Disagree if you like with my choices or my decision making philosophies, but please don’t question my patriotism because of my vehicle choice. I served too proudly and display my ribbons and fly my flag too proudly to have you do that.
And if you believe that buying a GM recoups out tax dollars, with that I respectfully disagree. GMs are built all over the world, including Canada and Mexico. And the bulk of the Camrys, Corollas, and Accords sold in the U.S. are built in the U.S. The automotive industry is, to its credit, probably the most globally integrated industry in the history of the world…well, perhaps second to the financial industry.
Today We Should Start Getting News Stories On The Success Or Failure Of This Promotion.
Perhaps people will be lining up to buy or staying away in droves. We’ll see.
I’ve been a GM and Chrysler fan for years. I have always found all of their cars that I own and have owned to be second to none. I had just gotten restarted becoming a loyal GM customer and then they cancelled Pontiac and the Government took over GM and Chrysler (Plus, I’ve never liked Fiat).
Ford, for the first time in my life, is becoming a real possibility for me. Maybe Roger Penske will have something for me if he doesn’t import everything and a dealer around here picks up his products.
This concept would have worked well for our old neurotic friend who considered anything other than a Geo Metro to be an inferior vehicle. I wonder if she is still searching for her ideal car, and if she has had the sense to take our suggestions.
I’ve thought a little more about CR ratings. First, they ae useful as one indicator of brand/model quality. But I wonder if the data is staistically valid? Certainly there is enough of it, but it comes from a narrow population - the subscribers to CR. That narrows the population dramatically. Since they have been at it for a very long time and their readers seem pleased with their selections, the results could be skewed. If you tout a product, your readers buy it and are satisfied, it does say something good about the product. But in that sense it is biased reporting.
This promotion does nothing for me inconsidering buying a new vehicle.
These discussions about brand loyalty are interesting in that I don’t believe that I have ever read a post where someone sticks to a brand because that is what they are used to working on. For all DIYers it makes sense to me to stick with engineering you are familiar with. There are many factors when considering a new ride, but when I go vehicle shopping I look at GMC first because that is what I am used to working on.
You raise an interesting point that I’ve not seen raised before. It makes sense. People are reluctant to change from something they’re familiar with.
I wonder how large the population of Do It Yourselfers is. I know the parts industry that sells primarily to walk-in consumers is multi-billion dollar industry. I have to suspect that the portion of the car owning public that does much of its own work is huge.
One thing I noticed about Hondas and Toyotas vs. American cars: I have never encountered anyone who had a horror story about a honda or a toyota, but you hear all types of stories about certain American cars. Is it really just perception?
I have to agree with mountainbike. My mother drove Fords for most of her life, and had some really bad experiences. She has an Oldsmobile now, and that is a really good car. But she’s looking at a Honda Civic for her next car. Its not that all American cars are poor quality; quality varies greatly from model to model.
If you were on the fence about a issue like engine type or not convinced about claimed mpg or something that you could not get comfortable with even with a extended test drive the 60 day deal may sway you.
If you have the mind-set that GM products are substandard but you decide to make a deal with yourself and say “one single problem in 60 days and back it goes” it may do it for you.
I look at it more of a “you won’t have to deal with Lemon Law issues if your car does anything you don’t like in the first 60 days”.
Perhaps turning that exact car in but getting another one of the same type appeals to some. Like a way to resolve a issue the Dealer can’t much easier.
Be careful with Fords. They really have issues with the quality of some of their models. I heard the Ford Fusion is a good car, though. And I’m not a truck person, but their Trucks are pretty good too, I’ve heard.
" Its not that all American cars are poor quality; quality varies greatly from model to model."
Not so much anymore. All cars are much more reliable than they were 10 years ago, even those that have been perennial favorites like Toyota and Honda. That’s how Toyota has stayed near the front of the pack. But GM and Ford have come a long way in recent years, and pretty much across the board.
Actually, the government has used our (taxpayer)money to try to keep car companies afloat before. I remember back in the early 1960’s that the federal government purchased quite a few Studebakers for government use. I remember watching the television after President Kennedy was killed and a lot of the government vehicles that were carrying government employees to the Rotunda in the Capitol to pah their respects were Studebakers.
