You know, it really gets to me when people bash American car companies for building "crap," and how this is what caused their problems because people "remember." Give it a break, that ain't it because if it were, people wouldn't be buying anything. Remember those nice 1970's and 1980's Nissans (Datsuns) that practically rusted on the showroom floor? Or the Hondas that has 2.5 hp in a car just large enough you could get a 5 year old in them? Sit inside one of those 1970's or 1980's imports and feel the quality of a dashboard constructed of polystyrene!
Now, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have built some crap, but so have all of the import manufacturers! And look at the sales numbers!
1980
Citation: 811,540
Phoenix: 179,291
1981
Escort: 320,000
1982
Escort/EXP: 483,388
Cutlass Ciera: 281,451
Lynx: 119,000
Chevette: 169,000
Mustang: 130,000
1983
Thunderbird: 122,000
Escort: 315,370
Mustang: 120,873
Fairmont LTD: 155,758
Now some of these cars had problems for sure, but no more than any other vehicle. What they did have was a news media that seems to hate American cars! As an example, I remember one news guy pushing on the urethane bumper cover on a Cadillac and commenting on how you would "never see this sort of poor quality on an import." What?!? The bumper is urethane so it WILL flex! But of course, the public believes them.
My family and I have owned a myriad of domestic cars, many of which had hundreds of thousands of miles on them before they were sold or retired. In fact, some of my best cars were purchased at the 100,000 mile mark!
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
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Never met a man with real talent who felt the need to deride the efforts of other.
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