Throw support behind GM (General Motors)

[wild deuce]

If you think this is just a problem for GM and/or the UAW, think again. Many of you haul parts (you may not even realize they are car parts). Do any of you know what the back bone of GM, Toyota (that's right if GM goes, so does TYOTER), Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Honda (who did I forget)? The backbone is the part manufacturer. When you buy a car and it is 10 or 15 years old now,,,what do you have to do to keep it running? (Don't say 'buy another one'...that's something my wife and stupid kids would say. Notice I did not say stupid wife...). If you want to keep your auto going you need parts. The parts manufacturer depends on ME (the buyer), YOU (the part hauler)...who did I forget? Oh yeh... They need the danged auto manufacturer!!! did you know that all the car companies are tied in to the same parts people? Oh yeh,,,they are...one car company goes....one will surely follow...and then goes the guy that hauls the parts!!

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

The only support we give GM is when we buy new replacement parts for the 3 GM vehicles we have.

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by wild deuce

If you think this is just a problem for GM and/or the UAW, think again. Many of you haul parts (you may not even realize they are car parts). Do any of you know what the back bone of GM, Toyota (that's right if GM goes, so does TYOTER), Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Honda (who did I forget)? The backbone is the part manufacturer. When you buy a car and it is 10 or 15 years old now,,,what do you have to do to keep it running? (Don't say 'buy another one'...that's something my wife and stupid kids would say. Notice I did not say stupid wife...). If you want to keep your auto going you need parts. The parts manufacturer depends on ME (the buyer), YOU (the part hauler)...who did I forget? Oh yeh... They need the danged auto manufacturer!!! did you know that all the car companies are tied in to the same parts people? Oh yeh,,,they are...one car company goes....one will surely follow...and then goes the guy that hauls the parts!!

well first and foremost.........why do we NEED pontiac, buick, chevrolet, and the late oldsmobile...??

first let's try and remember that with-in the GM brand, there are CLONES.... why do we need several "look-a-likes" simply because someone likes GM, but Buick, and the buick cars (many of them) are DIRECT look-a-likes to the chevy's and oldsmobiles, etc,etc.

we DO NOT NEED all those cars. for GM to cut back to (say) chevrolet, and cadilac and chevy trucks, would be a good thing. we DO NOT NEED GMC pick-up trucks, or all those clones.

as for parts, there will always be parts for many years. there WILL be parts not only from the original manufacturer, but from other companies as well. so i do NOT buy into the "where will we get our parts from"?? question. after a number of years, many of us trade in or junk our vehicles anyways. so why worry about it..??

same holds true for ford, mercury, and lincoln.....TOO MANY CLONES....

then, there are the "joint partnerships or ownerships of some auto makers with the foreign car makers, like ford/mazda.....do WEE NEED a ford ranger and a mazda pick-up truck....?? NO we don't..........

for far too many years, the auto makers have flooded us with cars, trucks, and they have tried in vain to get us to trade in every few years, for what, to pad thier pockets...??

i say, screw'em, let them file bankruptcy, and clean house, be meaner/cleaner/grener.

there are NO reasons why we cannot get "up to" that 100 miles per gallon from an auto maker, like thaose snake oil inventions had claimed to be able to get.

ALL the manufacturers HAVE the technology to get it done.

i personally BLAME the unions for demanding higher wages/benefits. i blame the CEO's for thier high salaries and bonuses..

but mostly, I BLAME the american motoring public, for DEMANDING, carpeting, 6 CD Disc changers, navigation devices, CUP HOLDERS.....tinted glass, carpet lined trunks, XM satelite radios, leather seats, and the list goes on and on..

we DEMANDED those and MANY ITEMS, and the automakers GAVE THEM TO US, FOR A PRICE, and since the prices are so friggin high, who can realistically afford a new car these days...???

i too have actually hauled auto parts (JIT freight) a.ka. "just in time" for GM when i was in the ohio area for several months.......

and it true, Never buy a car made on a monday OR friday...........and i SAW WHY

every friday, the "back lots" would be FULL of INCOMPLETE cars because the workers either didn't show up for work or left early, and (back then) they were getting $20+ per hour, while i was earning 25¢ PER MILE..........

think i feel sorry for the auto factory worker...?? at their wages/benefits....??

think again.............

if many other manufacturers can cut back, or file bankruptcy, so can Chyrsler (which they did today), and many others.

it'll weed out the crap..............

then MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, they WILL BUILD BETTER cars/trucks that'll give us high fuel miles and long life...........

[grocery thrower]

I agree with pro1, screw em, let them pay for their greed, I don't buy GM products, I buy Crysler, screw them too, greed got them where they are now, $13,000 for a P/U to $30,000 in the space of 10 years, tell me greed wasn't involved.
I have a cousin that works for GM, she is the laziest woman in the world, does nothing and makes over $30.00 per hour, hardly ever comes to work and the union keeps her job...I am pro union all the way, but not the UAW, Teamsters wouldn't put up with the crap that the UAW has let her get away with. Its shameful, I say let them drown in debt and greed, workers, executives, the whole bunch!!
It was a good run, but you can only collect so much for doing very little for so long..bye bye...good riddens!!

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

I don't buy GM products, I buy Chrysler

You're STILL BUYING GM parts.
Dodge, Chrysler/Plymouth, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Saturn, Hummer, are ALL under the GM logo therefore ALL are of General Motors.
ALL Engines operate under the same principles whether 2 or 4 stroke, they just have different names attached.

When I was a Ford driver/owner, I thought Ford was best and that GM stood for General Maintenace.
When I owned/drove Toyota it was best.
If I were driving a VW it would be best.

A car is a car is a car and they're ALL TEMPORARY, like Humans.

It's like Women stating which Douche is best when all Douches do the same thing.

[longhaullounger]

CK, you're mistaken. Chrysler is Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep and was until a few years ago owned partly by Diamler-Benz. Chrysler is currently tied up a little bit with Volkswagen (that "German Engineered" minivan? Yup, it's a Dodge Caravan with fancy seats) and is in talks with those Italian birds at Fiat about a possible partial sell-out. GM is Chevy/GMC/Buick/Pontiac/Hummer/SAAB etc. etc. and should have gone bankrupt five years ago. You can only cook the books for so long.

Personally, I drive a Ford Ranger. Bare bones stock, rubber flooring, AM/FM radio and air conditioning. It's the first truck I've ever had with power steering, an airbag and ABS, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm living in the lap of luxury!

And pro1, while I am slightly inclined to agree with your "let 'em go bankrupt" sentiment, the following threw me off for a moment:

and (back then) they were getting $20+ per hour, while i was earning 25¢ PER MILE..........

Well now, think of it this way-- if you were earning 25 cents per mile, you made a dollar in less than four minutes while you were on the road, assuming you traveled at any rate of speed faster than 60 mph. If you drove a solid hour at 60 mph for 25 cents per mile, you would cover 60 miles and get paid $15. If you were going 65, make that $16.25. If you were doing the current Interstate speed of 70, make that $17.50.

I know it's still a pretty decent-sized difference, but it looks a lot smaller when you compare hours to hours instead of hours to miles. And I realize OTR means a lot of unpaid sitting-around and/or sleeping away from home. Just wanted to make the comparison a little more apples-to-apples.

In light of the comments about auto workers being lazy, overpaid, etc, I'd be careful generalizing about people like that. You all bring a great work ethic and years of education-- both formal and on-the-job-- to your industry, just as plenty of auto workers do. But I bet you've heard people talking about "dumb truck drivers," "dirty truck drivers," "drop-out drivers," and all that derogatory stuff plenty of times. You know not all truck drivers are that way-- in fact, most don't fit the stereotypes. Auto workers are no different.

Finally, I'm not sure you can blame the consumer for the rampant run-up in prices, unless you blame them for actually paying those prices. Demanding the content (CD changers, leather seats, etc.) is one thing, but the exorbitant price inflation the automakers said was "justified" by the addition of those items was the real issue.

Regardless, had we not been willing (and prodded by greedy banks who didn't care about long-term financial stability-- for us or them) to buy those features at ungodly high profit margins, the prices wouldn't have gone through the roof over the last 15 years like they did. Supply and demand...remember that stuff? Somewhere, a lot of educated "bankers" and dumb "consumers" conveniently forgot all about it.