Dang GM Junk

[ol' yeller]

I took my '90 Reatta in to have the A/C system worked on. My mechanic found that the water pump was starting to leak. AND THIS AFTER ONLY 150,000 MILES. No wonder GM is in trouble. If they built cars like everyone else, it would be in the junkyard by now and I'd have to be driving a new car. Don't get me started on my '65 Skylark either!!!

[Ronnie]

Yeller, I know what you mean. I've had to put in a new battery, new brake pads, and new spark plugs and it only has a little over 100,000 miles on it. I know it wouldn't last long before I had to work on it.

[Barney Eaton]

Yeller.... here is a recent story.... I received a phone call from a Reatta owner in North Carolina... he has 380,000 on a 1990 and the transmission is going. He want to have the engine and transmission rebuilt so he can keep it longer.

I ran some number by him...cost of the rebuild for both would likely run $3500 minimum. I suggested the add $2,000 to that amount and he could be a nice 70-80K Reatta and drive it for another 10 years. He found a car in Michigan and is keeping the old one for parts.

[JalopyBob]

I am 58, and hope to be able to keep my 90 Dang GM Junk until I can no longer safely drive. Or maybe just a little bit longer than that. It has 55600 miles now. Maybe I will need that water pump when I am 80!

[KDirk]

Heh,

Boy do I know the feeling. Got in a heated discussion with a Toyota owner recently, nothing but badmouthing GM product and saying they will never in their life buy one (as though to insult me by disrespecting my choice of cars). This despite my assurances that GM has and continues (at least until the government bean counting kicks in fully) to make some very good cars.

Yeah, they have some lemons and some recalls. But...check out Toyota's recall history sometime. Hint: the more cars you sell, the more get recalled when something goes wrong. BTW, I never once badmouthed Toyota. They make some very reliable (although - to me - totally uninspiring) cars.

I have two GM products, the Reatta (18 years old) with about 95,000 on the clock and the Deville (14 years old) with 121,000 miles. Some people tell me the Deville looks brand new. I tell them it also runs like new - and I'm not stretching the truth. My Reatta, once it is back from being painted will also look new.

When I finish the engine tune-up and rear suspension this summer I have no hesitation in saying it will be as mechanically solid as any car under 5 years old. This means I would be comfortable taking it on a long road trip without fear of catastrophic failure.

All this doesn't really matter. I know I will not change their mind; they are a "true believer" that their brand of choice is better. In dollars and cents, the jokes on them. Yeah, it is a newer vehicle with factory warranty but will already be in a salvage yard well before my Reatta ever goes there, unless it gets totaled in a wreck. And, it doesn't have the style and uniqueness of a Reatta.

I should mention that the glass panel in their sunroof spontaneously shattered one day on the highway about 6 weeks after purchase, and tires (unusual size) for this SUV are $250 a piece. Oh, but Toyota can do no wrong and GM builds overpriced "garbage" requiring constant maintenance and repairs.

The really entertaining part is that this person knows nothing about cars outside of where to fill the gas and how often to change the oil. And then they pay $60+ to have it filled with synthetic each time, as they have no inclination or ability to do it themselves.

And I'm supposed to be influenced by their cheap shots at GM? Baseless criticism is a last desperate attempt at justifying one's chosen position when they've made a decision solely on emotional or popular influence, and lack any concrete factual basis for their position. How's that for some paperback psychology?

I am not a mindless GM cheerleader either. If another company made a car I really liked, and could buy for a price I didn't think was stupidly high, I would - regardless of who made it. Of course, I wouldn't buy any car new, it's just a lousy investment and wastes my money needlessly.

Guess I went a bit long here, but I do get irritated by all the GM bashers. Some ask me why I drive such an old car. Simple - because I can. And so long as it looks good and runs well, I will. You can call me in 15-20 years when you are still driving the same Toyota or Honda or Nissan you have today, and maybe I'll be impressed.

Nuff said.

KDirk

[Guest Richard D]

Just yesterday I was at a gas station and a couple of Honda "tuner cars" pulled in and were amazed at my Reatta, they asked if it was a prototype or concept car and if Buick will start building them. They did not believe me when I said it was 19 years old until I pointed out the 139,000 miles on the clock. After they examined my engine compartment I mentioned that some folks have put the series II 3.8 supercharged engine in their Reatta's and you should have seen their eyes light up.