Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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It's not under their control.
As a former programmer I keep reading this:
If {impossible condition} = true
Then support -> GM
Doesn't mean the car failed, necessarily.
Having said that, dad brand new 200c just stranded him.
First he just needed a jump, but it stranded him again and so Chrysler replaced the whole battery and some other stuff.
There's just no excuse for running out of gas on a regular commute when there's a gas station every two exits. So it's either malfunction, or the driver is too stupid to be allowed to drive.
I wonder if AAA reports on what % of their calls are for out-of-fuel?
Lemme search...
http://www.alexandrianews.org/2011/2011/04/running-on-empty-out-of-gas-calls-spi- - ke-as-the-cost-of-a-gallon-of-gas-soars/
AAA Mid-Atlantic has dispatched road crews to rescue 516 motorists who have run out of gas in Maryland, where the number of such emergency calls have soared 36.8 percent, compared to the same time a year ago
OK, now unless someone finds evidence of 517 or more mechanical break downs we should assume most of those are ....
a. too dumb to drive
b. out of fuel
c. cheap bastages
d. clueless
e. all of the above
The answer is rather obvious.
Chevy has roughly 6 times that much market share so it would mean Chevy drivers are 6 times less likely to run out of fuel and much smarter than the average driver in MD.
Tongue-in-cheek, obviously, but the numbers show how seeing a car on the shoulder means absolutely nothing.
I expect drivers to have most of the intelligence of a wild chimpanzee. Do I expect too much? :shades:
Guess that would explain all those Chevy buyers, heh heh. :P
We have a winner!!
Aim even lower.
IMO, probably 80% of buyers of these cars would be happy with any of the three, and the other 20% would key in on features that differentiate one model from the others.
Like a stiff curve cutter? Get the ATS.
Like a fluid interactive electronic interface? BMW for you (although I dislike how the screen looks like its an "add on", and ought to retract into the dash somehow).
Like the coolest interior? MB is your choice.
The good thing was the guy's comment on existing Caddie customers probably wouldn't by the car, but that it would attract buyers from other brands. That's exactly what GM beeds it to do.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
This comment about other posters is not necessary? I believe that's covered in the Membership Agreement link (nee Rules of the Road) at the bottom of the page.
I find it offensive to see digs about other posters like this.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Regards,
OW
The answer can be summed up in one word: margins. Ford's operating margin in North America was a whopping (for an automaker, at least) 12% last quarter, while GM's was a much lower 7.8%, down from a year ago.
Ford's margins in its home market are a big reason it out-earned GM last quarter despite selling significantly fewer vehicles. The Blue Oval's "One Ford" strategy has led to a simplified global lineup of (much) higher quality cars and trucks, which it can sell at higher prices with fewer discounts. Even better for Ford, the global nature of its product line gives it better economies of scale.
But the real icing on Ford's profitable cake is its "capacity utilization." Ford closed several of its North American factories during its restructuring last decade. The ones that remain are very busy: Ford's North American manufacturing chief recently said that the automaker's plants here are running at 114% of capacity. That means that some are building cars around the clock.
Regards,
OW
That would be "GM Fans" is not specific...
However it is directed toward a group of specific users of this forum.
Downgrading comment. It would be better to just talk about the cars and not be repetitive with all the negatives. Some posters here who are unhappy with GM dialogue about their likes and dislikes in a civil manner.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Funny, it was probably corroded starter cables and wires. Dodge did the same thing to me in the late 90's with my Neon.... replaced the battery, only to have it fail again when the rest of the lame duck parts failed.
Good to see they haven't learned or changed one bit; hilarious really! :shades:
No harm meant. Just a point of view. I'll be more careful!
Regards,
OW
Gee, I thought the Hondas were perfect. And the Mazda must'a had something wrong with it that caused the accident.
The Saturn being there just proves GM (Goverment) shouldn't have discontinued the Saturn line.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I generally don't see Saturns much at all.
If you keep thinking Hondas are perfect (something I've seen nobody but you say), then why not buy one? :confuse: :P
When I go look in the dealership showroom and actually sit in them, they don't measure up. Plastic. Seats are uncomfortable and tight.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I assume that's Saturn and Mazda. Mazdas here are not as high in numbers as other brands like Nissin and toy and Honda
Indeed, on a summer trip to Nashville on interstates, I noticed that a high ratio of Hondas were on the roadside not moving. That could have been from the kind of driver who had bought them as they went up in years: people who are skimping on maintenance or putting fuel in the tank. Add to that the high heat and a problem is more likely to occur on an aged cooling system or abused oiling system with lots of sludging from overdue oil changes and cheap, off-brand oils.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I see a surprisingly large number of Mazdas around here actually: they're very popular. Almost as many as I see Subarus (and this being the Northeast those are pretty much the national vehicle of NY State).
I really think CUE will improve quickly, this was basically v1.0.
Wasn't just gas, either, because there were cops there and they still couldn't get it out of the way.
http://www.insideline.com/buick/grand-national-gnx-and-t-type-are-returning-to-b- uick.html
And they're using the ATS platform that Motor Trend loved so much.
This should be interesting.
I agree that Hondas are not a soft experience, even though they are not as taut as they used to be.
The amazing thing is how well the current one sells, though transactions prices are well below the Elantra's, for instance.
Unfortunately they're using it to underpin Buicks. That could backfire two ways:
1. They make them sporty, typical Buick couch buyers come in, hate them, and go to buy Lexus.
2. They make them Buick-like, then all of us who have been reading about IL's Grand National go to try it out, find it too Buicky, and then go buy Mustangs. :shades:
Lets face it, many of the ATS, BMW and MB buyers in that category will have that attitude. One reason the 3-series and similar cars do so well in sales is due to the fact that everyone doesn't have the means to buy one, and it's one reason so many BMW's end up initially as leased vehicles.
They aren't there, yet...
On another note, maybe you should have taken me up on my suggestion about taking your relative's convertible out on nice warm days... You know, just to keep the battery changed up and all.
Such a nice boy!...
More importantly, the price would be more attainable.
The ATS is a low volume product and my guess it they'll sell most of them here in the US. Makes sense to share the platform, then.
Plus, it's not like a GNX would ever be a high volume model. It would have to be price well above the $35k Regal turbos, for instance.
I'm guessing $42k or so for the interesting ones.
PS My sister agreed to drive the 200c around once a week, she lives a lot closer.
Need to face facts, the only sacred platform in GM is the Corvette. Everything else will be shared to some degree.
And they tried to share that with the Cadillac XLR and we all know now well that worked.
Though I did manage to see two XLRs in one day about month ago. I was stunned and initially thought I was seeing things.
I think there needs to be some exclusivity in platform sharing. For example, let Buick and Chevy share a platform, let Buick and Caddy share a platform, but don't let Chevy, Buick, AND Caddy share a platform.
Personally, I have a bit of a problem with the Cadillac XTS being on the same platform as the Buick LaCrosse and the 2014 Chevy Impala. It's a nice enough platform for Buick, and great for Chevy (hopefully they don't botch it up...we'll have to see), but I just don't think it works as Cadillac's "flagship" sedan.
Some of those XTSes MSRP for as much as $60K. But is there really anything in them that makes them worth that, compared to a LaCrosse? Incidentally, I spec'ed out a LaCrosse, and picking the most expensive trim level and selecting every single option, could only get it up to $46K.
I tend to agree. The exterior and interior of the XTS are richer looking than a LaCrosse, but but I don't think it's $20k nicer. The XTS seems to be a nice sedan, but standard of the world it's certainly not.
I was dropping of my daughter at school yesterday and a black XTS was behind me in line. It certainly had a presence about it.
I've never heard anyone claim their Pontiac G6 was a clone of the Saab 9-3, yet those shared a platform.
The 9-3 was close to the euro Caddy BLS, but GM did a good job distinguishing the premium brands' Epsilons.
I picture the Buick being a little less tightly sprung, but just as quick if not quicker (GNX outran Corvettes in a straight line).
I think I remember when you posted a few years ago about your dad getting that car (was previously a Detroit buyer?). Good to hear about his generally good experiences. Surprised at the v6 problems - I have an '05 TL and I'm about to turn 130K with no significant issues at all with the car during this time.
1. They make them sporty, typical Buick couch buyers come in, hate them, and go to buy Lexus.
That's part of the reason to re-introduce the Grand National, GNX and T-Type. They are trying to get away from the couch buyers. This is one of the ways to get Lexus buyers - especially those interested in the F Sport trims.
Yes, the Accord is his first non domestic car. My dad is not mechanically inclined and I don't think I've ever seen him check his own oil. That said, I think what happened is something with the VCM (cylinder deactivation). Around 60k it had a miss fire. So he had the plugs replaced.
Then around 75k or so it began miss firing again. This time the dealer couldn't figure out why the plugs kept fouling. Well, IIRC they replaced the plugs again (honda paid) and he had his oil changed. It ran fine for a few weeks then began running really bad to the point it hardly run. He took it back to the dealer and it was critically low on oil, a plug was fouled.
That's when Honda corporate got involved and they decided to keep it until they could figure out what's up. From what my dad explained to me, since he had all his maintenance performed at the dealer, they had the maintenance history and decided since it was well maintained, they'd keep the car until the figured out what was wrong. Well it was an oil consumption issue which lead to losing compression in one cylinder. Long story short, they charged him $100, fixed the engine, and gave him a new loaner to drive for two weeks. From what I've read, Honda seems to have some issues with the VCM and oil consumption with the 3.5 v6. I don't know how wide spread the problem is.
He was extremely satisfied with how he was treated and I wouldn't be surprised if he were to buy another Honda someday.
The Alpha platform is expected to underpin the next generation Camaro as well.
The expectation is that ATS will become Cadillac's volume model here in the US - like the 3 series. It will be sold in China and may find it's way to Europe but I doubt Cadillac expects it to unseat the 3 series worldwide.