I find it "unpatriotic" (as I guess one could fit that term in this context)
to subsidize substandard cars.
America has never been a country which required the individual to take his
own goodwill and make it subservient to the groups. If I buy a car that
will fall apart 7 years after I buy it, I'm doing a disservice to myself and
ultimately, the domestic car makers.
The big three did try to sell "entry level cars" and had some decent
efforts. In spite of the common perception that the Pinto was bad, it
really wasn't. The Ford 2.3 was/is a great engine. The Vega looked and
drove great. AMC finally got it right with the Spirit. But, all three lost
their way after they got it right with their respective models. How long
has the Corolla been around? Instead of refining a model, they make a new
one with a pop style, a lot of options and built like crap.
The big three have ALWAYS been about style and upsell. Longevity is just
not in their mental toolbox. Spending the extra $500-$2000 per car to make
it last for 20+ years seems counterintuitive, but as Toyota and the imports
have learned, it's not. And smart upwardly mobile people agree. People
that can afford to buy a new Lexus and BMWs aren't idiots. These are the
exact same customers that choose to buy an Accord or Celica in 1979 and
usually clocked 200K+ on it before doing again in 1989 with a Maxima or
Mazda 626.
Ford and Chrysler transaxles that go TU after 90K miles are just
unacceptable. These guys INVENTED the automatic transmission! The Toyota
A3xx bulletproof slushbox is a copy of the TH350! They have ONE MORE SHOT
at getting things right less they go the way of British automakers. If my
cursory inspection of the new Mustang in any indicator, they still don't get
it. Looked great, good style, lots of options available (style & upsell
remember), but no rustproofing what-so-ever on the undercarriage of the car.
Surface rust visible on a brand new car.
It's bad enough that most big-three cars are completely uninspired in terms
of technology, but to couple that with poor long-term durability, makes all
but a select few poor choices.
I don't think the US should restrict imports, but should hammer on other
partner countries to open up their markets. Japan's solution is wrong in
spite of their homegrown success stories.
None of this however, explains why PSA doesn't have the stones to come back
to this market. Hell, they never had a better lineup to do it with than
now.
K o l l
87S
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Received on Sat Jan 21 22:37:19 2006
