Auto sales plunge in face of $4 gas

[Vette Boss]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

I have to admit I haven't driven the new one, but after driving a 2003 Malibu I have sworn never to enter one again! It was awful in any sense of the word.

The new model is a bit nicer, but it still comes with missing nuts and bolts, and rattly trim pieces, courtesy of UAW.

[jetsetter]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Surprisingly, the Malibu is apparently selling well - for a GM sedan.

And reviews plus owner experience seem to bear out the fact that it's apparently a good car for its class. You have to remember, it's an Epsilon/Extended car, which means that it's basically an Opel Signum or Fiat Croma.

Unfortunately from a design standpoint, it has the typical "GM Fatal Flaw" that GM seems to be bound to include in every new car design that would otherwise sell well. The Malibu has a spot for an in-dash navigation system. It has more than enough room for an in-dash nav. It's got a bezel that looks like it's designed to take an optional nav system.

There is no nav system offered.

And every other car in this class except the Hyundai offerings has nav as an option.

Ooops.

It does use Onstar for navigation and apparently it does have its advantages and disadvantages as compared to an indash system. As it is turn by turn and given verbally you don't actually have to look down at a screen but eh.

[Spectre]

Using Onstar ONLY for Navigation is lame - especially if you are trying to find a place with someone else asleep in the car.

Now, if they'd combined an in-dash with OnStar, that would have actually worked out well.

[jetsetter]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Using Onstar ONLY for Navigation is lame - especially if you are trying to find a place with someone else asleep in the car.

Now, if they'd combined an in-dash with OnStar, that would have actually worked out well.

In the G8 apparently directions are sent to this small screen using Onstar. Arrows appear when you need to turn left or right while you drive.

[bartboy9891]

^ That's no substitution to having a visual map to look at.

[Spectre]

Wow, shades of the Jag X308 nav system. That was crap, and I bet this is too.

[jetsetter]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Wow, shades of the Jag X308 nav system. That was crap, and I bet this is too.

How did that system work?

[Vette Boss]

^ The X308 has a tiny little display under the radio, it's just a simple LCD. It looks like the A/C system.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by jetsetter

How did that system work?

Not very well. While it was accurate and gave good directions audibly, it also used a turn-by-turn indicator system with a small display. The radio display (monochrome LCD) doubled as the nav screen.

[prizrak]

Horrible idea. Having a map and a visual of where you need to go next helps quite a bit. I get lost with the GPS on the interchanges sometimes since they are far from perfect, the fact that it tells me the next step (for instance north or south) I can figure my way out much better.

[MacGuffin]

I really liked the system I had in the Audi A6 lately, showing a detailed street map, with the way you have to go underlined in blue and an arrow representing your position. The map is constantly rolling and turning, as you drive and turn and always shows you the next step ahead. And it doesn't distact, you only need to take a glimpse. The perfect addition to the voice directions.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by MacGuffin

I really liked the system I had in the Audi A6 lately, showing a detailed street map, with the way you have to go underlined in blue and an arrow representing your position. The map is constantly rolling and turning, as you drive and turn and always shows you the next step ahead. And it doesn't distact, you only need to take a glimpse. The perfect addition to the voice directions.

That's like pretty much any GPS on the market

[torrent_rider]

Originally Posted by prizrak

Can't wait till all those stupid ass SUV's are off the road, fucking hate them. Goodbye UAW we hardly knew ye, yet we fucking hated your dumb guts.

You have a right to your opinion despite it being completely retarded and worthy of being mocked. UAW members did not decide to mass produce inferior quality SUVs. The boards of directors did. You need to learn where responsibility lies and stop blaming the line-people who just do what they're told.

[argatoga]

Originally Posted by torrent_rider

You have a right to your opinion despite it being completely retarded and worthy of being mocked. UAW members did not decide to mass produce inferior quality SUVs. The boards of directors did. You need to learn where responsibility lies and stop blaming the line-people who just do what they're told.

Both are to blame. The UAW workers didn't bolt the cars together properly and as a result a lot of them fell apart and fail.

[torrent_rider]

Originally Posted by argatoga

Both are to blame. The UAW workers didn't bolt the cars together properly and as a result a lot of them fell apart and fail.

Well made engines that were DESIGNED to only get 10 miles per gallon are to blame. What is it with being stupid and blaming the wrong people? its like blaming the waitress for your steak being overcooked. retarded.

[argatoga]

Originally Posted by torrent_rider

Well made engines that were DESIGNED to only get 10 miles per gallon are to blame. What is it with being stupid and blaming the wrong people? its like blaming the waitress for your steak being overcooked. retarded.

Yes poor car design was a factor, but so to was poor assembly. You can't blame a designer for having a door fall off because it wasn't properly fastened on. Just as you can't blame a UAW worker for an engine getting poor milage.

[prizrak]

Originally Posted by torrent_rider

You have a right to your opinion despite it being completely retarded and worthy of being mocked. UAW members did not decide to mass produce inferior quality SUVs. The boards of directors did. You need to learn where responsibility lies and stop blaming the line-people who just do what they're told.

My post consisted of TWO sentences.
Point of sentence #1:
SUV's are idiotic and absolutely useless in 90% of the use cases that they are used for and I like not having those things in front of me when driving.

Point of sentence #2:
UAW is a horrible horrible thing and I am glad that they are basically being put out of business.

Learn to read before calling people's opinions retarded...

[Mark355]

wtf is UAW?

[bartboy9891]

Originally Posted by Tobias

wtf is UAW?

Wikipedia is your friend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Auto_Workers

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by torrent_rider

You have a right to your opinion despite it being completely retarded and worthy of being mocked. UAW members did not decide to mass produce inferior quality SUVs. The boards of directors did. You need to learn where responsibility lies and stop blaming the line-people who just do what they're told.

The design quality is not the UAW's fault. NOT putting them together right, that IS the UAW's fault. Tying knots in my Jeep's wiring harness so it can't be removed without removing the steering column - that's UAW. Welding beer cans inside cab corners on pickups - that's UAW. Urinating inside cars and leaving porn inside cars - that's UAW. Leaving their snack trash and lunch inside the vehicles to the point where the Arlington plant employs two people per shift to clean out the inside of the truck at the end of the line - that's the UAW.

Originally Posted by torrent_rider

Well made engines that were DESIGNED to only get 10 miles per gallon are to blame. What is it with being stupid and blaming the wrong people? its like blaming the waitress for your steak being overcooked. retarded.

What does 10mpg have to do with the engines and cars falling apart????? Typical UAW troll - ignoring the real problem and blaming management rather than taking responsibility.

Here's a snippet I posted in another forum, but it applies here too:

No, it didn’t end in the 70s. And management has NOTHING to do with debacles like that. That’s UAW sloppiness for you, pure and simple.

User merp on this forum is a friend of mine. He bought a 2001 Corvette targa coupe new. He consistently had problems with the thing holding an alignment and kept taking it back. One day he took it back to the dealer for a warrant alignment, went to get out, and bumped the steering wheel - and it *moved*. Yup, some UAW idiot had installed the steering column improperly and the loose/missing fasteners allowed one to move the steering wheel 2” in any direction. Nice, huh?

The car also had the following problems, in his own words:

“The driver’s door trim was off, and melted. Or [more likely], the adhesive was improperly applied and oozed all over the place.

“It ate oil, to a certain degree, about a quart every 3k miles. It’s possible that the engine was misassembled (missing oil rings, some of the F-body guys found they had none and were going through 2 quarts every thousand miles).

“The body panels had horrible alignment; the headlights didn’t seat evenly in the body when closed - lots of fit and finish crap.”

Yeah, and this is the GM/UAW “flagship product”??!?!?!?!?

Also, as late as 2001, S-trucks were coming off the line in Shreveport with beer cans welded inside the rear cab corners. Nice, huh? If your S-truck rattled, it was probably because there was trash welded inside cab panels.

Care to comment on how "management" caused all the labor errors mentioned above, torrent_rider?