haypops

Then why were the reports that Honda had to drop production numbers of the Ridegeline, how poorly its doing etc?

My #1 daughter's husband drives a car hauler for a living. He told me yeserday that his comapny is buying new trucks and hiring new drivers becase of thte volume of work they are getting from Alamo car rentals. Apparently they are changing out their GM stock of rental cars. Perhaps next months figures will look a little rosier.

Logically the GM executives' pay should be compared to GM hourly workers, not the executives of some of other company.

It's really been a bad week. Its because the later GM vehicles haven't been as dependable as the earlier ones(Saturn, Chevy P32, Cavelier) . Its because the GM card rebate keeps me loyal. It's because the GM cars are more "fun". Its because ...

Most Japanesse auto manufacturers are partialy owned by American companies. No american brands are owned by Japanesse. The Japanesse independants (Honda and Toyota) produce large numbers of vehicles here and export significant numbers of them from here. I have bought nothing but GM for the last 15 years. I have had so many repairs this week. My Daughter and husband and 2.5 kids moved in with us lately and their 2 Toyotas, have been flawless.

It seems to me that more and more engines are displaying unusually flat tourgue curves. This should minimize the need for more then 6 speeeds in all but the smallest (less than 1 l.? ) engines.

IIRC about 6 months ago GM and another automatic transmission manufactuere (perhaps Jatco) announced a break through on 6 speed transmssions. They independantly announced this was the end of CVT transmissions.

While I understand your point, I do think some people will just hold onto their present car if their belief system is abruptly shaken. This is of course "short term".

I wonder if that is really what we want. It is possible that a loss of consumer confidance in Toyota would cause a loss of consumer confidance in all vehicles including GM. GM could end up with a slighlty larger market share of a considerably smaller total market. I think that what most benefit GM is that it were seen as an equal to Toyota.

Proper towing techniques require the careful loading of the trailer so as to result in 100-200 lbs. of weight on the hitch, ONLY. It sounds like the Toyota owner didn't understand this, not that his truck was incapable.

I realise that this isn't the point of this thread of posts(what is the point?) but I have gotten several bad results from mapquest lately and much prefer google maps.

And they get free medical care too.

While I get most of what you say, this sentence is in error. How could the employees NOT feel "used" or "duped" if their wages/benefits were uncompetative. In separate issue many Toyota vehicles (Corolla and Tacoma) are built by UAW workers of GM at the Freemont Plant. Befopre Toyota took over production there, that plant had the most troublesome work force in GM. After the take over - no problems.

Carbiz: Thanks for the reasoned reply. I have a little personal anectodote that may shed a little light on the situation that you question. A nurse that works for my daughter held a second similar Emergency Room position at an HMO in addition to the private pay hospital where they worked togetnher. This HMO was the very same one that Mrs. Clinton modeled her proposed national program after. That nurse relayed that the patients at the HMO just didn't have the severe medical conditions that the private pay patients exhibited. To make an automotive analogy it is like getting the oil changed on your car. You don't want to pay the $25 for an oil change several times a year but you do it because it saves thousands of dollars by year's end. National health care is like an oil change for society. You can pay a little now, or a lot later.

I am of the age where I should be lusting for a Mustang ans waxing nostalgic for its RWD, but I really thing the G6 coupe is more to my liking.

The government forces you to get liability insurance n your car and your mortgage broker forces you to buy title insurance on your car. Furthermore if you buy your home with less than 20% down payment the lender also requires PMI, the cruelist insurance of all.

A recent Italien study showed that erectiole disfunction is a sign of general cardiac insufficiency. Perhaps that little blue pill is preventing the employees from keeling over on the production line and interfering with production efficieny.

Some times things are just what they seem to be. The possible strike isn't an issue here. GMAC makes its money on financing HOUSES not cars. By selling a share of GMAC, GMAC and consequently GM will be able to borrfow money at a lower interest rate.

Because that's how insurance works. Do you have insurance on your home, car, etc.?

Hybrids are a waist of time and resouces. That said, the Prius is NOT expensive nor is it in short demand. The larger dealers have 50 in stock, the smaller dealers have at least 7.

GMAC's profitability has come from the refinancing of home mortgages through ditech.com. Since the feds have incresed interest rates 11 consecutive times in the last two years, the refinancing business is quickly drying up. The profits from this operation will not be going foward.

The talking points is that this is only a temporary glitch until it all settles out. Not sure of that though.

Where do you come up with this stuff? Globilization is a fascist movement - by deffinition.

Actually the most profitable part of GMAC is ditech.com. However the feds have raised short term interest rates 11 times in the last two years. This will cut into the the refiance business.

I guess it means no tubes down the throat and electroshock of the heart. My daughter says that if your yuoung and healthy they will ignore the orders. When the body is starting to spiral down hill, the medical staff usually knows when its hopeless. Less television like histerics and more comforting "letting go".