, so like I said, a boycott of only the most egregious is realistic.

So live the simple life, folks, and slowly formulate an alternative economy. I plan to start a small conscientiousness corporation funded by penny stocks sometime.

Jan 7, 2009 - 3:16 am 5. Americanfirst:

Yes–and buy foreign cars whose money goes overseas. You don’t have a clue what is going on–there are thousands of small businesses which are run as efficiently as possible which will be lost along with millions of jobs if GM and Chrysler go under. But what the heck, let’s just throw them all under the bus. If your job doesn’t involve manufacturing, just keep buy from China, Japan, etc. Pretty soon the only jobs in the US will be in the medical and service industry. We all better start look over our shoulder . . .

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:05 am 6. Americanfirst:

Oh yes and all of you who hate ‘American’–where are you keeping your money or having your mortgages or buying stock. That is where all the BIG money went.

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:08 am 7. Vaughn:

UAW, aka, U Ain’t Worth ever getting my money again.
In fact, I will attempt to buy only from RED states in the future.

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:11 am 8. Americanfirst:

Don’t lump all the workers into the UAW pile. Just wait and see what the Dems and Obama do to try and give them even more power. All of those intrastructure jobs will be done by unions. . I’d love to have the money and freedom to say I only buy from whomever but my husband is a GM retiree (salary). Do you know that back in August all insurance was cut off? Do you really have any idea of what GM had been doing to try and get more competitive? It’s difficult going up against a brick wall (UAW) and the money from the foreign automakers goes back overseas. It doesn’t stay here. I just say if you are going to boycott GM and Chrysler, then you should do the same to all the banks, insurance, mortgage companies and everyone else who got money. Don’t believe all the info that is in the media–when have they every been truthful?

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:48 am 9. Cato:

I’ve had a Saab for the past several years and it’s been the worst car I’ve ever had. Drives beautifully, gets good highway mileage, but has required thousands in repairs for things that shouldn’t be breaking. I can’t complain (too much) about the dealer’s service people, they’ve given me more than my share of courtesy repairs even after the warranty expired, but it’s just gotten worse. I couldn’t even sell it to someone in good conscience, save perhaps to a liberal…. And, now, I need to replace it, and they want me to consider another one? Hoo! Hah! Riiiight. The first car I owned was a GM product, and it was the best car I’ve owned: a 1933 Buick Series 90 7 passenger sedan. But, never a GM product again.

We had a number of Volvos, which were very good cars until the Ford influence really made itself felt in design and manufacturing. Never a Ford product again.

Chrysler products? Well, I had an Imperial in the ’60s that was a very good car. Kinda big, but powerful and mechanically reliable. Eventually wore out after 200,000+ miles. But, other Chrysler products I’ve had since have been real woofers. Never a Chrysler product again.

So, it’s ‘neser or kraut cars for me from now on.

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:15 am 10. bob:

Buy a Ford. Best of both worlds.

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:17 am 11. Cato:

Americanfirst: your posts simply amount to special pleading for your own personal interest as the spouse of a GM retiree. If the Detroit 3 made cars as good as the rest of the world at competitive prices, the cars would sell themselves. They don’t. Everyone who was a party to the debacle these companies represent – the UAW, management and the dealers – basically bet that the companies would survive no matter what they did in terms of wages, salaries, quality and pricing, that the cost increases could be passed along to consumers, that people would put up with shoddy quality and poor design. Well, it was a bad bet. Other manufacturers build cars that buyers perceive as better quality for their money. Why the heck should the very consumers who have recognized the problems at the companies and voted with their feet be forced to subsidize your and everyone else associated with the companies’ bad bet on the ability to build shoddy cars at high prices?

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:23 am 12. fear Obama:

all that foreign car money goes back overseas?

South Carolina makes BMW and Mitchlen tires and billions of dollars remain here in the USA and employees pay state local and fed taxes.

Tennessee makes Honda’s and billions of dollars remain here in the good old USA.

I guess good Honda and BMW employees make money the old fashioned way,
They earn it.

I drive a 2006 Honda made in Tennessee.
Are they still part of the 57 states?

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:59 am 13. thegre8_1:

I will NEVER buy an American car again. Neither should you. They will keep coming for money when needed and the moron government will keep giving it to them. Do you want a car designed by Barney Frank? Also cut your withholding on income tax on your W4 and make them squirm even more.

Jan 7, 2009 - 6:00 am 14. chuck,:

Lousy as Detroit is, and management and the UAW both stink, do we really want all our tank and truck factories overseas? Phone China and order an armored division anytime we have a war?

Jan 7, 2009 - 6:27 am 15. AuH2O:

So let me get this straight, if we don’t want the big three to come to congress again asking for more money, the best way to do that is to boycott them?

Genius! That’ll show ‘em what for!

Seriously folks, isn’t it a bit of a self fulfilling prophesy if we deliberately do something that will make them go under further and (surprise, surprise) send them back to congress’s doorstep?

Jan 7, 2009 - 6:58 am 16. Dawn:

Your taxpayer dollars have already gone to help G.M. and Chrysler recover. It doesn’t make much sense to refuse to buy cars from them. You are hurting your own investment. Yes, I know it might not have been your choice to invest in G.M. and Chrysler but it has happened and I think we should support them to try and get a return on our investment.

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:04 am 17. atlargeinohio:

Chuck-

I agree with what you are saying on the surface. Yet we have plenty of plants that can be converted for wartime production. They make Abrams tanks in the old Lima Locomotve Factory, so that is already in place. During WWII factories were converted to make completely different items as needed. (Ever see a .45 ACP pistol made by Union Switch and Signal?) And those Honda and BMW plants could just as easily make Hummers if need be. IF you want to talk limited,our steelmaking capacity is what is really limited. Yet if we get into a big war, watch those new plants go up! BTW I drive a made-in-Ohio Honda. Most parts made in the U.S. Other people may be driving a Chevy that is made in Korea. Which one kept the most tax money stateside?

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:16 am 18. fatcat:

Well, since no foreign manufacture makes big trucks, I have no choice but American made (I have a new 2008 Dodge 4500 long body 11′ dump 4X4 Cummins diesel). In the car area I have a VW Jetta Diesel which is great.

My big concern (and I’m sure a big concern of many especially those in business with “real” trucks), is that if GM/Ford/Chrysler go under, so will their warranty coverage. And if your like me, and have a large truck with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and see your truck company go under, your in a world of hurt if something breaks!

I’m not supporting any bailout, but, if the “big” 3 go under, there are going to be millions of people SOL when it comes time for warranty repairs and we’ll be shelling out thousands for things that were promissed in the warranty’s … something to think about.

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:18 am 19. Ms. Attitude:

My lease is up on my VW Passat in a little over a year. I’m not sure what I will buy, but I will buy something. I will do research and find a vehicle that gets great gas mileage and won’t need a lot of repairs. The price must be right too. I won’t care who makes it or where it comes from. If GM or Chrysler want my business they need to compete for it!! It’s a free market and that benefits the consumer.

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:41 am 20. Jay:

Chapter 11 judges will save the warrantys. Delta and United came back honoring their frequent flier programs. Most Americans are so brainwashed by the media and the public education disaster that they are clueless about realities.

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:42 am 21. Mustang guy:

Rather than boycott the Domestic manufacturers, why dont we boycott the media – you know, the same guys who propose boycotts for their own personal agendas? The same guys who have accurately predicted 32 of the last 3 recessions, and probably caused one or two of them…… Why not castrate the media who touts the superiority of imported cars, pointing to the domestic disasters we built in the 70’s and 80’s, ignores the quality gains we have made to beat the imports (look at JDPower’s site – you’re big boys,you can find it), and conveniently forgets the CRAP Japan sent here in the 60’s and 70’s, which was truly amazing to see and drive. Lets get the internet shelved so one guy who forgot to change his oil for three years, and was denied warranty coverage, can’t start a landslide. More importantly, let’s give our head a shake and balance our trade deficit with the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans!

And while you are busy pooping on the domestic car industry, remember it’s the engine that’s kept this economy so strong for a hundred years – lose the Big Three, and chaces are you will lose YOUR job

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:15 am 22. nobozons:

Cars will last many years when the price of gas is $4.00 per gallon. Reducing your mileage to save gas dollars will extend the life of your car, so even the good car companies will see a reduction in sales. Boycotting UAW products will accelerate the death of GM and Chrysler. Union are bad things because they limit productivity and burden industry with inordinate cost even after the employee retires. Most of us who don’t have unions are paying for their indulgences.

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:25 am 23. Andrew Ian Dodge:

Briefly considered a Dodge Caliber 4×4. Then considered how annoyed I am about the bailout and didn’t bother to look any further.

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:33 am 24. Spark22:

I disagree with a boycott… didn’t the US gov’t give Toyota some money when they were in trouble several years back?

The big question is, why are the US Automakers failing? Answer: government regluations on exporting, UAW, environmental regulations and mandates.

If the government would stop telling them what to do, and let them conduct business to fairly compete against foriegn manufacturing, perhaps they won’t be back for more handouts in a year when the bailout ‘loan’ money is gone, and they are still in the red.

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:34 am 25. therealist:

If people boycott they’ll just get another bailout, right? That doesn’t make sense.

I think the better thing to do is to call congress and stop those Obama welfare checks… oops I mean payroll tax rebate checks… from going out.

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:57 am 26. Marie Claude:

anyone to buy my 4/4 Nissan ? not diesel greedy, japan origin made in, but equiped with Renault engine !!! good bargain I want to buy a mercedes “smart” !!!!

Jan 7, 2009 - 8:57 am 27. veracious:

Really? It’s okay for us to give HUNDREDS of billion dollars to banks and Wall Street, but not for industries which actually produce something? I’m mostly convinced a large share of the bailout money and the additional $2 Trillion Federal Reserve loan went to foreigners; but we can’t do anything for our own industries which employ hundreds of thousands?

Real Americans wouldn’t have bailed out any of these institutions. They would have allowed natural economic forces to correct everything. Apparently, _modern_ Americans believe government is God; it see’s all, is all knowing and fixes all.

Where do I file my application for remedy of my lost national heritage and constitutional government? The Constitution requires that all government(s) within the USA adhere to a Constitutional Republic type. Part of the definition of which is limited government, not government as God.

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:05 am 28. Sandy Salt:

Sorry to say that the American Auto industry is a self-licking ice cream cone. The only people that buy US built cars are Americans, that isn’t saying that US makers aren’t making cars in other places because they are. Ford isn’t doing too badly in Europe because it builds small fuel efficient cars of good quality and sells them at a reasonable price. The problem is that here they have a huge labor BURDEN that makes it impossible to compete with foreign manufactures that sell here. The labor burden comes from several things like the UAW, but also the fact that they are resposible for employee health care that all other industrialized pay for with tax dollars.

The UAW needs to come to reality that either they come inline with other domestic manufactures or they will be riding a dead horse. Our tax dollars are funding the UAW pension and medical plans that the Big 3 agreed to before things got ugly. The slow down of the economy is exposing the Big 3’s weakness and they could fold, which may not be as bad as the media portrays since the airline industry (another with a huge labor burden) still exists for now.

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:06 am 29. Russ:

This is the most boneheaded argument I’ve heard since the One stopped campaigning.

Remember all the progress we’ve made over the last century? Civil Rights. Space Race. Victories in Europe and Japan. The Reagan Revolution. It was manufacturing and chiefly the Big Three that helped pay for that progress.

Do you think the Japanese and Germans care a whit about America’s social progress? Think about that while you drive your Camry.

And, the transplant auto plants do not MANUFACTURE automobiles here in the US–despite what Shelby might drawl. They ASSEMBLE from parts MANUFACTURED overseas.

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:19 am 30. veracious:

Sandy, agree that the UAW is a huge part of US auto co. problem.

Russ, it’s my understanding that foreign car production is mostly assembling here, also.

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:28 am 31. chuck,:

Atlarge,

It’s not just the plants. it’s the skilled workers, the engineers, the owners. Wouldn’t you prefer that they be Americans?

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:38 am 32. Grover:

I have owned foreign cars in the past, when my kids were working for the dealerships. One dealer carried both Japanese and European. Guess which service dept. was the busiest. If you are not going to buy American, don’t waste your money on European high-priced junk. Only a portion of your Honda dollars stays here and the parts you buy are more expensive, not generic, and ALL the cost for them goes out of the country. Probably the best cars and trucks I have bought were made by GM. I won’t boycott them; too bad their management team couldn’t see the forest for the trees and get the UAW monkey off their backs by filing for bankruptcy protection instead of a bailout that is not going to work!

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:54 am 33. Jerry:

GM and Chrysler have received all of my tax money they are going to get (I hope). I assure you that I will never buy another one of their products. So far, Ford has not taken bailout money so they are still good with me. These companies should have been allowed to go through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had the opportunity to re-organize. Then perhaps they could have come out competitive with the foreign cars made here.

Jan 7, 2009 - 10:20 am 34. Ozzie:

I’ve bought 4 new US cars. The GM and Chrysler were both manufactured so poorly they had problems from day one until the day I got rid of them. I’m talking the basics here : sheet metal not aligned right, transmission not installed correctly, bondo under the paint of a new car, paint falling off the car after 5 years, ect ect. The only way I’d buy American again is if it was wholesale +1$. They are not worth more than that. How many defective things do you have to suffer through before you say “never again”.?

The boycott idea is stupid by itself though. What, every banker gets a pass because it’s hard to avoid their products? Grow a pair or shut it, please. Boycotting the easiest industry to boycott is intellectual cowardice.

Jan 7, 2009 - 10:23 am 35. Tex Taylor:

Though no fan of the unions, I can’t help but feel a degree of sympathy for the current UAW worker. It is their corrupt union predecessors and the feckless, arrogant management that will eventually bring GM to its knees, bailout or not.

I’m not sure the current crop of employees ever had a chance. And that apparently will never happen as long as the Dimocrats have the requirement of pandering for their vote every 4 years with the hope and change of empty promises.

Jan 7, 2009 - 10:29 am 36. Sandy Salt:

It is truly sad that the media no longer reports the news, they now make it to fill the empty hours. This is the reason that we had an oil crisis this summer and was a large factor in the sudden economic meltdown this fall. Their constant reporting (story telling) of how bad things were caused things to get even worse. They fail to report the true reason for the auto bailout and they would never provide the whole truth on Congress, so the American public is blown hither and yon over each new and exciting “crisis”. If America wants to be strong again then they need to put an end to 24 hour news channels by limiting their original programing to say 8 hours a day. This would limit the number of know nothing talking heads spewing their stupidity to an even dumber public that has no idea what the real facts and doesn’t really care.

Back on subject, buy the car that meets your needs regardless of manufacture and the rest of the companies will start building that type of vehicle (see Toyota Tundra). Insist on quality and good value. If a company wants your dollar they will figure out how to make that happen or else they won’t be in business and someone will pick up the pieces and make it happen.

Jan 7, 2009 - 10:43 am 37. Dawn:

This boycott talk is nonsense. You are shooting yourself in the foot by not buying G.M. and Chrysler products. If we want this money paid back, we have to support these companies.

Jan 7, 2009 - 11:01 am 38. David S:

This just made me laugh. What do you think Americans have been doing for the past thirty years?

I have never purchased a car from the Big 3 because they have been making inferior products.

Build me a practical car with reasonable fuel efficiency and reliability and we’ll talk.

Management at these companies is so far out of touch, it is doubtful we can recover any bailout investments until they are sacked.

I’ll keep driving my Honda Civic until it dies – hopefully by then the US manufacturers will have their ducks in a row. Ten years and 170,000 miles and counting…

DS

Jan 7, 2009 - 11:15 am 39. Sandy Salt:

The Big 3 were on top of the world with superior products that are know for their great performance and reliability, but they happen to be trucks and SUVs. They built tons of them and made huge profits, which allowed the UAW to get the great contracts that they did. The market changed, but the Big 3 were slow to realize that they still made cars (because they had lost that market a long time ago) and now that no one wants the high profit SUVs they are bleeding money left and right. The US auto makers should head into bankruptcy, break the sweetheart UAW deal and come out focused on two branches Trucks (people still need them) and small, reliable, and fuel efficient cars. They could merge and purge just like the airlines. The future could be very bright if they can unload the UAW millstone and retool to make their euro-version buggies.

Jan 7, 2009 - 11:39 am 40. TomJW:

15. AuH2O:
Jan 7, 2009 – 6:58 am

We do not want any company taking a taxpayer bailout. GM and Chevy put themselves out in front with bankrupt their management and operations they have done for years. Boycotting their product and any other we can will send a message to other companies wanting to jump on the bailout wagon. That message is: DON’T. Let them file for bankruptcy and figure out a way to be profitable without picking my pocket.

Jan 7, 2009 - 11:57 am 41. Sandy Salt:

I would agree with TomJW that a boycott will send the right message to any company putting its hand out for a bailout. If you take a bailout you are out of business. If you enter into bankruptcy, we won’t hold it against you but you need to make better cars.

Jan 7, 2009 - 12:26 pm 42. Jim Baker:

The United Auto Workers could care less what we think. They got their guys elected and they want their rewards. Soon it will be government run auto manufacturing and the UAW will be bigger than ever. The cars will be crap, but the government will tease you with some of your tax money back if you buy them. So, they will steal your money, give it to the UAW and offer you a tax break if you buy the product. If you don’t get on board at that point, they will order you to buy only the UAW crap if you want to buy anything to drive because of course the UAW crap will be the only product that can save you from causing global warming….etc..etc..etc…

Jan 7, 2009 - 2:14 pm 43. cedarford:

Cato – If the Detroit 3 made cars as good as the rest of the world at competitive prices, the cars would sell themselves. They don’t.

A clue, Cato, under Open Borders, a Global Labor market, there is no manufactured good or service product that cannot be done elsewhere for a better price and “as good a product” with adequate investment and quality control. Until, under that suicidal regime, labor costs “levelize” – meaning 3rd world wages go way up, and US wages and standard of living go waaaaay down.

If we want, we can also import people if we can no longer afford present private sector & government wages (with all our manufacturing and wealth-generating centers lost) for US “services, non-manufacturing sector” citizens, that would make for far cheaper and more affordable cops, Marines, trash collectors, farmers, oil rig workers, teachers, EMTs, scientists, lawyers…Oh, and bankers, doctors, and CEOs…

Nor is the problem really fixable by blaming those “cosseted, overpaid, unproductive” union workers…Since free trade has gutted non-union manufacturing and the 1st phase of service sector jobs (2 more phases of outsourcing affecting up to 28 million white collar jobs are in the early works)…non-union workers have actually lost their jobs faster to “free trade!! Global win-win solutions!” than unions that had more ability to fight..Electronics, chip-making, Right-to-Work States textiles, clothing, furniture, home appliances…lost.

Places like Silicon Valley, where “beneficent employers, motivated creative American employees wanting no stinkin’ union, and “glorious high tech!” all combined to create “the future”. Oooops! The future is jobless IT workers, engineers, game designers, and shutdown factories from Palo Alto all the way down to San Bernadino…

**************
Tom Blumer – If you oppose all bailouts, then I can’t wait for you to join in boycotting another cent spent on “noble Iraqi, Afghan freedom-lovers”, another buck lost bailing Israel out of any embargos or furnished with war supplies..Not another cent for bailing out wealthy Southern Republicans who have their beachfront properties wiped out every 10 years.
Defense contractor bailouts? Farmer’s taxpayer furnished pork?
My, the lists of bailouts and possible boycotts is nearly endless and far exceeds that Detroit is getting!!!
Bon appetite!

Jan 7, 2009 - 2:26 pm 44. aloysiusmiller:

Toyotas and Hondas for me. I won’t touch a UAW product with a ten foot pole.

Jan 7, 2009 - 2:30 pm 45. Reid:

I have a 2001 Ford F250 4X4 with 146000 trouble free miles except for the usual wear items that need replaced.
I will buy a new F250 in May.
Keep your damned jappo cars traitors and I pray that you lose your jobs
to foreign imports or “offshoring” of your jobs.

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:00 pm 46. AuH2O:

40. TomJW:
Jan 7, 2009 – 2:14 pm

Scenario 1: The boycott works, the big three see the errors of their ways, and everything happens just as you described, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Scenario 2: The boycott works, and the big three go back to an even more Democratic congress for yet even more money, and (shocker!) they get it.

Which scenario do you think is most likely to happen?

Jan 7, 2009 - 4:23 pm 47. Eric:

Wow – I was advocating this on Hot Air and Michelle Malkin’s blog a month ago. I had the below letter published in the WSJ just yesterday in response to an article titled “Treasury to Ford – Drop Dead”:

“It’s unfortunate that GM and Chrysler didn’t get a chance to hear from the American car-buying public before accepting their bailouts from the Treasury. Many of us who opposed the bailout vowed to never buy another car from any company that accepted federal money. I own a Chevy Tahoe and I love it but I’ll never buy another GM or Chrysler product. Ford will get my next vehicle purchase — as long it rejects government intervention, that is. So my message to GM, Chrysler, the Treasury, the United Auto Workers union, and Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the gang is — Drop Dead.”

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:01 pm 48. Ronnie Schreiber:

So let me get this right. You’re upset that GM & Chrysler are getting loans from the gov’t, so you’ll boycott those firms hoping they go belly up. That’ll surely help the taxpayers get their loans back.

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:11 pm 49. ChipperOne:

After buying a brand new Chevy Cavalier in 1984, I vowed Never Again. GM has been a joke for nearly 40 years. I would not buy a GM product, new or used, at any price, or under any circumstance, for myself or my children.

Chrysler, not quite so bad, but Cerberus doesn’t deserve a bailout. Ditto the UAW.

My boycott began many years ago.

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:49 pm 50. thegre8_1:

Let GM and Chrysler go bankrupt and the employees and suppliers can go work for other companies whose cars people want. I don’t want a piece of GM scrap designed by Congress, overpriced, and will fall apart within 5 years.

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:59 pm 51. Eric:

@ 48. Ronnie Schreiber:

There’s more to it than that but basically…yes.

I don’t want GM and Chrysler to go out of business and I doubt many people do. What I and others want is for the UAW to go out of business so the Big 3 can survive and become competitive again. I believe in the Big 3 but I don’t believe there is any way possible for them to survive as long as the cost of labor for the Big 3 is so high. A lot of people complain about the lack of styling etc. with American cars. If they spend all their cash on the UAW what’s left for R&D? The UAW likes to blame management and I agree, management has sucked up to the UAW for far too long. The Big 3 all are profitable outside the US. Why? No UAW.

Jan 7, 2009 - 6:56 pm 52. Wire Dog:

New trucks, (don’t care about cars), have been too expensive for years. So we just buy used. We have had good experiences with our GMC and Chevy but lousy ones with all four Fords. Both Jeep Cherokees, (one pre Chrysler, one post) have been very good. Owned three Toyota cars and would consider a Toyota truck. But not another new vehicle from any manufacturer until the prices become realistic.

Jan 7, 2009 - 7:58 pm 53. poul:

a lot of less than intelligent people here who are incapable to remember that ford didn’t ask for bailout money, and makes some of the best cars in the world. if only our stupid lawmakers stopped taxing diesel out of existence, we could have 65 mpg fords.

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:29 pm 54. drive on:

the 1985 Ford Escort was the biggest piece of Shiite ever to come down the pike.
Martha Vandalla and the Supremes were the only thing that ever worked out of Detroit.

The Escort blew up at 50,000 and I traded for a Honda.

Never Again!

Jan 7, 2009 - 9:36 pm 55. Robert Hurley:

Better yet, if any part of your car was made over seas rip it out

Jan 8, 2009 - 10:39 am 56. Robert F:

First, a disclaimer: I have owned Fords for 30+ years, with good results. Not everyone was a great car, but there have been some standouts, like my 1983 F-100, which is still going strong, 25 years and 240,000 miles later. Never had to do a major repair.
We currently also have a 1999 Camry in addition to a 2002 Escape, both with 110,000+ miles. They have been remarkably similar in overall quality and reliability, with one exception, the Camry burns oil, something even the 1983 Ford does not. Turns out that almighty Toyota made a series of engines that cooks the oil, leading to premature engine failure.
What I don’t get is that Japanese car owners talk about these things as if they can walk on water, when they are really quite ordinary pieces of machinery. yes, there have been a few bad Big 3 products in the past, but perhaps it is time to get over it and move on.
Finally, give proper credit for who is responsible for 200,000+ mile engine life: The lubricating oil companies. The finest engine made will wear out just as fast as they used to years ago, without the benefits of modern oil technology.

Jan 9, 2009 - 9:57 am 57. Jim Baker:

Robert F,
A nice ode to the F-100, but my experience with the 1997 F-150 was a nightmare. After 8,00 miles the entire manual gearbox fell apart when my wife was driving it. She lost the gears one at a time and lost all 5 forward gears in the span of 5 minutes. Ford spent a week repairing and replacing parts. Problem was a nut missing in the gearbox. Then the electrical problems started, including an episode where the rear cargo light would not turn off which nearly left me without a battery 500 miles from home. $700 dollars and three trips to the shop later, a faulty relay was blamed. There were several other episodes before I finally got rid of it. I have owned several Toyotas and I have had some problems with most of them, but the sum of all the problems I have had don’t amount to anything compared to that F-150. It is not that Toyota and Honda can do no wrong, it is that your chances of ending up in the shop to fix a manufacturing problem are much more limited. I will never buy another Ford product because I can’t afford the increased risk to my pocketbook and my safety of product failure.

Jan 9, 2009 - 10:20 am 58. Nick D:

What happened to America? It is disgusting for me to see so-called Americans boycotting american products, for whatever reason. Why are people so ignorant to the fact that last year, TOYOTA WAS THE MOST RECALLED VEHICLE? The anti-American media has people convinced that American cars are inferior. It is a fact that the Chevy Malibu (33mpg) gets BETTER gas mileage than the Honda Accord(30mpg) What is truly astounding to me is that people fail to realize that the reason there are foreign auto factories in the U.S is that they have been the beneficiaries of BILLIONS of dollars in tax incentives paid by the American tax payer. I have owned fords all my life and have had no problems. I have a 1996 F-150 with 200,000 miles on it and hae gone 10,000 miles between oil changes (not recomended). My point is that I am fed up with rampant Anti-Americanism and I am ashamed for the people boycotting any american product.

Jan 11, 2009 - 4:27 pm 59. Fleetguru:

There are two points to remember. 1)Free enterprise system was set up without union or government interference. Now we have both. The foreign manufacturers have done a better job of competitively building and marketing their cars than the big three. Now it is time to let the big three fail, file Chapter 11 and be forced to reorganize. Otherwise Gettlefinger will keep on making sure that nothing changes. 2) If you want to throw a monkey wrench into the government bailout, don’t boycott the big three. Buy whatever you want. Just claim 99 dependents on your income withholing form. The government will quickly run out of cash and it is legal to do.
BTW, I manage a fleet of 500 and all American products and many have 200,000+ miles on them.

Jan 20, 2009 - 2:41 pm 60. Silvia:

I am so disgusted to hear such uneducated comments regarding the UAW. I am not a UAW worker, although, I do know what the UAW fights for…….a basic standard of living. And if you think for a minute that your job and benefits are not related to what the UAW has been fighting for…….THINK AGAIN !! Come to Detroit and take a look at the modest neighborhoods. These are typical working Americans that have been stimulating the economy with their overtime pay! It sounds like you all support a standard of living that will bring us even with our friends accross the pond living on the hillside….keep buying foreign and you’ll find out.

Feb 2, 2009 - 8:07 am 61. Silvia:

oh, and by the way, all of the auto makers received funding from their hometowns…..but their hometowns didn’t critize them for getting thru this wall street nightmare. So sad that most Americans are simply not understanding the consequences of losing American jobs. Trust me, you will see most foreign owned companies lay off Americans to maintain their own employment……..too bad most Americans cannot understand this basic concept !

Feb 2, 2009 - 8:11 am 62. Countyline:

I have always owned American made vehicles. Is there such a thing anymore? Check consumer reports and you will see that honda and toyota make the best cars. After this bailout I’m buying a American made toyota screw you UAW thugs. The big three losers can shove it.

Feb 22, 2009 - 2:45 pm

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