What a glorious place to live....Dogfather country!

"if that were true we wouldn't be in this problem"

Yes, we would. As stated, my belief is, the problem with this began with oil prices. In 2003 when gas started its upward climb the big three were still making large vehicles to meet the demand for them. Even as of 2005-6 a good number of American people believed that the 'needed' a pickup or suv because they live in the suburbs and might want to purchase mulch... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

Only when gas hit and stayed over $3 a gallon did the demand for large trucks and suvs start to dry up. There frankly has not been enough time to switch over production to smaller cars, which still are not selling well due to the housing market collapse and the stock market.

One of the funniest things I have seen this year on the news is some jerk in a highly modified hummer H2 at a gas station bitching about gas prices. Of course he got the interview instead of the lady in the next lane in the Saturn sedan.

Another part of the problem is that the vehicle market, like so many other goods nowadays, is based on the concept of rapid turnover. Nothing at the "consumer level" is really intended to last more than 3 or 4 years (about the time it takes to pay off the loan to buy it in the first place), hence the massive advertising campaign to make people buy the current-year's model and the booming resale market. The industry is sort of dependent on the notion of people buying a lot of new cars every year "Just Because". When people are no longer able to do that, and are more interested in keeping old cars running longer...


Just a part, but it's there.

all i got to say is this...


IMAH BOUT TO BE A JUNK YARD DAWG~!!!!!!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I agree about the dependence on "rapid turnover". I told anyone who would listen a few years ago when there were big 0% interest + cash back ad campaigns that, while it might make short-term sense, it would be disastrous in the long term. I keep cars longer than most people (I'm driving a '96 Toyota 4-runner, and will continue to do so for as long as it remains reliable). However, I believe most people keep a car at least 5 years, many for 8 to 10. If they convinced people to buy a new car earlier that year, it was just going to be at the expense of sales in the following few years.

Additionally, as alluded to in a prior comment, I believe US car companies have not been competitive with Japanese and Korean manufacturers in the small car market. After having test driven a few used US cars with 4-cylinder engines recently, I believe that they went through the motions of making small cars to meet CAFE standards, but simply conceded that they would not be competitive in that sector, instead focusing on mid to full-size sedans, trucks, and SUVs.

In my opinion, if the US taxpayers "bail out" the big 3, there shouldn't be strings attached so much as cables. The US government should basically have the authority to "clean house". The auto industry is a strategic US resource, but has been managed with short-term year-to-year goals that have damaged the long-term health of the industry.

Unfortunately, due to the bonus and incentive structure that most corporations have established for top-level managers, strategies (long-term plans) are increasingly replaced with tactics (short-term objectives). Both have their place, but they are not interchangeable.

Does anyone who's looked at the way mortgages were processed, then certified after being packaged into MBSs and ABSs think that there was any concern given to the long-term impact of those actions? The results were not only foreseeable, but nearly inevitable. However, they generated a lot of quick cash so long as the people involved weren't concerned about it ever coming back on them.

Trying to get your 1K posts quicker, Jim? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I'm not planning to do much more tonight, but getting in a few does move me toward that goal. I've noted that I have #60 in the BDLE and MPLE, so I wanted to be in position to make JYD #60. Since reconseed just took #59, I want to make sure I'm next.

My initial reason for signing on was to leave feedback on BladeForums for a Green Linen BAD that I received today. I already had one in black G10, one in black & Red G10, two in black micarta, and two in tan micarta, but I missed that release. I think many consider tiger hide to be "the" premium handle material now that snake skin has been pretty much exhausted, but I prefer the clear lines between light/dark in many of the green linen handles, including the ones on my new BAD.

While I was online, I decided to check into the yard for a little while. I'll check back again tomorrow.

Your almost there!

Get on it Jim! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />