Jeremy Clarkson Forum

[welshwizard]

So, GM has gone down the toilet. Ford next. It's a matter of time, and if my last Focus and the servicing of it by various dealers is anything to go by, it's a dead dog and not worth saving. And lets ton forget JC's Ford GT. If the stories that were circulating at the time have any truth, it was a heap of shite.
At least here in the UK we have no car industry because we sold it all to the bloody Germans!

[100meterboy]

Hello welshwizard:

Yes, you are correct....the US car biz is done. As an American, it causes me great concern, but a duck is still a duck. The U.S. never really made spectacular cars, but at least back in the day they were fun and innovative (to a degree) when the engineers were allowed to have their say in the direction of concept and design. When the MBA's and bean counters took over, it was the beginning of the end. They began to build absolute junk in the name of pure profit and bottom line and never recovered. The U.S. can send men to the moon and back and the SR71 Blackbird that was twice (perhaps three times) as fast as a speeding bullet, but we can't build a lousy car that will run for two weeks without breaking down???? Of course, the fat and overpaid unions simply nailed the coffin shut including their own careers.....brilliant!! NOW this crazy Obama wants to appoint a "Car Czar" to oversee the new GM (Government Motors) from it's eminent demise. What a joke. I would like to ask Mr. Czar if he's ever changed his own oil let alone his working knowledge of cars as a whole. US auto assembly is going by the way of the Dodo Bird and deservedly so. The reason why I say "assembly" is that GM, Ford and Chrysler "assemble" cars, not build them. Ferrari "builds" cars. GM assembles parts from hundreds of lowest bidders....and we wonder why they're typically not worth a flip.

However, I think Ford may hang in there (maybe) as the government hasn't completely dipped their grubby fingers in Ford's soup bowl. In fact, Ford is ramping up for increased orders over the next quarter. Of course, this doesn't mean their cars are any better than before. I believe it may be due to the public here in the U.S. simply being fed up with GM and Chrysler and the $$$ we're dumping into their coffers to keep a load of near useless UAW workers well medicated on beer and Tylenol......all at our expense. As a consequence, we're going with Ford as at least on outward appearances they can manage their own house. Of course, the greenies wish we would ALL go away welshwizard: you, me, Jeremy Clarkson and and any other enthusiast that enjoys the trials of motoring. They don't care where we're from or who we are.......

Respectfully, the 100meterboy

[welshwizard]

I'm doing my bit for the environment. I'm currently running a 2.8 A4 Audi Quattro and a 1986 wr Audi Quattro. Both emit co values greater than 250ppm, and I regularly start them up and let them idle for half an hour or so just for the bloody hell of it.
The British car industry went down the same road many years ago of being controlled by bean counters, arrogantly striding along and squeezing the costs, and building cars to a price. The French car industry only exists thanks to their government sponsoring them, and if you've ever owned or driven one, you quickly discover their heaps of shite put together by a bunch of communist peasants. Italy is no better, with Fiat teetering on the edge for a good many years, but they did provide us all with a good laugh when they said they wanted to buy GM Europe.
So, how do the Japs and the Germans do it? Mass produced high quality, reliable cars. The Japs in particular do all this for a reasonable purchase price and service cost. The higher spec German panzers (Mercedes, BMW, Porsche and Audi) do come at a premium, but you get what you pay for is what I've learnt over the years. So, what's their secret? Answers on a post card to Barak Obama, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington. USA