Posted on 04/20/2005 8:21:13 PM PDT by WildPlum
<< .... the GTO is the best car I've ever seen with a Pontiac badge, and easily the best interior in any GM product ever sold in the US. >>
[Bill] Lear Jet and Ford have both done that -- and it worked for them both, too.
Until the corporate crabs in both firms reached up and pulled the Aussies down.
"Might have helped if they redesigned rather than axed the F-body to compete with the Mustang"
Your right, they should hire that "Foos" guy of Hotrodding fame.....dig out a 1968 Camaro, modernize it offer a fuel thrifty aluminum small block in it, step back and watch the stampede form at car dealerships across the country.
Instead, we get rolling abortions like the Avalanche.
What a missed opportunity.
"The only problem with it is that Ford decided to be cheap and make it with a live rear axle instead of an IRS"
And thank God they did. It will hold up better at the drag strips. Most of the people I know who have bought these Stangs are my age, 40 yesrs old and above... and die-hard gear heads who want a bit of "old school" technology mixed in with the new stuff.
An indication of GM's problems is that it's replacement parts have been extremely expensive when compared to at least some other automakers. GM, to my knowledge, has never been able to reach needed agreeements with its suppliers to produce lower cost parts.
Seems reasonable to me.
I'd look at a CTS-V for my next car. Cadillac does seem to have a clue.
I agree. My 03 Mustang Cobra with IRS has severe wheel hop off the line. Thats why the new 07 Cobra will have a solid rear axle.
If Ford would put a real IRS under it, you wouldn't have severe wheel hop. ;) The S-Type R doesn't have wheel hop, and that thing pumps 400hp through the rear of a similar chassis (but a much different IRS).
I actually like the Avalanche - it actually shows some thought, and they're selling very, very well down here. However, were you to substitute the Aztek, I don't think you'd get any disagreement.
Cadillac retained more autonomy than any of the other traditional divisions under GM; which included the tradition of having their own chassis and own engines (which was restored when sales went to hell in the 1980s because of the Cimmaron and the "oops, we put a Chevy engine in place of the Cadillac one you were supposed to get" fiascos). They also have traditionally not shared design staff with anyone else - which probably explains why they actually are making interesting quality products again.
Total Cash - 26.39B
Total Cash Per Share - 46.75
Total Debt - 291.83B
Total Debt/Equity - 11.399
Be careful of the stats when you look at GM, as the above numbers include the GMAC financing operations,with the bulk of the outstanding debt of GM securitized by sold cars and your houses.
Of the total $291.8 billion of debt, $267.8 is incurred by GMAC, while the auto and other manufacturing operations have the balance.
Not nearly as dire a financial picture when analysed.
How do you know that expensive parts are not part of the strategy? Get people in the door and driving out with a new GM product that they're locked into with six year financing, especially "upside down" financing that guarantees the car will almost always be worth less than is owed on it. Since these people are now stuck with the car for over half a decade, they only have one source for parts.
Whatever buyers save on monthly payments by buying a GM versus a Honda or Toyota, they more than make up with repair costs. Keeps the service department in business, too. The dealership can afford to lose money in sales, as long as they can make it up some other way, with outrageous service costs, or huge markups on parts shipped to independant repair facilities.
And don't tell me "warranty", a GM warranty is worth little more than booty wipe.
Weak management and corrupt unions are to blame for this current imbroglio. They managed to sink the steel industry in the country and are well on the way to doing the same to the auto industry. By the way, the UAW is pulling the same strategy on Caterpillar.
"Although General Motors is not in any imminent danger of collapse, investors in New York that we talked to were uniformly pessimistic about the company.
There seems to be no mechanism for a renewal of the company short of bankruptcy."
What's good for GM is good for America?!
"If Ford would put a real IRS under it, you wouldn't have severe wheel hop. ;) The S-Type R doesn't have wheel hop, and that thing pumps 400hp through the rear of a similar chassis (but a much different IRS)."
I agree. The SRA is great for launching but doesnt have the handling and cornering of the IRS. I am torn between getting the 07 Shelby or the 07 C6 Corvette. If I win the lottery I would get the C6 Z06.
type in "GM 0% financing 9-11" into google.
alot of it is also perception and the way quality issues are covered in the media. the new Honda Accords where recalled last year for defective automatic transmissions, did you hear much about it in the media? no. A latch on a GM pickup truck fails, and its all over the news.
Great info. Thanks!
Their debt is almost 300 billion dollars.
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