Just curious. I was reading that they are in some serious financial trouble- sales are slipping and they're laying off a lot of the workforce in Detroit.

Anybody get anything GM recently, or know anyone who did?
I'm kind of annoyed, because I just bought a new car 2 months ago, and may have held out  to get a GM car since they're so cheap now... but then again, Caddy CTS is the only other thing I would have considered.

I don't know, but I sure as hell hope it is not a "going out of business" sale  

Well you see, they fire all the GM workers and pass that discount on to you!

I don't think it's a big surprise that they're having issues...

Name the GM Hybrid car...
What's the best gas mileage on any GM vs any Honda?

American Auto companies are known for being short sited...  Especially with gas mileage.  Why are American Auto companies making bigger and bigger and bigger cars while Japanese companies have made hybrids and are working on releasing other alt-fuel and/or electric cars?

There are a few US companies looking into Alt-Fuels, but they're looking at hydrogen.   :dunno:  Brazil is a perfect example of how to kick the oil habit...  They're been working on it for over a decade and are finally reaching a place where oil is becoming less and less important.

What are they driving around on?  Alcohol made from Sugar Cane...  Yeah...  Sugar cane.  They have cars in Brazil that can run on petrol-gas AND OR ethanol.  They can run anywhere from 90% petrol-gas (like US cars) all the way to 100% ethanol.



So...  Why are American companies still trying to develop the BIGGEST AND BADDEST MONSTER?  Why can you even buy a car that gets 9 MPG?  You might as well just pour gas on the road...



The US is the largest exporter of ethanol (from corn) in the world...  Wait...  The largest EXPORTER in the world.  We make soooo much of it, but we're hardly using it.  Seems silly...

Not only that, the farmers and refiners that make the ethanol can MORE than double their current production at the drop of a hat.  Given a few years, they could potentially produce enough that our dependency on oil would be tiny...  Perhaps even small enough that we wouldn't need foreign oil...  Perhaps.

Quote from: DarkCyDEWell you see, they fire all the GM workers and pass that discount on to you!

HAHAHA!

Yeah, I wouldn't buy a GM vehicle new or used.  Something tells me there won't be any parts support in a few years.   :lol:

Quote from: RVertigoI don't think it's a big surprise that they're having issues...

Name the GM Hybrid car...
What's the best gas mileage on any GM vs any Honda?

American Auto companies are known for being short sited...  Especially with gas mileage.  Why are American Auto companies making bigger and bigger and bigger cars while Japanese companies have made hybrids and are working on releasing other alt-fuel and/or electric cars?

There are a few US companies looking into Alt-Fuels, but they're looking at hydrogen.   :dunno:  Brazil is a perfect example of how to kick the oil habit...  They're been working on it for over a decade and are finally reaching a place where oil is becoming less and less important.

What are they driving around on?  Alcohol made from Sugar Cane...  Yeah...  Sugar cane.  They have cars in Brazil that can run on petrol-gas AND OR ethanol.  They can run anywhere from 90% petrol-gas (like US cars) all the way to 100% ethanol.



So...  Why are American companies still trying to develop the BIGGEST AND BADDEST MONSTER?  Why can you even buy a car that gets 9 MPG?  You might as well just pour gas on the road...



The US is the largest exporter of ethanol (from corn) in the world...  Wait...  The largest EXPORTER in the world.  We make soooo much of it, but we're hardly using it.  Seems silly...

Not only that, the farmers and refiners that make the ethanol can MORE than double their current production at the drop of a hat.  Given a few years, they could potentially produce enough that our dependency on oil would be tiny...  Perhaps even small enough that we wouldn't need foreign oil...  Perhaps.

GWB woudnt get paid!

Quote from: DarkCyDEGWB woudnt get paid!

I'd love it if it was one person's fault, but it's really not...

Like I said before, Brazil has been working on their alt-fuel system for well over a decade...  They're finally starting to break free...

For the US to be near oil-free, we should have started with the first Bush... Or even Clinton.  It's pretty much too late now.

Even if the US started a radically aggressive nationally funded project to begin converting fuels, it would take at least 10 years to really get rolling...  But, who's to say China won't own the world oil market by then?   :dunno:

We're all doing our little part by get 50+ MPG, but even that is based on petrol-oil fuels...

We need an ethanol conversion for the GS!  

Quote from: RVertigoWe need an ethanol conversion for the GS!  

Hey Rema1000 -- that's your cue!  

I owned a 1999 FFV Ranger which would run on anything from regular unleaded all the way up to E85 (85% ethanol).  The only pump in the entire county (and only one of two in the entire state) where I could get the E85 fuel was a county fuel depot  :x  Still, I used it from time to time until I calculated that the reduced mileage was making it more expensive per mile, both in cash and emissions.

I ran her on E85 a few times, and it was just as good as gasoline, except that the mileage suffered a bit since the vehicle was tuned for octane... and the exhaust smelled like booze.. lol

Last I knew, there is a GMC Sierra (full size pickup) that they were looking into making a hybrid, or did make into a hybrid but it is not very common. Not sure which, but I do know that it exists.

I have no problem with GM products myself, but I've always considered myself a Mopar guy..but still, even they have the same problem. "Let's make the biggest, baddest gas hogs". I had a 1997 lifted beefed up modified Dodge Dakota that got around 10-11mpg. I recently traded it for a 2002 Hyundai Accent that gets 36+ mpg. Hmmm.

Gas hogs are great for toys, but it just doesn't make sense to burn gas like that anymore. It is too expensive and too inefficient.

GM will never fall. It just couldnt happen. But i wouldnt care too much anyways. Go Ford!!!  

pretty much, now ISN'T the time for a GM employee to buy a car... there are no rebates running... the employees get that price minus whatever rebates there are out there... i've seen better deals on malibu's before this promotion.... it isn't that good of a deal....

I'm eligible for the Ford X-plan which is 2% higher than the A-plan... the dealership was advertising a cheaper price than the X-plan price to the public...

Somtimes those prices.... aren't as good as the ads would like you to believe.... anyways... I tend to buy 1-3 year old cars... i can't stand the initial depriciation...  1 year ago i picked up a 2003 buick century (22000 sticker) with 26000 miles on it... dual climate, power seat, cruise etc... for 9800 and got blue book for my trade....

GM, Ford, Chevy....  Who else?  They're all the same to me.  Gas-hog car companies are going to be a thing of the past...  Oil just hit $60 a barrel, although it dropped again to $57 or so...

Around here gas is about $2.50 a gallon...  Can you imagine anyone driving an SUV when it hits $3.75 a gallon?  $5.00?

I have an SUV...  '94 Ford Exploder.  It gets 15 MPG and that just sucks...  I need to keep it for now because I move my band's equipment in it, but as soon as I don't need to move all that stuff it's GONE!

I used to drive my Ford to work every day, 15 miles each direction.  So, it was costing me about $5 to get to and from work...  Now I use my GS to commute to work and go everywhere else I can... and it costs be about $1.50 (way less than the $4.00 round-trip bus ride).

My buick century 6 passenger v6 car gets 26 commuting, 36 on a road trip....
Our grand am gets 28 in the city, 32 on the highway.

my old ford zx2 got 33 around town 35 highway


nothing wrong with american cars.. just pick the right one...

Either the commercials are lying or the employees get crappy discounts.

I mean working at Barney's i could get any bike off the showroom floor at $100 below cost....

I did pick the right one...  I'd like to see someone fit a Marshall 4x12, an Ampeg 4x12, an Ampeg 8x10, a 40 lbs Marshall amp, a 65 lbs Ampeg Amp, a 35 lbs Ampeg amp, five drums, six cymbals and stands, three mic stands, four guitar cases, and one bass case in a Century, Grand-Am, or a ZX2.

I'm not saying that it's somehow Fords fault that my SUV gets crappy gas mileage, I'm saying that they haven't caught up to what people need these days...  Gas is only going to get more and more expensive as the supply dwindles and the demand increases and the car companies are still trying to build bigger and faster cars when people are going to need cars with 35+ MPG/City...  The Japanese car companies are at least trying a little harder by releasing hybrid cars...  They're not a solution to a gas shortage since they run on gas, but they're on the right track.

I'm also saying it's the car companies AND the US government's fault for not starting a viable alt-fuel plan YEARS ago...

I dunno if it is mainly fuel economy even...
I mean, what was the last GMC or Chevy (Outside of the Vette and the CTS-V) that really excited you?
I mean, if you look at the lineup matches, it seems so incomparable. The Pontiac lineup is seriously slacking (IMHO) and neither Chevy nor GMC have come up with anything radically innovative technologically, or designwise. Industries this large, I feel really have to gamble to stay ahead of the game- Nissan, Toyota, VW, Honda, Volvo/Mazda/Ford/Jaguar, Daimler/Chrysler- and I think GM played their cards too conservatively.
Just as a sampling of the lineups:

Cobalt | Mazda3 | Corolla | Civic
Impala | Altima | Accord | Passat
Aveo | Echo | Scion Xb | Focus
Malibu | Jetta | Sentra | Mazda6

I hardly see the Chevy as my pick for any of those. Trucks, I'm not too into, but maybe that's where their bread and butter lies amidst skyrocketing gas prices?  :dunno:

I kinda like the:
LaCrosse
Cobalt SS
G6
Grand Prix
Ranier
Impala SS

Granted, I'm not looking for a car now, and i would consider other brands(i'm not overly loyal to any)  any of those cars would make it onto my list if I were looking in their class

Quote from: stefman722GM will never fall. It just couldnt happen. But i wouldnt care too much anyways. Go Ford!!!  

I agree, GM will not fall.  They are the largest auto maker ever, and although they don't have an extensive hybrid program they have been manufacturing hybrid buses for larger metro areas, I think Seattle has many GM hybrid buses.

As for Ford, you're kidding yourself if you think anything they manufacture is worth the money.  :lol:  :lol:


Toyota/Honda/Nissan - Thats it  

I work in the auto manufacturing industry, mainly supplying GM and Toyota.  We just had a meeting that touched on this topic today, what it comes down to is sales are down and they want to move some stock.  All the manufacturers try to keep a "X" amount of units on hand.  When that number goes up, they want to start selling more and offer incentives.  Given a little time GM, DaimlerChrysler, or Ford will be out of the game and drop out.