General Motors is BANKRUPT!

[Danny]

Well folks, General Motors is BROKE! However the U.S Government officially owns 60% of the company and 20% from the U.A.W. More plants will be closed, several plants will be idle for the summer. Over 1100 dealerships will be close and several car brands like Saturn to Hummer will be defunct! This is sad day for Detroit and a victory from the Japanese and Europeans like the have beaten the Americans.

They probably having a party in their offices right about now.

[tetsua]

I think the sad thing about this for a Detroiter, is that we saw this day coming for a few years now. GM was simply too big, and not viable in that state. Hopefully it will be restructured, and have a better business model.

[Buy American]

This is to all consumers who purchased foreign automobiles.....

WHAT YOU DRIVE, DRIVES AMERICA!
OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

If those words never meant a thing to any of you before I'll bet you're feeling the heat now.

Too bad that when it came time to purchase a new car, the perceived notion that "foreign is better" lead citizens to buy foreign instead of supporting an American industry, whether it be Chrysler, Ford OR GM.

What a terrible shame that it has come to this for the Country and especially for Detroit and Michigan.

[Dan]

I drive a Honda, it blows away my last car, a Mazda, I mean Ford Probe.

I bought my Honda because the price was right, and it was the safest car in its class, not to mention it gets 30 mpg, and it had rave reviews across the board. At almost 200,000 miles, it’s a work horse, and I have yet to have any major problems [[knock on wood). It is a great automobile.

If in 2000, when I bought my car, GM had a car with all those qualities I would have purchased a GM car, but that was not the case. [[That said my next car will be American made, either Ford or GM).

You cannot blame the consumer, GM has been out of touch with a large section of the market for years. Blame the leadership at GM for the mess they/we are in.

If GM still made the EV-1 they would be selling like hot cakes right now.

[mjs]

I'm looking at the Focus, Cobalt, Civic, and Corolla. Buy American, the only one thats not American made is the Focus. If Focus or Cobalt were on their third generation hybrid, rather than Civic, I'd buy one of those. If I want to buy what has the most profit for my American owned employer, I should buy the Corolla.

[Johnnny5]

Dozens of my friends and neighbors support their families by working for one of the Big 3 or their suppliers . I can count on one hand the number of people I know who builds, designs or is otherwise employed by Honda, Kia or Toyota. Everyone is entitled to make their own choices, but I would feel pretty low pulling into my driveway in a Toyota while my neighbor is packing a moving truck in search of work

[Dan]

I agree, I don't feel very good about driving a Honda these days, but I am not in a position to buy a new car yet. In the next year or two, I will, and as I said above I will buy an American car, but the writing has been on the wall for 30 years.

GM and their lobbyists bullied and bought their way into this situation, and they have never own up to their mistakes or their bad strategy, its always someone else fault [[the media, the Japs, consumers like me, the government for having "unfair" fuel standards, etc).

I love Detroit, and I am proud of our history. I hope the changes we are seeing will change the industry to ensure its survival.

[Det_ard]

Dozens of my friends and neighbors support their families by working for one of the Big 3 or their suppliers . I can count on one hand the number of people I know who builds, designs or is otherwise employed by Honda, Kia or Toyota. Everyone is entitled to make their own choices, but I would feel pretty low pulling into my driveway in a Toyota while my neighbor is packing a moving truck in search of work

Same here, but I also feel pretty disgusted being told to buy a car from two companies largely owned by the government and the UAW. Guess it's Ford for me.

[East Detroit]

I'm looking at the Focus, Cobalt, Civic, and Corolla. Buy American, the only one thats not American made is the Focus. If Focus or Cobalt were on their third generation hybrid, rather than Civic, I'd buy one of those. If I want to buy what has the most profit for my American owned employer, I should buy the Corolla.

The Ford Focus is made in Metro Detroit. $

The Ford Focus is engineered in Metro Detroit. $$

Ford Motor Company's world headquarters is in Metro Detroit. $$$

[mjs]

The Ford Focus is made in Metro Detroit. $

The Ford Focus is engineered in Metro Detroit. $$

Ford Motor Company's world headquarters is in Metro Detroit. $$$

I got it mixed up with the Fusion I was considering, which is made with the Milan and MKZ in Hermosillo. I feel a little better now.

[exdetroiter]

I'm looking at the Focus, Cobalt, Civic, and Corolla. Buy American, the only one thats not American made is the Focus. If Focus or Cobalt were on their third generation hybrid, rather than Civic, I'd buy one of those. If I want to buy what has the most profit for my American owned employer, I should buy the Corolla.

After this Bankrupcty shakes and trickles down, you will be checking into the Malibu Hybrid.

[exdetroiter]

Whenever people travel out of Michigan, we typically don't see as many American made automobiles as we see here, but every state will feel this bankruptcy in one shape, form or fashion.

GM-dependent Tennessee town left to uncertain fate

[mjs]

I already looked. The Malibu Hybrid gets the same mpg as the Cobalt and at that price, I could have a similar equipped Cobalt and a $10,000 upgrade to my kitchen or family room.

[Blarf]

This is to all consumers who purchased foreign automobiles.....

WHAT YOU DRIVE, DRIVES AMERICA!
OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

If those words never meant a thing to any of you before I'll bet you're feeling the heat now.

Too bad that when it came time to purchase a new car, the perceived notion that "foreign is better" lead citizens to buy foreign instead of supporting an American industry, whether it be Chrysler, Ford OR GM.

What a terrible shame that it has come to this for the Country and especially for Detroit and Michigan.

Where is your TV made? DVD player? Cell phone? Common house hold appliances? Dishes?

Oh yeah, out of the job yet? Keep buying foreign.

[lilpup]

Where is your TV made? DVD player? Cell phone? Common house hold appliances? Dishes?

Oh yeah, out of the job yet? Keep buying foreign.

If Steve Jobs and Apple are such effin' geniuses, why can't they find a cost-effective way to assemble iPods and their other products in the US using US labor?

[reddog289]

I got the biz on another thread about the purchase of a U.S. built Toyota vs a Korean built Chevy.I got to thinking the bottom line of GM benefits form a Korean built Chevy. Yet if a US built Toyota benefits Toyotas bottom line and there workers. No matter how reliable either vehicle is. If I were presented with that choice and had to buy a new vehicle.I would say Ok to a Ford!!

[Buy American]

Where is your TV made? DVD player? Cell phone? Common house hold appliances? Dishes?

Oh yeah, out of the job yet? Keep buying foreign.

Other than a home, your cars are the biggest ticket items you purchase throughout your lifetime. To compare a dishwasher or a cell phone is absurd.

American automobiles = profits stay in America.

[jcole]

Other than a home, your cars are the biggest ticket items you purchase throughout your lifetime. To compare a dishwasher or a cell phone is absurd.

American automobiles = profits stay in America.

Yes, but you will, by your own definition, buy many more VCRs, dishwashers, cell phones, etc, over a lifetime than you will cars. So will the rest of consumers. So explain to me why this comparison is SO absurd. The sheer volume of consumer goods made in China will far surpass the number of cars over a span of years.

[ejames01]

Profits don't stay in America. They are invested all over the world.

Other than a home, your cars are the biggest ticket items you purchase throughout your lifetime. To compare a dishwasher or a cell phone is absurd.

American automobiles = profits stay in America.

[mjs]

Other than a home, your cars are the biggest ticket items you purchase throughout your lifetime. To compare a dishwasher or a cell phone is absurd.

American automobiles = profits stay in America.

Its not absurd if you work for the manufacturer of a dishwasher or cell phone or you're a supplier of theirs. When they close plants, they also lose middle class blue collar jobs and high paying white collar jobs. These American companies also improve the world and give time and money to charities. I can tell you I've seen alot more hustle, efficiency, and innovation in their plants. There is more to buying American than just buying automobiles that provide profits for the big three execs.

[Blarf]

Other than a home, your cars are the biggest ticket items you purchase throughout your lifetime. To compare a dishwasher or a cell phone is absurd.

American automobiles = profits stay in America.

So you're admitting to buying products that aren't made in America?

So much for "buy American", ehh?

[Johnnny5]

Where is your TV made? DVD player? Cell phone? Common house hold appliances? Dishes?

Oh yeah, out of the job yet? Keep buying foreign.

I read the country of origin label on EVERY single item I purchase! With the use of the internet you can still find a domestic producer for 90% of everything you buy on a daily basis. From cars to clothing and everything in between, it's getting more difficult daily, but it's still worth doing in IMO. Due to the greed and shortsightedness of American manufacturers, retailers and consumers it's very difficult to purchase some items that are made in the USA. I can tell you that there are still many home appliances and serving wares made here. [[Small electronics are more difficult to find).

[Blarf]

I read the country of origin label on EVERY single item I purchase! With the use of the internet you can still find a domestic producer for 90% of everything you buy on a daily basis. From cars to clothing and everything in between, it's getting more difficult daily, but it's still worth doing in IMO. Due to the greed and shortsightedness of American manufacturers, retailers and consumers it's very difficult to purchase some items that are made in the USA. I can tell you that there are still many home appliances and serving wares made here. [[Small electronics are more difficult to find).

I'm sure you can find most items that are made in America if you really put the effort in. The average person doesn't.

I would bet that you could walk into this "Buy American" person's house and find a product that wasn't made in American in less than a minut. The ink used in printing those stupid "Out of the job yet? Keep buying foreign" bumper stickers was probably produced in Europe.

Yet he's going to sit on his computer [[which probably has parts made in foreign countries) and tell us to buy American. Go figure.

[MikeM]

This is to all consumers who purchased foreign automobiles.....

WHAT YOU DRIVE, DRIVES AMERICA!
OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

Even Gettlefinger admonishes his membership about this rant, reminding them that many are simply foreign name-plate autos built by Americans in America. He hates those bumper stickers.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Good post ^^