Chrysler design center in SoCal to shut.

Heck, Karl - Chrysler is closing down the whole shebang in July for 2 weeks and sending everyone home for vacation.

I know, but that is temporary, I guess. This design group is forever, unless another firms picks them up as they walk out the door. Pasadena isn't that far away, and there might be room at the School of Design. (Teaching filling in unemployment forms?)

I worked for over 12 different firms (that I can remember) in my career and left four of them on my own. Smallfiorms are so much more enjoyable, challanging, and shakey! Two firms I was at three times, sometime as an employee and other times as a temp / consultant.

I also did telemarketing and bringing cars back to life in the fallow periods

OK, show me an AMERICAN MADE car that gets over 30MPG, that is AMERICAN OWNED.. Does Ford, GM, Chrysler have ANY vehicle in production that everyone can go buy that gets BETTER THAN 30MPG by the common Joe Blow? NOT the EPA rating but actual anyone can get this? no

Close, perhaps..but no cigars

I drive a 'Ford'. its a 92, and gets about 37MPG, and that for this model is BAD-it should get by talking to others, closer to 48mpg by everyone. It is NOT American made but a re branded vehicle, foreign made My wifes ex boss's car gets 53+MPG ALL THE TIME..its Foreign. also

EVERYONE needs a $65,000 7mpg vehicle to take a half grown kid 2 miles to 2nd grade.. NOT!!!! but I see it all the time. a HUMMER????

was listening to an ad today on the radio from a railroad of all things.. they were BRAGGING that it cost them 1 gallon of diesel to move 1 TON of freight 453 miles down the tracks.. these stupid SUV's to be EQUAL MUST GET over 250MPG to equal a railroads efficiency.

I CANNOT walk into ANY dealership and get a reasonable small van that will get 20mpg and haul a few tools.. ITS NOT MADE..

After seeing some of the asinine engineering CRAP produced by the big

$800 brake hub for a GM car for 1..the OTHER side is $275. 8 HOURS labor to put on a water pump.. right. 80 HOURS for a wiring harness for a CD changer? sure thing..

in MY line of work, a 99 to 04 Malibu-car wont start, security light on dash flashing.. fix you right up, takes 20-25 minutes.. and $400 and BTW, it MIGHT do it AGAIN the VERY NEXT TIME you start the car..

--Shiva--

Boy, did you nail it on the head...

I now drive an ancient '83 Honda Civic FE daily. 42mpg in mixed driving and it always starts 'n goes. Nice stereo, no "Check Engine" light, no 'puter.

Went to visit Barry in Houston three weeks ago and drove 75-85 mph and still got 42mpg. Anything in Deeetroyt do that???

Worse, izzit me or are the new cars getting fuglier than ever? The Chrysler stuff looks like a giant step backwards...

JT

snipped-for-privacy@notanywhere.net wrote:

Is this a surprise to people? I know small - medium sized production plants that have been doing this for years/decades. The only people who stay around those two weeks are maintenance people who inspect and repair machinery.

Lee

I had to go see the local Ford dealer boss for a lock problem of his and while I was waiting, looked on a new Mustang window..

$56,000 as it was, plus the options, PLUS EPA of 17mpg.

another point.. back in the OLD days, I needed a 6 cylinder plain Jane vehicle.. no power this, no fancy stuff, just a good 'driver'. YOU CANNOT EVEN ORDER ONE now. its not allowed.

--Shiva--

Talk to their fleet vehicle sales manager. Do you think NAPA or Advance Auto Parts purchase loaded delivery vehicles? You can still get 4-speed, rubber floor mat, vinyl bench seats, etc. in one vehicle.

BTW - I know someone who's company added "manual windows and locks" into the spec sheet that went out for bids, the trucks came back with manual windows and locks listed as a $700 option to a crew cab truck.

Lee

Guys,

I drive a 2002 Ford Escape, 4cyl & 5-spd with Full Time 4-WD. I have a K&N Air Filter, and a Gibson Cat-back System w/o the mufler. I drove to my sisters running 65 to 75 mph and got 29.6mpg and 30.3mpg. It has Power Brakes Steering Air and Cruise. I now have 81,000 on it and it drags my loaded 4x6 trailer to Tennessee at 60 to 70 mph, while it is loaded, and still gets 24 to 26 mpg.

I think this is a remarkable vehicle. However, it was hard to find as no local dealers stocked the 4cyl.

Geno 64 Daytona Convertible

My 1993 Ford Ranger extended cab- AC, Pwr Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Brakes, 4.0L 5-speed.. No modifications at all. In average driving, I usually saw 27+ MPG everywhere I went. Never below 25 MPG.. even with the bed stuffed to the gills under a fiberglass high-rise cap. I pulled my wife's Hawk to Bloomington Mn. on an 18' open car trailer, and the bed had 2-weeks of luggage and supplies for the trip (tools, extra things for the Hawk, a set of 4 radial tires/rims for driving after the show, floor jack, etc..). I averaged 17.9 MPG round trip. On the "flats" from Cinncinatti to Chicago, it got slightly over 21MPG. The lowest return was 14MPG through the mountains of Va/W-Va on I-77.

Loved that truck... Ray

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

wanna bet the line workers sill get their pay?

--Shiva--

want mine? 96, automatic..same motor.. THE BEST we ever get is 17 unloaded. normal is 15

--Shiva--

Why wouldn't they, along with everyone else... I haven't read anywhere where the plant was shut down for two weeks without pay. I'm not sure how this is even newsworthy? Several large plants shut down the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day... I don't read about that in the newspaper.

But that is part of the problem with American car companies. They pay people to not make cars. I bet most foreign car companies do not pay their hourly workers when they send them home for two weeks.