<VV> GM,

Fri Sep 3 13:27:47 EDT 2010

Amen, but you're mostly preaching to the choir here.   

The last GM I owned I bought new in 1994.  95 Chevy S-10 4 cylinder 5-speed
manual.   Check engine light came on within a month of buying it.  There was
rust within a year of buying it.

And between the cheap accountants and whatever engineers they had left at GM
in those days, who in the HELL set up the engine options for the S-10?

They had a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder at 122 hp.  10,000 for the manual, 11,000
for the auto.
	A 4.3 liter V-6 at 153 hp  The weight of the larger engine almost
cancels out any gain in horsepower.  One had to jump up to nearly 16,000 to
get this because it automatically came with the longer cab and a carload of
unneeded trim options.
	A Vortec 4.3 liter V-6 at 191 hp.

By comparison my brother still drives a 1995 Previa.  It has a 2.4 liter
4-cylinder engine and 3+OD automatic.  There is only one engine, 161 HP
turbo-charged 4.

The truck weighed about 3000 lbs, the van weighs 4200, but gets around a lot
better.

Also the competitor (i.e. Ford) had 3 engine choices:

2.3 liter 4
3.0 liter V-6
4.0 liter V-6.

I've driven both the 2.3 and the 4.0.  The 2.3 got better mileage than my
Chevy and the 4.0 nearly as good.  Both of them did a better job of moving
and handling.  One could get a 2.3 extended cab for about 13,000, except
they were so popular when I was buying, there weren't any available.

Hello?

The reason most of us own or owned (or will own again) Corvairs is that we
wanted something other than the big chrome boxes being manufactured in the
1950's and 60's.

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of kaczmarek at charter.net
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 11:29 AM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org; airvair at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: <VV> GM,

Mark
Don't think so. In 2002-2004 I was working in a Chevy Dealership watching
the cars and trucks come through service. I saw too many trucks and cars
with too many things wrong with them. 

There is a wide disparity between the "high quality assemblies" you tout,
and what ends up in the hands of the owner. 

You've obviously never spent any time trying to explain to customers why the
replacement parts are so expensive.   A Passcode sensor that fails at 50K
miles is going to cost the customer right around 500.00 to replace, plus new
keys.  And they do fail with some regularity.  Got called everything but a
fat white man by more than a few customers. 

I rent cars often for trips. Don't want to put the miles on my own.  The
2010 Impala had the most uncomfortable seats in a car I've ever sat in. My
tail was numb in less than an hour of a 12 hour trip.   They TRIED to give
me a Cobalt when my truck was hit.  They picked me up in one, and I told
them I'm not driving this piece of junk.  So they gave me a 2010 Suburban.
Didn't like it a bit.  For my last trip they tried to give me an HHR.  I've
driven them before, no  better than a Cobalt.  Got a Dodge Nitro instead.
Much happier with the result. 

If GM couldn't afford to stay in business, it should have been allowed to go
under. That's called FREE MARKET ENTERPRISE.  

So jump down off your GM/ UAW horse, and realize that other people have
opinions too.  I don't buy products from companies who are involved in these
illegal government bailouts.  

Hank
---- Mark Corbin <airvair at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> Hank,
> 
> Obviously you have been asleep for the past half dozen years or so. Ever
> since the introduction of the present Malibu, GM has been introducing new
> car after new car that (starting with the Malibu) have met or exceeded the
> quality of not only Ford, but even the foreign manufacturers like Toyota,
> according to sources like JD Power, Consumer Reports, Insurance Institute,
> etc. 
> 
> Also, GM has been paying back the government faster than expected, no
> thanks to you or people like you, and been working to get out from under
> that situation.
> 
> -Mark
> 
> 
> > [Original Message]
> > From: <kaczmarek at charter.net>
> > Subject: Re: <VV> Salesmen---No Corvair
> >
> > I don't like GM cars anymore.  The Trucks are junk compared to Fords,
and
> the cars don't measure up to ANY of the domestic competiton.  The import
> competiton REALLY makes them look bad.   The last 5 new vehicles purchased
> by my family have been Fords.  Happy with them all. 
> >
> > Now, I CAN'T buy a GM car, because their biggest stockholder is our
> government. 
> > Ford---NOT on the government dole, with better vehicles.   Wanda's Alero
> has almost 150K on it---the replacement will probably be a Ford Fiesta. 
> > Hank 
> >
> 

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