Comments on: Will GM’s New Buyer Incentives Help Sales?

CBS Evening News: Troubled Carmaker Tries New Tactics To Lure Customers Into The Showroom

[cbsgrl]

the reason i will not buy ANY American car is that I am waiting... waiting... waiting... for some American company to come up with a decent electric or other new technology car. If the US government would loan TESLA only 400 million dollars, we would have an excellent electric car.
GM, Chrysler, Ford.... all the US companies are woefully behind the times. Get with it, USA! get out of the pockets of the oil companies!

[honestindividual]

Why would anyone want to buy a GM car under the present circumstances? It hasn't even been a good idea when the company was solvent; GM has been on a downward path at least since the late 1970's, and it isn't going to improve any time soon. Briefly, their reputation is shot and they can't get it back. I've heard for several years now that their new cars are improving in quality, better in every way, etc., and I don't believe it at all.

I've rented Pontiacs, Chevys, and a 2007 Cadillac DTS in recent years, and they were all mediocre vehicles, not worth considering as a purchase. Last September, I rented a 2008 Buick Lacrosse (after trying in vain to get the Ford Taurus I was promised by Hertz) and drove it 7,505 miles in a "loop" around the U.S., 26 states in almost a month. That car had a base price of over $28,000 and on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 2. Squeaks, rattles, grinding noisy in the body and suspension, a multitude of electrical problems including instrument lights that went out on an ongoing basis, LED readouts that are not visible in daylight, and non-supportive seats, etc. The gas mileage was terrific, but the engine was noisier than my wife's parents' 1955 Buick Roadmaster back before we were married.

As a result, the overall market for these cars is poor (also the used car market); I've never owned a Japanese car, but I can certainly understand why Toyota and Honda are so popular with ex-GM buyers. Why throw your money away on a bygone company, when so many better ones are out there?