[michiganmom48]

Well it is sad and although this all will hurt a lot of people I do think they are getting nowhere in Washington. I heard that the three big CEO that are there took private jets to get there. I heard it cost 20,000 instead of 288 coach and 833 furst class. THis is what needs to chance let the CEO go. Go there to beg for help and take private jets to get there.

[mich2fla]

I think the bankruptcy need to happen so that the company can restructure the UAW and the white collar. Also, eliminate many dealers. Many suppliers will get hurt and the layoffs will be felt across the world.

While they are at it, the government should ease off on the gas mileage requirements. Let the auto companies get back on their feet then worry about the gas mileage.

Do we need a union? Let's leave that for another debate.

In the US alone, GM has something like 7,000 dealers while Honda has about 1,000.

[MI-IRISH]

In the US alone, GM has something like 7,000 dealers while Honda has about 1,000.[/quote

The thing to take into context also,honda has a much more diverse line of products,be it generators,motorcycles,cars or whatever,the are not approaching any industry in a one-sided manner

[Dexterguy]

One thing is for sure that GM has WAY to many brands. Unfortunetly, some of these brands must be cut.
*HUMMER - why did GM not sell to Tata Motors yet, I don't know
*Buick - If people are going to buy a $30-45k car, this is not it
*Pontiac - Yes, sadly this should be cut, it is a chevy just re-banded
*GMC - A chevy??
*Saab - One of the weakest sellers in the U.S. today, they should sell the brand back to Sweden.

This would change the face of the American road forever but if it would save the company I am all for it. It could get a whole lot worse, like only seeing Toyota's and Honda's if something is not done immediately in Washington DC.

[mich2fla]

Originally Posted by MI-IRISH

In the US alone, GM has something like 7,000 dealers while Honda has about 1,000.[/quote

The thing to take into context also,honda has a much more diverse line of products,be it generators,motorcycles,cars or whatever,the are not approaching any industry in a one-sided manner

I'm only comparing auto dealers.

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by mich2fla

I'm only comparing auto dealers.

The chevy dealer a few miles away from me has moved nothing in at least three months! It is shocking to me that they can still fuction. They have had the exact same cars, same colors, same makes, etc. lined up for a very long time. A few days ago I noticed that they recieved a couple of those new Chevy Traverse's, I wonder how long I will be driving past those two until they are moved from the lot.

What's even sader is this is not one of those "HUGE PALACE" dealerships, this is a very small one that is owned by a local family.

[cobolt]

Didn't GM just release a new Hummer? I mean, my friend back east told me this. WTF? it made me sick watching those fools on CSPAN yesterday. They couldn't answer any of the tough questions. Smoke and mirrors. They don't want strings attached to the money and they don't want to change. YOu know the saying...keep doing what you've been doing and you'll get what you've been getting.

[brokerdave]

Originally Posted by MI-IRISH

In the US alone, GM has something like 7,000 dealers while Honda has about 1,000.[/quote

The thing to take into context also,honda has a much more diverse line of products,be it generators,motorcycles,cars or whatever,the are not approaching any industry in a one-sided manner

we can compare to toyota if that makes you fell better, they have 1,500 dealerships, lol.


the plain and simple fact is the product. the big 3 have been making junk products for years and finally its taking its effecting them. the big 3 average a lemon car every 200,000 cars, where as honda and toyota are at 1.4 million per lemon. that means they are 7X more efficient and reliable. an example of this is to look at all the recalls.

big 3 cars last 3 years or 60,000 miles. they are designed this way.

honda/toyota designed for 300,000 miles minimum

huge difference.

[Cliffie]

Shutting down the Big Three is tempting for purely emotional reasons -- they've had nearly a century to diversify and improve their own fortunes as well as ours, the dumb dopes, not to mention my purely personal loathing for certain members of certain auto-heir families -- but it isn't worth destroying the livelihoods of the workers they still have.

At the same time, I'm not happy with the idea of bailing them out. They brought this on themselves! At the same time, they brought this on Michigan, and the workers -- although not the UAW -- are innocent victims in this.

My solution is this: offer them the bailout IF they can show that they're going to do something constructive with the money beside continuing to sit on their butts. If they don't show progress AND don't show that they're using the money they way they said they would, they have to give it back. That's what people like me have to do with our non-profit project loans. Let them show some responsibility for the first time in their congenitally rich lives.

[Westbury]

The quality of US cars has improved dramatically over the past ten years so I have to give them credit for that. I've only purchased from the big three and kept every one for 150 to 200,000 miles and never had any real problems with them other than normal wear (although I do a good job of maintenance). Poor management with sort sighted vision on quarterly profits put them where they are today. Instead of staying focused on developing smaller/more fuel efficient cars they all got caught up in the truck/SUV era with the big profits. Instead of pouring those profits into the future they focused on more big vehicles and compensating themselves for doing a "good job". They did a very good job of messing things up!