Don't blame me

As you may or may not have heard, GM is laying off some 30000 people over the next few years. This is terrible news, especially for the plant here in Oshawa which is the life blood of the community. It ranks #1 for production, yet is still going to lose over 3000 employees. They are also saying on the news that for every job lost at GM, it means 7 lost jobs locally as the effect ripples throughout the community. That plant employs a lot of people from many different towns spanning east and west along the 401. I truly feel sorry for those people, and for the towns it will bring down with it. What used to be a guaranteed-for-life job at an auto plant with good wages and benefits has now become nothing more than a gamble.

But are these layoffs happening? Simple - GM's sales are sinking. The mighty Giant has lost a lot of market share to the imports over the past few years. Consequently they're axing the workforce and Buzz Hargrove, President of the CAW is telling us as Canadians and as Americans, that it's all our fault because we haven't been buying North American cars. Thank you"Buzz" for the enlightenment. Now why don't pull your head out of your ass and join the real world.

Let's step back for a moment and think about why we're not buying GM vehicles. Hmmm, maybe it's because they have the longevity of a 16 year old having sex for the first time. The cars may look great, may run fine, but they just don't last. Three people I know very well have had horrible experiences with brand new GM cars - power steering going (more than once), brakes failing, engines needing replacing, and in one case the car stalled immediately after being driven off the lot. Somehow my parent's friends managed to force the dealership to take that car back and give a full refund after only having it for a few weeks. Though they didn't drive it much since it was in the shop most of the time. Even if you are one of the lucky ones who don't have these problems with a new GM, just wait until the warranty expires. Like the day after it expires.

If I can choose between a Hyundai with a 5 year warranty, and another vehicle with a 3 year, which is the logical choice? Obviously Hyundai believes that their products are good, and is willing to stand behind them, so I got one of those. Plus it's a full size sporty hatchback which local models like the Ford Focus pale in comparison to. What if I wanted diesel car? The VW TDI engine is powerful and has great mileage, but find me a GM equivalent. Toyota and Honda both have hybrids, but I can't get a GM hybrid sedan. And speaking of Honda, the Civic and Accord are both well known for their longevity and high resale value. I don't know of a GM model that enjoys the same reputation.

What I'm getting at here Mr. Buzz Hargrove, is don't blame me for GM's failures. It's not my fault they dropped the ball, lost their innovation and put out crappy products. The consumers have spoken, and it's time you all listened and stepped up to the plate. Give us a reason to buy one of your cars, instead of reasons not to.