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#1170549 - 04/27/09 04:17 PM Bye-Bye Pontiac
HappyGilmore Offline
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Pulling people out of the ditc...
GM to shut down the Pontiac name and eliminate 21,000 jobs...

(subject to the approval of UAW...)
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#1170550 - 04/27/09 04:17 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac HappyGilmore
Retired DQ Offline
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Turnpike Exit 10
Yikes... frown
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#1170555 - 04/27/09 04:24 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Retired DQ
GuitarDude Offline
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So Cal
I wonder if there is an opportunity for those workers to migrate to one of the surviving GM divisions. One of the reasons GM is so inefficient is that they have so many divisions and they often have multiple versions of virtually the same car.
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#1170619 - 04/27/09 05:04 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac GuitarDude
MB Guy Offline
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Way, way south.
I sure hope they don't eliminate the G8; it's truly one of the best Detriot currently offers and it would be a shame for us to lose something that good that finally just got here.
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#1170659 - 04/27/09 05:34 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac MB Guy
FBH Offline
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The Land of Tax Free Shopping!
Whoa, whoa, whoa...Where am I going to get parts for my Aztek?!?!?!?

Good. The auto industry should have died a long while ago, but politicians and labor unions have kept these dodos from extinction for far too long. Let the market decide! Something better will come along. Maybe I'll finally get that Jetson's car I've been dreaming about since I was five.
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#1170779 - 04/27/09 07:23 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac FBH
Ready to Retire Offline
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Living in the land of Oz
What happens if the car owner needs parts?

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#1170827 - 04/27/09 07:54 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Ready to Retire
BotV#6 Offline
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Anywhere I want to be
This is what happens when unions abuse their power. It's no wonder the foreign makers won't deal with unions.

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#1170847 - 04/27/09 08:08 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac BotV#6
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While I agree that we should let the weak and poorly managed (let's not give the inept management a pass while we are bashing the union) companies die, I'm scared that the replacements will be lemons from China and India.

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#1170851 - 04/27/09 08:10 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
HappyGilmore Offline
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Pulling people out of the ditc...
American's are already stating that they won't buy cheap products, which is why so many American car companies are having issues. Don't think that cheap imports from another country will do well - anyone remember the Yugo? Daewoo?
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#1170853 - 04/27/09 08:11 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
Bobby Boucher Offline
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Down Yonder
Originally Posted By: DSchrute
While I agree that we should let the weak and poorly managed (let's not give the inept management a pass while we are bashing the union) companies die, I'm scared that the replacements will be lemons from China and India.


When rife gives you remons, make remonade!
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#1170891 - 04/27/09 08:40 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bobby Boucher
FBH Offline
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Originally Posted By: Tim Taylor
Originally Posted By: DSchrute
While I agree that we should let the weak and poorly managed (let's not give the inept management a pass while we are bashing the union) companies die, I'm scared that the replacements will be lemons from China and India.


When rife gives you remons, make remonade!



***hears a PC Police siren in the distance, and runs off***
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#1170909 - 04/27/09 08:57 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bobby Boucher
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Originally Posted By: Tim Taylor
Originally Posted By: DSchrute
While I agree that we should let the weak and poorly managed (let's not give the inept management a pass while we are bashing the union) companies die, I'm scared that the replacements will be lemons from China and India.


When rife gives you remons, make remonade!


ROR - Raff out Roud

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#1170913 - 04/27/09 09:00 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
*nUnZeO* Offline
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~*TEXAS*~
LMAO laugh
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#1171071 - 04/28/09 12:57 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac HappyGilmore
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Originally Posted By: Happy Gilmore
American's are already stating that they won't buy cheap products, which is why so many American car companies are having issues. Don't think that cheap imports from another country will do well - anyone remember the Yugo? Daewoo?



Maybe you're not familiar with Wal-Mart, Americans buy tons of cheap junk. If the American car companies go away, what do you think will replace them. In my part of the world, you can't drive a half-mile without seeing a Cavalier, Neon, or Sunfire.

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#1171077 - 04/28/09 01:03 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
Skittles Online
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TN
Wal*Mart? Heck, just go to souvenier shops in high traffic places like Gatlinburg or Orlando. Talk about cheap junk!!!
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#1171079 - 04/28/09 01:04 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
HappyGilmore Offline
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Pulling people out of the ditc...
We shop at Walmart all the time (they changed the name to remove the hyphen), and we don't buy cheap products there. But then again, we are talking about cars, not household goods, so your analogy is poor. A cheaper brand of paper towels instead of Brawny is not the same as buying a Yugo vs. a Honda Civic.

Of course, the 3 cars you mention are 2 GM and 1 Chrysler product, but their sales make up a small percentage of their overall sales. You won't see a manufacturer of "strictly cheap" cars entering the US market, they will not be able to survive.
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#1171116 - 04/28/09 01:34 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac HappyGilmore
QCL Offline
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NW IL
I don't know Happy...take the analogy a step further. Look at furniture to be bought at Walmart. There are people that buy that (or they would not continue to sell it) rather than buying good/quality/real wood furniture. I am not so sure that the analogy was poor.

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#1171151 - 04/28/09 02:04 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac QCL
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Wal--Mart has forced-out the small players and only deals with suppliers willing to meet their demands, so now you have very few choices but to buy their junk. Find me a toy made in America. If the American automakers die, who will you buy your cars from? I don't believe that the under-$20K car, makes-up a small portion of auto sales, and not everyone can afford a Civic. That's why Hyundai has made such giant strides in the US. I think there is a big market for small affordable cars and if the Cavalier, Neon, and Sunfire are no longer available, guess what takes their place. The $12,000 piece of junk from China that Wal-Mart Auto Sales can make a nice profit on.

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#1171163 - 04/28/09 02:17 PM Re: Bye-Bye Pontiac Bankster
HappyGilmore Offline
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Pulling people out of the ditc...
Honda Fit starts at 14k, Civic at 15k...

Hyundai makes a good car, and most of their models are
"extremely similar" to styling and shape to Honda.

QCL - Walmart does actually have some good wood furniture, you just have to put it together yourself. I don't konw anyone who would go to Walmart with the intent of filling their house with the furniture they sell, but we have bought a PC desk and an entertainment center for my boys bedrooms, and have been happy with both pieces. Both are good/quality/real wood.

We can nitpick this to death, but I still don't think you will see a cheap auto manufacturer entering the market selling only cheap cars. There are enough cars out there under $15k that the manufacturer also sells higher end cars (Nissan, Mazda, Honda, VW). Again, look at Yugo and Daewoo. Both entered the US market thinking they could sell cheap cars, and neither was around more than 3-4 years.
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