Sean O'Toole emails:
I was just told by a source inside the largest Ford dealership in a major city that, effective immediately, they have dropped out of the cash for clunkers program. As it turns out, the Feds can't find their checkbook. They are behind by more than $400K with this dealer and it's causing the dealer great financial distress as it's creditors don't operate under the same lax system of payment. It would be interesting to know if this is occuring on a national scale.
It is happening here in Houston.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet GM and Chrysler dealers are getting their payments.
ReplyDelete$400,000.00?
ReplyDeleteFord Dealer?
Ford did not participate in the government bailouts and is still a private company. I wonder if this just might be a way to drive Ford out of business or into government control.
Paranoid? Maybe but I no longer trust our government in any way shape or form
Also happening in Kansas City.
ReplyDeleteThere are other unintended consequences of government run auto companies. Following is a list of auto parts on back order for 1-12 months: gear shift linkage, blower motor resistors, and clock springs for the steering tree on Jeep Wranglers. The Jeep Wrangler in question has sat for 3months in the parking lot. The part will be available in an estimated 8-9 months.
ReplyDeleteThe car owners are expected to keep making payments on their vehicles, though they have limited to no utility of that car.
Furthermore, as these cars sit for long periods of time, dryrot becomes an issue because rubber parts are not being lubricated through use. When the car is cranked up again, likely there will be a whole new set of problems.
On top of that, the ethanol in gasoline starts to seperate from the petroleum, forming a sort of tacky, tarry residue at the bottom of the tank. What do you think happens the first time the fuel pump is engaged with all that gunk sitting on top of it? It gets sucked right in to the fuel line, causing further problems.
And the icing on the cake? No problem getting Ford parts, Toyota parts, Honda, etc. It's GM and Chrysler parts that are on backorder, because they shut down all the fucking plants that make the parts as part of their "bankruptcy".
Try explaining all that to customers when they furiously want to know why their car isn't fixed, and they're ready to take it to someone who will fix it. (Do you think the other shop can get parts? Do you think the mechanics aren't glad for the work and wouldn't bend over backwards to keep the business they currently have?)
Thesis: The Federal Government can't run SHIT, because they have no framework for allocating resources.
Don't buy GM, don't buy Chrysler, because they were shitty cars to start with (in recent years), and the problems and parts mentioned above are common issues with these piece of shit cars. You can't get parts to fix the most common problems, and to improvise with available materials violates and voids the warranty.
Hahaha
Drive your paid-for clunker
Buy silver instead
Maybe the Innovation Czar will get us out of this mess
ReplyDelete