A Plea to Give GM Another Chance

GM Status - RIP

I'm professional and have owned many new cars. Even though I know intellectually that GM as improved their cars I still drive a Nissan Xterra which I love. In 1972 after much work and savings my Dad bought my mother a 1972 Pontiac Bonneville. In all these years when in our family we talk about a poor car experiences the Pontiac still comes up in every family discussion as the worst. We only had it for two years and would always always break down at the bank when my Mother would drop off the car payment at the drive up window. Every month a tow truck would come and tow it to the local Pontiac dealer where the dealership would mistreat my parents, and never did a thing about the car. My father sold it at a loss and in 1974 he gave GM one more chance this time a 1974 Olds 88, Even after careful and systematic care it died at 88,000 miles. No one in our family has ever had a GM car again. Even the thought of leaving our mother stranded and the sacrifices of my father make it too painful to consider. Fast forward to 2009 I love the United States and support President Obama but I don't support GM. It pains me to think that lack support could mean the loss of thousands of jobs and the impacts to families that are unthinkable. At the same time everytime I drive by a GM dealership and mentally think are you willing to give them one more chance I think of my Honda Accord that never broke down once even to the day that I was given a decent trade in for it when it had an ungodly amount of miles or my two Nissans for which the only dealership experience has been the purchase until the next time to trade it in on another. I take another look at the GM lot because I support American jobs and President Obama.. , but then I remember my Dad and Mom, their sacrifices the challenges they faced for us, and the Pontiac leaving my mother stranded and the treatment they received trying to remedy it, and sadly I keep driving.... and turn up the sound on the Rockford Fosgate Stereo on my Nissan.

Logan of NM @ Apr 08, 2009 23:51:57 PM

The Cars That Drove Detroit's Customers Away - column

This is why people have a low opinion of journalism. Half of the people that bought 70's & 80's cars are dead. Today's young buyers never owned these. If bought Used (antiques today), used cars are USED. Many, like the diesels, sold in low numbers. Compare Vegas and cheap Kias? You should have gossip written about your writing.

Ubiquitous Quip of IN @ Apr 04, 2009 11:39:57 AM

We should not throwing good money after bad businesses....

The writing has been on the wall for the last 40 years for the US auto-makers. Every year, we saw the US auto industry loosing its market shares to foreign-auto makers. And yet, the US auto-makers did not take any drastic steps to reverse the declining sale trends. Instead, they kept making those gas-guzzlers which were more profitable for them and going agaisnt the current on-going matters in the energy industry which is calling for more efficient vehicles. Foreign auto makers responded to it and established a very strong foot-hold in our own soil.

Recently, there were talks about devising ways to force us, the general public to buy US vehicles, lol. As long as Detroit keeps producing unwanted products, there will be no support for its produtcts. My first vehicle in when I was in college was the Ford Bobcat which I bought it used because I was too poor to buy a new onew. I got it for $400 and I paid for my mistake dearly. I had to replace 2 rack pinion, 2 used transmissions, and 2 used engine replacement for owning the Bobcat. I don't even remember how much time I had to spend in the shop to wait for my car but I tell you what for the next 28 years I never got another American built vehicles.

Forty years is a long time to right yourselves if you were in the wrong track. It took Detroit too long to wake-up and the union is one of the biggest part for the auto industry to become so complacency. We shouldn't infuse more money into a loss cause. Instead, we can acquire all 2 auto makers (GM, Ford) on the pennies (based on the their current market capitalization, 03/12/09) and let Chrysler be gone from the market. All we have to spend is 6.3 billions dollars, instead of giving out 4 times more of money and there is nothing guarantee that the outcome is favorable. After taking control of them, we reorg. the companies taking out the top level of management, labor union and putting in the new board of directors and management and let them run as a private entities who have to response to us. By doing so, we will not disturb the well entrenched supply chains which employed millions of individuals.

My 2 cents....!!!

mike smith of TX @ Mar 12, 2009 13:41:11 PM

RIP GM

I support Obama, but GM needs to go. They made a lot of bad decisions and misplaced a lot of money and didn't listen to the market. Once GM is gone, other companies will come in and take over.

Cory Schulz of WI @ Feb 26, 2009 04:20:16 AM

GM, the Failed Giant

GM, like Citi, B of A, Lehman, and Madof failed to provide services and products when they produce profits based on credit. They were all in on a Ponzi scheme subsidized by the government to shore up the false ideology that free trade requires currency manipulation and tax privileges.

Workers, the ones who are now asked to be the insurers of last resort, have been treated as a resource in the profit making schemes of business.

Business, not profit is the business of America. We have produced credit for too long.

It is time for the obsolete and the greedy to get out of the way before we can return to an innovative and productive economy.

Morton Kurzweil of FL @ Feb 23, 2009 15:44:02 PM

Yes, supporting the sports world is why we should bailout GM

"It spends hundreds of millions on advertising and marketing, and part of that supports the sports world."

I have to admit that it was hard for me to continue reading this article with some sort of objectivity after reading this comment in only the second paragraph. I am a sports fan, but supporting the multi-billion dollar sports world with its preposterously overpaid athletes is one of the last things we should be concerned about in today's economy.

Kathi B. of TX @ Feb 23, 2009 13:52:14 PM

GM

Would you buy a house underwater? Would you put your money in a bankrupt bank, or invest knowingly in a Ponzi scheme? No, then why oh why would anyone buy a GM product? Free market capitalism is as dead in America today as was the dodo. Buy a copy of any car magazine and look at the stupid, childish cars, trucks, and other vehicles marketed for the middle class! Time for Chapter 11 to come to town. Re the unions, sure they make a good living, but they actually DO THE WORK that creates these products. The mangers are the real culprits, fire them. Oops, in Obamaland we can't do that, they might feel hurt!

ChristmasTree of NY @ Feb 23, 2009 13:45:02 PM

GM--sorry about your luck!

I would like to know what GM is going to do about all the cars that caught fire and were totally consumed. Mine was parked in my drive way when it caught fire. Luckily I didn't park in my garage. I'm still paying for this car! A month after my car was gone, they sent me a recall. When I called them they pretty much said sorry about yuor luck. I didn't need this. I have been struggling to pay my bills and to pay for a car I only had for a year is an added burden. The internet is full of people who had the same situation. Besides our cars, we lost everything in them. Thanks GM--they knew about this problem and did nothing!

Bonnie Zeller of IL @ Feb 23, 2009 13:03:11 PM