First: I think it's wrong that the unions can say "To work here you must join the union". Look at how the Airlines are failing to keep up with their employee's retirement plans. GM and Ford will follow suite. As will other companies here real soon. A crash is coming, a real depression. I hate to say that, but that is what I feel.
Second: If the Americian car manufactors would build what the people want, they could sell their cars. My neighbor has had five transfer cases put in her 2004 Envoy, and she was just told that GM could not fix the problem. Just keep replacing the transfer cases. The front end keeps going out on my F-150, three times in 60,000 miles. I'm getting rid of it before the warrenty goes out. Going to get a Honda Ridgeline. My other neighbor's Windstar eats front wheel bearings. New set every year. His son's car (some kind of little ford) had to have a new engine at 70,000 miles. My hunting buddies Chevy 1-ton, keeps losing transmissions, and injector pumps. Two transmissions and two injector pumps in 60,000 miles. My 92 Honda Civic, 320,000 miles. One water pump, and new CV boots every spring. Never been in the shop since the warrenty went out. My 86 Suzuki 260,000 miles, one shift kit $27.00, and one altinator. I bought the vehicle at 70,000 miles. My son's 2003 Kia Sprotage, one fan clutch and front differential seals at 63,000 miles, under warrenty. My EX is still driving the 74 Toyota pick-up she got from me in the devorce. She says as long as it keeps running she will keep driving it, mileage unknown. Her new hubby has gone through many americian cars during the same time. In fact my 82 Honda Civic, that got wrecked, we pulled the engine out and a friend put that engine in an airplane and it is still running. It did not need to be rebuilt, but he had to take it apart to check it out anyway so he replaced the rings, and timing belt, that's all.
In other words Americian cars are built to fail, (I was told this by the service manager of the local ford dealership). Their reason? So they can sell you a new car every two to three years. Not so, with foreign cars.
