Quality

[JOE FULTON <piper_pa20@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A CNN Money magazine article published on the web
today at CNN.com asked the queston:  Are American cars
really that bad?

The article goes on to state...No they really are not
bad any more.  A quote:

"In fact, Lincoln, Cadillac and Buick all out-scored
Toyota's Toyota-branded and Honda's Honda-branded
vehicles in the same 2005 J.D. Powers survey."

The article also states that Americans have not lost
their perception that the cars ARE bad based on
previous experiences with the big three and GM and
Ford in particular.

I know several on the list have had bad experiences
with modern U.S. built cars.  Mark Price hates his
S-10 for instance.  Based on my personal experience
though my 2000 Silverado pickup has performed very
well.  I bought it new and now with 128,000 miles it
has never been back to the dealership, even to fix the
minor recalls which have been issued.

Maybe the big three should all go bankrupt though and
reorganize as three complete new companies with new
names and renamed (not reingineered) car lines.  Maybe
that would help Americans forget.

AMC content:  Except for the utility and dependability
offered by my pickup, I enjoy driving old AMC cars.  

Another observation:  Many owners of Ramblers (in
particular) today tend to be well-educated people with
a genuine interest in keeping their cars on the road. 
They don't have anything to prove with their old
Ramblers, and they expect that people who understand
them as owners, will understand the "beauty" of
driving an old Rambler.  I met another young man this
past weekend with a 1965 American.  I sold him a used
differential for the car and he impressed me as a
dedicated owner.  I tried to give him the benefit of
my limited knowledge of these old cars and I hope he
will stay in contact with me and perhaps bring others
into the hobby (or should I saw, vocation).  

Joe Fulton
Salinas, CA