I think the auto workers get paid too much so F’em; I’ll buy a Toyota and when the market share shrinks for the US companies I’ll blame the resulting problems on the workers and unions?
Really? WTF?[/quote]
Nope.
The problem is that they don’t have a 20+ legacy of really reliable cars.
Basic free market imperatives kill them.
Only Lou Dobbs and fools wave their flag at the cash register.
People get vitriolic about the poor decisions made by the unions and the companies.
However, if the companies were doing really well and the workers were being paid really well, then I don’t think this conversation about “lazy” union workers (probably better described as “poorly represented”) would be happening.
But the unemployment rate in the Detroit area (where my family, over a century ago started working in real estate) is not my concern when I buy a car.
What concerns me is the fact that Hondas and Toyotas often last 20 years as a primary vehicle and remain fun to drive.
It is not some conspiracy that gives Japanese cars great resale values.
I am not willing to gamble with reliability to support (or, more precisely, enable) a bad company just because its headquarters are in the lower 48.
If American vehicles were to start offering Hyundai (a brand earning a rep for reliability) style warranties (10 year, 100,000 mile, bumper to bumper), then I would really seriously consider them.
Currently they offer the least competitive warranty (5 year, 60,000 mile, power train).
That tells me they don’t believe in their own cars.
If they don’t trust their own products, why should I?[/quote]
Totally agree with you, urban.
The problem with Detroit is NOT the unions, but the fact that U.S. automakers refused to properly understand the mindset of their customers. The problem was **management.**
Consumers want high-quality vehicles that will be fairly problem-free for at least a decade. When I was young, many of my friends owned a basic Toyota pickup truck (you know the one — manual everything, great gas mileage). Every single one of those trucks lasted at least 200,000 to 300,000 miles — and all they ever had to do was change the oil, clutch and air filters. If GM could have done that, it wouldn’t matter what kind of pensions/healthcare their employees had.
BTW, no mention of the fact that with socialized medicine, companies could be relieved of these “legacy costs.”
