So, does anyone here see how these guys can get out of this mess? I absolutely cannot see how they will ever recover. There must be many people out there that feel like I do..I grew up in the 60's and 70's with my father buying complete junk Chevys and Pontiacs brand new and then watching them disenigrate right in front of his/our eyes....just complete junk. I bought my first car in 1974, a 1966 VW Beetle and have never looked back. I don't think it's much more than arrogance on the sellers part and stupidity on the buyers side....

I’ve never owned a GM product (other than a 283 I dropped into an FJ40), and a K2500 that came with a ranch.

Probably never will.

But... I am thinking of buying some of their stock, just to see what happens.
So, what's it DOWN to now?

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

I don't know the stock value but I wouldn't go there right now. They could be off the market at anytime. CitiGroup and I think, Chrysler too...didn't they get kicked off? Can't trade them anymore....Very significant

75 cents and suspended !!

In that case... I guess I wont.


Oh well

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

They could, but it's all that much harder by getting rid of Opel. They need to make small/midsize cars and trucks with very fuel efficient small displacement diesels. And up the quality.

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1984 300TD

I've actually been fairly impressed with some of the GM products I've driven in the last 5-6 years. I recently drove a Cadillac CTS with a 6 speed manual transmission and it was a pretty sweet ride. To compare it with some of the crap that was manufactured in the 70's and 80's by the Cadilliac division is quite breathtaking. Anybody remember the Cimmaron? I've also driven the new Chevy Malibus that seem to be everywhere in the rental fleets and even with a 4 banger it wasn't a bad car.

I think GM's biggest problem is the fact that there are a couple of generations of younger people that have grown up driving reliable, fuel efficient, long lasting Toyotas, Hondas and other really well thought out (and built) Japanese cars.

When it comes time to buy many of these people don't even consider a GM product because they have had great experiences with other brands. It's much easier to keep a satisfied customer than it is to entice a satisfied customer to jump to a "new" brand.

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (137K)
13 GLK250 (157k)
06 E320CDI (341K)
16 C300 (89K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

they were just removed from the Dow Jones

http://digg.com/d1sfPN

LMAO!

Loong past due.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

They need to start building really good cars again.

Ford is winning over a lot of converts with their new cars. I'd probably buy a Ford now before a Toyota if I were shopping for a bread and butter family sedan.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Since the government is controlling them, you've got to be kidding?? Right?

Stupid buyers is right!

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Those companies had to shrink to right-size themselves, and didn't know how. They only knew how to operate in growth markets and literally had to be forced to slash and throw out huge chunks of their infrastructure. That's hard to do with their ingrained thought processes and fiefdoms trying to get control and influence.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I'll tell you what they need to do...they need to make cars that the public wants. I can't speak for everybody but I think I have some pretty good ideas.

First, new engines/more options. Most of all, diesel. Most foreign car companies use smaller engines with turbos (when needed) for added power. When properly tuned can produce plenty of power and good economy. In Europe, most cars get tons of engine options...different size/power options to customize to your needs. Countersinking is also a good feature they could work on. The technology is there to make the engine run and you not feel it...much like my BMWs.

Second, rear wheel drive. My Saab has plenty of power and drives great once it is moving but damn that front wheel drive. The wheels just spin through the first 2 gears without even trying. If lazy people would take a little time and learn how to drive in bad weather, they would see that you get much better control with rear vs front wheel drive.

Third, tolerances and trim. There are a lot of trim pieces in my Saab that pop off if you look at them wrong. Others move around and there are tons of squeaks when you are driving. Also, I drove my pops car and the shifter was loose as hell...unacceptable.

Fourth, paint. I am on the phone with my wife as I am typing this and she is complaining about the paint chipping on the hood. Even my 25 year old benz has most of it's paint that looks glossier than my 6 month old Saab.

Another thing that pisses me off but not limited to GM or American cars, transmission options. Again, in Europe you can get much nicer cars with manual transmissions. They are not available in the US, that's just half assed.

My Saab was not made in the US, but they are/were owned by GM and it shows. Older Saabs don't seem to show these kind of things that I find on this. Other than things I have mentioned here, the Saab is a pretty good car. I wanted to mention that so you don't think I was complaining about that car...I have driven many and used mine as an example.

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My Primary Driver - '85 300CD - 4-speed conversion, 2.47 rear, lowered, euro headlights, rebuilding (not restoring so much)

Wife's - '08 Saab Sportcombi Aero

Riding a '03 Yamaha Warrior

Well, regretably SAAB is dead...and I have owned 4 of them over the years, all real SAABs (1979 to 1986 models) and then drove a 1999 9-5 for a few months....the 1999 GM SAAB was not as good/fun as the the 1986 900T but they were all not good. SAABs never really were great cars...they looked cool...but they really were not great cars.....that's my take on the SAAB....and don't even get me started on Peugeots and
Peugeots....christ......

If they can build their business model similar to the foreign companies that make cars here, then there is no reason why they couldn't survive and even thrive. I'd sooner buy domestic than foreign, if the price and quality are right.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I don't care where the car is made. If you make a reliable, easy to work on, DOHC variable valve timing, 4 corner dbl wishbone, excellent handling, good looking car, I'll buy it (if I can afford it).

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1984 300TD