Ten vehicles that bankrupted GM

[FarCenter]

http://jalopnik.com/5274023/ten-vehicles-that-bankrupted-gm/gallery

Chevrolet SSR
Saturn L-Series
Hummer H2
Saab 9-2X "Saaburu"
GMC Envoy XUV
GM B-Body (Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Buick Roadmaster, Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, Chevy Caprice and Chevy Impala SS}
Cadillac Escalade EXT
GM EV-1
Pontiac Aztec
Chevrolet Pontiac Aveo G3 Wave

[DainBramaged]

1. They aren't even close, but of course, a writer who sucks Japanese tailpipes

when they release any piece of shit just wants some attention.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. Hey, when are we getting paid back for the "loans" to GM?

Since you've repeatedly claimed that the bailout was in fact "loans" that would be paid back (by the now totally bankrupt company) I'd like some information about when I should expect to be paid back. Seems only fair as me and everyone else on this board are now paying your salary.

[spoony]

18. Er, since it turned into a hostile takeover

I'm pretty sure the old terms are nullified. And are you one of those people who abuse public servants while telling them "I pay your salary"?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

87. That depends.

If the public servant in question is a vicious asshole towards everybody who disagrees with him then I don't have any sympathy.

[yodoobo]

20. No one ever expected those loans to be paid back

Loans just sounded more taxpayer friendly than "bailout"

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

86. Not the person in question.

He repeatedly claimed that GM was perfectly fine, and that the loans in question would be paid back, and chastised anyone who suggested that this was not the case.

[ingac70]

22. About the time Toyota....

pays back its loan to Japan.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/03/toyota-seeks-bailout-from_n_171303.html

[Hannah Bell]

30. "Toyota seeks bailout from Japan" is the headline for those who don't do links.

Back in march.

We didn't hear much about it then.

Too busy talking about how GM is unique among auto corps in its "failure".

[Statistical]

76. The financial crisis increased problems in the auto industry

1) dried up credit which people need to buy vehicles
2) causes problems at GMAC and other related "internal financing arms"
3) caused fear of jobs which led to less consumption

so no doubt all that was the catalyst for GM bankruptcy BUT the problems with GM are systemic.

GM has bleed money for 6 years now. 24 qtrs. Toyota has been in the black in all but most recent qtr.

GM assets are worth about $80B and its liabilities are $180B. That didn't happen overnight.

Toyota debt load is still reasonable given sales revenue.

So yeah the entire auto industry is suffering but GM problems are far deeper.

If comparing them to Toyota is hard because of UAW loyalty then at least compare them to Ford.

On EVERY metric Ford is healthier (and was healthier) by a magnitude.

Operating Margins
Cash flow
Debt to Equity


GM was walking dead for a long time now. The financial crisis simply pulled the plug.

[Hannah Bell]

84. sure, if you call taking stored up tax credits & accountancy "restructuring charges"

to produce paper losses while builing new plant hand over fist in china, russia, brazil & elsewhere "bleeding money".

They don't want to build cars in the US, & they don't want to pay their old obligations.

Thus the phoney crisis.

*all* wages, salaries, healthcare & pension costs were less than 1/3 of their total income in 2007.

Administrative portion was 17%.

They were in the black as recently as 2004.

"Detroit residents are struggling to come to grips with what would have been unthinkable as recently as 2004, when GM was completing a 10-year run in which it earned $41 billion, milking profits out of jumbo sport-utility vehicles like the Chevrolet Suburban and Silverado pickup trucks."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=adEYi.hPE3i8&refer=us

[Kalyke]

100. Ha Ha!

(Thank you ingac - that made my day! :) )

[HubertHeaver]

88. I'll be happy with the patents on the '60's era engines

[LanternWaste]

61. Since you were in the industry....

Since you were in the industry, maybe you could then enlighten us with your opinion of which GM cars bankrupted the company... :shrug

[NightWatcher]

2. the Chevy Caprice/Impala was one of the best cars EVER MADE

I owned a 79 2 door back in 1995-2000

[azmouse]

3. I still own a 1995 Chevy Impala SS.

It's a great car, a real workhorse.

[LittleWoman]

28. Still driving a 1986 Caprice with 200,000+ miles

This is our only car! What makes it more interesting is that we live in a very upscale suburb so we are driving a very unique vehicle. We just came home from a 4200 mile road trip to the southwest and I must say we got some unusual reactions along the way. However, kudos to the gate attendant at the country club in Tucson who was checking in guests for our friends' 50th anniversary party. He did not bat any eye at us when we drove up. We had speculated that we might be asked to park in the back with the hired help.

[BrotherBuzz]

75. That Impala was a great car that had a three year run then the Texas plant converted to pick-up's

The 2000-2005 Impalas were dogs by comparison.

[8 track mind]

81. Lucky Bastard! Me want LT-1!! n/t

[FarCenter]

8. It screwed up their brand identities

From the orginial story

GM B-Body

The problem with badge-engineering is sometimes it works. The 90s-era GM B-Body vehicles were successful and people ended up buying the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Buick Roadmaster, Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, Chevy Caprice and Chevy Impala SS. Unfortunately, it was a dilution of brand missions and only perpetuated the company's problems rather than solve them.

[david13]

32. Then why did GM discontinue it?

[JVS]

57. Because the large family sedan/wagon was replaced by the SUV

The car companies realized that their CAFE numbers could be improved by taking a large body on frame RWD car and turning it into a large body on frame RWD "truck". So basically the B-body was the victim of different standards for cars and SUVs within a fleet.

[tularetom]

4. I have my own list

The 9 Hummers they sold to Ahnuld Schickelgruber.
The piece a shit 4WD 1975 Chevy Blazer they sold me that blew two transmissions in three years.

[Kalyke]

101. 1975???

:eyes:

Are you one of those "Jap Trap cars are better" people who haven't driven an American car since 1979, but who still think they suck?

If not, I apologize in advance.

If so, I suggest you own a newer American car - your wallet will thank you.

[tularetom]

105. Until 2005 I owned only one foreign car

A 1982 Volvo that I bought new and drove until 1998 when it had 344,000 miles on it.

After my experience with that crappy blazer I owned a succession of Ford pickups until Feb 2005 when I bought a Toyota Tundra. It was competitive with the F-150 and it seems to be more reliable.

Car wise, we went through 2 or 3 Tauruses before buying a Highlander hybrid in 2006.

Both of our Toyotas were assembled here in the USA.

[FSogol]

5. Gawd, the Pontiac Aztec was one of the ugliest vehicles ever produced.

What where they thinking?

[MorningGlow]

6. +1

Nasty-looking, hulking leviathan. And for some reason the most popular color was dark orange, which didn't help.

[Xithras]

27. I've never understood the hate spewed toward the Aztec

The headlights are a little funky, but it's not THAT ugly! Other than the headlight thing, they were awesome cars that were just a bit ahead of the curve (they'd be doing great if they had been introduced as crossovers took off).

[Gidney N Cloyd]

45. It looked like they took an 84 Civic CRX, jacked it up6", and wrapped mobile home cladding around it

[NoGOPZone]

47. I think it's fear that caused that reaction. The headlights made the front of the vehicle

seem like a sci-fi alien in battle mode. However, the vehicle was indeed a forerunner of the modern crossover

[alfredo]

66. I heard they were pretty good cars and very versatile.

[VPStoltz]

83. I agree. I think it looks like a US verson of Prius.

I read not long after it was discontinued that drivers of the Aztec love, love, love that car.
What is typical is that they just don't stay with something until it sells. It customer satisfaction should have said something.
I think the Aztec is sort of cool looking in a utilitarian way.

[EOTE]

102. I agree wholeheartedly.

A few years back when it was time to pick out a new vehicle for my mom, the Aztec was the best choice available. We got one for around 16k with very low miles and a 3 year, 36k warranty. Now with over 100k on it, it drives like new and has had only routine maintenance done to it. It's got a very smooth ride, TONS of interior and cargo space, a smooth and torquey V6 and good fuel economy. In addition to all that, there are loads of these brilliant ergonomic touches in the interior which just make the vehicle a pleasure to drive (the center console with its rubberized surface for storing stuff which converts into a removable cooler is one of my favorites). For people who do a good amount of hauling and could benefit from AWD, I think that Aztek is a great alternative to the CRV and Rav-4. It may be a tad fugly, but you can get fantastic deals on them to this day. People who only look at the sheet metal of this fine vehicle are truly missing out.

[ContinentalOp]

59. And it's one of the better looking vehicles on that entire list! -nt-

[HughMoran]

72. Yes, why on earth was that car ever produced?

It made me angry as a former GTO owner to see the Pontiac logo on such a hideous beast of a car.

[Kalyke]

103. I know - it looks like a Japanese SUV. n/t

[indepat]

7. Carpooled with friend when he first put his new 1964 black 2-door sedan

Impala with four-on-the-floor in service: what a gorgeous car, what a ride! :D

[bullwinkle428]

10. The EV-1? Really? The car was perfectly fine for its intended purpose;

those that leased them were in love with them, and the demand was there. It was a failure only from the perspective of poor management decisions that resulted from an unwillingness to take the future more seriously...

[FarCenter]

13. The EV-1 was a public relations disaster

If they weren't serious about electric vehicles, they should have never baited the public.

[DCKit]

29. They didn't bait the public, it was a government mandate to build zero emissions cars.

The cars wouldn't have cost $80K each, either, had they not used them as a test bed of new technology (all those things we now take for granted in new cars) and the production numbers had been sufficient. It's like military jets and Congress: Cancel the program and the cost per plane skyrockets, due to the initial development costs. Build only one and it's a billion dollar plane. Build a thousand, and they only cost 60 million.

Additionally, GM's management never supported the program and worked incredibly hard to sabotage it. People who wanted the cars were told they weren't qualified, or that cars weren't available while GM management told CA and the ever obedient M$M there was no demand. Then, like a dream come true, along came King George to save GM from those evil liberals and their environmental policies and they crushed the cars.

You really need to watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?" for it's educational value.

[ContinentalOp]

60. Read the whole article.

The writer is saying that it was a public relations failure thanks to "Who Killed the Electric Car."

[baldguy]

74. It's intended purpose was to placate CA lawmakers.

One they got rid of the zero-emission standard, GM killed it.

[Statistical]

77. GM leased each one at a loss.

It bled money on a per unit basis not to much R&D costs that were never recovered.

Too early. Battery tech wasn't there yet. Sad to see they didn't give it another try 10 years later EV-2?

Also sad that GM saw hybrids as "money losers" which is true Toyota lost money on Prius for first 5 years.

However Toyota was looking long term 20, 30, 40 years. They gained 10x that investment in expertise.
Hands on experience, small things here, small things there, this part breaks too much replace it with this.
Expertise that will allow them to have a competitive advantage for years.

Chevy volt likely would be in showrooms right now had GM took hybrids seriously 7 years ago.

[david13]

11. Aw, come on. No GM bashing.

I like air pollution, and wasting gas, so I like GM. Plus, they have been such a successful company.
Remember, what is good for GM is good for the US, therefore, air pollution and wasting gas are good for you.
dc

[Sal Minella]

14. And the most successful marketing strategy has always been, building things

people don't want to buy, and then insisting that people SHOULD want to buy them.

[blue_onyx]

17. Poor, clueless GM bashers

Keep living in denial about the foriegn SUV gas guzzlers:

The Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Sienna.

The Honda, Ridgeline, Pilot, Odyssey, Element, and CRV.



Yep...GM is the only company that makes vehicles that "waste gas." :eyes:

[david13]

33. GM is the biggest GM basher.

[blue_onyx]

37. Another untrue statement

meant to divert attention from your hypocrisy

[david13]

40. If I had a hundred years,

I could never bash GM into the ground as deep as they have done themselves. Are you sure your mommy has explained to you what 'hypocrisy' is? GM needs some smoke blown up their ass, so blow harder.

[blue_onyx]

42. Yes, I know what it is

Apparently you don't....criticizing one company for making vehicles that "waste gas" yet worshiping other companies who make those same vehicles is hypocritical. I wouldn't expect a simple minded, one note person like you to understand the concept.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

85. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[david13]

39. Dudes. You are here to blow smoke up GM's

ass. Don't let the figures get in your way. But, blow harder.

Gas mileage figures come from automakers and go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and then to the EPA for verification, so it can take until well into the following year for final CAFE numbers to be published. Based on NHTSA's preliminary data, here's where automakers stood for 2007:
Domestic Passenger Cars
Rank Make CAFE Rating
1. Honda 33.7
2. Nissan 33.4
3. Toyota 31.7
4. GM 29.6
5. Ford 28.8
6. DaimlerChrysler 28.6

[blue_onyx]

43. Care to link your info

I was pointing out that the foreign companies also make gas guzzlers...something that is lost on most GM bashers.

Does Toyota's numbers include all "Domestic Passenger Cars?" If it includes the Prius then the Toyota number isn't really all that much better than GM.

[DainBramaged]

56. You don't even know how to read the PDF on the NHTSA site

The light trucks averaged 22.2, the domestic passenger vehicles were 27.5 and the IMPORTED PASSENGER vehicles (including Prius) were 27.5. The STD column is what counts, not the CAFE column.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/

Summary of Fuel Economy Performance, March 2009

[mrs_p]

63. is this in the city?

my saturn SL1 used to get 36 miles on the highway, 28 in the city

[Dukkha]

12. It should read ten CEOs that bankrupted GM

The one's who though what's good for GM is good for America. Apparently not.

[Chemical Bill]

44. That's more like it. n/t

[lpbk2713]

15. My daughter had an Avalanche.

I thought that thing was a hog. Kind of like a first cousin to a Hummer.

[yorgatron]

19. could not be more wrong.

he forgot about what started it back in the 70's and 80's,the Chevy Vega,Chevy Chevette,Chevy Monza (and the badge engineered Buick Skyhawk & Oldsmobile) Starfire) the Cadillac Cimarron,and on,and on,and on...

[david13]

35. Well, it's a hella good name for a car, right, name it after ...

a natural disaster?
Ha ha.
dc

[Throd]

16. I blame the Cadillac Cimarron

C'mon, just how stupid do you think we are? You just stuck an ugly grille on a crappy Chevy and think we won't notice? The public voted with their wallet.

I have always been a big fan of Oldsmobiles. I still proudly own four of them, so I'm not a knee-jerk GM basher. Their decisions of the last 30 years just make me sad.

[yorgatron]

21. Hi Throd,I like Oldsmobiles too

[Throd]

23. Sweeeeeeeeeet,

I have a '59, '67, '68 and '73.

One day I'll get a '70 Toronado. And then my wife will finally kill me.

[AndyA]

25. 1990 Oldsmobile Touring Sedan owner, here.

Bought it brand new. Ordered it, in fact. I wasn't even in my thirties at the time, and everyone thought it was the coolest car. Many still do.

And to date, I've never driven ANYTHING I like better. I've tried Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, and many others. None of them drive as well as my old Oldsmobile.

GM should have dumped Pontiac and Buick, and kept Oldsmobile a few years back, IMO.

[Throd]

50. Also, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" was one of the stupidest campaigns ever.

Who did they think they were going to attract with that?

[elleng]

82. Not I, fer sure,

as I learned to drive on my father's Olds '88 Convertible!!! WUNNERFUL car!

Ours was Black w Red interior! :bounce:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kvsv2wed80

[Romulox]

34. And yet its progeny, the Cadillac CTS, is an excellent vehicle in every respect. nt

[Throd]

49. Yes it is, but a lot of people won't even consider it due to the crap they made in the 80's

[DefenseLawyer]

41. I once rolled a Cadillac Cimmaron three times and skidded down the road on its top

Walked away without a scratch, as did the teenage girl I had snuck out of her house in the middle of the night. Fortunately the car looked so horrific that our parents were too happy we were alive to remember to be pissed at me. A Cavalier with leather seats, although kinda rounded off at the edges when I was done with it. But hey I was in high school and just happy to have a car.

[ProfessorGAC]

94. How About This Decision?

Buick decided to completely eliminate the two door coupe. No models, no 2 doors. DURING THE 90's! While pickup truck sales were going up, which meant LOTS of people didn't care about the other 2 doors.

Talk about narrowing one's market. That move never made any sense to me.
GAC

[RebelOne]

98. I had a Cimarron. It was really a good little car.

Only problem that with its 4-cylinder engine and all the power options inside, it didn't have any pick-up.

[wuushew]

24. This is barely an article, just a bunch of pictures with some guys opinion

I am no fan of GM but the B-body was a great success. If he believes it was to blame for the company's downfall the reasons should be stated clearly and justified in a rational manner.

[ContinentalOp]

62. Did you bother to read it?

He said that the success of the b-body weakened the individual brands. It's a good point. Why bother making several slight variations of the same car with different marketing campaigns and sometimes even different dealerships. It doesn't make any sense, it's a waste of money and effort and dilutes whatever brand identity already exists.

[spinbaby]

26. I had two of the Saturn L series

They were nice, comfortable mid-sized cars. I really liked them, but between the two of them, we had the following problems by 60,000 miles:

Leaking radiator.

Busted electrical system that had the doors not working.

Two transmission problems that required tearing apart the transmission to replace some minor part.

Failed oil pump that left me stranded at the side of the road.

Numerous mysterious trouble lights lighting up to announce some problem they could never diagnose at the dealership.

A windshield wiper that didn't quite fit and screeched horribly the first time I drove the car in the rain.

Occasionally not starting at all for no particular reason--half an hour later it would start. Never fully diagnosed.


The second L Series had more problems than the first. I switched to Toyota. In 40,000 miles, my Prius hasn't had a single--not one--problem.

[david13]

36. Saturn never made a profit.

[TrogL]

52. Saturn's big thing was that the car dealer would socialize with you

Saturn's ads were all about the car dealer and him being your friend.

I'd trust a Saturn salesman about as far as I could throw a tantrum.

[mrs_p]

64. i'm on my third saturn now

and have never had a problem with the salespeople. now, whenever i go into toyota, i've been treated like shit. it makes a difference to me...

[8 track mind]

80. kind of a tricky car to work on

I had to do a full on A/C system overhaul on a 2000 LS2. A lot of that stuff was hard to get to. Both the radiator fan and the condenser fan had failed and it sent the head pressure of the system through the roof. Blew up the hose assembly, compressor, dryer and expansion valve. He didn't hesitate to spend the bucks to get it working again. He's got 100,000 miles on it and it gets him around just fine. the v-6 in the thing is a neat motor.

[Throd]

53. Were they 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder?

[spinbaby]

70. 6 cylinder

Great to drive when they were working right.

[Throd]

73. In hindsight the fours seem to be the better engine

[pinniped]

31. Since the Aztec is on the list, include the Buick Rendezvous as well.

.

[taught_me_patience]

38. Many good examples of poor cars

**********************
Chevrolet SSR - Crappy looking beyond belief and shows again why "retro" sucks.
Saturn L-Series - OK but couldn't compete with Accords or Camrys, which were it's main competition.
Hummer H2 - Wrong car at the wrong time.
Saab 9-2X "Saaburu" - Not that bad a car. Looked funky.
GMC Envoy XUV - Not that bad.
GM B-Body (Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Buick Roadmaster, Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, Chevy Caprice and Chevy Impala SS} - These were prety good cars for what they were.

Cadillac Escalade EXT - Awful in every way
GM EV-1 - Government killed the EV-1 as much as GM did
Pontiac Aztec - Worst car in the history of automobiles.
Chevrolet Pontiac Aveo G3 Wave - Not that bad.

I can think of much worse cars than these:
Chevy Nova - 1985
Chevy Vega
Caddilac Cimmaron
Caddilac Catera
Buick Cutlass - post 1987
Pontiac Sunfire
Saturn ION
Chevy Astro Van
Corvair

[Thegonagle]

46. The "Saabaru" is what I started calling them that when I realized

that there were two almost identical-looking models that had different names. I understand the Saab-Subaru-GM connection, but the "badge engineering" between a supposed Japanese brand and a supposed Sweedish brand was taking it too far. It's almost more ridiculous than the Cadillac Cimmaron was in the early 80's.

Ford has its Mazda and Volvo connection, but Ford has at least had the common sense to not make related models look virtually the same (Ford Ranger and Mazda B-series notwithstanding), and has been able to maintain each brand's image as a having something unique to offer.

I thought GM had figured this stuff out (you know, like when you call one version a Saab, and another a Subaru, but they still look like the same model, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the are same model, and they only thing they're doing is cheapening both brands.)

[taught_me_patience]

65. GM let the Saab brand rot on the vine

with cheap rebrands and shitty models. I still think the Cimmaron was worse because they took a cavalier and slapped on a Caddilac logo on it. Stupid beyond belief.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

89. Sad - Saab used to make some great cars

when it was independent. My daily driver is a 1973 Saab model 96, with the German Ford Taunus v-4 engine. After 36 years, it's still going strong.

[Hannah Bell]

91. how could they be the same, those are "competitors"!

they're "competing," that's why everyone has to take wage cuts, so "our" "american" companies can "win" the "competition"....

[LostInAnomie]

48. Outside of the military, the Hummer never should have existed.

The goes doubly for the H2. It was a gas guzzling behemoth that only the most self absorbed, small penised, insecure, status symbol seeking people even looked at.

[alfredo]

67. Didn't bush give a big tax incentive to buy Hummers and other gas guzzlers.

[excess_3]

90. big SUVs became 'tax-depreciatable', like other vehicles. n/t

[JVS]

99. It might have been pre-bush

There was an era when driving a vehicle over 3 tons meant that it was not being used for mere personal transportation.

[northzax]

69. perhaps

but GM made $15,000 on each one they sold.

[fascisthunter]

51. the Moral of this Story:

stop making gas guzzles you idiots! That goes for all car manufacturers.

[Codeine]

58. Gas guzzlers sold.

They sold like fucking hotcakes. Remember ten years ago when the freeway was a sea of SUVs? GMs problems were systemic business practices, not gas-guzzling cars.

[Statistical]

78. GM was also reliant on trend never changing.

Toyota, Honda, BMW they all jumped on the big vehicle craze.

However at the same time Honda focused on making small cars people like (civic, accord).
Toyota build the Prius when gas was $1.50 and everyone was driving tanks.

Smart enough to look at the long term. Gained expertise in market segment refined it, raised the bar.
When market changed they were already well positioned.

GM problem was always SHORT TERM PROFITS. No long term strategy.

Did they honestly think gas was going to stay $1.50 for 10,000 years?

Or

Did they think people would still buy Tahoes getting 11mpg when gas is $5.50 per gallon?

Prius is on its fifth generation. Lots of real world experience. Learning what works in the lab doesn't work on the road.
The maintenance cost to Toyota on 5th generation refined product is lower. Their build cost is lower. The product has good margins and reputation.
They INVESTED in a future cashflow source.

Not looking about qtr to qtr profits with no vision.

[northzax]

71. but gas-guzzlers, as you like to call them

sold, and were profitable. it doesn't cost all that much more to make a H2 than a Cavalier, but you can sell it for $20,000 more. and they did. consumers were buying 50-60 thousand H2s and H3s a year. in comparison, the past four years, Toyota has sold between 80-110 thousand prius models, for about half the price (and about a quarter of the profit) GM made as much money off the H2 and H3 models as Toyota has made off the Prius, in toto. honestly, it's unclear if Toyota has actually managed to make money on the Prius project, in toto yet.

so how is that a good message again?

[JVS]

55. The B-Body was a good car and a successful platform like that (think more like a K-car these days)..

would be great for them. In fact even a large platform like the B might be good to sell to people who are downsizing from SUVs but still need to be able to seat 6.

[8 track mind]

79. yeah that Caprice was close to bulletproof

the Cops loved the LT-1 equipped Caprices

[L0oniX]

68. Just wait ...and watch GM move everything to China after this is all done.

[tomreedtoon]

92. The original Jalopnik article was by a third grader.

It had to be. It's simply photos of various GM vehicles and the title, which says "These suck."

I'm perfectly willing to accept that GM makes crappy cars, but the writer should explain WHY these cars are crappy. What's wrong with them? Why didn't they catch on? In what way were they misdesigned?

If the guy had included even a paragraph or two, it might have been a worthwhile read. Remember, a critic is supposed to more than throw insults; he has to explain why something is good or bad. Criticism is supposed to inculate an understanding of the subject; in other words, a critic is supposed to impart wisdom.

[Skidmore]

93. Pontiac Phoenix....piece of junk

Owned one and it was a fine example of the crap that GM put out even 20 some years ago. I never would buy another Pontiac after that.

[Omaha Steve]

95. We still have our 91 Caprice

140,000 miles. When Chevy quit making them we were mad. We then bought a Dodge. In 34 years (Friday), we have bought close to a dozen Chevys. We got an 09 Equinox on Memorial Day.

[Patsy Stone]

96. The Aztec is the ugliest vehicle ever made.

As a good friend of mine once said, "The Aztec is what happens when you buy a car in the dark."

[spinbaby]

97. The taxicab-yellow ones are especially ugly

I can't believe anyone paid money for them.

[EOTE]

104. Yet it was rock solid dependable and one of the most functional vehicles ever made.

Frankly, I think pretty much all of those crossover vehicles are pretty damn ugly. But the Aztek has all the functionality and utility of the Lexus RX for a small fraction of the price. It's got a glass smooth ride, a fuel efficient and torquey V6, a very well thought out interior and it's reliable as hell as well. If you look beyond the sheet metal when buying a car, you can find yourself some ridiculous deals.