first ford, now chrysler? What did they think 0% APR would do??
 

What marketing guru decided to lower APR to 0%?

So, the big car companies decide to lower APR to 0% and what do people do? They all rush out to buy new cars. That wasn't enough so they atarted to give out cash as well. So now you get 0% APR free cash and even more people bought cars.

Now that everyone has new cars... there is no need to buy them anymore. A new car can last you at least 10 years if you treat it right. My truck is from the early 80's and I start it without the clutch and shift gears from 3rd to 4th without the clutch all the time. I run it without oil and the fuckin' thing is still running.

With no one buying cars and with automation becoming cheaper they lay everyone off. 42,000 people will lose their jobs between those two companies alone. I bet we'll be seeing more car manufacturer layoffs coming soon.

And with people out of work, how will they pay for their brand new cars?



I have the answer.

It's only going to get worse once we start seeing the Chinese cars hit the market here.

I thought that Ford's financing is one of the most lucrative parts of the company.

Well they got themselves caught in the loop. They wanted to get rid of their inventory, or push out some quick sales. It did just that getting everyone to rush out and buy new cars. Companies went out and renewed their fleets. The mistake they did was doing it for too long.

Doing it for a month is one thing. Doing it for a few quarters, or most of the year is another. But once they had all those sales, then I think it was Ford, and GM who tried to stop their promo, and sales hit the tiolet so they brought it back again.

Let's face it, until Motown starts cranking out some hibreds, with comparible quality to the Japanese, they are going to continue losing market share. Most of the cliche's of the 70's and 80's no longer apply to the rice burners. Where they would be low power 4 cylinders. Now they do more with less through technology. Add in the price per gallon scares, better mileage, and the fact most foreign cars can go 200,000+ miles w/ little grief and the body will rust out before the engine goes type things and you can see the problem.

No one wants to buy a new car, and by 50,000 miles start having trouble. 100,000 miles and transmission starts acting up, and the rest. They big 3 dug their own hole in the name of corporate greed.

:disgust

It's going to help the foreign markets. I bought 2 Fords with the 0% interest. One was totalled after a year, but the other one I'm dumping the minute the warranty expires and getting a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.

Get a Toyota.

You run your car without oil and it is still running? Yeah, ok :1orglaugh

they should give some out for free, just to make it look like they sell alot of them :)

I bought an acura, and I tell you it's as nice as the Honda civic but with leather. I'd buy the civic and save myself 10k next time, what a great car though.
I used to drive a ford and then I upgraded to a mercedes, and the acura is better than them both I beleive.

I've been driving nothing but Fords for the past 12 years, all purchased new. Never a single problem with any of them. The stories about imports being better are a myth.

Exactly right! I'm a Ford man too. I have a Ford Explorer and a Ford F150 Supercab. Before that we had a Powerstroke Diesel and a Mustang Cobra. Before that was another Explorer. Etc. Etc.

Prior to adult I used to sell Toyotas for a living while going to school. I also sold Fords. The Toyotas have NOTHING on Fords. I'd see Ford Explorers with 250,000 to 300,000 miles on them come in for trade all the time.

Everyone says that imports are better. I say bullshit. Here's what I've owned in the past ten years:

1995 Mustang GT
2001 Mustang
2001 Escape
2002 Mustang GT
2004 Mustang Mach 1
2004 Ford Explorer

Not one of these cars have ever been in for a repair, even minor. Not once.

Reagans imperial cycle of borrowing never worked either

It's a "myth" I've experienced first hand. I've been driving Toyotas and Nissans since I was 16 (28 years ago - damn, didn't realize it was that long, lol!). I literally never had a single problem with any of them. I had 2 Celicas, a Tercel, an Altima, 2 Maximas and a Pathfinder.

3+ years ago I bit the bullet and bought 2 Fords. The Ranger went in for recall work twice and warranty repairs twice - in one year. Then it was totalled. Thank goodness I had GAP insurance because the value of it had dropped so much.

The Exploder has had 3 recalls and has been in for work 4 other times.

I literally had ZERO problems with the Toyotas and Nissans :(

I won't even get into the resale value of Ford against the imports......:Oh crap

Funny thing is that Chrysler is the only one out of the three big US companies (G.M, FORD being the other two) that is actually profitable.

Thats most probably because they belong to Daimler Chrysler (Mercedes Benz) but still ... i dont see a justification to fire people.

....

What i dont understand is this:
If US automakers are having such a hard time ... why the fuck dont they just sell their cars at a higher price??? I mean car prices in the US are less than half than what they are in the rest of the world. Just add a couple of thousand dollars on each car and there you go ... you are profitable.

Or ... sell cars outside the USA!!!

Only one of those cars is more than 5 years old. I would sure the hell hope that all of those shit mobiles are still running.

They're already OVERPRICED as it is. Drive a $25k Chevy Impala off the lot and you'll be lucky if it's worth $10k on trade in 12 months.

Buy a $25k Honda Accord and it's worth $20k a year later.

They US automakers have done everything they can to win people over, EXCEPT build great cars, with a few exceptions.

Lots of people on drive their cars for a few years and trade it in. Or they lease.

Honda's and Toyotas hold their value very nicely.

Chrysler makes some nice products anymore......

You've obviously not been here long enough to have seen my truck. I used to post it all the time. Ask nyone that knows me personally. I do have a shitty little truck. I sometimes start it in first gear without the clutch. I sometimes drive it with out oil. BONE DRY. So bad that the rods knock louder than the engine noise. It still runs. I've backed it into big industrial trash cans, I used to jump it over speed bumps when I was working at ***. Brookstone that works at *** even drove it to Vegas once. That took balls considering that I'm expecting it to die any day now.

But it just will not die.

Shit.. maybe I should give it as a GFY gift when I go public with my affiliate program.

Here is the story of my truck in pictures, http://redshoe.net/success/

Just for shits and grins I compared a comparably optioned 2002 Toyota 4 Runner with my 2002 Exploder. The difference in Dealer Retail price is almost $7K which means the Toyota is selling for about 50% more than what the Ford is selling for.

The Pathfinder has about a $2K difference.

And they have things like this.

http://www.drivesrt.com/en/jeep/gran...kee/index.html


Wife and I are kicking around trading in our current Grand Cherokee on one of these bad boys. 0-60 under 5 seconds, top speed of 155, 6.1 liter Hemi. 1/4 mile under 14. Thats badass for a friggin suv. Even .92g on the skidpad. Badass. 420 horse. Mmmmm aaahhhh.

Lets see if I can hotlink dis.

http://www.drivesrt.com/img/wallpape...3_1024x768.jpg

No, no, no (as in no interest, no down payment and no payments for X days) was almost the downfall of the furniture industry several years ago. Once it started it was impossible to stop.

However, if the choice is not selling cars or selling them on the no, no, no premise, automakers will do whatever it takes to get cold rolled steel across the curb and onto the street.

Chrysler was bankrupt before, and interestingly enough Mercedes now has the lowest satisfaction and quality rating its carried ever.

High oil prices are what have caused problems with the auto market more than anything else.

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Some of actually need SUVs for 4WD - that sucker would bottom out on my road :(

Here is a tip for you : Add some oil in it ( olive oil ) and start using clutch. That might help to finally kill da beast .... :upsidedow

Frankly the origin of the car to me isn't as important as quality and attention to customer service. I've owned domestic cars and foreign cars. Domestics didn't give me a good feeling to own like my foreign cars have.

My favorites have been Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, with Chrysler coming in third.

I'd hate to see a big employer like GM die, that wouldnt' be good for our economy but their ideas and concepts as well as their management is atrocious. Unions have done little to empower workers and a lot to do with the state of the domestic auto industry.

GM's biggest faults lay in their idea that marketing solves their problems. The cause of their problems are processes and products that are outdated, lackluster and for all intensive purposes boring and irellevant to their proposed end user.

Cars are made well again. For decades they weren't.

Cars last a long time.

However, people need to feel as though they have recieved value. Value is not just a reflection of price, but that of quality, safety, longevity and resale value.

I hope for GM and Ford that they fix themselves quick. Don't assume what America wants. Forget concepts. Spend everything you can to get close to the hearts and minds of Americans.

I love the US and I would love to support every single product we have but if my hard earned dollars are going to be spent it will be on value not just American pride.

That's hot.

But before you make your down payment. Look at the new ML 63 on the way to your local Mercedes Benz dealer.

It's a brand new AMG tuned 6.3 liter, naturally aspirated v8. That motor puts out 510 horsepower. That's right, no turbo, no blower. Just 510 raw horsepower that goes to all wheel drive.

It will be in my garage someday

The biggest problem is going to be the influx of specifically skilled workers who really can't do much else. They were interviewing workers from the Ford plant last night here and these are guys with barely a HS diploma making $55K+ a year, plus full (and incredible) benefits. These guys aren't going to find that anywhere else.

The SMART ones have put some away and will use it for further education (or to live on while the government covers their education costs). Not sure how many have actually done something as crazy as planning though.

Okay, I hate to point out ignorance. Well, actually, I love to point out ignorance.

To those talking about resale between Hondas/Toyotas vs. Fords:

It's all about supply and demand. Ford sells to rental car companies like mad. Those companies use the vehicles for 20k to 30k miles and put them on the resell market. That drives resell prices down.

However... Honda and the other imports are trying hard to get a bigger share of the rental sale market. If they succeed, the same thing will happen to Toyota and Honda resell prices.

Supply and demand, folks. Supply and demand.


I've had all brands. I'm very happy with Ford. Their reliability is neck and neck with anything out there.

High oil prices did not help, specially if the car companies banked a great deal in SUV's. Though I would say high oil prices is not the biggest cause of the auto markets problems. I would wager that the majority of it's problems are based on pension plans.

oh man :helpme

what do you think will happen to the housing market? Could this be a precursor? They lowered the interest rates and then everyone went out and bought houses. they lowered them even more and told everyone to refinance. So they did. They took out 40K...60K.... 80K CASH OUT options. Now they have super high mortgages, and if they worked at a car company... they're fucked.

They will start a new breed of Americans. A group of nomadic wonderers who live in their overpriced gas guzzling SUV's driving state to state avoiding the credit card companies.

Suddenly I'm reminded of MadMax