Quote:
Originally Posted by wolf
Even if they made a wonderful product, public perception is that they don't.
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This is a HUGE problem for the industry. I was raised to buy American. I was the first in my immediate family to see the light. My Ram got 12 mpg and had a reputation for transmission problems (I did not have any for the 55,000 miles I drove it). I traded for a toyota pickup that was rock solid, but sure did not have the power of the Ram. My dad continued to buy American and got a fully loaded Dakota. Went through 4 sets of rotors before I convinced him to get a Tacoma. Not a lick of a problem with the Tacoma. My girlfriend got a 2000 Neon. 3 sets of rotors and 23 mpg (in a 4 cylinder manual), she got rid of it for a '99 chevy blazer. I convinced her to get a service contract. Over $4,500 worth of repair went on that contract. Repairs were mostly to get the damn thing to stop leaking. Got rid of that for a 4runner. No problems with it.
My point is that I still want to buy american, I really do. However I can no longer trust them. I got a 2008 Corolla. 36 mpg and my dealership also included a lifetime powertrain warranty. They can offer that because they know that it will most likely never be used. None of the big 3 would even dream of doing that.
I really think the big 3 are screwed. I hate to see them go bust, but I believe that their failure will leave a void that will be filled by other manufacturers.