Car Dealerships: The Good & The Bad

Nissan Frontier, used preferred

Fatrat said:

Nissan Frontier, used preferred

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Try to get a 2003 or older.

Nissan, about 2000, was taken over essentially by Renault. Remember Renault? They took over American Motors, and discontinued dated-but-reliable models like the Concord (formerly, Hornet) and Spirit (former Gremlin) in favor of R9-derived American models, the Alliance and Encore.

The problem with Renault is...despite responsible financial management, despite leadership with morals - they treated AMC as a valued property, unlike how Daimler-Benz treated the whole of Chrysler - in spite of that, they don't understands the fundamentals of their business. THEY CANNOT ENGINEER RELIABLE CARS.

So, Renault bailed on AMC, selling it to Chrysler; and instead made a play for Nissan. Nissan had many of the same problems that AMC did in the States, with the advantage of superior engineering. They just had lost the script - having little long-term planning, with unimaginative product.

I thought it would be a good linkup. Renault could teach Nissan how to design exciting auto models - appealing style, novel logistics. Nissan could teach Renault how to beef up their products, so they last longer than 100,000 km.

The opposite happened. Renault cheapened Nissan engineering. The Nissan lineup got SOMEWHAT more appealing, but still lagged behind other Japanese companies. And Nissan developed a terrible reputation.

The early Frontiers, as well as the Hardbody models before it, are bulletproof. Not so great as the 1970s Datsun trucks, but with real value, proven durability.

I'd stay far from later models, however.

Fatrat said:

This right here is why I hate dealerships...I took the hybrid in to have in inverter coolant, radiator fluid, and oil changed a couple of months ago, now hood won't open. Can I prove they did it, nope.

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That (expletive) is what I used to see in Chevrolet dealerships 45 years ago.

I thought that with the Japanese invasion, the How-Can-We-Help-You? attitude Toyota brought to their car dealerships, we were past that.

I had a Chevette I bought in 1978. Brake warning light came on. Damn dealer's "warranty repair" involved cutting the power line to the switch for the light; and then dropping the hood shut on the roll of electrical tape set on the depressed part of the fender that the edge of the hood overlaps.

The hood was permanently twisted up. Not buckled, but obvious; and the only real fix was a replacement hood. I didn't get it, wasn't offered it.

An independent shop had to really fix the warning light.

And TO THIS DAY I will not buy a car from Garbage Motors.

That is why I wonder about buying certain brands of cars, will there be anyone around to honor the warranties...

Fatrat said:

That is why I wonder about buying certain brands of cars, will there be anyone around to honor the warranties...

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Now ya did it. You had to put that out...dipping into my ocean of trivia and personal anecdotes, of the auto industry.

My old man was...unique. His whole life and history made him that way...long story. But, a German-American kid with a future ahead in engineering...he found himself on the front lines, American uniform, during the final push of WWII. Liberation of Paris (had less than a day there, move it on, troops, we got a war to win) and final push to Berlin.

And then, post-combat duties, driving Allied brass around in jeeps. Because he knew the landscape. (Later used as a translator for death-camp documents...another story).

Like most GIs, he developed a real affection for Jeeps. He always wanted one. UNLIKE most former GIs, he didn't just buy a surplus Jeep, or a later updated CJ. Wasn't practical, so he chose not to do it.

But living in Great Lakes snow country, he did see a need for 4wd...this, long before it was popular.

Willys, the Jeep people, changed, too. Willys was bought by Kaiser - the Liberty Ship people, also the owners of the failed Kaiser-Frazer car line. So Willys-Overland became Willys Motors Div. of Kaiser, and then Kaiser-Jeep.

My old man's company-car perq went away in 1968, and that was about the time that the prototype SUV, the Jeep Wagoneer, had pretty-much proven itself. Introduced in 1963, it sold well, and then better; and in 1968, they adopted Buick engines. For a short time, as it turned out. Styling, of course, was conservative and based on early-1960s GM wagons.

My old man bought one. My mother blew a gasket - she had spent six years fighting the quality-control problems of a 1962 Rambler ("The Miracle Car!" said the ad copy) and nastily asked him if maybe he wouldn't like a Checker station wagon, better.

As it turned out, the Wagoneer was a lemon. Hindsight showed why: Sales exploded for Jeep, which had one small assembly line where ALL their cars were made, except for military trucks, which were made in a plant in South Bend. Kaiser Jeep, part of Kaiser Industries, was owned by Henry Kaiser outright - who had died a year earlier. Estate taxes meant the company would probably be broken up. In that environment, as well as the new regulatory fog, meant Kaiser-Jeep wouldn't be expanding their production facilities.

So they pushed out their Jeep models faster, and quality suffered.

Meaning there were a LOT of warranty claims. Everything from paint to wiring to mis-assembled transfer-case mounting, to broken spring leaves.

In the midst of that, Kaiser's heirs and Kaiser Industries directors, cut a deal with American Motors to sell the company to AMC. There's a long backstory on that, but that's the Cliff Notes story.

VERY...FIRST thing AMC did was, disallow ALL warranty claims against Kaiser Jeep. New company, new brand, we know NUFF-INK about those things that look like cars we're now selling.

So one of my old man's major claims went into arbitration. They had a particularly nasty AMC man as the company representative, who told him, basically: You do whatever you want with your Jeep. Fix it or sell it. But you're paying for it.

And so it was. With that move, several companies lost any hope of future business. No Wheel Horse garden tractor sold (an AMC product, back then); no replacement Jeep; no Eagle 4x4, which would have been closer to my father's needs, later on.

He later moved to Dodge-branded cars, but he'd probably have given them up after Chrysler became one with AMC to buy Jeep.

And he was FURIOUS with me that I bought a surplus Postal Jeep. NO AMC OR JEEP CARS IN MY DRIVEWAY! PARK IT DOWN THE STREET...


Point of this little diatribe is, there's gonna be a lot moar of that. Between insane regulation for smog and fuel economy, and this fetish with battery cars, I think most, or all, present manufacturers will be bankrupted or sold under negative circumstances. Ford is gonna fail. GM, I can't see making it. Stellantis is going to retreat to Europe, to sell Alfa Romeros to Davos members...and will sell the Jeep brand to the Chin.

Toyota, failing in meeting Obamaregulation on fuel economy (all these twin-turbo V6s that are failing with 10,000 miles) may well retreat to the Third World. Make primitive cars for a developing world - cars that last forever, like the old VW Beetle.

Nissan is gonna fail, soon. Mazda...who knows? Force-sale to Toyota, the way the Japanese brand Prince was force sold into Nissan, 50 years ago. The Japanese way.

Most of us are going to be walking, I fear.

Watching YouTube videos I realized something I'd overlooked on car buying....I'm retired now, SS and my pension will cover it, or I can pay cash, but how do you buy a car after you retire?

Fatrat said:

but how do you buy a car after you retire?

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If you're looking for the mechanics, it's no difference than if you were working. Pick out what you want to buy, arrange financing or pay with cash.

If you go with financing, see what the dealership can offer vs your bank or cu. If you do a cash deal, there should be no problems.

I've been retired about 10 years now and bought a new car in July 2023. I did a cash deal. Car had to be ordered, so I put $500 down with a check - which wasn't cashed until I actually picked up the car. When the car came in (maybe 2 or 3 weeks) the salesman called and said the car was ready and that all I would need was a personal check. Picked up the car the next day. Had no problems.

Fatrat said:

Watching YouTube videos I realized something I'd overlooked on car buying....I'm retired now, SS and my pension will cover it, or I can pay cash, but how do you buy a car after you retire?

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They only check credit and verify income. They don't care where it comes from.

Even if your loan will last longer than your actuarial-table life expectancy...they don't care. The Finance people are just loan engineers. Once it's approved, they turn the loan paper over to the lender or loan broker (who sells the loan) and they get their payment for the unit. Out of their hands and off their desks.

Good.

Stellantis has been worse for the former American brands, than Daimler-Benz was to Chrysler, 20 years ago.

They're dead brands anyway. Chrysler, one model. Dodge, an electric Alfa Romeo model, that nobody wants.

Jeep, heavily loaded with electric crap. Electric, to go off-road? Electric, with 4wd in the cold? NO WAY.

Plus, a LOT of $100k-plus models.

Ram is doubling-down on the six-figure trucks - THAT NO ONE CAN AFFORD, now.

And no one wants Fiat, now.

It's sad...but it's all gonna go down. Sergio Sweaterman engineered the merger of FCA with Peugeot, BECAUSE FCA WAS NOT WORKING. When you have a failing multinational manufacturer, the logical thing to do is merge it to make it bigger, right? It's probably merciful that Sergio died on an operating table...all that Free Healthcare in Italy.

Now you have a Belgian soup-slop conglomerate filled with American brands no one can afford and European makes no one wants. Stellantis is REALLY good a creating new logos and paying bonuses to the top looters and asset-strippers; but it's got a life expectancy less than that of President Depends.

Owner of Charlotte dealership makes citizen’s arrest to stop alleged car thief​

The owner of a south Charlotte car dealership took matters into his own hands, performing a citizen’s arrest when he came across a man accused of stealing one of his cars.

On June 7, surveillance video captured the moment Jeffery Snipes turned from an alleged customer into a suspected thief.

In the video, Snipes peeled out of the parking lot of the used car dealership in a $30,000 Mercedes. A dealership worker ran after the car, nearly getting hit himself.

“He wanted to see the car,” Riyad Omar said.

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GM and Hyundai agree to explore collaboration on vehicles and manufacturing to reduce capital spending​

• General Motors and Hyundai Motor said they have entered into an agreement to explore “future collaboration across key strategic areas” in an effort to reduce capital spending and increase efficiencies.
• Potential areas of interest include production of passenger and commercial vehicles, internal combustion engines, and electric and hydrogen technologies.
• The agreement, a nonbinding memorandum of understanding, comes as the automotive industry has renewed its focus on capital efficiency following years of aggressive spending.

DETROIT — General Motors and Hyundai Motor have entered into an agreement to explore “future collaboration across key strategic areas” in an effort to reduce capital spending and increase efficiencies, the companies announced Thursday.

The automakers’ potential areas of interest include co-development and production of passenger and commercial vehicles, internal combustion engines, and clean-energy, electric and hydrogen technologies, they said in a joint press release.

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Stellantis Dealers Blame CEO for the 'Disaster'​

Carlos Tavares was named CEO and Chairman of Group PSA in 2014. When the French conglomerate merged with Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles in 2021, he became the first CEO of Stellantis. But American dealers aren't exactly thrilled with how the 66-year-old Portuguese businessman is steering the ship.

In an open letter to Tavares, the US Stellantis National Dealer Council accused the CEO of leading the world's fourth-largest automaker toward a "disaster." Dealers are particularly unhappy with how the head honcho banked nearly $40 million last year. In addition, the big boss is criticized for causing the "rapid degradation" of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler.

Jeep sales fell 9% in the first half of 2024 while Ram dropped by 26%. Chrysler suffered an 8% decline while Dodge was down by 16%.

Contacted by Automotive News, Stellantis said public personal attacks are not the way to go. Available in PDF format, the open letter highlights the huge concerns dealers in the United States have about where Stellantis is heading:

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This one is a bit different.

searcher said:

This one is a bit different.

One of the Nation’s Largest Auto Lenders Told Customers, “We’re Here to Help.” Then It Took Their Money and Their Cars.

CarMax partner Exeter Finance makes high-interest loans to people with troubled financial histories. It allows borrowers to skip payments but often adds thousands of dollars in new charges — costs that customers say Exeter didn’t tell them about.

www.propublica.org

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It's never easy or good when you're borrowing money you cannot afford to repay.

When you're obligated to take loans with these subprime usury houses, you can expect things to go rough. Also, you can expect not to get a lot of legal protection - THEY have protection, because they operate on the grey edges of law. And they do so because of connections and/or graft.

I borrowed from CarMax - for a short time, six weeks, while waiting for insurance reimbursment. But I didn't know for certain that it would work out that way. The loan was 3 years - and CarMax financed in-house, and their interest was lower than either of my two credit unions.

There were snafus with the paperwork, but not criminal. Obvious incompetence. They issued the title twice - after they'd completed the transfer, and the title was mailed to me (Montana is a no-hold state, even car-owners with a loan, get their title delivered) they RE-mailed it. Neither title was noted as cancelled; it was done twice, on two separate title-transfer forms.

Then I paid off the note, with insurance reimbursment. Only got a lien-removal form on one of the titles. Had to take it down to the title office, and have them work it through, to sort out that there was only one title, it was paid for, lien removed. Cost me $30 in lost-title fees to get that un-snarled.

But it wasn't avarice, only incompetence.

searcher said:

Stellantis Dealers Blame CEO for the 'Disaster'​

Carlos Tavares was named CEO and Chairman of Group PSA in 2014. When the French conglomerate merged with Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles in 2021, he became the first CEO of Stellantis. But American dealers aren't exactly thrilled with how the 66-year-old Portuguese businessman is steering the ship.

In an open letter to Tavares, the US Stellantis National Dealer Council accused the CEO of leading the world's fourth-largest automaker toward a "disaster." Dealers are particularly unhappy with how the head honcho banked nearly $40 million last year. In addition, the big boss is criticized for causing the "rapid degradation" of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler.

Jeep sales fell 9% in the first half of 2024 while Ram dropped by 26%. Chrysler suffered an 8% decline while Dodge was down by 16%.

Contacted by Automotive News, Stellantis said public personal attacks are not the way to go. Available in PDF format, the open letter highlights the huge concerns dealers in the United States have about where Stellantis is heading:

More:

MSN

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Been watching this with interest. It seems Senior Tavares found his level of incompetence.

He made his name running a small, almost fringe, auto conglomerate - PSA, parent of Peugeot. Small French maker of throwaway cars for people who want cars for status, in a culture that punishes car ownership.

He landed in the big-time when FCA bought them - using the same insight Fiat used when buying the ruins of Chrysler. Then, of course, Sergio Marchionne died on the operating table - dead of government healthcare - and the merger was already in action. No one was there to take Sergio's place but Tavares.

He's smug, greedy and incompetent - he thinks he can increase Stellantis' bottom line by cutting lower-priced models and jacking the prices on those left. Obviously he's an economic illiterate, and cannot understand that even in America, no one can or should spend $100k for a DEPRECIATING ASSET, a TRANSPORTATION appliance that has a fixed use life. And often, now, with all the required complex electronics, a much-shorter life than what previously-offered products would deliver.

Now he's flailing. He doesn't even WANT most of the Chrysler mix. He's tried to re-badge a Maserati (crap snob Italian brand) model into a Dodge. Buyers aren't having it. Chrysler has only one model, an aging minivan that doesn't hold up. The cars people want, are now gone - some by Fuddrel regulation, some because Carlos doesn't make enough money on them.

I think either a bankruptcy of Chrysler Group (not the whole of Stellantis) or a sale to China, is gonna happen. In weeks.

Nissan Frontier Driver Finds Missing Frame Welds on Certified Pre-Owned Truck​

A Nissan Frontier driver is now concerned for his fellow owners after discovering his truck was sold to him with a defective frame. Though the pickup was certified by a dealer, it turned out to have problems that required Nissan to step up and replace it. The process of getting compensation has been grueling, and often left the owner feeling hung out to dry.

Mathew Bossinger recounted his experience to The Drive, which began when he bought a 2023 Frontier 4×4 crew cab from Woodhouse Place in Omaha, Nebraska. He said he purchased the truck as a certified pre-owned unit with just 14,000 miles on it, and that it was meant to be a retirement gift to himself after serving in the Army for 16 years. Bossinger said he traded in two of his family’s vehicles for the truck, whose purchase he finalized through his brother-in-law, a salesman at Woodhouse Place Mazda.

Because the truck was stocked at Woodhouse Place Nissan, that meant he was forfeiting his CPO warranty. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been a problem, but this didn’t turn out to be your typical CPO car purchase. Six weeks after buying the truck, Bossinger started hearing strange noises coming from underneath.

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11:54

Such a defect wouldn't have been found doing a pre-sale prep and evaluation. They look at wear, and functioning of transmission, driveline aspects, tire wear, brakes...that sort of thing.

Factory structural defects, they wouldn't have been looking for, or found. Probably the person evaluating the truck, either didn't hear the noise or didn't want to know about it.

This is why the manufacturer of the car or truck, MATTERS. Kia is not Toyota; and Nissan is lower than either of them. Wasn't always that way, but Nissan got Renault-ized, the last 20 years.

searcher said:

Stellantis Dealers Blame CEO for the 'Disaster'​

Carlos Tavares was named CEO and Chairman of Group PSA in 2014. When the French conglomerate merged with Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles in 2021, he became the first CEO of Stellantis. But American dealers aren't exactly thrilled with how the 66-year-old Portuguese businessman is steering the ship.

In an open letter to Tavares, the US Stellantis National Dealer Council accused the CEO of leading the world's fourth-largest automaker toward a "disaster." Dealers are particularly unhappy with how the head honcho banked nearly $40 million last year. In addition, the big boss is criticized for causing the "rapid degradation" of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler.

Jeep sales fell 9% in the first half of 2024 while Ram dropped by 26%. Chrysler suffered an 8% decline while Dodge was down by 16%.

Contacted by Automotive News, Stellantis said public personal attacks are not the way to go. Available in PDF format, the open letter highlights the huge concerns dealers in the United States have about where Stellantis is heading:

More:

MSN

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More about Stellantis.

UAW union files unfair labor charges against Stellantis, accuses automaker of violating contract​

• The United Auto Workers union on Monday said it had filed federal unfair labor practice charges against Stellantis.
• The UAW alleged the automaker had violated contract terms and is attempting to move production of the Dodge Durango out of the U.S.
• The charges are the latest action by the union against Stellantis, which has drawn the ire of UAW leaders for production cuts, layoffs and other actions.

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union on Monday said it had filed federal unfair labor practice charges against Stellantis for allegedly violating contract terms and attempting to move production of the Dodge Durango out of the U.S.

The charges are the latest action the union has taken against Stellantis, which has drawn the ire of UAW leaders for production cuts, layoffs and other actions since the two sides reached a new contract last year.

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Car Dealer Employee Convicted of Carjacking In Bad Repossession​

Oct 13, 2024

It happened in Florida.

11:51

For those who like to read..................

Miami federal jury convicts dealership employee of carjacking cust…​

&

Miramar car dealer’s dad faces federal armed carjacking charge for repossessing a vehicle

A man whose son owns a Miramar used car dealership is facing more than 12 years in prison after he tried to repossess a car for non-payment in the parking lot of a Miami Tri-Rail station last year. Erik Hadad, 58, of Aventura, had a handgun tucked in his waistband when he followed Schneider Jean...

www.yahoo.com

Stellantis to shutter and sell large testing facility amid cost-cutting efforts​

• Automaker Stellantis plans to close and sell its large vehicle proving grounds in Arizona at the end of this year, CNBC has learned.
• The Arizona Proving Grounds, used to develop and test vehicles, covers 4,000 acres between Phoenix and Las Vegas in Yucca, Arizona.
• The decision is the latest cost-cutting measure by the trans-Atlantic automaker under CEO Carlos Tavares.

DETROIT — Automaker Stellantis plans to shutter and sell its large vehicle proving grounds in Arizona at the end of this year, CNBC has learned.

The decision is the latest cost-cutting measure by the trans-Atlantic automaker under CEO Carlos Tavares, who has been increasingly under pressure from Wall Street, dealers and the United Auto Workers union amid the company’s lagging financial performance, layoffs and overall business decisions.

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Stellantis is strip-mining the American divisions - which obviously PSA/Peugeot and its current head, Tavares, do not want.

The strip-mining is obvious. New products are shoddily engineered - in Italy. The 2024 police-pursuit models were so poorly done, with cooling and transmission problems, the Indiana State Police is suing Stellantis. It has taken its NEW patrol units out of service to be sold as surplus, and is suing the French-Italian crap-car maker.

Ram and Jeep models' prices have exploded; they discontinued the lower-price Ram 1500 pickup, made in Belvedere, Illinois; and now make ALL their trucks in Mexico. Hundred-thousand-dollar PICKUPS are now commonplace - made in Mexico and engineered like crap.

They seem to be provoking the UAW into a strike; and IMHO, that is the cover they will use to bankrupt the Chrysler LLC division. Jeep and what's left of Chrysler are either just erased or sold to the Chinese.

And then Stellantis can do what they REALLY want - sell crappy Fiats and overpriced Maseratis and Alfas to Europeans. The few who can afford them.

Somewhat related.

OUT OF BUSINESS! It Starts HERE For JEEP, DODGE And RAM!​

Nov 1, 2024
It's to the point now, where most people cannot afford to buy a brand new car and simultaneously people that own used cars 30% of them are underwater on their auto loan. Meaning they owe more on those cars than what they're actually worth which means they have a hard time trading them in for another car. In the past four years, everything went from relatively OK to completely financially upside down on just about everything you can think of.

19:29

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Car dealer who will be US Senator says he and Trump want to overhaul car industry​

The first car dealer ever elected to the U.S. Senate says the Trump agenda for the U.S. auto industry is one that, if enacted, would upend the strategy Detroit's automakers have spent billions of dollars pursuing: The transition to electric cars.

For one thing, Republicans will look to freeze fuel economy standards for at least a decade — which would slow EV adoption and anger environmentalists. A second Donald Trump administration may also look to take away California's ability to set its own strict emissions standards. Also, it is likely to repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, including the $7,500 tax credit consumers receive now toward the purchase of an EV, a benefit that's helped the Detroit automakers sell the cars.

Trump's agenda could also include rewarding companies with big tax breaks if they build cars in the United States. These initiatives were laid out to the Detroit Free Press in an exclusive interview with Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer who won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate from Ohio. Moreno said he and Trump, who endorsed each other, have discussed the industry and "I think we are on the same page here."

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Why American Cars Are So Expensive​

Nov 10, 2024 #CNBC

Cars once promised independence and transportation for all Americans. Now, they are a luxury product that cost about $50,000, nearly 30% higher than just a few years ago. Affordable vehicles, especially those below the price of $20,000, have nearly disappeared. And while Automakers pulled in record profits in 2023, slim margins combined with deep investments into EV batteries, software and other technology is making it hard to produce cars much cheaper. Chinese automakers can, but they're impeded by tariffs and rules. Insiders say that is just a bandage - automakers need to compete.

13:52

Chapters:
00:56 Title card - Why American automakers can’t make cheap cars
1:05 Chapter 1 - Affordability
3:02 Chapter 2 - How cars got so expensive
6:07 Chapter 3 - Making a cheaper car
9:08 Chapter 4 - Competing with China

I always got the feeling that American companies refused to make a quality cheap car, which is how all those other companies snuck into the USA.

searcher said:

Cummins Is Basically Begging Truck Owners to Update Their Emissions Software to Avoid More Fines

Cummins needs as many trucks as possible to get the emissions update installed, or it'll have to pay fines beyond its $2 billion EPA settlement.

www.thedrive.com

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That's how those "public-private partnerships" usually work out. The public owns the private, and the private assumes the role of servant, and then chattel.

The Chevron Defense has been overturned - regulations ARE NOT LAWS. The EPA HAS NO AUTHORITY, and it's time someone took this ruling and expanded it.

Those truck owners would be crazy to have their systems "updated" to add operating cost and difficulty...which is what comes of this emissions insanity.

Fatrat said:

I always got the feeling that American companies refused to make a quality cheap car, which is how all those other companies snuck into the USA.

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It's a long story, and a pendulum arc...but government micromanagement is a new wrinkle.

When the auto emerged, what made Henry Ford's cars so different, was not just that they were crude and cheap - they were also durable. Other makers often had fragile assemblies; the Model T was built like a tractor.

Unfortunately for Old Henry, technology was racing ahead. As it does with nascent industries. Model Ts were junked, not for being worn out, but for having old technologies. Planetary pedal-controlled gearboxes, wooden wheels, crank starter, 15 horsepower, and a top speed of 30...when the cars by upstart maker Chevrolet would do 80 mph (if you dared, on those primitive springs) with a constant-mesh gearbox.

The Model A, which Edsel Ford assured his father would be as strong as the T...didn't have nearly the production run. It was obsoleted in five years. And As disappeared from the highways about as fast. The new GM obsession with STYLE...led to Harley Earle's Planned Obsolescence.

That's where we were right up into the 1950s. But people were sick of it.

The postwar imported cars were worse - as anyone who owned a Hillman or a Renault Dauphine could tell you. Fragile garbage, intended for European cities' use.

Except, of course, the VW Type 1, the Beetle.

Ferdinand Porsche, designer...at the time he designed it, he was on the same wavelength as Henry Ford. he wanted rugged and utilitarian; and he got a big assist from the Hitler government. They wanted the propaganda value of such an attainable, durable car...they got a bit of it, but none were made for the German public before the war's conclusion.

But in the 1950s...Americans over 25, who had served in the war, mostly sneered at it. But the younger set? They loved it. Strong-like-bull. Not in engine power, but in what it would take...so different from a tailfin Chevrolet. And the 1950 looked JUST LIKE the 1960, except the 1960 had more horsepower and was better built, not cheapened. This was, to the kids, auto Nirvana.

And that continued, except that the American makers eventually tried to up their quality, with some success. And VW ran into market-share problems in the 1970s - and a German fringe maker, NSU (which owned the Wankel patents) was in receivership.

The West German government forced VW to absorb NSU. What happened was that, with VW management in flux, following the death of Heinz Nordhoff, NSU managers essentially took over VW from within.

The Rabbit/Golf? That was an NSU design that hadn't yet made it to market. AND, as it turned out, was as flimsy as other eurotrash cars. That was the end of VW's period as a maker of quality cars.

MEANTIME....THE JAPS.

Japan needed exports, and they had plenty of factories making war trucks. That had to stop. What to do? Export cars, to get dollars, to buy rice. So Nissan and Toyota licensed key British and Western designs and components (the Nissan standard engine for 20 years, was an Austin knockoff under license).

The cars were extraordinarily well-made, but NOT durable. Americans eagerly bought but were disappointed.

The Japanese listened - Toyota, especially. Toyota had played with exciting cars, but chose, in the end, to go the Henry Ford route. For 30 years, until just recently, Toyotas were indestructible - roaches of the road. Lessons learned on the original FJ military-utility truck, were applied all across the product line, and Toyota brought quality to new heights.

That kind of thing costs, in terms of investment. That's the kind of thing that American companies, with their chaotic stock ownership and focus on quarterly profits...they cannot deal with. Chrysler tried in the 1980s, and almost got there...but Daimler-Benz saw their war chest, got Bob Eaton (Lido's replacement CEO) onboard, and did a fraudulent "Merger of Equals." What Jurgen Schrempp intended, was a merger of Chrysler financial accounts, with Daimler financial control.

In that period, even the "quality" euro-brands like DB, BMW, Rolls, cheapened out. Jag and Rolls were sold to non-British. BMW started trading on its past reputation, while cutting quality and not supporting older product. VW's CEO famously said, they didnt' want to support older products - because customers should do the right thing and buy another new VW car.

American makers also became Woked. It was all about the CHEAPEST - and, quality? What's that? Chevy Aveo. Ram trucks all made in Mexico. Ford Festiva, a rebadged Kia.

That is where we are, now...the Woke mind-worm has infected the Elite Management Class, who in their madness, have come to hate their customers. And products, all products but especially autos, reflect this.

Has Volkswagen Lost Its Way?​

Nov 29, 2024

Europe’s largest economy is in trouble and Volkswagen is at the heart of the crisis.
The German carmaker is facing existential challenges due to mismanagement, competition from China and the rise of electric vehicles.
With announced job cuts and planned factory closures on the way, the pressure is on for Volkswagen to turn things around.

9:31

00:00 - 01:00
1:00 - 2:00 - VW & Germany: A History
2:00 - 3:30 The Crisis
3:30 - 4:37 - China
4:37 - 5:40 - Cities & Workforce
5:40 - 6:33 - Employee Impact
6.33 - 9:30 - The Turnaround Plan

Dealership Turns to Facebook for Help Recovering Stolen Truck​

Nov 29, 2024

It happened in NH.

8:26

He's going to BLOW UP our Mercedes dealership!?​

Nov 29, 2024 #VINwiki #MercedesBenz #CarStories

Terry Haigh worked in the car business for over 40 years but this was the craziest day of his career!

10:47

State Accuses Car Dealer of Leasing USED Cars as NEW​

Dec 6, 2024

This happened in Michigan.

13:48

Like to read.................

This is currently for sale in the small town near me. Seriously considering it. 40 hp with a top speed of 45 mph. Good enough to get me to the golf course and back. I think it would be fun.