Ten Cars That Sank Detroit

Tckaka - you've never owned an American car???????? We've owned pretty much everything - Toyota, VW, Chevy, Ford, GM, Chrysler..(my husband likes vehicles...) We've had good and bad experiences with all of them. I do blame them for their own demise, but not because of their cars - any company that agrees to pay for health insurance for 750,000 former employees and their families for life deserves to go under. It's an unsustainable situation. They obviously were not thinking long term. We're not even talking about pensions.  I'm not bashing unions - my hubby has been a Teamster for nearly 20 years (although he doesn't buy into their propaganda one bit).

Tchaka - they were not allowed to either bring them in or build them because of regulations on diesel engines. They would have been prohibitively expensive and the various requirements would have cut the efficiency tremendously. Electric cars are still extremely expensive, for the most part, unless you are talking about the little mini things that really don't take the place of a family car.

I still have one of these in my garage....

And one of these...        .

They both run like tops and an idiot can work on them....unlike most modern vehicles in which  no one can do their on repairs. These two cars are precisely tuned and burn clean, the AC blows cold on the GTO after 42 years and the 8 track tape works on the SS after 40 years. Both will outrun most of Japan's finest today and are guaranteed to offer a good chunck of Detroit iron between the Driver and whatever he runs into.  AND They both look COOL after 40 plus years.... Oh,  and they can make the geekeist nerd look cool too. I wonder how that Japanese model will appeal to Cool after 40 years?

Detroit did it right for a long long time. Mistakes were made.  I do agree with Rich however on allowing capitalism to naturally take its course. Who knows ....maybe the Auto manufactures will save themselves.   That is what is great about this country. If they really want to survive, it will happen one way or another. 

Larry - yep - light truck, they did that in order to not lower the average mpg of their passenger cars and to raise the mpg of their trucks.

Trey - you just gotta love an "Old Goat"! I miss my '68.

Terry - PT Cruisers get notoriously bad mileage, that is one of the primary complaints about them, along with excessive oil burning and poor performance, especailly the 4 cyl. I have had them as rental vehicles several times, I know people that have them, my Ranger gets better highway mileage and combined mileage. If you are carrying four passengers, there is very little room for cargo in what passes for the trunk. On the other hand, I can carry four in my truck and still have over six feet of cargo bed available. Or, I could have carried everything you did, plus still have room for mor than twice as much more.  It is obvious that you have no clue what mileage pickups get.

I had a bet with a General Contractor on a job site where I was working -  that hated women being present on the site. I was both the interior designer and the faux finishing contractor. So he gave me hell whenever he saw a possible glimmer of an opportunity.  Anyway, I was lamenting that I wished I could buy a car that was serviceable to my faux finishing business that wouldn't depreciate. He overheard and said, no way, impossible...I bet you $500.00 there is no way you will ever find such a thing... 

 I was once a person that only purchased European cars. First car was an Audi, then a BMW then a Jaguar and then another BMW, then the strangest thing happened. This GC irritated me so much that I investigated auto possibilities.  Well, I bought an older 6 cylinder El Camino for next to nothing, and I love it. It is the least expensive car to maintain, is really versatile in terms of what it can carry.  And I get offers way above what I paid for it almost weekly. I am not saying that I am a true convert, but this particular American Car is my dream car. Oh, and I got a $500.00 bonus from someone who will never bet a woman on a job site again.

Terry - From the InternetAutoGuide "The Chrysler PT Cruiser is designed by Chrysler, offers a spacious interior large enough for five passengers, and it is a front wheel drive automobile that is classified as a light truck/compact vehicle". Do a little research. The PT Cruiser was specifically designed to meet the NHTSA requirements for a light truck. It's a bit of game playing the manufacturers use.  Let me give you another hint, enter PT Cruiser Light Truck into google and you will get hundreds of references.

In regards to mileage, except for one model, they get worse mpg than my ranger. And the only model that gets better has the anemic engine with manual transmission. Yes, they get notoriously bad mileage, like I said, one of the top three complaints, mileage, burning excess oil, lack of power.

Michelle - I love the El Camino, which year was yours? I had to chose between an SS 396 or a loaded GTO, I went for the GTO.

Terry - what your insurance company rates the car as has nothing to do with what the government rates it. Perhaps you were one of the lucky ones.

The PT Cruiser was designed with a flat floor pan and foldable seats in order to qualify as a light truck and not just a station wagon.

I had a boat that was 21 ft long, but, for insurance purposes was only 19'6".

Dear Tchaka,

I have had both American cars and foreign cars. My fave it still an American made 1965 Chevy Corvair convertible. At the moment I drive a Honda CRV.

Betina

I have never had an American car and think foreign cars are a better investment because they have fewer problems and last longer.  My husband has a Jeep Wrangler and I don't think we will ever sell it, it's been a great vehicle for us.

Dear Tchaka,

I love the Shelby too! I would not turn it down if someone handed me the keys!! The Corvair is a cousin to the Corvette and Camero. In fact the corvair had the famous rear suspension before the Corvette. I think we should toss all the oversized SUV's into a pit. Don't put them in the ocean it would kill more fish!

;)

Tchaka,  Interesting post.  I thought it was significant that 2 of the 3 cars you mentioned that you would own are made by the American car company who is having the hardest time.  Just goes to show that Chrysler management is a huge problem.

Personally, I can't imagine who is running those companies. The brands they are keeping don't make a lot of sense to me....Buick, really?  Most Buicks on the road are 10-15 years old; it speaks to their quality, but who is buying them?  I can't think of a single person I know who owns a Buick.

I was considering looking at Saturns because they make cars that have good reputations and good milage (as well as being attractive). They are getting rid of that one.  Who are they using for their market studies?

The whole thing is confounding to me...right now we don't own an American car (and haven't since 1994) because we haven't found one that provided all that we needed--and wanted.

It astounds me that American cars have never been quality products.

Take a look at any 10 or 15 year old American car and compare it to a 10 or 15 year old Japanese or German Car, and please be sure that both vehicles have been maintatined equally as dilligently.

I'm sure the American car will be worse-for-wear.

I'm arriving quite late in the game, Tchaka, but I agree that the Corvette is the best (and only?) American car I like and would love to put in my garage, vintage or new! I've only owned German, which I am very happy with...and my husband has owned a series of American-made trucks, which he's very happy with, as well. :)

Leilani