So would you buy a new GM truck now?

[wkpoor]

I would say that if GM, Ford & Chrysler were gone by the end of '09, in terms of trucks, what would big utility & construction companies buy? There are NO other HD diesel pickups & small trucks even built to replace them.

Actually there are quite abit of choices out there. I just don't know why they aren't sold in the USA. Europe and the Mid East don't use any PU's like we do(except for personal use). They have what appears to me to be a much more useful truck and comes in several sizes right up to almost semi. It is a cab over design and the bed allows any or all 3 sides to be folded down or can be made into a cube van. They have gas or diesel. Over here its all that is used in construction.

Look at the car market and what the last poster said. Yes, the big three have made strides in quality but at best they are where the Honda's and Toyota's were 4 years ago. They are playing catchup.

I disagree completely. Have you been in a new Chev latey? Man they are nice. I personally think in the PU line up the japs don't have a comparison. I am in the middle east right now and the locals drive full size PU's and SUV's like Chevy and Ford. I asked why and they said Chevy is the only truck that holds up in the desert. They do have Toyota LandCruisers but that is the only Toy I see. That model is good here but pales in comparison to passenger comfort. My host said he tried Ford a couple of times but they kept having problems mostly with the A/C which is very important here. This guy buys 3 new vehicles every 2 yrs or less and has owned a little of it all. He knows what is best for travel and what is best for desert. Right now he has a GMC Acadia, GMC Yukon Denali XL, And a Silverado. He claims unless you jump to 100K dollar vehicles like BMW, Yukon best for travel in his words.
Oh and in the past week traveling around the country I can tell you those vehicles are quite capable of 100+MPH travel. My host routinely drives at 120MPH cruising speed for long periods of time. I'm to the point now 100 seems slow.

 

[Builder]

Actually there are quite abit of choices out there. I just don't know why they aren't sold in the USA. Europe and the Mid East don't use any PU's like we do(except for personal use). They have what appears to me to be a much more useful truck and comes in several sizes right up to almost semi. It is a cab over design and the bed allows any or all 3 sides to be folded down or can be made into a cube van. They have gas or diesel. Over here its all that is used in construction.

That's great, but they're not here, so my question I maintain is if GM, Ford & Chrysler all go under in 1 year, what will replace them in trucks?

Think big. Think of a major utility company ordering 200 crew cab one ton diesel 4x4's.

What will they do?

 

[Builder]

I disagree completely. Have you been in a new Chev latey? Man they are nice. I personally think in the PU line up the japs don't have a comparison. I am in the middle east right now and the locals drive full size PU's and SUV's like Chevy and Ford. I asked why and they said Chevy is the only truck that holds up in the desert. They do have Toyota LandCruisers but that is the only Toy I see. That model is good here but pales in comparison to passenger comfort. My host said he tried Ford a couple of times but they kept having problems mostly with the A/C which is very important here. This guy buys 3 new vehicles every 2 yrs or less and has owned a little of it all. He knows what is best for travel and what is best for desert. Right now he has a GMC Acadia, GMC Yukon Denali XL, And a Silverado. He claims unless you jump to 100K dollar vehicles like BMW, Yukon best for travel in his words.
Oh and in the past week traveling around the country I can tell you those vehicles are quite capable of 100+MPH travel. My host routinely drives at 120MPH cruising speed for long periods of time. I'm to the point now 100 seems slow.

I totally agree. I'll tell you right now domestic pickups have NEVER been better. Smooth, powerful, heavy built and durable. Options we never dreamed of 10 years ago-exhaust brakes, gradient braking transmissions, larger locking rears, heavier payloads, awesome towing mirrors, etc.

 

[elad]

Bought new Chev. Colorado 4x4 off road with extended cab last August.
Sure hope I am not sorry. I hate worrying!!!!!!
elad

 

[jeffster]

Well, like I said, the big 3 trucks are great, but when people aren't buying a lot of trucks or SUVs, you need your car models to carry you, and I stand by what I said - they pretty much all suck. The big 3 need to figure out that there are a lot of choices for cars out there and you can't expect people to buy American just on principle and save your butt. You have to compete and right now, they have little to compete with, unfortunately.

I hope they figure it out, I really do. I love my Duramax and would love to think they will be around to buy another when the time comes.

 

[DavesTractor]

I've owned foreign and domestic, including BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, etc, but I prefer GM vehicles for the most part. It was a sad few decades starting in the seventies when quality was down and the mix of cars poor. But the GM vehicles I have had since the late nineties have been very good. I have 130K on a 2001 Corvette. I run it fairly hard, and obviously drive it often. I'm on the original clutch, in fact everything is original on the car, except for some general wear items. It'll get 30MPG on the freeway if I drive it gently, but will do a 4.6 second 0-60 and top out in excess of 170 mph. It's only fault is it seems to go through rear tires. My 2006 Duramax has been flawless, except for a steering column clunk that was covered under warranty. I had a 2006 Dodge Cummins dually, made in Mexico, and it was faultless also. I guess what I am saying is that most of the domestic cars built in the last few years are excellent. My daughter has 165K on a 1996 Cavalier and it still smogs great and gets 32-35 MPG on the highway. It's needed a water pump, alternator and an A/C compressor so far, but it's been a good car. But they made poor cars for decades and it is hard to get customers back. I went with Mercedes for a while, and I still like them, but I am very pleased with domestic product now. Too bad they waited so long to get their act together. Look at a new Cadillac CTS. Check out the new Malibu. Even read reviews for the new Cobalt SS. These cars stack up well against any car built anywhere.

I suspect they will have to totally reorganize, including the UAW contracts. That won't happen with a bailout, but could with a bankruptcy reorganization. Maybe I am just an optimist, but I think GM is here to stay, but it will be a different GM then we know today.

 

[CurlyDave]

I suspect they will have to totally reorganize, including the UAW contracts. That won't happen with a bailout, but could with a bankruptcy reorganization.

As I see it, any bankruptcy will wipe out all existing warranties. That is a really interesting problem for the car makers because the potential lack of a warranty makes used vehicles more attractive. All the early failures have been taken care of, and the lower price means a buyer has money to pay for a repair.

I don't think a bailout is going to work, and the reason is that unions are one of the big Democrat constituencies. The way I have hear it described is that the American auto makers are really benefits distribution companies who happen to make cars on the side.

What politician is going to tell the folks back home that he voted to cut off the pensions of retirees? So, a bailout will not cure the basic problem, out-of-control labor costs.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Yeah, domestic vehicles suck! Your warranties will be null and void! They'll re-posess your truck and sell it to someone else as part of the chapter 11 restructuring process!

Just keep spread this around. Then I'll walk on the lot and buy a brand new truck for a song. I've always bought used, so no warranty doesn't bother me at all. Parts availability doesn't scare me. There are enough vehicles out there that even if one of the big 3 goes under there will be an aftermarket parts manufacturer spring up in every state. That's the beauty of a capatalist economy. If there is a demand and some do-gooder doesn't make it illegal, there will be a supply.

Additionally, if any of the major car companies go under it's not like the factories, trained employees, infrastructure, and supply chain are all going to just dissolve into thin air. Someone is going to snatch up the assets and make something out of it. The only people who are going to be crippled by this are those who are unwilling to accept change and adapt to the new paradigm.

 

[Builder]

The warranties disappearing is a scary thought, but I don't see why they would. I would think that if one or all of the big 3 goes bankrupt and voids warranties on already sold vehicles, they know it's going to make existing customers upset and buy different brands.

Seems stupid to alienate your existing customer base that way, especially if it's already shrinking.

 

[SnowRidge]

If they reorganize under the bankruptcy laws, they will tell the court that they intend to honor their warranties. Anything else would be suicide. The reorganized company would not survive. The industry knows it. The courts understand it. The warranties will not go away.