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15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · 0 points

What about a Malibu? It's reasonably priced, well made, good performance.

You may not like GM anymore due to the bailout, but if you looking to replace a Grand Am, they certainly make comparable, "viable" vehicles, except more modern and better in about every conceivable objective measure.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 1 reply · -1 points

How many millions of cars has Toyota recalled in recent years?

Sometime around 7-8 years ago, Honda recalled every single car it made that year over transmission issues.

Honda and Toyota have great reputations.

Recalls are often not about durability/reliability issues. They're often some small glitch in manufacturing. The wiper bolt mentioned in the article was probably tightened by a machine with a torque setting that was too low for a time. It isn't a good thing, but they happen all the time and they happen to everyone.

GM recall numbers in recent years, if you think that's a good measure of quality, which I do not, compare rather well against the similar sized manufacturers.

Recalls aren't a good thing, but they just happen. To everyone.

The tone of the article uses recall notices as though they only happen to GM. It's dishonest.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · +1 points

If you know anything about CAFE and the "two-fleet" rule, you realize that this was the single most destructive piece of legislation in the history of the auto industry, if not all industry. I don't have a problem with CAFE in concept, but in execution, the UAW was responsible for getting the two-fleet rule put in. This totally undercut the industry's bargaining position. The union knew that GM had no choice but to continue building small cars in their plants to balance out the low-mileage cars. They couldn't threaten to close the plants or move them outside the US.

If Amana builds an unprofitable line of microwave ovens, it can just stop making them. They're not required to make them to balance out their natural gas using ovens. Car makers have to make small cars to comply with CAFE or get fined (as though consumer just couldn't turn to another manufacturer if GM or Ford didn't make small cars). And CAFE tells them where they have to build them because of the two fleet rule. That rule was lobbied for by the UAW - you can find that on their own website. It made CAFE about union jobs, not fuel efficiency.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · -1 points

GM required a bailout. Past tense. They're not getting more at this time. I didn't like it. I've said that. I wouldn't have done it. But it's done.

GM is currently profitable. They make good products. They've turned profits for five straight quarters which is great considering their recent history. Will the tax payers ever get all their money back? Nope. I don't like that fact, but again, it's done.

If you don't think I'm a conservative, you could not be more wrong. I don't like liberals. Check that. I hate them. I despise Barack Obama. But you know what? A healthy GM is good for the country. I hated the bailout. But as I've already said ad nauseum, it's done. That money can't be un-bailedout. Now I hope GM succeeds, and the early results are pretty good.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · -2 points

Oh, I agree with you totally about the tax breaks. I don't think they should exist.

I'm defending the Volt as a slick piece of technology. I think GM did a nice job with and I think the technology, as it matures, could really be a partial answer to reducing demand for oil. Yes, electricity has to be generated of course. But electricity, if we had a government that made any sense, is pretty much an infinite resource if we'd build nuclear power plants.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · -1 points

If you read the articles about the Volt in a car magazine like C&D, they do the calculations that you're talking about.

I don't remember the numbers from C&D. The EPA assigns it a score of 93 mpg when running full electric, 37 on gas. Obviously your total gas/electric combination mileage is somewhere in between. For a city commuter, you might get the 93.

Of course electricity isn't free, no one is claiming that. But the point of the Volt was to be a combination gas/electric vehicle. And electricity has to be generated, something our wonderful president does not seem to understand (though in theory with nuclear power, the supply could be all but infinite).

But, the Volt does what GM claims, and very well. But I suppose that you have to agree with the concept, which you obviously do not. Fair enough.

Electric rates vary greatly depending on where you live. It's pretty cheap where I live. I have a three bedroom, mid-sized home with old windows that leak badly, but my electric bills even in the hottest months rarely hit $70.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 1 reply · -2 points

If, as in your example, you were getting over a thousand miles per gallon (and some people would), you'd ber saving one hell of a lot of gasoline money, especially these days. Electricity is far, far cheaper than gasoline.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 2 replies · -3 points

I don't know how to calculate that and, unfortunately, I don't remember the numbers. Don't know about you, but where I live, electricity is very cheap.

It's not for everyone; it depends on your lifestyle. For a lot of people particularly in cities or populous suburbs, there won't be a vehicle that can touch those numbers.

The Volt gets trashed by a lot of people with a political ax to grind. It's not "Obama's Volt." GM had this thing on the drawing board long before Obama. As is often the case with new technology, they didn't expect to make money immediately on it.

But it works. That's why it's won awards and gotten great reviews from all of the major auto magazines. They review it's merits as a vehicle, not a political statement.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 0 replies · -2 points

I'm as conservative as you can get. I can't conceive of a situation where I'd support Barack Obama. I don't like the bailouts, but what's done is done. It's time to move on.

GM makes good cars. If the government hadn't passed union-protecting laws like CAFE over the years, GM wouldn't have been held at gunpoint during labor negotations and never would have needed a bailout. When you're about to lose billions in a strike, it can make managment agree to crazy labor deals.

Do some research on CAFE's UAW-lobbied-for "two-fleet rule", the single worst thing ever to happen to the auto industry. This provision of CAFE completely undermined the industry in labor negotiations. GM and Ford never made money building small cars. This law made them build those car in domestic factories. They couldn't close them, they couldn't move production to Mexico without facing massive fines. The roots of overpaid UAW workers, jobs banks, even scrimping on cars materials and designs can all be traced to this one rule.

15 years ago @ Big Government - Success: General Motor... · 1 reply · -1 points

What, a GM vehicle with over 137K miles on it!

From all the wack jobs posting here, you'd think that was impossible.

I've owned 11 GM vehicles. Not one has ever failed to start or has ever stranded me. I've never needed a major repair of any kind and have only needed minor repairs as my cars have aged. I currently have a CTS with 120K miles on it. I don't keep every one that long, but including the CTS, 4 of my 11 GM vehicles have had way over 120K miles on them when I've sold (and they were still in great shape).

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