[article] Clunkers and the Trailer Trash

their treasury bonds we are all toast.

Reply to
Tom
Loading thread data ...

We're talking about autos here, not syrup.

Because I found them to be pointless. Why is it that people like you think it's A-OK to buy a Hyundai built in Korea, or a Toyota built in Japan, but piss on GM, or Ford for building a car in Mexico? Sorry Ed, you can't have your cake, and eat it too.

Reply to
80 Knight

No, it is not pointless. I'm talking about Hyundai built in the USA. By American workers Evidently you don't have the answers so you evade the question.

Personally, I'd like to see GM success on their own merits. They have to build better cars than the piece of crap deteriorating in my driveway though. If they do, I'll buy another one. I happen to like the styling of a couple of models. In fact, I think GM builds great cars if you trade them in after about 30,000 miles.

Back to your original question You stated: For every car imported from Japan to America, they must take one

Then I asked for clarification on what qualifies as an American car to export.

You evaded that portion of the question. I've got may cake, you have either a reading comprehension problem or fear of answering. Please, give your definition of "ours" in your trade example.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Bullshit. Anyone with a brain in there head can get many more then 30,000 miles out of any vehicle.

Why are you being an ass? Hyundai isn't an American company, and I assume you know that. It's damned Korean. Obviously when I said a car for a car, I meant an American built American car (GM, Ford), for a Japanese built Japanese car (Toyota, Honda). What's so difficult to understand? I believe you are trying the bullshit line "my Hyundai is made in America (which, many aren't), so it's American", and I don't buy that. The company who built that car is Foreign. GM, and Ford are not. Buying a Hyundai is helping Korea, not North America.

Reply to
80 Knight

I've posted the history of my 2001 Buick Lesabre. Yes, it has many more miles, but has had numerous repairs. Many of the components are not very durable. You should not have to hold a switch in the "on" position by jamming it with a toothpick or the little used heating element in the seat should not need replacing for $672 the second winter (over the 36k mile warranty, but less than 2 years) and on and on. I should have dumped it early on instead of replacing the transmission, propping windows closed with wood stick. As I said, great car for low miles. I really wish I could drive it to work, but the climate system is stuck, hot on driver's side, cold on passenger's side year round. If the mpg qualified it for the government handout, it would be gone

So you are still evading the question. Do we ship a Ford from Mexico or a Buick from Canada? My Hyundai (61,000 perfect miles) did employ American workers to assemble it with 25% US made parts . Protectionism and the one for one swap is no different for cars than for maple syrup from Canada that is selling for a lower price than local produced. If you are going to protect one industry, don't let another lose out. Make the Canadians take an equal quantity of Texas grown watermelons.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I have a 2001 Pontiac Bonneville (the brother-car of your LaSabre), with around 270,000 KMs (almost 170,000 miles), and every option works as it should. I can't speak for the previous owner, but I assume if the repairs on the heated seats and windows were as much as you say, they wouldn't be working. I'm not saying you didn't have those problems, but did you ever stop to think they were specific to your car? Do they have "lemon laws" in your State? I've heard people have good luck getting a vehicle traded in on a new one using those laws.

What does it matter? They are American built, and that is my point. I am answering your question, you just don't like the answer, so you choose not to see it.

Have you checked that? Sonata's are built in two plants, one in Alabama, the other in Korea. If it was built in Alabama, it was built in a plant where the workers are paid less, and receive less benefits then workers in a Domestic (GM, FORD) plant.

I totally agree that there is much more to fair trade then automobiles. The fact is though, the Japanese support there industry, both by only buying Japanese products, and also by Government cash. Yet, over in North America, people seem to have no problem buying Japanese products (even if they are built in Japan), and scream murder when the Government lends out money to American companies. There actually is something we can learn from the Japanese.

Reply to
80 Knight

Yes, they may be specific to my car, but it was enough to make me look elsewhere. I've owned many GM cars over the years and every one has some problem from minor to major. It does not qualify under lemon laws. The seat needs the $10 toaster element replaced, but no, they have to replace the entire seat bottom, thus the high price. Poor design if that is the case. Like throwing out a lamp because the bulb burned out.

OK for every Toyota imported, we ship them an American car, even if made in Mexico.

It was built in Alabama, by US workers that take their paycheck to American banks so they can buy groceries from an often foreign owned grocery chain.

Perhaps. We won't know for a couple of years. GM pushed me over the edge with a crap car. It is much harder to get a new customer than to retain the old. They have not learned that lesson yet. I was actually looking at Lucernes and knew what model, color, options, etc. Then on evening I had to drive home in the rain with a window that kept falling down due to a broken regulator.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Why not just order the element, and replace it yourself? You did say the car was out of warranty.

Agreed.

I wasn't accusing you of lying, I was only asking if you checked the VIN on the car to verify it was built in America, and not Korea.

I disagree. Toyota was known (as most imports were) for building rusting garbage when they first came to America, yet they managed to get, and keep customers. Say what you want about Toyota quality, you have to admit there PR machine runs overtime. If GM recalls 100 vehicles for a defective seatback, it's front page news. If Toyota recalls 200,000 vehicles because the front tires are flying off down the road, it gets quietly buried, and usually only the owners find out about it. Why is that? Keep in mind that in 2006, Toyota recalled more vehicles then they actually sold, yet very few people know this.

Well, I honestly hope you have good luck with your Hyundai then. And I mean absolutely no sarcasm with that either.

Reply to
80 Knight

So have you heard from him?

If not, you can see what British protectionism does right from the government at:

formatting link
UK in 1996 only had 360 autos per 1000, while the USA had 484 and Canada had

457.

Clearly, be it the higher cost of protectionism (right hand drive/laws/legal BS) or other, UK has less cars per people and thus out of reach for more.

It is also why GM and other auto suppliers need to get cost competitive more so, as the lower net average incomes across North America guarantees less auto sales are permanent unless they can get costs down.

Reply to
Canuck57

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.