Why did these 5 American car brands die?

[MP43]

What do you mean 5 years to late? You could have purchased a nice used one once you have the money my first car was a 1975 and I started driving in 1988 I wasn’t thinking man it was to late to buy that 1975 back then? And clearly they can still be found today. Outside of the Buick Grand National i personally find these cars to be ugly as hell, second only in that era to the DCP K-cars of the era. the only cars that were uglier were the AMC’s (except the EAGLE ) which was the first of its kind 4x4 wagon …….Subarus can eat Their hearts out!

But buying a used car wouldn't have helped Oldsmobile survive. The point is, there were potential buyers out there that spent their money on something else because Oldsmobile was no longer making cars that appealed to them. I did the same thing. In 1985 I was smitten by a blue ASC McLaren Capri that was in the Fred Jones showroom in downtown OKC. But I was in school and had no money. I really loved those bubble back Capris, and would have bought one in a heartbeat when I finally got out of school and had some money coming in, but Mercury had dropped them by them. I didn't want a used car, I wanted something new, so I bought a Mustang instead. Just one small data point in the brand's slow slide into irrelevance.

 

[MP43]

Wish my family woulda been rich enough to afford film for the camera cause I would taken pictures of my 1972 Grand Torino Sport. Bought it in 1975. I worked at McDonald‘s, Shakeys Pizza and roofed houses in the summers to be able to afford it. Busy times for a 1976 high school graduate. It was a chick magnet. Too bad I was always working. Pic of what it looked like.View attachment 240806

Cool car. I remember those days. it wasn't the cost of the film that got you. It was the developing.

 

[Newbie]

My understanding is that Ford didn't take bailout money. From what I remember, Ford took out loans and paid them back. GM and Chrysler Group (now Fiat) did not repay all of the money from the government.

They didn't want to take the bailout money, but they were forced to because you can't make federal laws that are limited to just one company, or in this case, two, without triggering a targeting restriction. So Obama made the law to cover "auto makers that have over _____ employees" or something to skirt the restriction. This caught up Ford as well. Ford did pay it back quickly, but they were adamant about not needing the loan and hated that Obama was forcing them into the loan/retool/repayment program.

 

[Bixby Sooner53]

I do remember a large number of lawsuits that had to do with how GM's factory putting Pontiac parts (including engines) into Oldsmobile vehicles and vice versa. It wasn't discovered until they began to require repairs and parts wouldn't fit. I don't know how much that lead to their bankruptcy, but I'm sure it was a factor.

 

[turkeyrun]

Way so companies fa?


MISMANAGEMENT !!!

Not producing what consumers want
Greed at the top - management
Not taking care of employees - management
Lack of quality - management
Lack of customer service - management

GOOBERMINT REGULATION

Taxes
Regulations
Mandates

 

[emapples]

But buying a used car wouldn't have helped Oldsmobile survive. The point is, there were potential buyers out there that spent their money on something else because Oldsmobile was no longer making cars that appealed to them. I did the same thing. In 1985 I was smitten by a blue ASC McLaren Capri that was in the Fred Jones showroom in downtown OKC. But I was in school and had no money. I really loved those bubble back Capris, and would have bought one in a heartbeat when I finally got out of school and had some money coming in, but Mercury had dropped them by them. I didn't want a used car, I wanted something new, so I bought a Mustang instead. Just one small data point in the brand's slow slide into irrelevance.

LOL yea the Mclaren looked just like the fox body mustangs, I for whatever reason thought the Mustang SVO looked cool too…..but what did I end up with a Pontiac Fiero 2m6 fun car but what a half assed attempt at building a car. The problem with the Detroit and especially GM is they frequently tried to build a new car with their current parts catalogue, reuse as much junk they already had built or at least had the supply line filled and it made for some pretty crappy cars.

 

[filbert]

AMC was originally Rambler, I owned a couple of Ramblers and they were basic cars and good cars. But basic cars don't sell, everybody wants the bells and whistles.

 

[MP43]

AMC was originally Rambler, I owned a couple of Ramblers and they were basic cars and good cars. But basic cars don't sell, everybody wants the bells and whistles.

That wasn't as much the case with previous generations as it is today, and AMC built their brand around around catering to buyers looking for solid, basic transportation. Trouble with that was that bells and whistles are where most of the profit is. Even when their cars were selling well, they were perennially strapped for the cash needed for restyling and new product development. I'm sure they thought partnering with Renault would allow them to expand and modernize their product offerings, and bring new buyers into their showrooms without a big capital outlay they couldn't afford, but it turned out to be a fatal mistake.

 

[AlongCameJones]

What do you mean 5 years to late? You could have purchased a nice used one once you have the money my first car was a 1975 and I started driving in 1988 I wasn’t thinking man it was to late to buy that 1975 back then? And clearly they can still be found today. Outside of the Buick Grand National i personally find these cars to be ugly as hell, second only in that era to the DCP K-cars of the era. the only cars that were uglier were the AMC’s (except the EAGLE ) which was the first of its kind 4x4 wagon …….Subarus can eat Their hearts out!

At that time I had to have a brand-new car (I had inherited a good chunk of change) so I thus, like an idiot, chose a new red 1992 Corvette, which would turn out to be serious case of buyer's remorse. The body, paint and interior left much to be desired, it shook like a paint mixer with the hard top removed as the frame had no beef and the engine was allergic to getting wet with the garden hose. I would end up dumping the thing 4 years later at an $11K loss. At that time, a new loaded Toyota 4x4 SR5 truck would have been a much better spend. I considered buying a new Harley-Davidson Big Twin, but stores were plumb out of them in 1992! The car I had before the Vette was a 1988 Firebird Formula 5.0. I basically lost $5.5K on that trading it in on the new Vette since I bought it a year and half before for $10.5K on financing. It had some junky qualities too. The new Toyota 4x4 truck would have been the wisest thing I could have bought new in 1992. Big Three was pretty much garbage for the most part by the time the Slick Willie got in the White House. I don't think a new SR5 truck would have gone more than $17K OTD then loaded to the hilt. Still 11K cheaper than the stupid plastic Chevrolet. I just bought vehicles on emotion then and not common sense. In the army and in my 20's, I just had a hankering for fast/fast-looking cars at that time. And I was a senseless a shill to "buy American". In the back of my mind, I knew GM and Ford and Chrysler were overpriced crap. Young guys in the service would drive Hondas, BMW's, Volkswagens, Nissans and Toyotas and would criticize me for being a loyalist for Detroit junk. A young man in the army had an Honda Accord that he claimed he had to do nothing mechanically to ever but I digress. That '92 Corvette LT1, not the ZR1, actually retailed for $38K then but I got a $10K GM rebate. The car was made so bad that GM had to virtually make no profit on it.

I could not have that new Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme back in 1985 at minimum-wage job. I did get a new silver Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais in 1990. I felt then I had to get an Oldsmobile something being that my former dream Cutlass Supreme was out of production. I did not like the body style on the new front-drive "Cutlass Supreme" then and the 1990 Cutlass Calais coupe was Olds' cheapest model then as it was priced $10.5K so I could actually qualify to finance it through GMAC. I was in the service then and finally had the income level to finance it. Good sensible little 4-banger with factory a/c but I had to trade it in on a 3-year-old Firebird 5.0 a year later. I wanted a racier automobile. I was just crazed with emotions. For a couple years in the late 1980's I dreamed of a new Harley Big Twin. My emotions swung from cars to bikes. By the time I actually had money for a new Harley the dealerships were sold out of them. I would have to have had some cage on the side for everyday driving if I had bought a new motorcycle as a toy.

 

[Ryan500L]

My understanding is that Ford didn't take bailout money. From what I remember, Ford took out loans and paid them back. GM and Chrysler Group (now Fiat) did not repay all of the money from the government.

I bought a t-shirt at Reynolds Ford that had the Ford logo on it and then under it said "Built without your tax dollars"