Have YOU done your part to help out "the Big Three" this year?

[ddeclue]

I bought a 2008 Dodge Charger R/T back in January to replace a big Dodge Ram 4x4 3/4 ton 2500 P/U which was a gas guzzler and to become my primary car instead of my 13 year old Z28.

The only thing I don't absolutely love about this car is the payments. (Well also I prefer XM to Sirius but...)



Mine is in black, has the spoiler, the 345HP hemi and the MyGig Infotainment system. (Bluetooth handsfree phone, GPS with traffic alerts, Sirius/AM/FM radio, MP3/CD/DVD player with hard drive.)

It gets 23 MPG on regular gas as opposed to the truck which got 12. (The Camaro gets 30+ but requires premium gas).

Sound off if you bought a new car from GM, Ford or Dodge or one of their subsidiaries this year...

:patriot:

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[Breeze54]

1. Nope! I drive a Honda Civic, 35 mpg and it's 15 years old.

Nice looking car you have there! Enjoy those payments!! :P

[ddeclue]

3. They are steep ($600/month) but I plan to keep the car until the wheels fall off..

I bought the Camaro Z28 new in 1995 and still have it on the road after 188,000 miles 13 years later and it gets 30 mpg on the highway, 17 in the city and is a lot of fun to drive (convertible..)

[Breeze54]

26. Mine's a hard top convertable, 5 speed and is a blast to drive!

:hi:

$600.00 a MONTH!?! You'll have to live in it, if the economy
gets any worse, let alone waiting for the wheels to fall off!! :D

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I'd like to help them out...

Which way did they come in?


Thank you thank you I'm here all week!



I drive Toyotas, and have driven nothing else since 1980, to answer your question.

:P

[ddeclue]

6. I drove Mazdas in the late 80's and early 90's and then a VW Rabbit

too many repairs too hard to work on - I hate front wheel drive transverse mounted engine cars. I hate doing CV joint/half axle replacements too. I had to learn more about fixing cars that I never wanted to know driving Mazdas. VW is OK I guess but still hard to work on.

Doug D.

[sniffa]

4. No, I haven't

[JVS]

8. Aren't you ashamed? Don't you feel remorse for what you've done?

Well, all I can say is poor big 3.

[sniffa]

14. Whatever

You're just a shill for Big Big Three.

[JVS]

17. LOL!

[JVS]

5. Not a damned thing, I might look at some of their products late this month, but I make no promises..

[eleny]

7. No, but we own two Ford products and one GM

[sniffa]

18. But what have you done for them lately?

Shame on you.

[ddeclue]

28. Please be nice..this was supposed to be a positive thread...

:)

[eleny]

31. And here I thought my evasive reply would slide

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

9. I don't buy new cars. I bought a used Ford this year. I suppose that doesn't count. n/t

[ddeclue]

11. Indirectly...

you are keeping up the resale value and thereby making new car buyers more confident in their own purchase...

:)

[HEyHEY]

10. No, they don't make a product I want.

[ddeclue]

12. Be specific:

What do you want???

Doug D.

[HEyHEY]

19. An electric car of quality

[JVS]

23. Same here, but I also want it to serve draft beer from the dashboard.

[HEyHEY]

37. Good idea, an electric car can't hurt anyone, so may as well get rid of DUI legislation!

[ddeclue]

24. OK..

right now NOBODY has a quality electric car for sale in the USA including the Japanese mfg.

The last attempt at this was the GM EV1 in the 1990's.

GM will be selling the Volt in 2010.

If you can't wait for the Volt, you can have aftermarket conversions done on existing hybrids to add extra battery packs so that they can go further as all electrics.

[HEyHEY]

32. Untrue, you can get decent electric cars, they just aren't mass produced

For example.... http://www.itiselectric.com/

[ddeclue]

36. OK..but I'd rather convert a mass produced hybrid personally.

It will be easier to find parts 10 years from now unless you own your own machine shop and are an engineer.

[HEyHEY]

39. But see, that's why I've not bought anything from them.... they aren't selling it

Why should I have to convert another car? If I want a T-bone steak I don't buy a porterhouse and convert it.

[ddeclue]

43. Because it MAKES MORE SENSE to do so...

Remember the Yugo.. they disappeared and nobody could find parts for them..

Good luck with your Ineverheardofit brand car...

I have a friend who has a DeLorean - nice car but I bet it's a pain to have it worked on when there is no DeLorean Motors anymore.

Doug d.

[HEyHEY]

48. If I need a part, I'll go to dynasty and get it.

[ddeclue]

50. Dynasty???

:shrug:

Is this a Canadian car parts store???

Never heard of it..

[HEyHEY]

54. It's the maker of that car

[ddeclue]

55. OK but as I said you are counting on them not going out of business

which isn't really a good plan with a minor car company like this.

Also consider nobody will know how to work on your car unless you take it back to the factory.

This is where an aftermarket conversion of a hybrid has your no name car beat.

[HEyHEY]

56. Well, as it stands now, the big three are likely to go under before they do

[boozepusher]

13. Not yet,

but I did pay my taxes this year. That should be helping them soon.:puke:

[TheCowsCameHome]

15. I own three GM's and one Honda, but no corporate jets,

All bought and paid for some time ago, and all are in tip-top shape.

I'll keep each of them until they die.

After that, we'll see what the situation is at the time.

[gratuitous]

16. I couldn't possibly justify that

Thousands and thousands of dollars just for a personal conveyance? Nope, I couldn’t do it. Not as long as I can still walk, or take public transit, or pedal my bicycle. Far too extravagant.

[ddeclue]

20. You must live in a big city or small village in the Northeast.

Most Americans have no such choice.

[fudge stripe cookays]

61. Well...

MOST Americans can't afford a $600 car payment, but you got no problem with that.

[lapfog_1]

21. Yes, I paid $540 to have my 1994 Caravan repaired.

Broken fuel pump. 209K miles on it now. Since I've been laid off 2 months ago, that pretty much ended my plans to buy a "newer" car.

Oh, btw, watched the entire "who killed the electric car" and I figure that the primary reason GM killed it was that they couldn't make enough money from the ongoing repair work on the car. Combustion engines were simply a *lot* more profitable over the expected life of the vehicle.

[ddeclue]

27. I saw that too.. it was good.

They'll work to make sure things fail on the new electrics in a reasonably regular basis to insure repair revenue I'm sure.

Doug D.

[madrchsod]

22. nope--no money.... but if i had the money i`d buy this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEzVnlVyAlI&feature=related


sadly i`m to old for the ladies


i drove a 2006 dodge rental..i hated it. if i had the money i`d buy a first generation intrepid pushrod 6...dam good car expect the transmissions. 25-30mpg and had 245,000 miles and not a tick from the engine. after the second trans we gave up.

[ddeclue]

40. Dear Lord... what does that have 500 HP??

Mine is only 345. They had a 425 HP version but the gas mileage was even less than 23 and at the time gas price was a primary consideration in my trade-in.

[madrchsod]

51. i sold a 1972 Pontiac formula 400 with open hood and side exhaust

in 76 because gasoline went to 75ct a gallon. 10-12 mpg cause i drove the car to the edge

[endless october]

25. that's a beautiful car!

i will be doing my part in the next few years as my finances improve. currently have an '02 Mustang. i love the new challenger. i hope to find an excellent American vehicle to replace my current one. go UAW!

[onethatcares]

29. you're kidding me, right?

I got out of the construction industry in March of this year, I took a 400.00 a week drop in earnings to have a basically sound job during this downturn. Now, out of $2200.00 a month, comes a mortgage payment of 600.00, utitilities, gas for a 98 chev 2500 (paid for two years now), 250.00 a month homeowners insurance, 200.00 a month food. My wife picks up some of the other incidentals, like her gas, the health insurance, and her credit card bills (after health insurance she brings in 1400.00 a month.). I don't see myself buying a 30K car in the near future, or the recent past.

Hope you can keep it, and keep up with the entire economy.

[ddeclue]

33. I've been unemployed 10 weeks this year myself too...

Bought the car in January after 5 years at the same job and feeling safe about it...

If I knew then that this would happen I wouldn't have done it but gotta stick with it now and make the best of the situation..

Fortunately I'm finally re-employed and hopefully will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

[ret5hd]

30. So now, not only must we shop to be patriotic...

we must shop for a car. And not just any car. It must be new, not used. And made by one of the "big three", regardless of where it was actually made. Because we owe them. Do I understand correctly?

[JVS]

35. And not only must we buy this car, but we must also be happy to have our government give...

$25,000,000,000 in unsecured loans to the companies.

[BeatleBoot]

41. You can do whatever you want to do

It's a free country.

Enjoy!

[HEyHEY]

42. Yes, it's patriotic to support the people who shipped jobs to other countries.

[ddeclue]

44. No you overstate the case and take this thread FAR too seriously..

:)

[maddezmom]

34. not this year, but bought 2 new cars last year

One a Ford product and the other a Honda product.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

38. I don't think so. I bought a used Ford...

Ranger this year. I think most of it was made in Canada...

[TheCowsCameHome]

45. No, not until they offer an unlimited BJ option

Along with all the other must-have accessories.

Otherwise, not interested right now.]

:P

[Bozvotros]

46. Just an oil filter for my Sable.

Sorry.

[ddeclue]

47. Motorcraft thanks you sir!

:patriot:

[Taverner]

49. Yes - I drove a Prius!

I own one, because of this crazy ass decision to drive something responsible in 2003.

And maybe the Big 3 can take a lesson from this - gas costs MONEY!!! Who woulda thunk?

The only reason I support any kind of bailout is the UAW. Other than that , the CEO's can FUCK THEMSELVES GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW.

[ContinentalOp]

52. No. Why the hell should I?

:shrug:

[flvegan]

53. No. I won't buy a car new, and they didn't make anything the fit what I wanted.

Had I the money, I'd buy a new Vette, though. A ZR1 if I had THAT money.

[mitchum]

57. I paid my taxes

[leftofthedial]

58. I couldn't buy a new car if they cost $5000.

I would have bought a Chevy HHR if I had any money.

[ronnykmarshall]

59. Picked up one of these.

[OwnedByFerrets]

60. Both my cars are more than 12 yrs old. I cant afford a new one. I'm

glad someone can.

[Harry Monroe]

62. Nope, and I never will buy from the "Big Three" unless their cars improve

I have owned a '88 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais which was in the shop more than it was on the road and ditto for a '98 Ford Windstar. My first car was a '79 Toyota Corolla; ran it into the ground with no problems whatsoever. I currently own a '94 Geo Prizm (Geo used to be a subsidiary of Cheverolet) which has a Toyota engine under the hood. I'll never get rid of that car. I also own a '07 Toyota Matrix. I love both cars and neither has yet to give me any problems whatsoever.

[madmom]

63. Foriegn cars are "walmarting" the big 3!