tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29911320.post4341052791539309663..comments2023-10-21T10:08:25.005-04:00Comments on Women, Unions, and Our Stories: The UAW IS NOT Responsible for GM or Ford or Chryslerbendygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00354763484076446134noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29911320.post-37628230297579985612008-11-18T09:42:00.000-05:002008-11-18T09:42:00.000-05:00I'd be interesed in knowing, too, Union Gal. Beca...I'd be interesed in knowing, too, Union Gal. Because the Pontiac was only the 2nd American car that I had ever owned. The first was an Oldsmobile that was a fantastic car. That thing ran like a top til the very end, but that was back in the 80s.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I just had a lemon? But when I Googled the problem I had on the Internet, it seemed others were too. I'm sure GM isn't the only one, that there are people who complain about Toyotas, Hondas, etc. I just wasn't impressed by GM's response.<BR/><BR/>But you're right, too, about the dealerships. They stink 95% of the time. :(Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142455765679163616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29911320.post-91447134733973148442008-11-18T09:11:00.000-05:002008-11-18T09:11:00.000-05:00I've owned a number of GM products over the years,...I've owned a number of GM products over the years, Ford and Chrysler, too. <BR/><BR/>I've never had difficulty with any of the US automakers. I've also driven a Subaru (my brother owned it and damn if it wasn't a gas guzzler) and a Fiat (also brother owned) which was possibly the car that was the most fun to drive.<BR/><BR/>A few years ago I gave my car to my parents, a new Saturn SUV. Other than issues with the dealership (it had fallen off a truck during shipping and they failed to tell me that the entire back end door and assembly had been replaced), I and my parents have had no problems with the vehicle. They've had it now for 3 or 4 years and it gets better gas mileage than their other SUV (it's rural Ohio and the snow belt, an SUV is nearly a necessity, including Sunday when in the matter of about 90 minutes, there was 2 inches of snow on the porch). <BR/><BR/>Sorry you had issues with your car. In fact, I feel for those who've had issues with their cars in general, but I've found that over the years it was the damn dealership that I had the worst problems with as opposed to the actual vehicle. This includes the condescending service managers to the sales guys who refused to negotiate on price because after all, I'm a girl and everyone knows men make these decisions to the dealership that didn't tell me (and yeah, I asked) about the damage because in Ohio, glass isn't included in the $2000 limit on repairs (anything more and they'd had to tell me, of coruse, the repair was more than $2k, but when they could exclude the glass and then the labor cost, it was only 1.9k, nice, huh?).<BR/><BR/>Do people have these same issues with the dealerships that sell Toyota and Honda?bendygirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00354763484076446134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29911320.post-86674014574754851732008-11-18T08:55:00.000-05:002008-11-18T08:55:00.000-05:00Thank goodness someone is trying to dispel this my...Thank goodness someone is trying to dispel this myth. The very FIRST thing anyone says about why GM is going bankrupt is the burden they bear thanks to the pensions and healthcare 'required' by the UAW. I find such assertions shameful and bizarre! <BR/><BR/>Why shouldn't these people have a decent retirement and health package? <BR/><BR/>(I was going to write a similar rant on DKos...lol)<BR/><BR/>The problem with GM is that it makes a crap product. Bottom line. It makes a bad product, using cheap parts and poor design, and doesn't own up to its obligations. That is not the pension's fault, or the healthcare plan's. Heck, if they were making cars well and selling the heck out of them, pension, salaries and healthcare would easily be cared for.<BR/><BR/>But that's not what happens in the US. Instead, they make a cheap, disposable product with a bad design and bad parts and sell it, keeping the profits for the top tier execs. Notice that the top tier execs aren't cutting their pay or health, or retirement...hmmm. Funny thing, that. <BR/><BR/>Personal anecdote: I just got rid of a GM car. A Pontiac Grand Am that was given to me as a gift. If it hadn't have been, I'd have been in litigation. As it is, I still might be. Because that car was a piece of excrement. <BR/><BR/>Always something wrong with it, from the steering column, to the brake rotators warping, to the intake manifold failing twice due to the crappy Dex-Cool coolant they used that eats through the plastic/silicone crap they call an intake manifold. None of these repairs were cheap. I used to hate to take it in for service because there was always a $2000 estimate attached to the repairs - it was a running joke in my family. But it wasn't funny how the car was bleeding me dry financially.<BR/><BR/>I called GM about the problems and they shined me on. Would say only it was an owner's problem, not a design flaw. But while doing research on the Intertubes, I found out about a class action lawsuit against GM and put my name and invoices into. I'm not holding my breath, but it's telling that GM won't admit to problems and must be compelled through expensive litigation to repair known problems to their vehicles. Perhaps that might be why they're having trouble selling cars?<BR/><BR/>Of course, I saw an interesting thing on one of the news networks re: cheap car loans and how too many people now have late model cars (we're flooded with them) so as people are cutting back, a new vehicle isn't in the plans. There's no need of one and they're not affordable right now. The credit markets have tightened up so a lot of people who did buy cars with low credit ratings can't do it now. The solution is (allegedly) loosening up credit again, but isn't that just what got us into this mess?<BR/><BR/>What GM needs to do is make a decent, good value, well-designed car for a reasonable amount that can be marketed across the board. If they had even one such car in their cache, we would not be discussing bankruptcy or bailout today. But the fact that they do not, have not and that now it may be too late is very telling indeed.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142455765679163616noreply@blogger.com