posted on September 30, 2009 04:29:21 AM new
They just covered this on the local am news. They said dealers said eBay did not generate sales and some buyers "tried to make low ball offers". Ya think?
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posted on September 30, 2009 08:23:12 AM new
It was truly run like a scam. Not too surprising though, how can you trust car salesemen and dealerships?
I actually tried to use GM to look for a Pontiac Vibe. It was the only American car that truly fit my needs and price range. Couldn't find one in the region, so I checked on eBay. No luck and thankfully so.
I just bought a Hyundai Elantra Touring (http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2009-Hyundai-Elantra-Touring-Preview). LOVE IT!!!
GM couldn't come close to the price, features, and warranty.
Hyundai has JD Powers top rating in Initial Quality among non-Luxury Lines.
Overall 4th behind Lexus, Porsche, and Cadillac. Who would have thought Hyundai would be ahead of Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, VW, BMW, Infinity, Acura, Ford, and Chevy???
GM gives a 3 year/36K bumper to bumper, and 5 year/60K powertrain. Pretty standard for all manufacturers.
Hyundai gives a 5 year/60K bumper to bumper and 10 year/100K powertrain.
I can't help but think that GM made a mistake axing the Pontiac line. I have always liked the Pontiac line of vehicles both new and old, with few exceptions. I understand selling Saturn. I think they should have axed GMC and sold their trucks/commercial vehicles under the chevy brand... but what do I know. lol.
posted on September 30, 2009 10:41:46 AM new
Pontiac brand does not generate enough volume to justify high fixed cost.
Well,GM dealers find out -low ball bids as low as $2400 for a $40,0000 car!
Meet the Ebay bidders !
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 1, 2009 08:04:36 AM new
Looks like Saturn is getting the axe too. The Penske deal fell through. Apparently they couldn't find a manufacturer to make them.
posted on October 1, 2009 04:01:54 PM new
Wait till the Chinese and Indians cars land on California shore !
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 1, 2009 04:14:55 PM new
I haven't bought something from WalMart or KMart for several years. Target is a close second, where I occassionally pick up something from time to time. Pretty much everything at these stores is pure junk! Chinese crap made to last a month or two (just long enough to make it past the 90 day return policy).
It is frustrating being a consumer that wants to buy quality stuff, but can't get it without spending a whole day driving from one small store to the next, racking up the cost of gas, the high prices, etc. It is quite difficult to find anything made outside of China.
What really ticks me off is that our credit is being handled outside of the USA. If you don't believe me, pick up the phone and call Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Our personal credit is being handled outside of the USA. I just had to pull my credit reports recently and discovered a significant error dragging my rating down. I filed disputes and made calls to follow up. Every single call answered by ALL 3 companies were likely in India, or some other foreign country. When you ask them where are they located, their response is, "Our headquarters is located in XXX, USA" I would clarify my question with, "I wasn't asking where your headquarters were, I wanted to know where my phone call is being handled." Their response was usually, "For security purposes, we can only tell you where our headquarters is located."
How many Democrats and Republicans sold us out on that raw deal???
posted on October 1, 2009 07:26:09 PM new
you should ask 'How is the weather in Bangalore?or Manila?'
American labor is too expensive,back then I have an old PC and I would call for technical support in India,for 34 dollars they will stay with me until problem is solved,if they dont know,they will go ask someone who knows and if they cant solved the problem,they refund your money.
With minimum wage being $7.25 an hour,how much do you think a conversation like that cost?
Get real,you cant have the cake and eat it too! You want to pay 80 dollars an hour to talk to some one in the States,you want to buy german made appliances,go ahead ,indulge yourself ,no one is stopping you.
There are local services which will come to your house to give your IT support,sign a contract with them!
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 2, 2009 07:09:07 AM new
yeah, but you are comparing tech support to your credit report with ALL of your personal information including social security numbers, bank account #, addresses, just about everything that identifies who you are.
posted on October 2, 2009 05:27:11 PM new
Well,I went to see my doctor and they asked me to fill out a form,asking for my SS number.
We give out our personal information to store clerk,doctor office,online website,car dealer ,banks and what about the old PC you throw out and end up in Africa.
Anyway on Chinese goods not lasting long,remember Japanese goods after WWII and they were junk too! and they get better and better,they are so good we cant afford it any more.
Seiko compared to Swiss watch,a Sony TV compared to a Zenith?
Quality will improve with Chinese goods and some of the problems may not be from Chinese labor,it is how much the importer wants to pay.
They are the ones who crunched the numbers and decide how soon do they want to recoup all their sunk costs-the cost of exploring where and how to make them,the trips they made to China,the start up cost related to manufacturing the goods and the cost of bringing them over in containerloads and the customs they have to pay and dont forget a markup so they can pay the wages and haelthcare of the sales clerk and the landlords and Uncle Sam.
On one of my trip to the Far East,one businessman who owns a factory in China said the quality gets worse and worse because everytime the Western importers come to visit,they demand A LOWER PRICE!
So the factory has to cut cost,they start using less and/or inferior material,and skip quality control.
I want a lower price seems to be some kind of mantra for the western importers,they think China is so desperate they will do anything at any price.
They got a good deal last year and they think it over and come back and ask a lower price,and next year,a lower price than the year before,how do people live?
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 2, 2009 05:32:17 PM new
As I was typing the last post,I am reading several emails from differet retail stores saying they are slashing prices by 50-60%,i bet the stuff are all made in China and god knows how much they paid for these items,slashing prices 60% and still make a profit.
As for using less and inferior material,I bought a Sony DVD player and acidentally knocked it against the wall and a piece of plastic fell off,it was made when the price of crude was on its way to $143 a barrel.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
