Forum: Off-topic

General Motors Corporation, the largest automobile manufacturer in the United States, is close to being nationalized by the United States.

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You didn't mention Toyota got a bigger bailout from Japan than GM did from Obama. Ford has now surpassed Toyota, Honda, and Nissan in quality, its a FACT, lets not confuse those with popular opinions Slap

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Slap

Don't you slap me Slap

Of course Toyota would get a big bailout, through MITI they run the Japanese Gov't. Them and all the other kairetsu.

I dunno about the cars they sell in N America but over here in Europe the Fords seems about as crappy as always.

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I dunno about the cars they sell in N America but over here in Europe the Fords seems about as crappy as always.

Escorts and Festivas are like that, Ford probably doesn't send the best cars out of the country. I've loved every Ford Motor Co. car I've ever been in--smooth ride and they rarely break down around here, and I live in a fairly un-car-friendly part of the country.

Every Ford Ive been in was a POS. Ive owned a few. Honda and Toyota are the best choice IMO, My 2008 civic has given no problems whatsoever. As far as an american car I would own? Only a dodge viper, or maybe a Saleen S7. To me I could give a rip if GM goes under, they sucked anyways.

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The Big Three being run by government is socialism.

'cept you're forgetting Ford didn't go bankrupt, they're still doing just fine, Chrysler and GM are going under.

Skyhigh, please keep your political rants out of this site, especially when the politics don't involve your home nation.

ptplauthor wrote:

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I dunno about the cars they sell in N America but over here in Europe the Fords seems about as crappy as always.

Escorts and Festivas are like that, Ford probably doesn't send the best cars out of the country. I've loved every Ford Motor Co. car I've ever been in--smooth ride and they rarely break down around here, and I live in a fairly un-car-friendly part of the country.

Problem was they gave up trying to sell the same cars here cause no-one bought `em. Cars built for america don´t make much sense here where the gas aint cheap and cars are expected to be able to handle corners. Always hated every single american car I ever been in but last summer I went to the US for the first time to attend a wedding and my rental turned out to be a 300C, absolutely loved it as soon as I got used to the super-light steering, until the AC broke down. Not my idea of "fun in the warm california sun"... Then they gave me a Charger which worked for the rest of my stay but weren´t quite as nice as the first one. After a while I came to the conclusion that my own car back home would drive me as mad over there as one of those would do me over here even though I still hate the cheap plastic they insist on using for some reason. Still, hope the big three survives in some way or other.

I'm about to strangle half the people on this forum. News flash, Ford is the number two selling brand in Europe. Toyota, Honda and Nissan don't even make the top 10 list! Why, because those POS's fall apart on crappy European roads! Oh yea, Ford is about to start building some of those European models here in the US, along with some of the best engines they have. Ford is only getting stronger! Take your opinions and try just a little to balance them with facts! Idea

Singularity, I have a question. How is your Civic in the rain on the freeway, do you skip from puddle to puddle? Next time your in a decent rain going over 55, glance at your knuckles, how white are they? Poke

Forum Veteran Joined: Dec 15, 2006 - 12:28 AM Posts: 760

I’ve been holding back commenting on this thread because I’m suspicious of skyhigh’s motives. While I largely agree with what he’s posted in this thread I have been reluctant to support it because I can’t help but wonder if he’s just an outsider trolling.

skyhigh wrote:

Do you drive a General Motors car?

Yes I do. I could’ve bought a foreign vehicle that was slightly cheaper and might have been a little bit more reliable. However I chose to buy a GM vehicle because even though I don’t like the overbearing unions; I would prefer to my best ability within reason to support workers and businesses from my own country. Don’t get me wrong if a foreign product is significantly cheaper or better I’ll buy it; however if it is reasonably competitive I will try to choose to purchase a product from my own country.

The second reason I didn’t buy a foreign car was parts availability. I’m sure it’s not as bad nowadays but I had a Suzuki motorcycle and it often took weeks or months to get parts. Often a riding season would be over before I could get the parts to get my motorcycle back into running condition. My parents owned VW’s, Toyotas and once I bought a used Datsun that a friend sold me so cheap it was practically giving it to me: they all seemed harder to get parts for and took longer to get parts for (the parts availability was lousy compared to the American cars we have owned). Another reason I didn’t get a foreign vehicle (pickup truck) is that they seemed either too large or too small for me.

For the most part the GM pickup truck I bought is very well-built and designed. However the computer/control system (including sensors wiring and such) are quite problematic. The engine light and brake (antilock) warning light keeps on coming on . The problem seem is intermittent, like electrical interference, bad connections or sensors that are too weak for the amplifiers. I suspect the antilock warnings is because of weak sensors, rusted/dirty/cracked sensors and or drums.

One of the dumbest design features to my vehicle is there is no passenger door lock cylinder, so the only way I can unlock the vehicle is from the driver’s door. Since I can’t use the other door to get in if it’s locked, how do I get in if the door or lock is frozen, broken or vandalized? The person that thought up this idea must’ve been shaving a few pennies off because he was a single person with no social life and no chivalry. What happens if you’re trying to be polite to your wife or on a date or transporting handicapped people, you have to go around to the drivers door unlock it, go around to the passenger door unlock it, then go back to the drivers door to get in and drive.

I liked it when the unions mainly were after reasonably fair working conditions, safety, benefits and pay. However I feel they have gone off on the extreme end and they are killing their host. For the most part I feel they used to be mostly beneficial, but as time rolls on they seem to be more parasitic and harmful.

tank_top wrote:

I'm about to strangle half the people on this forum. News flash, Ford is the number two selling brand in Europe. Toyota, Honda and Nissan don't even make the top 10 list! Why, because those POS's fall apart on crappy European roads! Oh yea, Ford is about to start building some of those European models here in the US, along with some of the best engines they have. Ford is only getting stronger! Take your opinions and try just a little to balance them with facts! Idea

Singularity, I have a question. How is your Civic in the rain on the freeway, do you skip from puddle to puddle? Next time your in a decent rain going over 55, glance at your knuckles, how white are they? Poke

Not bad actually, and besides I dont base my opinion for car manufacturers because it didnt make europes top 10 list. So my last Ford was a little four banger, and yet somehow got only 25 mpg!? and yes that car on the freeway was scary as sh*t! Now my Civic gets on average around 40-43mpg on the freeway and drives super smooth. Ford's maybe okay, but their previous models have shunned me away from ever liking them.

Last edited by cutlassracer on May 08, 2009 - 07:20 AM; edited 1 time in total

Funny how no one is talking about Chrysler. UAW now has a, or should I say, were GIVEN a 55% stake in Chrysler, I'd say that is pretty much the controlling majority. I tell ya, follow the paper trails these days and it just seems that those that sent large sums of cash to the DNC seem to be getting alot of really sweet deals, but I'm sure it's not a political thing. It is quite upsetting to see where this country is headed. I keep hearing that we can vote 'em out in 2010 (congress that is), but I'm not real sure there is going to be much left by then. They are pushing this crap through so fast I'm pretty sure the damage will be major in that time. Then again I'm a 38 year old married (to a woman) white conservitave male with a paycheck which makes me a racist hate mongering right wing extremist, so what do I know, right?

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Forgive me, my mistake, ptplauthor.

This time

Just try not to tug on our capes anymore:
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tank_top wrote:

I'm about to strangle half the people on this forum. News flash, Ford is the number two selling brand in Europe. Toyota, Honda and Nissan don't even make the top 10 list! Why, because those POS's fall apart on crappy European roads! Oh yea, Ford is about to start building some of those European models here in the US, along with some of the best engines they have. Ford is only getting stronger! Take your opinions and try just a little to balance them with facts!

Actually its more to do with price; Ford are a common brand with reasonable prices (and before you say it, my father worked for Ford Group for a number of years)... Toyota and Honda make higher quality cars that cost more hence why they don't sell as well. Granted, Ford europe cars have superb handling (Focus and Mondeo especially) but they are known for having other problems especially build quality. There is a nickname for Ford in the UK Found On Roadside Dead. On the other hand; Honda's and Toyota's are known for bulletproof reliability.

Also a number of Ford's engines; especially TDCi's are not just Ford but co-developed with Peugeot/Citroen.

GM; its not just the US Government taking a stake... FIAT are also buying a very big stake in the European operation (Opel,Vauxhall,Saab) which is interesting.

Anyway, IF you want superb quality, good ride and a high degree of reliability; you buy from a German owned company BMW or Audi/VW group... its also noticeable in America when I was in Chicago in March.... the most common car I saw around the city centre was the VW Jetta.

Sorry, but cars designed for the States just do not work on European roads; they can't take a corner for toffee... even my 3Dr Stilo (which is known as quite a bad car but I love it) corners better!

Andy