[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I was shopping for a car a couple years ago I couldn't find any import I was satisfied. I ended up with a 2006 Pontiac Grandprix and I love this car. It does everything I need and more. Comfortable, quiet, quick, and good mileage. I owned a 1990 Accord before my Grandprix and never thought I'd own a domestic car, but I kept my mind open when I started searching and in the end the decision was very easy to buy American this time around.

I remember reading the review in the New York Times about the Grandprix and they said it was an excellent car that deserved to succeed. I have read other positive reviews about it too and I am glad you like it. For me, I would still rather have a Prius.

 

[DanTheMiataMan]

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

the credit issues explained with animation.

 

[Currawong]

I think a condition of the bailout should be that the executives of all these firms should have a few years of their pay docked down to the level of their lowest workers.

 

[anoobis]

To be fair, it's not a real billion (10^9 vs 10^12)

 

[amphead]

The real scary thing will be the nationalization of a couple of our large banks.

We all fiddle as Rome burns?

 

[MoodySteve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif We are talking about good old-fashioned goods and services, not derivatives and futures. [snip] As far as I'm concerned, Wall Street can burn.

Amen.

I was about to point out that $18B (20% of the total auto bailout) from the financial bailout went straight into 2008 year-end bonuses for Wall Street bankers. I really can't get too worked up about the auto bailout knowing things like that.

That said, the whole going-to-beg-for-money-in-a-private-jet thing was pretty bad.

 

[digger945]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know...it's a mess. However, if the big 3 should happen to go under, the supplier network will follow in very short order. Detroit will look like Beirut and manufacturing for much of the rest of the country will look like it has in Detroit for the last 5 years. I don't like the buyout at all. I think that in some respects that bankruptcy is the only thing that will ultimately allow the big 3 to make the changes that are needed to become profitable again. That said, I think the buyout might end up being the best option to fix a bad situation, unfortunately. The whole situation sucks.

I don't like it either. There's something wrong with the whole picture. But I am sure your right, if something isn't done then it will impact many more than just the assembly line workers at the big 3 auto plants. Even the small company I work for makes injection molded interior parts for Ford and GM.

I've also read in the local news paper that a portion of the bailout monies will go towards retirement and pention payments.

 

[SactoMan101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amphead /img/forum/go_quote.gif The real scary thing will be the nationalization of a couple of our large banks. We all fiddle as Rome burns?

Nationalization is not as bad as it sounds just as long as it's done right. This means pooling and separating out the bad loans of Citicorp and Bank of America into a new company a la Resolution Trust Corporation and selling off those loans on an organized basis before re-privatizing the banks.

 

[Shark_Jump]

I am sure I am not the only person to read this blog who is an engineer of some sort. Since 1990 we have been treated by companies as some sort of nuisance cost overhead.
I see what is happening as a return to common sense, saving instead of speculation (sorry bankers, no more fees).

 

[Shark_Jump]

If you want to blame someone for the demise of the US car industry look to Harvard and Yale. These are the 'geniuses' who don't know a spark plug from a big end yet these guys have been running the show for he last 15 years. Listen MBA boy, a guy with 20 years design or engineering experience is a valuable asset NOT a liabilty!

 

[MadMan007]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amphead /img/forum/go_quote.gif The real scary thing will be the nationalization of a couple of our large banks. We all fiddle as Rome burns?

To quote Bon Jovi 'Ooooh, we're halfway there...'

 

[cash68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drag0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy American! (That wasnt political,was it?) But really, if us Americans dont buy American, then we are sending what little money we have left out of our country.

The problem is automobiles are a global product. The electric motors for the HVAC system are made in germany, the transmissions somewhere else, the fabric in China, the suspension in Japan, etc etc etc. Plus a large portion of domestic vehicles are assembled in Mexico, so it really isn't that simple, unless you're very simple minded.

 

[cash68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif or... just don't build cars: do another research toward quality steel products that need no petrol (this is political) or massive road to transport one person from 100 metres away to 100 metres hence. a bicycle is a better investment!

The problem is that people in cars are inattentive. I can't tell you the number of times I was almost killed by idiots on cell phones in cars while riding on my bike. I still ride on trails, but riding around in the city is a deathwish.

 

[cash68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunseeker888 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just read that the Pontiac division of GM will be phased out completely soon. Gone. First Oldsmobile now Pontiac. I hope the entire thing doesn't keel over. That would be bad. Buy American.

Why would I want to spend money to:

1. Support a company that has made stupid decision after stupid decision, without listening to consumers

2. Was building SUVs like crazy when gas was only climbing up and up and up, without looking into the future

3. Treats people who like small cars like trailer trash, and makes their small cars complete garbage

4. Refuses to build anything interesting for the average enthusiast?*

5. Build cars that are so crappy the resale value plummets to 50% of it's intiial cost in 2-3 years

*: The Cobalt SS is the first thing they've done in years.

 

[cash68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I was shopping for a car a couple years ago I couldn't find any import I was satisfied. I ended up with a 2006 Pontiac Grandprix and I love this car. It does everything I need and more. Comfortable, quiet, quick, and good mileage. I owned a 1990 Accord before my Grandprix and never thought I'd own a domestic car, but I kept my mind open when I started searching and in the end the decision was very easy to buy American this time around.

2006 Pontiac Grand Prix:

MSRP: $21,000-27,000

Value today, just 3 years later:

$11,000-5,600

No thanks. I'll stick to Honda or Subaru.