HSLD

This is purely hypothetical, I'm not in the market for a new car but this came in a conversation today and wondered what you guys think:

Let's say that you were in the market for a new car - would you buy an American Car made by a company facing a very uncertain future (GM, Ford, Chrysler)?

On one side, a manufacturer facing a HUGE change in the way they do business might be willing to substantially discount existing inventory meaning a lower purchase price for a consumer.

On the other side, a manufacturer facing a bankruptcy is going to be forced to cut costs including dealer networks, models available, and spare parts inventory.

Would you jump at good deal if it came with the risk of potentially no warranty service, dealer network support, or available spare parts in the future?

Discuss.....

USMCFLYR

I very well may be in the market and I'm hearing more support for this part of your post [bolded]; but admittedly I haven't heard the support part mentioned much.

USMCFLYR

jungle

I think many people have a misconception about bankruptcy. The company would reorganize and restructure and hopefully cut some of the fat out of the system. Many major business' have reorganized and emerged successfully from bankruptcy. Some of them several times. I'll bet we know a few here.
There are and will be some great deals out there. Part of the problem has been too many dealers and too many "brands" that are just rebadges of existing vehicles. The dealers themselves have had a major adverse effect on the way owners perceive their vehicles quality.
I don't think support would be a huge problem, especially if you were looking at a huge discount. There are work arounds.
If they do go Chapter 11, they will still produce and sell vehicles, their death announcement is somewhat premature. This won't be good for the UAW, but that is a different topic.

Mitragorz

If I had the ability to pay for it all in cash, I would buy a new car.

hotshot

I won't be driving anything American until they can make a car that doesn't fall apart after 50,000 miles.

USMCFLYR

120,000 miles on my '97 Ford Mustang Convertable (with no repairs)
But I know what you mean.

USMCFLYR

Cubdriver

Consumer Reports and JD Powers say positive things about new Chevrolet and Ford models. It would have to be a serious break from sticker price, with a low APR figure, and only one of the specific models known to be good. I would consider it a gamble.

American cars are highly mediocre in my experience. I have a '95 Buick my mother gave me with low mileage, and after 50,000 miles it has had transmission work, power steering replacement, a new exhaust system, suspension work, ignition system, and power window motors to name a few things. Not what you would expect from the Japanese. I would hesitate to take a chance on a domestic car.

bravo24

I've got a '04 Suburban with 112,000 miles - no repairs, original brakes, no gripes. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

HIFLYR

Inventory is high and prices are way down. Not a bad time to buy if you need a new car. My last 3 chevys have gone over 100k miles with no problems and my 93 truck went over 220k and was still going when I sold it.

whatthe6789

They make plenty of cars and trucks that don't fall apart after 50,000 miles. It's just that most people either don't know how to do basic maintenance on their vehicles, or don't understand that something needs done. Even when it starts "making funny noises," or "running like crap," they will wait til something BREAKS before doing anything about it. When you might have been able to do something little early on and save yourself the time and money.

Plus, buying American cars helps OUR economy, not some other country that likes it when the almighty Dollar is worth less on the international markets, so that everything they buy costs THEM less, and US more.

Point is BUY AMERICAN CARS.