GM Service Dept.

[Condor]

Tuesday I stopped by my local GM dealer to have the oil changed on the Suburban. In the past I usually tried to hit the place early...around 7-7:30AM. Any later and it's a zoo. I had to have some blood drawn at 8, so decided since I was in the neighborhood to fight the crowd and git'r done. Pulled to the sevice area around 9 and there was only 3 cars in line. Cool!! Well... in the next hour they didn't have more than 4 cars pull in. You could have shot a canon off full of grapeshot and not done any damage. Utter/McKinley's Morturary. I had no idea it was that bad. Then on the way back home I heard on the radio that GM was preparing to file bankruptcy in the next month or two. I personally don't see how this dealer will survive even that long.....

 

They did have a used F350 4x4 'Harley Branded' Pick-up out on the lot that was really nice. Wished I had the bucks... Oh well... dream on!!....

[BoomerCPO]

Last year my local GM Dealer saw the writing on the wall and ramped up his Service and Parts Departments. Far as I can tell they are making a killing on Service and Parts. The new and used vehicles on the lot are collecting a lot of dust.............

 

 

Boomer.......who sure would not want to be a car salesman during these times....but would seriously consider managing a house of ill repute.

[utadventure]

I know a Chev salesman very well... total 2008 wages $20K. I don't know how he eats.

 

Bankruptcy, IMHO, might be the best thing for GM. Get their costs in a more reasonable position and then their vehicles can sell for a reasonable price, along with parts and service.

 

Dave

[Sideoftheroad]

I will 1st start off by saying I am a GM guy (kinda have to be, father-in-law retired from AC Delco, but I do like the product)

 

I think the gov't is going to make an example of GM. They already started by asking for the former CEO's resignation. I don't recall them asking the others to do that.

 

Just heard on the radio this morning of the big 3, Ford is not asking for further money. They said they have enough. I will say that I am not a Ford guy. I had 2 of them in the past and the electrical issues on both of them have turned me off. Yeah I know that others have had other brands with electrical issues (including GM), but I have not had that experience (yet). So need to comment what issues we have had with different brands.

 

So I am saying I commend Ford for not taking any more money (at this time).

 

Agree on the GM price comment too. I will take the Aveo for example, $12,685 for a base coupe model. IMO, should be about the 9500 to 10k range (since all cars are overpriced anyway, but who doesn't have overhead). New Camaro is supposed to come out in 2010 (from what I remember). Shouldn't be more than $18-23k, but I am willing to be they will put it in the $30k range, which will put it out of reach of most buyers.

[Snarley Bill]

i feel really bad for the folks that work for gm. the future looks grim to me. they have no customers any more. even if some how the company would by a miracle survive the dealers will be gone. i think the floor planned dealer vehicals are already starting to be repoed. i really don't see anyway for gm to survive. no matter how much you bail a company out the customers just aren't there anymore. darn i hate to see this. bill

[Sylvester]

I have neighbors who both retired from GM, and they are very worried. They have a "66" 396 Chevelle and a "70" SS 454 El Camino. Even with the value of these fine cars they may be in trouble.

[Redneck]

Things are tough all over. tonight on the local new they had a story about the flood of people showing up at the local food bank.Many of the people have been financially stable their whole lives and now they have lost their ability to feed their family's. Today on the national news they showed a tent city in ca full of people who have lost everything. I really feel sorry for all those people and the ones who are soon to follow them.

[Snarley Bill]

hey mike, the thing that scares me is we all may be soon to follow. a friend of mine who is very well set said i don't have anything to worry about, and i said if the banks close and the stock market crashes you have no money any more. he said my house is paid for. i said how you gonna pay the taxes. it goes on the block. thats what happened to my rich grandfather in the great depression. he went in rich and came out working for the st. louis police dept as a clerk living in a cheap apartment. alot of people in his position committed suicide. the lucky people in this depression we are in now, are not the people with money, but the old folks like me that lived in the era when things were good and won't be around for the end. i really worry about the young folks that care. some don't have a clue and think this is one big joke and some are truly worried about the future. this ain't no joke, and not being real stupid, i can't se anyway it can be fixed.

[FROG MAN]

I'm lucky so far so good. Our company is running a skeleton crew. Our work load is stable but the biggest problem is health care insurance. We can't keep paying a 30 % rate increase every year. It looks like in a few months we may be canceled and each employee be on there own to find affordable health care.

 

Vehicles out of Detroit are rapidly decreasing in quality. I have drove a Ford pickup on the job for 20+ years. The last new 05 model I got has give me so much problems I gave it away last week and picked up a 2008 chevy express van with AWD. My installer got the 05 pickup and guess what he done. Tore the 4wd out of it last week. 95% of our running is Interstate can trucks not handle that? I just got Ramona's Colorado out of the shop today. Is it fixed time will tell.

[Redneck]

hey mike, the thing that scares me is we all may be soon to follow. a friend of mine who is very well set said i don't have anything to worry about, and i said if the banks close and the stock market crashes you have no money any more. he said my house is paid for. i said how you gonna pay the taxes. it goes on the block. thats what happened to my rich grandfather in the great depression. he went in rich and came out working for the st. louis police dept as a clerk living in a cheap apartment. alot of people in his position committed suicide. the lucky people in this depression we are in now, are not the people with money, but the old folks like me that lived in the era when things were good and won't be around for the end. i really worry about the young folks that care. some don't have a clue and think this is one big joke and some are truly worried about the future. this ain't no joke, and not being real stupid, i can't se anyway it can be fixed.

Bill this is not the end this is just a major adjustment it will be a painful adjustment for many but most will survive and we will all come out stronger. America has been through many challenges and we have come out stronger and more prosperous every time and we will do it again.