Here in the real world, they're shuttin' Detroit down.

I'll take issue with your reliability statement. Other than the tremendous amount of accessories on new cars they are WAY, WAY more reliable.
Get in that '54 Chev on a January morning in Chicago, spin that starter with all six volts and pray that sucker doesn't flood. If you haven't recently changed plugs, points and carefully adjusted the choke you are takin' the bus my friend.
Since electronic ignition and fuel injection cars routinely go untouched for 50,000 miles. My father in law gave away his '56 Buick at 60,000 because it was so tired.
I'm as nostalgic as the nexy guy but realize I've not needed a tow truck in twenty years, rarely get a flat tire and don't have to sit in the driveway on cold mornings crossing myself praying the car will start..
There is no comparison, cars are far better today. The problem is all the other complication that increases the apparent failure rate.
The worst POS Korean disposacar isa far more reliable mode of transport than anything of the fifties, sixties or seventies.
EDIT I'm pretty sure that '89 Caddy has TBI at least and certainly a computer. Oh, and when is the last time a failed electric fuel pump diluted your motor oil and caused an engine failure?

 

The point simply is that the regulations that they put all over everything has really been a big blow to the auto industry. If you want all the features, you should be able to buy a car like that, if you don't, you shouldn't have to. And that should NOT be anyone's business but your own!! Don't get me wrong, my wagon has power steering, driver's seat (currently broken), windows, rear defrost, intermittent wipers, and all those goodies, and I love them. But I have had cars without them and did just fine. Even after a wreck in my 60 Chevy, still fine and that thing was totalled. The only safety features you need is seatbelts and the car to be made of METAL!!!

Also, my car is carburated and has no computer, and it gets to -30 here and she fires right up. That's that old 50's 60's and 70's technology improved upon. Fuel injection is fine and good, but a Carb can do you well, especially if the auto industry was still sinking money into them like they have with fuel injection over the past few years.

 

Since it has been a few weeks since this thread has generated any responses I thought I would bump it since GM is pretty much at bankruptcy stage. It wants more bailouts for the administration and Congress that is doing its damnedest to kill the capitalist system in this country.

Here is guy with a plan that makes more sense than anything else i have been hearing lately. Lets hope saner advice is taken in Washington. Another thing the big three could to help themselves is abandon Detroit all together since that city is rapidly becoming a third world sh!thole similar to many African dictatorships.

 

Caprice Estate,

IIRC, an 87 Chevy has a computer and a feedback carb with some of its circuits controlled by the computer. They were at the end of using carbs by then as they had become too complicated and expensive, it was easier to switch to EFI. I would much rather work with EFI than any carb from the 80's, way too complicated, ever dealt w/ a Ford variable venturi carb? The designer of that monstrosity should never be let within 500' of a drawing board!

 

Really? I thought only the 87 Sedan lineup had the computers. But I could be mistaken, I'm no expert. But it was my understanding that the wagons were a bit less complex mechanically than the rest of the line. And my carb hasn't really been that tough to work with. Just a good ol Quadrajet I beleive.

I'm thinking of buying some GM Stocks, not a whole lot, but 20 bucks worth. It's under 2 bucks a share last I looked, and it was once 90 bucks a share, and the government won't let them go under, too many american jobs there. I think that the stock will come back and now's the time to get a bargain!

 

im no stock broker or expert but, i think you might be better off buying ford if you want motown stocks....i know you are a gm fan but realistically ford may weather this better. where as gm is talking chp11 and stock will be worthless if it gets split up i think. maybe im thinking of the wrong chapter. either way....i think now is the time to buy most stocks!

 

At least with a Ford, you know the warranty will outlast the company.

Up here, our Treasury/Finance ministers are trying to smooth the waters about the GICs and Tax haven programs. And once in a bright light, a rookie investment expert tells you that the best you can expect from these government sanctioned tax havens is a 7% yield after 25 years, after tax. Most of them have lost up to 40% value in the last 6 months.

Now look at plain old, boring, guaranteed government bonds. 3.5% gain. No loss on the principal, no loss on the interest. And if you get the coupon-clipping variety, you can pull out the monthly interest for emergencies, or leave it for yearend tax payments. Too much smoke and mirrors in the market for me.

My gut tells me that most of the losses are the paper-backed funds and tax-havens. When those pimples are cleaned out, we'll get back to real stocks of real companies, that actually produce something worthwhile.

 

I'm considering doing half and half. Because I'm a risk taker on the GM, I have faith they will come back, and Ford seems to be doing well, so I may buy some Ford stock as well.

 

GM will probably come back, lean and mean. They just got turned down in England. The UK gov't told them they should sell off Vauxhall. I think Germany turned them down on the Opel as well.

The one thing that you guys have, that we don't is City and State Bonds. With all this Infrastructure money going to the big cities and states, those would be a good deal. Most of our 'stimulus' funds have to be matched by the Cities or Provinces. I'd guess that yours do too. Since most are broke, and they're stuck to raise taxes, they'd have to issue bonds. Here, they raise traffic fines, garbage collection fees, and even parking fines, instead.