GM Vows to Defend Title Against Toyota

Competition is always good for the consumer. I hope GM and Ford put up a good fight against Toyota.

Do you live where there's ethanol in the gas? Ethanol has been shown to deteriorate the plastic used in modern intakes.

Glad I buy my gas in Vermont...

They aren't going to do it by putting the Shareholder's #1. THis is GM's big problem...We have to make the shareholders happy...at the expense of screwing the customer. They made the cars cheaper and cheaper until no one wants to buy their junk anymore.

That's REAL good for the shareholders...not selling anything.

I strongly prefer riding and driving a Chevy Silverado to a Toyota Tundra (much more comfortable) but the same might not go for owning one.

On a recent trip I rented a Buick Lacrosse. Although it drove nicely and got excellent mileage at 50 mph, over 30 mpg, I would never buy one. The Lacrosse is what I'd call a "Fascist" vehicle. For example, the doors do not unlock unless you first put the transmission into Park, then turn off the ignition. If you turn off the ignition first, you are stuck inside the vehicle. There are other examples.

Anyway, GM would do better if they could make rental-fleet vehicles that people enjoy driving, or at least, don't loathe.

My Avalon used to relock itself if you didn't open the door within 30 seconds of unlocking it. Hard to get more annoying than that.

Bumper to bumper warranty transferable for 100k miles. Then I would consider a GM product.

Make it 150,000. Even most Chevys can go 100K...

Cough. The V8 engines in GM trucks can easily go 300K, but many parts, some of them important, will have fallen off by then.

For example, my friend with a Silverado that gets 21 miles/gallon (!) lost his rear left seatbelt by 30K and the dealer refused to replace it under warranty. His odometer blips in and out on rough roads. Etc.

$600 isn't a lot of money for a car repair.

Especially for that particular issue, which I heard typically costs a lot more than $600 to fix.

I used to prefer GM products over Ford because I had such bad luck with Ford. Maybe as I age I'm more reluctant to roll up my sleeves or crawl under the car. Even the idea of untangling jumper cables gives me the shivers. I don't mind going through the motions to show my adult kids how to do their own repairs but for me, point me towards an open bay. I would have been a good supervisor. I enjoy watching people work for me. And I like people who act like they are providing a good service, not a favor. Otherwise, I'll tell them I'm doing them a favor by paying them.

Yeah, just don't drink the water ;)

That's interesting. I've had dealers tell me with a straight face everything was fine and as soon as the warrantee was up all hell broke loose. Since owning my Prius I haven't had to endure, "S*it happens". Mine is still under warrantee but I haven't pulled any punches. I've told them my experiences in the past and I don't want it from them. My other trusted mechanic's logo is on my key chain. Subliminal but effective. mark_

That repair shouldn't have been necessary in the first place if it had been designed right or redesigned when it became obvious to GM that they had screwed the pooch on the original design.

I think they were worried that all those people who chew on gaskets would get asbestosis!

They have their costs under control. It don't hardly cost nothing to build JUNK nobody wants!

Start making cars like they did in the '60's and people will line up around the block to buy them.

But the Shareholders are the bottom line at GM. One they get out of this mentality and start making cars PEOPLE WANT, then maybe they can turn around.

Is the Cobalt a cool car? Certainly. But I didn't even look at the one I passed on the way to the Scion store.

MMMMMM! Gasket GOOD! Gaskety!