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Growing up in the "Confederate" South, comments like that amuse me.
Not a single person in WW II that "tried to kill us" has worked on an assembly-line for decades, yet some folks just can't let go of history...history, I might add, that THEY never actually experienced.
Comments like the one quoted above certainly bring new light to the phrase "holding a grudge".
Not buying imported merchandise because one wishes to support the "home team" is perfectly understandable, but using lame excuses such as a war that ended before one was even born (and by now most combatants are either dead or almost dead) makes no sense to me at all.
My dad always had an American car but he frequently bought Japanese cars for mom because they made what she liked.
For me, mostly, it's wanting to support 'the home team' and frankly, liking the product better.
I will say, Japanese cars that I thought were pleasantly styled were the 2002 Altima, the early '90's Maxima I think it was (smooth body, wall-to-wall red lenses in back, first car I saw in a pearlescent white), and I also like the recent Avalon, although I know it's considered dated. To me, it has no 'Asian' styling cues.
Not sure about other manufacturers, but I believe in Audi/VW's the check engine light is normally yellow, but has the option of going red.
Yellow means take me into service at your convenience. Red means don't drive me any longer and get service immediately!
Maybe, maybe not. I live by San Diego, close to the border, and uninsurance and bad drivers seem to run rampant. Also, I tend to include my wife's and then fiance's experiences as my own since we lived together before even being married.
Since 2002 when we moved to Southern CA, I've been rear-ended twice (both minor back bumper fender benders), and she's been rear-ended twice (both major with one being a total of a 2 year old 25K mile Civic). She and technically I had a '92 Civic stolen in 2002 and it was missing for about 2-3 weeks, during which it was driven about 1,000 miles and crashed up on both sides a bit; but repairable.
Both of her accidents involved uninsured (and even attempted hit-and run) drivers, but I trained her well on hit and run to get that license plate first and foremost, even before checking to see if your OK
Both of mine involved insured drivers; well, with the La Mesa PD officer on a motorcycle, I had to make a claim with the city so technically they were uninsured or "self-insured" at best.
400K; does that include US war dead killed by germans? I suppose you don't buy German cars either though.
We dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan, and they surrendered; wasn't it time to forgive and forget back then?
Japan got two nuclear bombs, Chrysler hasn't had any drop on them. In fact, they've received two nuclear bailouts instead.
We've gone down this road on this forum before, so I recuse myself from any further discussion of this particular topic. Fire away!
Yellow means take me into service at your convenience. Red means don't drive me any longer and get service immediately!
My experience with OBII diagnostics on domestic is a flashing yellow CE light indicates a misfire and potential damage to the catalyst system, so it's a more severe condition to just an illuminated CE light.
When I had a coil pack fail on the expedition it would only miss while cold. I'd get a flashing ce light, then it would just stay on once it warmed up and stopped misfiring.
It doesn't take much vision to see the "Greatest Generation" has reached the twilight of its years. We'll get there, too... Soon enough.
I just find it amusing that you attempt to remove the spotlight from yourself when you get caught up in an "uncomfortable" moment.
So, who do you relate most closely with, the Hatfields or the McCoys?
That's why we are free to buy what we like. Any "How American" comments?
Since GM did not serve me well despite the cash spent on the following:
1977 Grand Prix - many parts replaced, nice ride but way underpowered for a 400 CI.
1997 Grand Prix GTP - Water pump replaced 40K and shifter locked when traded at 70K. Fast but junky interior.
1987 Grand Am - Best Car of the Bunch - No issues sold at 56K. Best A/C Ive ever had.
1994 Suburban - head gasket blew, water pump, ate batteries for lunch - but was a stump-puller.
2003 Yukon Denali - Disaster!
And that doesn't even include what my parents spent on GM.
But since they squandered the customer base over the decades and failed as a US corporation, feel free to support the doomed! I am out until they make THE BEST products. Ain't there yet.
Regards,
OW
My Granddad is going to turn 98 this year, and while he hasn't phrased it quite that same way, he has said, more than once, that it doesn't feel right that he's lived so long.
Honestly, I don't know what his stance is on Japanese cars. He's so old that his time in the Marines actually pre-dates WWII! His term was up in 1939, right about the time that things started going south in Europe. They asked him if he wanted to re-enlist, but he said that the best thing he could do, with one infant son and another on the way, the best thing he could do would be to stay home and not make his wife a widow!
My other Granddad, on my Mom's side of the family, was in World War II. I remember him carrying on about Japanese cars when I was a kid. But that didn't stop him from buying a used 1972 Chevy LUV (Isuzu), or a new '81 Dodge D-50 (Mistubishi)
While all the kids were off serving their country, a couple of "good ole boy rednecks" thought it'd be funny to torch my grandfathers house, so they burned it to the ground. It wasn't the best time to be a German immigrant...
Hmmm... I wonder if I should hold a grudge against someone, or some group for that action?
Well, I don't. It wasn't my time, and I moved on. BTW, on my mom's side of the family, she lost 2 brothers in the war, one on each front.
Again, not my war.
Now, I'll admit I'd have a problem buying a car made by the Hitler-Speer Motor company or the latest model from Tojo Hideki Motors, but that isn't anything any of us need to worry about.
It also pays to remember that it was the very same scientists and engineers that gave us the V-1 and V-2 as the Saturn V and moon landing vehicles.
My Dad lied about his age to enlist in the Marines near the end of WWII. He was discovered, left, and came back at age 17. Was active duty stateside before and during the Korean conflict, and retired in 1977 from the USMCR as a Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank he could have obtained, after 32 years. My uncle was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. 'Duty first' was something that I heard a lot about growing up. I wouldn't have lasted until lunchtime the first day if I'd entered the military. I was a freshman in college during my Dad's USMCR retirement dinner, and I remember the recruiter really yakking it up to me. Even then, I just laughed to myself.
When I was 16, no one in his right mind would have associated a Harley rider with a professional holding advanced educational degrees, yet those folks are a huge market for Harley today.
Things evolve, things change...
Certainly, there are folks that buy houses, cars, whatever due to their desire to flaunt their "perceived status", and while some have the coin to walk the walk, many others live paycheck to paycheck, juggling payments.
In my experience, the poseurs are pretty easy to discern...
1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe.
1947 Hudson Commodore Eight.
1953 Plymouth Cambridge.
1961 Plymouth Valiant.
1964 Chevrolet Biscayne.
1967 Chevrolet Bel Air.
1974 Chevrolet Impala.
1980 Chevrolet Impala.
1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham LS.
All of Grandpop's Chevrolets were excellent cars. As a result, I became a big fan of Chevrolet and GM myself. Grandpop was even with me when I bought my first car when I was 16 - a 1968 Buick Special Deluxe.
I think Patton's story is amazing. To go through all he did in the war, then die as a result of a minor automobile accident. Sheesh.
I think that boxy Caprice sedan is a good style still. We've discussed it here before, but when it was basically in its seventh model year, Car and Driver had it on its "Ten Best" list. A full-size Chevy. Who'da thunk it?
I really liked the coupes from '77-79, but IMHO they lost some distinctiveness when the notched quarter window and wraparound rear window were lost with the '80 model year.
My maternal grandfather was in the Pacific theater. He'd later own both a Toyota and VW. No grudge on his side. When I was a kid, my dad knew an old guy who had Pearl Harbor Survivor plates on his car. I remember when he got a new car - Honda Accord wagon. The old guy was amazed at the smoothness and silence of the engine, not to mention its economy.
At the annual MBCA meeting a couple years ago, an old man showed up in a brand new E550 cabrio, loaded to the gills. He was a WW2 vet, and was a Stalag survivor. Apparently no grudge there as he laid down 70K+ for a car.
If we look at total crimes and want to hold grudges against people with no real connection, we should also boycott British and Russian goods, not to mention anything from China.
As long as Chrysler's still around, I suppose GM will have a whipping boy.
So, if Lemko's grandpop wanted a "real" full sized, low priced car in '64, he would've had to go with a Ford or Chevy. Plymouth wouldn't make a comeback in big cars until the 1965 Fury.
Now, Chrysler products did start getting cheapened as the 60's wore on, but truth be told, so did everybody else. A '67 Dart wasn't as well-built as a '63-66, the '68 midsized cars weren't as good as the '66-67, and the '69 full-sized cars weren't as good as the '65-68. But, it was happening at Ford and GM, as well.
His experience and injury was, I would say, far more common back than we would like to remember.
I can clearly remember photos of impaled drivers and front-seat passengers thrown through the windshield (before safety glass) and being killed in accidents that 99% of people would walk away from today, possibly with only minor bruising.
We take airbags and seatbelts for granted nowadays, but back then they were "to die for"...
Meanwhile, as the smoke clears back in the USA....
In fact, the government did conduct bankruptcy proceedings — but they were badly managed.
Neither GM nor Chrysler (now owned by Italian automaker Fiat) was headed for liquidation. A Chapter 11 proceeding, like those survived 10 years ago by Delta and Northwest airlines, would have been an opportunity to renegotiate unsustainable pay, health care and pension contracts.
Now GM is stuck with them and the cracks are starting to show. :P
Regards.
OW
Again, back in the 1950's, before interstate highways, 45 mph was considered "highway" speed.
With no restraints, a collision at 25 mph, in a car of the 1950's era, likely resulted in serious injury. One at 45 all but guaranteed it.
I remember as a kid seeing some pretty brutal accidents where folks exited a vehicle via the windshield, going 25-30 mph at the time of collision, and being cut to shreds. Really gory stuff!
As a population, few today really appreciate the large moves made towards vehicle safety over just the last 50 years.
Of course, he was exaggerating, but there were many, many such accidents...
One of those reasons I'm never complaining if a safety feature adds to the weight of the car.
re: Patton, many think it was no accident. Wouldn't surprise me, as he was so outspoken.
Not on the two lane blacktops where I grew up. I remember going 55 and 60 in my Dad's 53 Buick and my mom often went 65+ in her Buick wagons in the late 50s, early 60s. She was a lead foot all her driving years.
Hm, in the early 60s the speed limit was 50 in MA. Looks like 65 was the limit in IL in the 50s. Was 60/55 for OH in the late 50s (you'd think someone would have a chart of historical speed limits somewhere).
But I agree that the safety stuff has come a long way. No more metal dashboard with metal knobs sticking out.
Have you driven a Mini lately? :shades:
Well, ok, maybe they only LOOK metal. The rest of the manufacturers, on the other hand, have switched to hard, shiny plastics in a lot of cases. Wonder what kind of sharp edges those can form in an accident...
We lived 150 miles south of Atlanta, and on a good day it took over 5 hours to drive there. I can't tell you the posted speed limit, but the effective speed limit, due to slow cars, trucks and tractors was somewhat less than 45 mph...
I remember my dad always making a big deal of going 60 to our fishing cabin. "Going a mile a minute". Guess it wouldn't have been a big deal to him if he did 60 the whole way there.
Don't forget the Hank Williams song of the same name:
"But when that open road starts to callin' me
There's somethin' o'er the hill that I gotta see"
Make a nice GM jingle. :shades:
Ford's answer to the collapsible steering column was this strange "flower pot" design in the hub of the steering wheel. Why did Ford take this approach and how did this design work in the event of an accident?
U.S. taxpayers kept the nation's largest auto maker by sales afloat with a $50 billion bailout in 2009 and now own 26.5% of the Detroit company.
But GM executives have grown increasingly frustrated with that ownership, and the stigma of being known as "Government Motors." Executives have said the U.S.'s shadow is a drag on its reputation and hurts the company's ability to recruit talent because of pay restrictions. Privately, executives are also irked at the continued curbs on corporate jet use."
U.S. Balks at GM Plan (WSJ)