GM, Ford, and Chrysler Death Watch Thread

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3255 Location: Maine

A friend went to trade his late model explorer for an echo. He was offered $100 for the trade. SUV's are going for at least $2000 under kelly blue book price now. That's obviously too high, because even at substantial discounts there are no buyers.

We need a new bumper sticker.

Dummies drive SUV's.

You would have to be brain dead to buy most of the cars the big three are offering.
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Deep in the mud and slime of things, even there, something sings.

hope_full · Heavy Crude Joined: May 27, 2008 Posts: 235

Last week, I was told that my husband's 2002 Ford F150 extended cab truck (with all the bells and whistles and in nice condition) had ZERO value as a trade-in on a new car. The dealer suggested I donate it to charity.

frankthetank

MY bro has a 2000 Suburban that he would like to get rid of! Funny. I told him he can give it to me and i'll use it to haul wood. I'll cut off part of the roof so i can load it from the top. The heated leather seats can dry the wood as we fly down the highway getting 10mpg. He did have a good point, he said its probably worth more as scrap.

You could easily get a couple hundred scrap for a big truck. Take of the caddy converters for some more moolah.
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"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

Roy

Yessir scrap value.

My neighbor scrapped a 96 Isuzu Trooper. He got $135 for the cat, $60 for the AC condenser, $75 for the radiator, $200 for the aluminum wheels, and another $350 for the rest of it the body. A place 30 miles away also gives $150 for any engine and $150 for any transmission so he took the drivetrain there.

Total = $1120

he said he couldn't have sold it for more than $600 as a running vehicle.

Also I notice that people's yard ornaments, I mean junked cars, are disappearing round these parts. This being a not so rich area that used to have lots of yard ornaments....

I saw a very restorable (straight body little rust) 1962 Falcon Sprint on the back of a truck headed into the scrap yard. What a shame.

Dan that was an outstanding analysis of the current big three situation and I agree 100%.

lawnchair · Intermediate Crude Joined: Oct 20, 2004 Posts: 771

In a less regulated country, there would be great uses for an SUV.

Dodge Durango V8 should be able to carry 1500 pounds and tow 5500.

5 pax in the SUV (consider it first class), and build a trailer with seating for 20.

Even getting 5 miles per gallon with the combo, you'd still be at 125 pax*miles/gallon... more efficient than (diesel-based) railroads have ever been.

It's just that very few people actually tax the resources of their truck.

I have a truck that only gets about 2500 miles a year on it. Fortunately, my driving record is flawless and I'm in a low-risk area, so it's cheap to keep it insured. Expect the insurance companies to start advertising ultra-low-mileage multi-vehicle plans more, as people keep their trucks and SUVs, but drive them less.
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At 1% annual growth, human bodies will incorporate every gram in the observable universe in approximately 10,170 years.

mobil1

evilgenius

Roy

The primary incentive in the case of my neighbor is getting the max $$ he could out of an otherwise running vehicle that he didn't need.

It was worth almost double as scrap compared to what it was worth as a drivable vehicle.

I was shocked that he got as much as he did. Just goes to show you what is happening to the price of raw materials.

frankthetank

lawnchair-

I totally agree. On the flip side, people drive automobiles that have WAY too much torque/hp then they need. I pull a 16ft boat/motor/trailer that totals around 1000pounds no problem with a car that has a little over 100 hp/same amt of torque. I'm sure i could easily tow 1200 or 1300 pounds if i wanted. This while still getting 20+mpg (roughly 25 or so when pulling the boat).

I would love to see a setup like that. You'd need a big trailer to haul a 100 people. Maybe put tall sides on it and make them stand. Be funny as hell to see in winter.
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"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

jdmartin

crossthread · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 20, 2004 Posts: 179

U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday with the blue-chip index enduring its worst June so far since 1930, and plunging to its lowest finish since Sept. 11, 2006, after getting slammed hard as crude soared to new highs and Goldman Sachs disparaged U.S. brokers and advised selling General Motors Corp.

"We're going to move in the opposite direction of oil, and General Motors is going to go out of business, at least according to Goldman Sachs," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Jefferies & Co.

Hawkcreek · Expert Joined: Aug 15, 2004 Posts: 967

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"It don't make no sense that common sense don't make no sense no more"
John Prine

frankthetank

Hawk-

I agree with you 100%, but if you don't have any money, how are you suppose to pay? A family member (through marriage) works for Chrysler here in WI. I haven't talked to him lately, but next time i'll have to see how things are. I know he was going to take a buyout or something last time i saw him. I know his wife works retail and i doubt has anything for retirement...i'm guessing both are counting on his.

If your an employee with a little common sense, i think the writing has been on the walls for a few years.

The worse part is the upper management clowns that still get paid gobs of money to destroy a company. Nothing new here in the land of the free, home of the brave.
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"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

Denny

lawnchair · Intermediate Crude Joined: Oct 20, 2004 Posts: 771