pavlindrom: you’re right.

Fleming in Tennessee: “Malibu is a much better name than Cam-Ray, Cam-Ree, Camie-Ray.” It’s also a much better car.

NipponRules: “I don’t see much for complaints on sports forums about a mediocre baseball player making 20 million a year.” That’s because the ballplayer has donesomething to suggest he’s WORTH (at least in baseball’s bizarre economics) $20 million a year.

beatusmongous: I had a Ford Tempo that I let run out of oil TWICE, and it still lasted to 130K or so before I sold it. Or about 40k longer than My honda civic. But I know it sucked, because there was a blue oval on it.

As for choosing car B because they couldn’t afford car A, I think it’s clear that with this economic problem people have been buying car A that they couldn’t afford in the first place. And they’re force to drive it 200,000+ miles until they save up enough money to buy their next car. Hopefully by then the big 3 will have figured something out.

Wait, I take that back. I paid for one ticket so I could take a girl one time, but my ticket was free (media). But then, being media, I get into a lot of events for free.

Fleming and Ryan, The most reliable car I ever owned was a Ford. I drove it like I stole it for three years. In that three years, I put 65,000 miles on it. I did maintain it… …sort of… …changed the brakes and oil a couple of times… …but it never gave me problems. I paid $8,000 for it (used), and traded it in it for $6,000 three years later.

What a terrible car it was! I’m so dissatisfied! Ford sucks! (/sarcasm off)

When looking at surveys, we need to remember that only a small portion of the population is sampled during a survey. There is a lot of room for error. Just because a survey says that 90% of people sampled prefer sunrise over sunset doesn’t mean that 90% of the world is the same. I’d trust sales figures over surveys, because sales figures show what people are purchasing on a 100% accuracy basis. No one is forced to buy a car. Some people may want Car A, but can’t afford it, which will inherently cause dissatisfaction with Car B that they chose instead. But they still purchased Car B, which means they had to have liked it in some way. Otherwise, they would have chosen Car C. The survey will show the person to be unsatisfied with Car B, even though they paid $25,000 for it. But they seldom have reasons for their dissatisfaction, which in this particular case would be that they preferred another car that they couldn’t afford at the time.

Just 2¢.

*cough*prius*cough*

As for the Camry, that sounds like a soap I find at a drugstore that’s always on sale..

They’re adjusting to the market. This is what everyone is telling them to do. They need to downsize their SUVs and make more fuel efficient trucks. The GMT SUVs are already making the transition to unibodies (Escalade), Ford and GM both have trucks models designed to optimise efficiency as well as make use of hybrid technology, not to mention the two new baby Diesels for their half tonnes. They’ve got hybrids coming out the wahoo, and alternative fuels are a major focus. GM is putting more into EV technology than any other major automaker, and pioneered E-flex, which is really just a rehash of a technology they’ve been using in trains for decades.

Honestly, they’ve got the product, if only they had the time and SOME kind of breathing room with the media. I’d guess that every time the WSJ uses the words Bankrupt and any of the Detroit three in one sentence, 100 buyers on the fence just made the decision to buy an import. If Toyota got even half the negative publicity that GM has (as in every time Toyota screws up the media world would completely erupt) they would be losing sales at an alarming rate too. All the reasons people had to stop buying domestics five years ago have all but disappeared. It’s all up to public perception and mainstream media has a majority of the role in that.

And while we’re on this topic: Can the Malibu be renamed as part of the terms for a bail out? I don’t know about you but “mali-boo” sounds like a baby blue minivan with a puffy steering wheel cover driven by a retired man in his fifties.. I thought chevy was on a roll when they unveiled this car until I heard what it was called..

Also, I don’t see anyone from Detroit demanding anything.

Hey, now we agree. They can definitely afford to kill off some hopeless product. What you said before was quite different. And yes, I think everyone agrees that they need to get costs down to compete, which would have a lot to do with that extra $2000 per vehicle that is dedicated to Union/Pension costs.

Mazda is no longer controlled by Ford, that’s why I didn’t mention them. I also don’t know why Saab even exists, and why, of all groups, would GM buy them. I haven’t seen a new Saab on the road in………. ever! I really have never seen a brand new Saab other than at the dealership.

Everything you said after the word ‘Saturn’ shows me that you don’t pay much attention to the news. Ford has already named at least four new European models they’re bringing over, and have already started retooling for. And if the oil companies gave a shit about the D3, they never would have let it get to $145/bl. This proves that they are not in bed together, as people have been saying for so long. Big Oil chased Big Money, knowing it would cripple the domestic auto industry.

I don’t have to make a big decision like that, I think the country has spoken. If the big 3 have such desirable cars then they wouldn’t be in a mess they’re in.. and it’s one thing to make desirable cars it’s another to price them within reach for most of us.. I’m not saying all big 3 products are garbage, I’m saying they can get rid of a lot of their cars and still be in business.. I’m surprise you didn’t mention mazda but want all of saab to remain as is.. (in my opinion saab only generates hype in their concept cars) Also, GM should look into the Saturn lineup – they got rid of all their American cars and replaced it with Opel.. I think Ford would benefit from bringing their European cars into our shores.. There are all these templates from other brands that the Big 3 can emulate, the problem is that the people making these big decision weren’t listening to us.. If it were up to me I would let the oil companies bail out the auto industry..

If that doesn’t drive the point home that no politician gives a rat’s butt about you, then nothing will.
“Change” … my butt. The more things change, the more they stay the same. You obamabots got handed a bill of goods an bit the poisonous bait.

So Ford should stop selling the Mustang, F-150, and Ranger, the entire Lincoln brand, and the Mountaineer? GM should stop selling the Enclave, don’t even bother bringing out that ringer Lacrosse, the whole Cadillac line, Heavy Duty trucks, Colorado/Canyon, Impala, Traverse, Corvette, Vibe, Solstice, G8, G6, all of Saab, Astra, Sky, and Outlook? The vast majority of desirable vehicles that GM makes.