Never said that politicians were responsible for the Big 3's demise...Just that the political elite refuse to acknowledge the current economic hurricane and the housing bubble...

At the moment, they won't even admit that we are in a recession...let alone a depression...

Just like their denials regarding genocide, Katrina, Ike, AIDS and the lack of progress in Iraq...

...Concerning the purchase of foreign vehicles...

Detroit is soley to blame...

I begin this by stating, that in another life, I was an Engineer and Quality Manager/Corporate Trouble Shooter/Liaison with a couple of the Big 3 Car Manufacturers and Tier one auto suppliers...

Car companies are only interested in one thing...Selling/marketing the car...They really do not want to be a manufacturer...

Regardless of what is said...the quality of American made cars is sorely lacking...and I think it is too late for the perception to change...

Hockey tickets, lunches and other perks is what makes the DPPM's/PPM's (Defective Parts per Million) disappear in the real world of automotive quality...in the short term at least...

I know...because I was part of the machine...

The best cars I have ever owned are Hondas & Toyotas...

Statistical mapping and reverse engineering is what leads them to a better product...

If Toyota comes out with a heavy duty crew cab dually, comparable to the F-350 or F 450...I would probably consider that, rather than another Ford Super Duty F-series dually...

It all goes back to WWII, Dr. Demming and the American short sighted manufacturing focus...But that is another story...

For example...One of my daughters has purchased three, count 'em three, new vehicles w/in the last 2 years...Why?

Because each was a lemon...two Ford Taurus SE's and a Chevy Impala SS...

Each of the Tauruses would shut down while driving...Very, very dangerous...especially on the freeway... and the Impala SS's instrumentation and computer would go haywire and shut down the car as well...

After many, many unsuccessful attempts to have the dealers and manufacturers diagnose, repair &/or take the car back (w/supporting documentation and my industry connections)...

WE HAD TO SUE THE MANUFACTURERS...

I represented my daughter at both National Arbitration Board hearings...and won both times...Ford had to take/buy the cars back...

The Impala SS self-destructed and caught on fire while waiting for GM to figure out which hole to pull their finger out of...

Now, I know you are asking??? Why two Fords, if the 1st Taurus was trash???...I told my daughter to buy foreign, since she was concerned about safety & reliability...She, being the the knucklehead that she is, thought it would be more patriotic to give ford another chance....(More like MORONIC, than patriotic)...

Normally, I would have recommended a Volvo wagon, but Ford & Volvo are/were one-in-the-same...

Bottomline...

With quality...Perception is reality...

You can not sort quality into parts...(The process of quarantining defective material and sorting out the bad parts)...

If American Auto manufacturers won't stand behind their product...then how do you expect the purchasing public to stand behind them...

Like Lee Iococca (former Ford Exec. & Chrysler Chairman/CEO) said...

"If you can find a better car...buy it..."

Divenstar

Any comment on the Cummins/Mercruiser joint venture? May be a job when I graduate, though I am leery of Brunswick. Cummins seems to be strong.

that maybe true. im glad i dont do credit with them.

On the Brunswick web site they say they own Cummins Marine.

Baja Will. You said you were on the phone with BAC? Bank of America? BAC is Bank of America. BC is Brunswick. Does BAC finance for Brunswick

Maybe my pool table will be a collectors' item soon.... I'll take $50k for it.

Brunswick Acceptance, floor paln etc....

BOA is Bank of America

I deal with both daily!

BAC wants to give me more $$$$(floor plan) and BOA will not approve a perfect deal! Funny how that works!

...........

Brett, I think the problem lays with them wanting us to take on product, and we refuse, we just want out of brunswick, lets just say any dealer with a credit line can probably get any brunswick product they want right now!!!!!!!

Sorry BAJA WILL. I too deal with them daily. BAC is bank of America. Please refer to link
http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/s...ote?Symbol=bac