Posted on 01/24/2010 3:22:48 AM PST by Scanian
The federal government's bailout of Chrysler and General Motors has been a big success. At least, it has been a big success if you're a Ford dealer.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ford sales for the month of December 2009 were up 33.5 percent compared to December 2008, even as Chrysler and GM sales were falling.
When the government's auto bailouts were announced, Dick Edwards Ford in Manhattan, Kansas, saw an opportunity. According to Mark Besthorn, the dealership's sales manager: "We just thought about it and decided we wanted to strike while the iron was hot." Days later, the following billboard made its first appearance:
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Love the billboard.
One comment bothers me. We all know that it wasn't really a bailout of Chrysler and GM. It was a bailout of the UAW and its "Cadillac" health care plan! Without those taxpayers' dollars, they were done.
Which brings up another point. The unions were up in arms about the tax on Cadillac plans, before Obama exempted them. You would think some curious journalist would think to ask, "Why does the UAW still have a Cadillac health care plan? They are broke! The taxpayers are paying for those plans and the taxpayers don't have as good insurance as the UAW workers and retirees!
There you go being all logical. If they had allowed both companies to go into chapter 11 then they could have renegotiated both insurance and salaries. Now we are stuck footing the bill of their gravy train.
Just bought a Ford Escape and my wife and I are delighted with it.
We’ve never owned a new foreign car. We currently have an 01 GMC Sierra, an 05 Dodge Gr Caravan, both bought new, and an 00 Olds Intrigue. I have had a Ford Fusion and Taurus as rental cars fairly recently, before Zero was annointed, and was leaning heavily Ford based on the strength of those experiences, but now with the takeover/union bailouts noted here and in the linked article, I will not look elsewhere than Ford from now on.
And the decision to bring in someone from outside the industry (Alan Mulally) to break the historic insularity was a courageous and profitable deed as well.
I had to get a new car this week after holding out for 10 years without a car payment.
My new purchase was an American mad Honda Accord.
Previous vehicle was a Mercury that featured a blown motor due to a $2 part failing in the water pump (In all fairness Ford paid for 80% of the replacement.), wiring harness that literally fell apart ($1,100 job which shocked the hell out of me.), power door locks that froze in the “locked” position and a failed odometer at 30,000 miles rendering the car, under warranty no less, TMU and forever value impaired at trade in.
So between bailouts and that ownership experience my purchasing of big 3 autos is done forever. I will only purchase American produced non-UAW products.
I have always been a Ford guy. In fact I just bought a 05 Mercury Sable Ls “premier”. Love it so far.
Bryan Riley is a good guy.
GREAT article, thanks for posting!
.
One Ford Mustang,
http://www.lzxray.com/Ronnie3.jpg
Two
http://www.lzxray.com/Guyer_collection.htm
.
If we see it so readily, you would think there would be just one curious journalist who would ask why they still have their Cadillac plans. Can’t you just hear Robert Gibbs guffawing at that question! He’d probably say something like, “Well duh! They’re called “Cadillac plans” and GM makes Cadillacs!”.
Good for Ford. Like many others, I pledge to never buy a GM or Chrysler vehicle again.
"I do not like the sea of white faces in the audience and FoMoCo must ensure that in the future the company reflects the broad spectrum of Ford’s customers."
Jacques Nasser is no longer CEO and FoMoCo remembered that there are a lot of white people in America?
You should have bought a “happy” Honda Accord......
Those “mad” ones can be trouble.....
Now that’s the definition of capitalism!
I love my 96 SHO
I know the secret.
Most Americans will never buy a Gov Moters as it supports Obama’s plan. I’m a fleet buyer and will never buy a GM or Fiat Crysler ever again. Most folks I know feel the same way.
I agree. The nation is voting as massachusetts did when they elected Brown. They are voting against Obama by buying Ford.
Depending on the future economic conditions of this country, foreign manufacturers may end up retracting eventually. I hate to sound trite, but have you driven a Ford, lately?
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