Toyota: "Oh What a Feeling!" (We're Fucked!)

[Terry]

Shortly after the closing of the Saturn line was announced, I received a form letter from the VP of Saturn Customer Relations in Detroit thanking me for being a customer and apologizing for the closure of the brand.

Probably 99 times out of 100, I would have chucked the letter away. However, I wrote back and thanked her and Saturn for the excellent service and related my own high degree of satisfaction with the brand and my local dealership (which I referred to by name), not thinking anything would come of it.

Last week, I received a letter in the mail from Saturn Detroit thanking me for my complimentary letter. Enclosed was a Target gift card for $25. In addition, my local service department e-mailed me (I have always set up my regular pm appointments with them via e-mail) and, as a direct result of dropping their name to corporate in my letter, gave me 50% off my next pm.

My pm costs are fairly minimal due to my extended service contract, and $25 isn't a ton of dough, but I will say Saturn is a class act. Again, fucking shame to see them go.

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

Thanks Terry and Petes Brother. I appreciate it.

[Nickdfresh]

Yet for all that time Ford were selling good small cars in Europe and doing well with them. I don't understand the politics/economics of it...

They claimed the Focus would be too expensive to redesign in North America as it was in 2005 in Europe. So we're stuck with the very dated (1999 architecture) Focus here--save for a few minor tweaks including reducing the sportiness of the suspension over the years--until 2011 when the new Focus will be identical to the one in Europe...

We are getting the Fiesta this summer though (only, we get one engine whereas Europe has access to at least three choices including a turbo diesel that gets nearly 50 mpg I think)...

[Nickdfresh]

Shortly after the closing of the Saturn line was announced, I received a form letter from the VP of Saturn Customer Relations in Detroit thanking me for being a customer and apologizing for the closure of the brand.

Probably 99 times out of 100, I would have chucked the letter away. However, I wrote back and thanked her and Saturn for the excellent service and related my own high degree of satisfaction with the brand and my local dealership (which I referred to by name), not thinking anything would come of it.

Last week, I received a letter in the mail from Saturn Detroit thanking me for my complimentary letter. Enclosed was a Target gift card for $25. In addition, my local service department e-mailed me (I have always set up my regular pm appointments with them via e-mail) and, as a direct result of dropping their name to corporate in my letter, gave me 50% off my next pm.

My pm costs are fairly minimal due to my extended service contract, and $25 isn't a ton of dough, but I will say Saturn is a class act. Again, fucking shame to see them go.

It's a shame Saturn dies with ironically its finest lineup. I was thinking of getting a Saturn Astra, and wish I had. The three door XR is one of the sharpest small cars on the road. I think I was disappointed that again they only offered a single power plant in NA, and we didn't get the performance edition...

[Nickdfresh]

Thanks Terry and Petes Brother. I appreciate it.

I didn't mean to piss on your parade, yo. Happy selling my brotha.'...

[kwame k]

A turbo-diesel that gets 50 mpg?

Why aren't all the car companies coming out with ultra efficient cars that are well designed and stylish. It's what the consumer wants. Give us a vehicle to gets 50 mpg but isn't a fucking dog to drive or looks like a toy car.

[Nickdfresh]

A turbo-diesel that gets 50 mpg?

Why aren't all the car companies coming out with ultra efficient cars that are well designed and stylish. It's what the consumer wants. Give us a vehicle to gets 50 mpg but isn't a fucking dog to drive or looks like a toy car.

It might be closer to 60 now that I think about it. Again, Ford claimed it was too expensive to build a second engine production line in the US or Mexico. And the plant in the UK can hardly keep up with Euro demand. But at some point they just sound like excuses...

[kwame k]

Yeah, why give the consumer what the want.

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

I didn't mean to piss on your parade, yo. Happy selling my brotha.'...

No worries Nickd, I have been a member here since 2000. I have pretty thick skin. My member status is off because of a computer crash. Anyway, I'm in finance, so I get a lot more cracks at making money than in sales.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Honda adds 437,000 cars to global air bag recall - Yahoo! Finance

the big 3 have to be smilin' a little more.

[kwame k]

No worries Nickd, I have been a member here since 2000. I have pretty thick skin. My member status is off because of a computer crash. Anyway, I'm in finance, so I get a lot more cracks at making money than in sales.

So how hard is it to get someone financed now? Back in the day, damn near anyone could walk into a dealership and get financed. You read all this shit that banks won't lend, no matter what. Is that true?

[hideyoursheep]

Honda adds 437,000 cars to global air bag recall - Yahoo! Finance

the big 3 have to be smilin' a little more.

Do any of the big 3 make a decent, reliable 4 cylinder engine?

[78/84 guy]

FUCK TOYOTA !!! Jap shit!! You bought one you deserve it !! Buy fucking American !!! My 93 Lebaron has 188000 on it and run's great. Take care of youre shit and it takes care of you !! The Toyota repair shops were just as full of broken cars before the recalls !!

[PETE'S BROTHER]

that lebaron has plenty of jap shit in it, unless ya got the maserati tc model

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

So how hard is it to get someone financed now? Back in the day, damn near anyone could walk into a dealership and get financed. You read all this shit that banks won't lend, no matter what. Is that true?

For about a year and a half the banks have really tightened up. Yes, it is more difficult to get someone financed, but the good news is, the rates have dropped to the lowest that I have ever seen. People who have subapar or bad credit are, of course, a lot more difficult to get done but where the BIG difference has come is in the advance. Banks don't want to advance as much money so the salespeople are trying to get as much down money as possible. Used cars are where you see this the most because book values have dropped on every car. It is also very difficult to roll money into a loan. Before, when someone was trading and was in an inequitable situation we could roll a few thousand or mre into the new loan. Not anymore. Banks don't like to go over 120% of invoice or book value.