I'm not buying into all this doom & gloom! For every valley there is a peak ... again. It's been happening for hundreds of years where people for some reason (unemployment, pollution, economics, fuel cost/availability, public trends, and so on) couldn't buy a certain type of car, or one at all! I went through the oil embargo in the 70's, and similar things were in the news then, as now. Food prices were huge back then also.
The world is changing (the environment and economy is teaching us a harsh lesson), and we have to learn to change with it, and dinosaur auto-makers have to learn well ahead of the curve. We could still have our toys (I have a full-sized GMC pick up, and I plan on having more vehicles), right now, we just have to wait out another valley.
As for imports not being collectible, I think history proves that statement is wrong. Some of the most expensive collectors cars in the world are imports.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Pontiacanada wrote:As for imports not being collectible, I think history proves that statement is wrong. Some of the most expensive collectors cars in the world are imports.
For those non-collectable cars you mention, there are alot of non-collectable domestics too (more so than collectable)... the classic car or muscle car era has a nostalgia about it that will keep it a strong market and a place in history...
in terms of factory workers, problem is that factories cannot compete well in a global economy paying the workers 'upper class' wages... its ridiculous, and unsustainable (obviously - as more and more large corps are downsizing and reducing/rehiring without pension or health benefits (in the US for eg.)). Canadas great strengths are its natural resources, but we gave them away in nafta and other agreements, and whatever we didnt give away we eventually will have to anyways... wait for the fresh water crisis to hit the US western seaboard in the next few decades... our water will be like oil today! and they will take it from us!!
We need to build an economy around skilled and knowledge based workforce, not the service sector - which is where the majority of job growth has been in the US and Canada... this is a major deathknell... low paying job growth... and not manufacturing when competing against other countries that pay pennies... India has seen major turnaround based on a knowledge base workforce that is creating a nouveau riche in that country that working in a textile factory never could...
... wait for the fresh water crisis to hit the US western seaboard in the next few decades... our water will be like oil today! and they will take it from us!!
Anyone with a property on the Lake Huron or Georgian Bay will tell you they already started about 10 years ago now......water levels easily down by 6 feet over that time span.
I agree that the autoworkers wages are high, but does GM need to pay their senior managers and CEO's multiple millions of dollars per year? I also feel the days of the middle classed citizen are numbered..
Other manufacturer's from outside North American were not better prepared for the current situation-they always built little crap-they just happen to be already be making fuel effecient stuff-since the sixties and before ! We tried that-North Americans didn't want it-We want big and luxury Oh and safe. Toyota is even chasing Gm's truck market share with a larger tacoma pick up-they haven't changed to small fuel efficient cars through R+D-when was the last time you seen a full or medium size full frame rear wheel drive jap car not to mention a big block-they never built it !-come on guys its political. Big corps make money building products in poor countries
North American's wanted big safe pick ups so GM built them ! The government legislated weight and fuel efficient laws to cars so we bought trucks and SUV's
We are suppose to be living on the richest contenant-we are supose to be able to afford what we build-we are suppose to earn dollars-we fought for benefits/wages/etc.. if we buy our product we'd be fine
again shoes/fruit/furniture/cars/clothes it doesn't matter-these bussinesses are gone-we have to buy our product to save whats left.
Today is June 6th 2008. June 6th 1944 my mothers brothers, 3 of them were involved in D-Day. I keep thinking about this as I whine about how bad we have it now. One of my uncles never came home. One came home minus an arm. Something to be thankful for as we would not have a Canadian Poncho or any other brand (maybe Volkswagen) to pontificate about. Remember if you look close enough at the WW2 footage you can see GM badges on a lot of the trucks. I well remember going to the auction with my Grampa in the early 70's and seeing war surplus trucks with the maple leaf,built in Oshawa Ont. tags on them.
Today is June 6th 2008. June 6th 1944 my mothers brothers, 3 of them were involved in D-Day. I keep thinking about this as I whine about how bad we have it now. One of my uncles never came home. One came home minus an arm. Something to be thankful for as we would not have a Canadian Poncho or any other brand (maybe Volkswagen) to pontificate about. Remember if you look close enough at the WW2 footage you can see GM badges on a lot of the trucks. I well remember going to the auction with my Grampa in the early 70's and seeing war surplus trucks with the maple leaf,built in Oshawa Ont. tags on them.
A good reminder how it could be for us had things been a bit different...
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
