I bet transactions prices are at least a little higher.
People here keep sayin it is about profit not just volume.
Exactly. GM is still behind.
Not surprisingly, General Motors (NYSE: GM ) has been a lagging component of the overall industry recovery. Its November sales figures pushed it to an all-time low in market share of just 16.4%, but with inventories far exceeding those of its rivals -- 139 days compared to the industry's 91 day average -- analysts expect it will unleash a torrent of promotional activity to move cars and light-duty trucks off the lots. It could become the month's big gainer, perhaps at the expense of Ford.
While month-to-month changes shouldn't affect stock prices, don't be surprised if they do. Any weakness ought to be considered a buying opportunity. Unlike its one-time government-owned rival, Ford has been a relative picture of health. The fact that GM is forced to discount its vehicles shows just how strong the Blue Oval is. It may sell fewer vehicles, but its margins ought to hold up just fine.
So the Malibu is flat from one year ago, but the Fusion is down 24%?
They are building in one plant, exactly as last year.
I think they are slowing production down to avoid yet another recall. Merely a guess.
I seriously doubt Ford is capping production due to quality or recall concerns. Come on this is an American car manufacturer we're talking about. Priority one is get the product out the door, let the customer and dealer take care of the problems;)
I think Ford can only build about 250k fusions per year, so it will take time to build proper inventory levels. Ford has about 3,000 dealers, so that means each dealer only has about 5-6 Fusions on average, Compared to roughly 18 Malibus to chose from on average at a Chevy dealer.
It's not easy to compare Malibu and Fusion sales this year due to the new model change over. GM had far more '12 Malibus in inventory than Ford did '12 Fusions when the '13 models came out. Since sales numbers for 2012 won't differentiate between model years it will be hard to compare.
But since September when the 2013 Fusion was shipping to dealers, the Fusion has outsold the Malibu 40,115 vs 31,044 for the Malibu from Sept through Nov. despite having many recalls and having a inferior warranty.
That is definitely a sizeable sales advantage the current Fusion has. Still, styling, warranty, and 'Made in Mexico' make it far less of a choice for me, but then I'm not long-legged either!
Off to enjoy some more "Twilight Zone" episodes. SyFy is having a marathon.
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To say GM is in a different position because of using incentives is actually laughable.
True, that's why inventory levels give a more accurate picture.
Just for fun I looked at total inventory nationwide on cars.com.
The Mustang and Camaro are running close in sales in 2012. Through Nov., the Camaro led 78,554 vs the Mustang 77,458.
Look at inventory. Camaro 26,250 vs Mustang 10,941. Seems no matter what vehicle that's comparable between GM and Ford, GM seems to have 2 to 3 times more in inventory.
Ford has 270k F series trucks on dealer lots vs 536k Silverado/Sierras. Twice as many yet with less sales.
I can see why Ford has been managing better operating margins vs GM despite having higher costs in terms of liabilities. .
Gotta confess, I have the Twilight Zone marathon on, too! Only thing I don't like is that they cut about 4 mins out of each episode nowadays, to squeeze in more commercials.
I wonder if they've shown the one yet, with Nan Adams, the department store buyer, traveling cross country in her '59 Mercury, who keeps seeing the same hitchhiker? It starts off with her having a blowout in the Pennsylvania countryside that looks an awful lot like Southern California. :P
And, once or twice, she tries to swerve and hit the hitchhiker, and in those brief moments, her '59 Mercury turns into a '57 Ford. Stock footage from "Thunder Road", I think.
Not too many GM cars in those old TZ episodes it seems, but a lot of Fords and Mopars. I do remember a '59 Chevy in "Valley of the Shadow", which got brought up in one of these forums not too long ago.
"The Hitchhiker" episode was on last night, before 10 or so when we started watching. I watched that one on youtube this morning though, as I remember being scared s***less of it when I was a kid and I was just talking about it a week or so ago.
Her '59 Mercury had no front door ventwings and no indoor rearview mirror attached to the windshield (although I know the latter is typical for TV shows).
I had forgotten how that episode ended. I was reminded of it while watching it this a.m.!
We saw the William Shatner/airplane classic episode last night, and the "Talking Tina" doll/Telly Savalas one last night...two great ones IMHO.
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What I find funny about TV shows from the fifties and early sixties is how many convertibles were in the shows. If an alien was watching our TV shows on another planet it would surely think everyone of any significance drove a convertible. The Perry Mason shows always had the characters driving convertibles.
It's generally not a good sign to have cash on the hood of a newly redesigned model, particularly the same year it's released. It's not a real good sign that Ford has it either, but as I mentioned, Ford has less and they have a fixable issue, whereas GM faces a greater challenge.
And you don't get conquest cash because you were conquered many MANY years ago. Me, I could get it...except they don't have anything that would conquer me. :shades:
Well, in an ironic twist, one of the incentives that I didn't qualify for when I bought my Ram was some kind of Chrysler loyalty incentive. Imagine that, me, of all people, not getting a Chrysler loyalty incentive! :P
I think it may have been some kind of lease thing though...where if you were currently leasing a Chrysler product, they'd give me an extra $1000 off.
Add that I've had good luck, never once regretted not buying an extended warranty, service costs are reasonable, I'm treated respectfully at my dealer, I choose to buy 'the most American' in a number of ways, and why would I change?
Certainly dealer experience is very important and it's great you have a good local dealer. I can understand why that makes an important difference.
Regardless of your own independece, doesn't it worry you that your favorite brand isn't executing that well? At they rate they are going they are in danger of becoming a niche brand.
Honestly, I don't see them becoming a 'niche' brand. I think they still have probably the biggest model selection out there. And if what most here say is 'good' means that I'll have fewer to select from in the dealer inventories, and I'll have to pay more, like it, or lump it...I'll take what I've been doing so far.
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It's interesting that the trend seems to be away from loyalty cash and towards competitor "conquest" cash. Then again, as seen repeatedly here, the truly loyal brand fans don't exactly require fiscal incentive to keep them from going to another brand. :shades:
Honestly, I don't see them becoming a 'niche' brand. I think they still have probably the biggest model selection out there
Part of the perception probably is due to where we each live. In Ohio and MI, etc, I'm sure there's a very high proportion of GM/F/C vehicles. Here in CA, and on the coasts in general, you don't see many D3 sedans in particular. Plenty of SUVs and trucks, but sedans, if seen, are either old people in Caddys, or rental cars. I'd like to see GM improve that, which is why I harp on their relatively poor efforts in those areas. For sedans, GM *is* a niche brand around these parts.
I think the reason they had actors driving convertibles in those old shows is because you could see them better than if they were in a closed car like a sedan or station wagon.
I'm on my fifth Cadillac. And, if I include my wife's car, fourth Buick.
So far, my tally is:
Chevrolet: 3 Pontiac: 3 Oldsmobile: 1 Buick: 2
Plymouth: 1 Dodge/Ram: 4 DeSoto: 1 Chrysler: 5
But, despite that, I don't consider myself a GM/Mopar hugger. Some of those cars over the years were hand-me-downs over the years, and in other cases, just happened to catch my eye. Or, were what I needed at the time.
If the Japanese, Europeans, or Ford, built something that happened to be what I needed when I was in the mood for a car, they'd definitely be in the running. It's just that usually, my tastes tend to run toward larger vehicles, so by default that often excluded the Japanese/Europeans in the past. But, these days, nobody makes anything resembling what I'd consider a full-sized car anymore, unless you go for one of those extended-wheelbase BMW 7 series, Benz S-class, or Audi A8's. And, well, those are a bit too blue for my blood!
Wow, andre, you've owned 20 cars?! I know you're younger than me. I've owned 14 Chevrolets (bought 13 new; first one was my college graduation gift and it was 3 years old); 1 Chrysler, and 3 Studebakers.
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Wow, andre, you've owned 20 cars?! I know you're younger than me.
I know, I added it up myself as I typed that. Kinda disturbing, isn't it? I'm 42, and got my first car in early 1987, Mom's old '80 Malibu. Even more disturbing, perhaps, and maybe some insight into a hoarder mentality, is that of those 20, I still have eight!
What Chrysler did you own? Was that the PT Cruiser you got your daughter? As for new cars, Of those 20, only two were bought new...my old 2000 Intrepid and the 2012 Ram. So, alas, GM and Mopar have benefitted very little, first-hand, from my purchases.
Yep, my only Mopar has been my daughter's '08 PT Cruiser. And as far as those are maligned most everyplace, it has been a reliable ride. I paid $6,930 on eBay when it was only two years old. I was the only bid. The auction ended at 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning (odd), and the dealer/owner told me his employee goofed setting the auction up to end at that day and time.
It doesn't get the mileage of my Cobalt, and I think it runs noticeably rougher. That said, my wife prefers it to the Cobalt, mostly because it's got automatic trans and power windows and locks and a fob! Also, it sits higher.
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Wow, andre, you've owned 20 cars?! I know you're younger than me. I've owned 14 Chevrolets
That's pretty impressive.
I just tallied my total and I've had 11 cars since 1987, but I've never had more than one car at a time and one car an '85 1/2 Mercury lynx, I only had 3 weeks before someone ran red light and totaled it.
And even then, I didn't really need the Dart GT. The Malibu would have easily gone a few more years.
The Dart GT got totaled, which is why I replaced it with the 270. And, the 270 was still running when I bought the Intrepid, so it no doubt would have gone longer. Eventually it stopped running when the fuel pump died, but at the time I didn't have the time or money to deal with it. And it had about 338,000 miles on it. As time went by, I lost interest, and it deteriorated.
The Intrepid got totaled, which prompted the Park Ave.
Wow, andre, you've owned 20 cars?! I know you're younger than me. I've owned 14 Chevrolets (bought 13 new; first one was my college graduation gift and it was 3 years old); 1 Chrysler, and 3 Studebakers.
You guys are practically spendthrifts compared to me! I've just hit my 40th year driving, and I've owned 9 (and that counts the wife's cars after we were married, and the current kids cars):
VW - 2 (66 bug, 235K; 85 jetta; 135K) Honda - 2 (92 Accord, 110K; 04 Ody, currently 75K) Mercury - 1 (94 Villager, 225K) Audi - 1 (98 A4, 88K) Mazda - 1 (07 Mazda 5, currently 80K) Acura - 1 (05 TL, currently 130K) Toyota - 1 (99 Camry, just received from death of wife's uncle or we wouldn't have this, only 40K!)
It's generally not a good sign to have cash on the hood of a newly redesigned model
Don't you think Detroit builds it in the pricing? Their models seem to come out of the gate with higher sticker prices than comparable Honda and Toyota.
I wonder if the new Fusion will slow down after a year or so, like the Sonata has? It looks good now, but I'm not sure how that angular Euro styling will age.
I think it's more likely Detroit has issues with properly evaluating what the market will pay for their products, and "cash on the hood" is an on-the-fly correction. Otherwise why not just price it lower from minute 1?
My vehicle's have varied but there appears to be a pattern.
'75 Buick Regal '85 1/2 Mercury Lynx '86 Escort '85 Tempo '89 Mercury Tracer '95 Neon Sport Coupe '98 Ford SVT Contour '00 VW Jetta TDI '01 Nissan Pathfinder '00 Suburban '07 Expedition
My wife's list would be
Pinto (don't know the year as she had this in HS and wrecked it) '92 Saturn SL2 '94 Ford Probe SE '96 Mercury Villager '01 Chevy Impala* '03 Taurus* '03 Taurus* '06 Ford 500* '07 Grand Prix* '11 Taurus*
Not exactly a promotion, when, as several of us have pointed out in one way or another, there is ALWAYS a certain significant amount of "cash on the hood" when dealing with particular manufacturers. Mostly GM, Ford, and Chrysler.
Well, my Grandpop bought new Chevrolets consistently from 1964 through his last car in 1989.
Not even tried a Mopar or Ford over 25 years?
With all of the variety of brands and models over last 25 years, would expect that many fathers and grandfathers between 1987 and 2012 would have sampled a number of brands, even by-gosh a "foreign" brand.
Who's to say he didn't 'sample' other brands--by renting, by driving a friend or neighbor's car, by listening to what friends and neighbors say about their cars?
To me, you 'sample' a new restaurant. I think there's nothing wrong with keeping buying a brand car you've enjoyed, you're liking their models now, and trust your dealer. Cars are too expensive for a lot of people to 'sample'. Of course, I don't criticize what others buy, but do respond when people criticize what I buy.
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Currently have a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis LS as my beater car. I had a 1985 Chrysler Fifth Avenue I sold to my brother in 1994 and he kept it a long time.
Grandpop's previous cars were a 1941 Chevrolet, a 1947 Hudson, a 1953 Plymouth and a 1961 Valiant.
Have owned a number of GM vehicles over the years.
Have sampled nine different brands and a number of GM models of Chevrolet and Pontiac. Have not led a "sheltered" GM life.
Wife and I owned these brands over the years, some of them had owned two or more vehicles.
Chevrolet Pontiac Ford Plymouth Dodge Acura Honda Nissan VW
Seems like nothing is forever in terms of quality, reliability, value whether poor, mediocre or excellent. Many, many instances of how brands/models, cars and other things, have varied up and down over the years.
Honda's first offerings in the 1970's were not good. They straightened that out in the mid 1980's. Same with Hyundai. Their initial products not so good. They have worked very hard and have made substantial improvements. With GM, seems like their quality/reliability suffered in the 80's compared to previous decades.
One should research and test drive offerings of various brands each time they are ready for another vehicle. Blind loyalty to any brand of product or service is not in the best interest of any consumer and is foolish.
Blind loyalty to any brand of product or service is not in the best interest of any consumer and is foolish.
What's foolish is to suggest that what works for you works for somebody else.
I never felt the need to go 'up' the GM hierarchy. I don't fault anybody else who did. Usually, until you got to the Ninety-Eight, Electra, and Cadillac, was there something there that there wasn't an equivalent line at Chevrolet. Often, I actually preferred Chevrolet's simpler styling.
My hometown dealer was Chevrolet-Cadillac. In his ads, he used to space the words "Chevrolet" and "Cadillac" out, vertically, after his name. In the middle, he'd have "There's Really Nothing In Between". I know that's not necessarily true, but I thought it was pretty clever and razor-sharp for the time.
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Who's to say he didn't 'sample' other brands--by renting, by driving a friend or neighbor's car, by listening to what friends and neighbors say about their cars?
Well, you really get to understand and compare the quality and reliability of TWO different brands when you own them CONCURRENTLY for many years, "14". One is a daily driver that logged 247K miles, the other once or twice a week that logged in the 80'sK miles. Both eventually sold to private parties. The high mileage one being a Honda the other a Chevrolet.
When I got comfortably over 100K miles on my two new Cavaliers, built down the road by people from my town AND my hometown, and people will say what a POS they were, flatly...what can I say? My much-younger B-I-L borrowed our Cavalier when it had 105K miles. He was honest enough to say, "I expected it to be a complete POS but it wasn't."
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Comments
People here keep sayin it is about profit not just volume.
Exactly. GM is still behind.
Not surprisingly, General Motors (NYSE: GM ) has been a lagging component of the overall industry recovery. Its November sales figures pushed it to an all-time low in market share of just 16.4%, but with inventories far exceeding those of its rivals -- 139 days compared to the industry's 91 day average -- analysts expect it will unleash a torrent of promotional activity to move cars and light-duty trucks off the lots. It could become the month's big gainer, perhaps at the expense of Ford.
While month-to-month changes shouldn't affect stock prices, don't be surprised if they do. Any weakness ought to be considered a buying opportunity. Unlike its one-time government-owned rival, Ford has been a relative picture of health. The fact that GM is forced to discount its vehicles shows just how strong the Blue Oval is. It may sell fewer vehicles, but its margins ought to hold up just fine.
Regards,
OW
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/car-incentives.html
$500 on Fusion!!!
$2500 dealer cash incentive.
Mustang GT
$500 to $1500 and other piggyback offers
$2500 dealer incentive
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2013/car-incentives.html?style=101421199&irr- _section=customer_rebates_irr
To say GM is in a different position because of using incentives is actually laughable.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
They are building in one plant, exactly as last year.
I think they are slowing production down to avoid yet another recall. Merely a guess.
I seriously doubt Ford is capping production due to quality or recall concerns. Come on this is an American car manufacturer we're talking about. Priority one is get the product out the door, let the customer and dealer take care of the problems;)
I think Ford can only build about 250k fusions per year, so it will take time to build proper inventory levels. Ford has about 3,000 dealers, so that means each dealer only has about 5-6 Fusions on average, Compared to roughly 18 Malibus to chose from on average at a Chevy dealer.
It's not easy to compare Malibu and Fusion sales this year due to the new model change over. GM had far more '12 Malibus in inventory than Ford did '12 Fusions when the '13 models came out. Since sales numbers for 2012 won't differentiate between model years it will be hard to compare.
But since September when the 2013 Fusion was shipping to dealers, the Fusion has outsold the Malibu 40,115 vs 31,044 for the Malibu from Sept through Nov. despite having many recalls and having a inferior warranty.
We'll see what December brings.
Off to enjoy some more "Twilight Zone" episodes. SyFy is having a marathon.
True, that's why inventory levels give a more accurate picture.
Just for fun I looked at total inventory nationwide on cars.com.
The Mustang and Camaro are running close in sales in 2012. Through Nov., the Camaro led 78,554 vs the Mustang 77,458.
Look at inventory. Camaro 26,250 vs Mustang 10,941. Seems no matter what vehicle that's comparable between GM and Ford, GM seems to have 2 to 3 times more in inventory.
Ford has 270k F series trucks on dealer lots vs 536k Silverado/Sierras. Twice as many yet with less sales.
I can see why Ford has been managing better operating margins vs GM despite having higher costs in terms of liabilities. .
LOL. I'm not overly interested in the bowl games today, so I might catch a few of those as well. Enjoy.
$2500 dealer cash incentive.
From http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/malibu/2013/car-incentives.html?style=101385664- &irr_section=customer_rebates_irr:
Bonus Cash: $2000
Conquest incentive: $1000
Dealer Cash: $500
So Ford has a grand total of $3000 on the hood of the Fusion. Yeah, that's worse than the $3500 on the hood of the Malibu. Oh, wait... :shades:
Also, the Fusion has a defect issue. That's fixable. The Malibu has a rear legroom issue. Not exactly fixable without a redesign. Oops.
Maybe the Impala will be good enough that the Malibu can be effectively discontinued.
I wonder if they've shown the one yet, with Nan Adams, the department store buyer, traveling cross country in her '59 Mercury, who keeps seeing the same hitchhiker? It starts off with her having a blowout in the Pennsylvania countryside that looks an awful lot like Southern California. :P
And, once or twice, she tries to swerve and hit the hitchhiker, and in those brief moments, her '59 Mercury turns into a '57 Ford. Stock footage from "Thunder Road", I think.
Not too many GM cars in those old TZ episodes it seems, but a lot of Fords and Mopars. I do remember a '59 Chevy in "Valley of the Shadow", which got brought up in one of these forums not too long ago.
The entire episode is online.
http://vimeo.com/40033077
Her '59 Mercury had no front door ventwings and no indoor rearview mirror attached to the windshield (although I know the latter is typical for TV shows).
I had forgotten how that episode ended. I was reminded of it while watching it this a.m.!
We saw the William Shatner/airplane classic episode last night, and the "Talking Tina" doll/Telly Savalas one last night...two great ones IMHO.
This is what is so classic on these boards.
"They're giving money off on a new model already...Malibu!!!!!"
Ford is too....no mention by the party who introduced the post though...only that GM is giving money off on a new model.
That's what I mean by 'balance'.
And you don't get conquest cash because you were conquered many MANY years ago. Me, I could get it...except they don't have anything that would conquer me. :shades:
Well, in an ironic twist, one of the incentives that I didn't qualify for when I bought my Ram was some kind of Chrysler loyalty incentive. Imagine that, me, of all people, not getting a Chrysler loyalty incentive! :P
I think it may have been some kind of lease thing though...where if you were currently leasing a Chrysler product, they'd give me an extra $1000 off.
Certainly dealer experience is very important and it's great you have a good local dealer. I can understand why that makes an important difference.
Regardless of your own independece, doesn't it worry you that your favorite brand isn't executing that well? At they rate they are going they are in danger of becoming a niche brand.
I'm on my fifth Cadillac. And, if I include my wife's car, fourth Buick.
Part of the perception probably is due to where we each live. In Ohio and MI, etc, I'm sure there's a very high proportion of GM/F/C vehicles. Here in CA, and on the coasts in general, you don't see many D3 sedans in particular. Plenty of SUVs and trucks, but sedans, if seen, are either old people in Caddys, or rental cars. I'd like to see GM improve that, which is why I harp on their relatively poor efforts in those areas. For sedans, GM *is* a niche brand around these parts.
So far, my tally is:
Chevrolet: 3
Pontiac: 3
Oldsmobile: 1
Buick: 2
Plymouth: 1
Dodge/Ram: 4
DeSoto: 1
Chrysler: 5
But, despite that, I don't consider myself a GM/Mopar hugger. Some of those cars over the years were hand-me-downs over the years, and in other cases, just happened to catch my eye. Or, were what I needed at the time.
If the Japanese, Europeans, or Ford, built something that happened to be what I needed when I was in the mood for a car, they'd definitely be in the running. It's just that usually, my tastes tend to run toward larger vehicles, so by default that often excluded the Japanese/Europeans in the past. But, these days, nobody makes anything resembling what I'd consider a full-sized car anymore, unless you go for one of those extended-wheelbase BMW 7 series, Benz S-class, or Audi A8's. And, well, those are a bit too blue for my blood!
I know, I added it up myself as I typed that. Kinda disturbing, isn't it? I'm 42, and got my first car in early 1987, Mom's old '80 Malibu. Even more disturbing, perhaps, and maybe some insight into a hoarder mentality, is that of those 20, I still have eight!
What Chrysler did you own? Was that the PT Cruiser you got your daughter? As for new cars, Of those 20, only two were bought new...my old 2000 Intrepid and the 2012 Ram. So, alas, GM and Mopar have benefitted very little, first-hand, from my purchases.
It doesn't get the mileage of my Cobalt, and I think it runs noticeably rougher. That said, my wife prefers it to the Cobalt, mostly because it's got automatic trans and power windows and locks and a fob! Also, it sits higher.
That's pretty impressive.
I just tallied my total and I've had 11 cars since 1987, but I've never had more than one car at a time and one car an '85 1/2 Mercury lynx, I only had 3 weeks before someone ran red light and totaled it.
1980 Malibu
1969 Dodge Dart GT
1968 Dodge Dart 270
2000 Dodge Intrepid
2000 Buick Park Ave.
And even then, I didn't really need the Dart GT. The Malibu would have easily gone a few more years.
The Dart GT got totaled, which is why I replaced it with the 270. And, the 270 was still running when I bought the Intrepid, so it no doubt would have gone longer. Eventually it stopped running when the fuel pump died, but at the time I didn't have the time or money to deal with it. And it had about 338,000 miles on it. As time went by, I lost interest, and it deteriorated.
The Intrepid got totaled, which prompted the Park Ave.
Dodge: 1
Pontiac: 4
Buick: 1
Olds: 1
Lincoln: 1
BMW: 1
Chevy: 1
GMC: 1
Honda: 1
Mazda: 1
Kia: 1
Regards,
OW
You guys are practically spendthrifts compared to me! I've just hit my 40th year driving, and I've owned 9 (and that counts the wife's cars after we were married, and the current kids cars):
VW - 2 (66 bug, 235K; 85 jetta; 135K)
Honda - 2 (92 Accord, 110K; 04 Ody, currently 75K)
Mercury - 1 (94 Villager, 225K)
Audi - 1 (98 A4, 88K)
Mazda - 1 (07 Mazda 5, currently 80K)
Acura - 1 (05 TL, currently 130K)
Toyota - 1 (99 Camry, just received from death of wife's uncle or we wouldn't have this, only 40K!)
84 Chevy Cavalier
87 Dodge Daytona
91 Honda Accord
93 Ford Escort
98 Honda Accord
00 Honda Odyssey
05 VW Passat
11 Ford Explorer
1 Plymouth
2 Chevy
3 Oldsmobile (never could get a good deal on a Pontiac!)
3 Ford
1 Mercury
1 Mazda
3 Honda
3 Toyota
Don't you think Detroit builds it in the pricing? Their models seem to come out of the gate with higher sticker prices than comparable Honda and Toyota.
I wonder if the new Fusion will slow down after a year or so, like the Sonata has? It looks good now, but I'm not sure how that angular Euro styling will age.
'75 Buick Regal
'85 1/2 Mercury Lynx
'86 Escort
'85 Tempo
'89 Mercury Tracer
'95 Neon Sport Coupe
'98 Ford SVT Contour
'00 VW Jetta TDI
'01 Nissan Pathfinder
'00 Suburban
'07 Expedition
My wife's list would be
Pinto (don't know the year as she had this in HS and wrecked it)
'92 Saturn SL2
'94 Ford Probe SE
'96 Mercury Villager
'01 Chevy Impala*
'03 Taurus*
'03 Taurus*
'06 Ford 500*
'07 Grand Prix*
'11 Taurus*
* indicates company cars.
Arrogant executives?
Prescriptions to delusional drugs?
You do now.;)
Ford
Datsun
Chevy
Ford
Subaru
Mazda
Toyota
Mazda
Miata was my only repeat purchase, and the first one was used.
Do we include motorcycles?
Not even tried a Mopar or Ford over 25 years?
With all of the variety of brands and models over last 25 years, would expect that many fathers and grandfathers between 1987 and 2012 would have sampled a number of brands, even by-gosh a "foreign" brand.
To me, you 'sample' a new restaurant. I think there's nothing wrong with keeping buying a brand car you've enjoyed, you're liking their models now, and trust your dealer. Cars are too expensive for a lot of people to 'sample'. Of course, I don't criticize what others buy, but do respond when people criticize what I buy.
Grandpop's previous cars were a 1941 Chevrolet, a 1947 Hudson, a 1953 Plymouth and a 1961 Valiant.
Have sampled nine different brands and a number of GM models of Chevrolet and Pontiac. Have not led a "sheltered" GM life.
Wife and I owned these brands over the years, some of them had owned two or more vehicles.
Chevrolet
Pontiac
Ford
Plymouth
Dodge
Acura
Honda
Nissan
VW
Seems like nothing is forever in terms of quality, reliability, value whether poor, mediocre or excellent. Many, many instances of how brands/models, cars and other things, have varied up and down over the years.
Honda's first offerings in the 1970's were not good. They straightened that out in the mid 1980's. Same with Hyundai. Their initial products not so good. They have worked very hard and have made substantial improvements. With GM, seems like their quality/reliability suffered in the 80's compared to previous decades.
One should research and test drive offerings of various brands each time they are ready for another vehicle. Blind loyalty to any brand of product or service is not in the best interest of any consumer and is foolish.
What's foolish is to suggest that what works for you works for somebody else.
I never felt the need to go 'up' the GM hierarchy. I don't fault anybody else who did. Usually, until you got to the Ninety-Eight, Electra, and Cadillac, was there something there that there wasn't an equivalent line at Chevrolet. Often, I actually preferred Chevrolet's simpler styling.
My hometown dealer was Chevrolet-Cadillac. In his ads, he used to space the words "Chevrolet" and "Cadillac" out, vertically, after his name. In the middle, he'd have "There's Really Nothing In Between". I know that's not necessarily true, but I thought it was pretty clever and razor-sharp for the time.
Well, you really get to understand and compare the quality and reliability of TWO different brands when you own them CONCURRENTLY for many years, "14". One is a daily driver that logged 247K miles, the other once or twice a week that logged in the 80'sK miles. Both eventually sold to private parties. The high mileage one being a Honda the other a Chevrolet.
Being this is a GM board, I guess that their supporters have Blind Loyalty.