Why American car companies suck

B-Line · #11 03-17-2009, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4.6is Ryder

Well, I just got off the phone with David Taylor Caddy in Houston. Here is what I was told..."we don't have any on the lot right now, but I can take your name and call you when one arrives. At that point you can come by and Look at it". I said my goal is to test drive it...." well we don't allow test drives unless you are contracted". I said why would I buy a 55k car without driving it. Then I asked if this was a GM policy or the dealership. Of course he avoided the question so I said peace. So, here we are with the same sh*t that B went through. I guess this might hush some of the naysayers.....It's my thought that it's a GM thang......Oh well, they'll be giving them away once they file bankruptcy.......Phil

Hey Phil,

Thanks for the research. I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that my feelings regarding Cadiallac/GM have actually proven true across the landscape.
I think in my heart of hearts, I would like to believe that the US automobile biz does have a glimmer in hope in surviving and thriving but it's incidents like this all over that do lead me to believe, not only is American auto manufacturers making inferior product, they also have really inferior point of purchase, customer service, salesmanship, etc.

My Brother might try to find another dealership that will allow him to test drive one but with the evidence you have provided, I see no reason to push him towards that automobile.

And just like a drug addict must hit rock bottom before they seek help, maybe so too is the fate of US manufacturers.. Cause if they can't see the inherent problem of not letting people test drive their cars, then there is little to no support they are going to see from me either in further bailouts, buying American, or supporting the US auto makers as a whole.

The only caveat being, when we bought our Ford F-350 Dually, the dealer couldn't have been nicer.
But I do think the US automakers and dealers need to take a giant look at their practices. It wouldn't hurt them to learn a little from the Germans and the Japanese.