Was automotive improvement partly the cause of their problems?

[punter]

Once is rare to drive a car over 100,000 miles now 200,000 is becomeing common. My car has 109,000 and it is better than most new ones that I have owned. The 1st car I drove that long was a 1962 Chevy Impala when I traded it in 1966 It had 114,000 and when you shifted gears it would shudder front to back.

So now with times tight do people simply drive longer between trades?

 

[punter]

Once it was rare. sorry

 

[Creeg]

Maybe.

I think a bigger part of the problem for GM is that, for the same price as a Chevy Impala, I can get a Honda Accord. Honda will run longer, with less maintenance and have a higher value when I trade it in. Why would anyone choose the Impala?

 

[punter]

True, but the jap companies are hurting also. Thus my question.

 

[Creeg]

True, but the jap companys are hurting also. Thus my question.

Yes, but they are not going under. I think the economy tanking last year will drive the weak sisters out of business. Which is what is happening now.

The fact that cars last longer now does hurt new car sales...there is no doubt. However, I heard today that used car prices are rising as dealerships have to give higher trade-in price to get the sale done on a new car.

 

[punter]

They may be increasing in the late models.

The low mileage garage kept older ones are still the best domain for the cash buyer. The banks have never financed those well.

Still seems to me that a car loses 1/2 of its value, retail to retail, in the 1st 4 to 5 years.

 

[Coldweather]

I still have my 1962 Pontiac Star Chief and my 1972 Oldsmobile Super Supreme Convertible. Drove both of them as a kid and kept them cause I loved them. They don't make them like these anymore. Still have my old SCUBA tanks in the back seats in both cause that was how I rolled. Loved that life and time. But nothing has changed except for the horn in the Star Chief don't beep as loud!


:toast:

 

[TomGshotput]

Not nearly as much of a problem as putting more cars on the road than drivers. Once you reach that level of saturation there is no possible way to keep selling more and more

For virtually all of automobile history, late model used cars have been the best deals. For some reason lots of people have always bought new and bought before they needed to

 

[Dave007inVegas]

Yes, but they are not going under. I think the economy tanking last year will drive the weak sisters out of business. Which is what is happening now.

The fact that cars last longer now does hurt new car sales...there is no doubt. However, I heard today that used car prices are rising as dealerships have to give higher trade-in price to get the sale done on a new car.

You are correct…

PARAMUS, N.J. (CBS)

Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.