GM and Chevy Quality

[Dodge Driver]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Which reminds me of a totally unrelated but kinda sad story...many of the decommissioned B-17 and B-24 bombers at the end of WWII (some planes were BRAND NEW, and flown straight from the factory to the graveyard in Kingman, Az.) were sold for the value of the fuel in the tanks, and scrapped, stripped of SOME useful components like engines, then melted down on the spot.

Bombers-to-beer-cans doesn't sound quite as noble as swords-to-plowshares.

 Kind of a tragic end for war-horses that served so well. I suppose that's what a battle-weary nation needing raw materials does, though.

Thanks for the response to my previous query as well.

[Aaronw]

6 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Which reminds me of a totally unrelated but kinda sad story...many of the decommissioned B-17 and B-24 bombers at the end of WWII (some planes were BRAND NEW, and flown straight from the factory to the graveyard in Kingman, Az.) were sold for the value of the fuel in the tanks, and scrapped, stripped of SOME useful components like engines, then melted down on the spot.

Bombers-to-beer-cans doesn't sound quite as noble as swords-to-plowshares.

 

I just need a time machine and a stack of $100 bills....

[Tom Geiger]

Yugo story..  back when they were new there was a $99 a month lease. My neighbor co-signed one of those for his daughter's shiftless boyfriend so he would have a car to find a job.  Boyfriend defaulted, and got dumped, so my neighbor took over the lease.  He figured for $99 a month, he'd just drive it to work. And he did so for the entire length of the lease. He said driven normally and maintained properly it was trouble free.

Lease term ended. Leasing company contacts him with a huge purchase price. He responds by telling them to pick up the car. They countered a few more times with lower prices.  He told them he didn't want the car at any price, so pick it up!  In the end they responded by sending him the title. They essentially abandoned it.  

So he pressed the issue and made them come and get it.  About a month later he gets a "leased car return assessment -  They wanted $1500 for "excessive wear" on the car.  He told them to stick it.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Tom Geiger

[ChrisBcritter]

On 1/22/2018 at 8:33 AM, alexis said:

The reviewer wrote the shifter worked with "all the smoothness of a baseball bat in a barrel full of coconuts."

Everybody wants to be Tom McCahill... 

[ChrisBcritter]

2 hours ago, Aaronw said:

I just need a time machine and a stack of $100 bills....

The government was selling B-17s surplus for $12,750 each outright, but you could get one for "educational or memorial" purposes for as little as $350 (the Air Force kept the title). My dad's Boy Scout troop had this one:

 

[Ridge Rider]

What an interesting, informative, meandering, but still civil thread.  Thanks everyone.  I would suspect quality decline in all cars after 2007 because of the economic meltdown.  It would be interesting to see real data on complaints and problems in this century.  I  would guess/bet they mirror the economy.  I'm happy with my pre  recession  Dodge Ram 04 and Chrysler 300c  06.  The Dodge had water pump, fuel pump, and clutch at 80-90k and the Chrysler had a bad cyl 6 lifter at 75k.  These  two combined were in the shop much less than the Chevy I had and I won't even talk about my Ford.  It's whatever makes you happy and I am happy with my current vehicles after some bad experiences.