What do you mean GM did something right; look at the Corvair, coolest, funnest, little deathtrap they ever made, well Nader says it was, a deathtrap that is. I rode in several, many times and fast (the Spider) when I was a late teen, one of my friends dads collected and restored ten of them . . . .and they were fun. But they were more or less as Ralphy said they were, a bit of a deathtrap, if not in the best of conditions, and you didn’t have a wreck in one. A fun car . . .BAD overall engineering.
Ok, so I said GM did something right, what was it then? Saturn is what they did right. But, for most of you monster SUV drivers they were way under your “Coolness factor,” so then, of course, ignored by you. I will leave the fact that Saturn was the only American car that was over 97% made in America, by Americans. OMG American made, not Mexico, not China, how horrid to put America and Americans ahead of a quick profit. Well they sure have fixed that problem over the years. Ok, back to Saturn, the GM good choice (for a while). Why was the SATURN line GM’s good choice, beyond being made in America? Simply, because they were WELL DESIGNED, and well constructed vehicles, at least untill GM took them back under GM’s direct control. GM did this on the sly and didn’t want to make it well known, as a matter-of-fact it was such a bad idea to the dealerships (they knew their customers) that our car dealership, through which we bought our Vue, lied to us about the fact that GM had, taken controll back and that they were no longer a Saturn product/design, but a GM product completely. Why is that bad you might ask, my GM has been fine, but let me tell you a little story about GM engineering . . . . it might save your life or your children’s. It almost lost me two grandchildren and 3 step-daughters, the Step is only a legal term I consider them mine!
STORY:
One day after having spent part of our summer driving from Indiana to Quebec, and from there way up into the Northern part of this country, and finally arriving at home, I noticed that the inside of the left rear tire was horribly worn. It was worn out , with less that 15,000 miles on it. It was showing CORD on the inside edge. I knew this was not in the least bit normal, and took My 2004 “Saturn” Vue in to have the tires replaced, and the problem diagnosed by our (pretty damn good repair people (locals not a dealership)). They though it was an alignment issue, and it really was, but it was a designed in FLAW from GM that caused it . . . . .and it may well kill you and your family if you have the same suspension in the rear of your mini SUV (GM design) that is in the 2004 VUE. So what happened to the Vue? Well the rear suspension is designed in such a way that it “requires” no lubrication, of course since it is so poorly designed, bad fit, dissimilar metals, water can get into the Pivot point of the upper arm bushing. . . rust/corrosion forms, freezes the bolt to the steel bushing, this in turn causes the bolt to rub at both ends of it’s mount point . . . . SO? . . . get to the point. The point is that the “A” frame upper suspension arm was harder than the Bolt apparently (??????got to be kidding me) And next thing you know the Bolt head shears off and the upper A frame collapses letting the wheel fold against the inner frame of the vehicle. Two of my grand children were riding with 3 of my step daughters, a mile or two only and at less than 40 miles an hour ,in a small Indiana town, when the suspension collapsed! If they had had to go out to the Interstate to go where they wanted to go and were going 70MPH or so, the Vue would have flipped violently through the air. I have little doubt that half the kids in that vehicle would be dead now. So, If you own a 2004 Vue . . or later, or a GM mini SUV of the same age, with the same suspension you are driving a potential death trap.
OK, so KIlling Saturn was a big mistake, at least to the minds of Saturn owners. Pissed many of us off to the point that a very large percentage of previous/current Saturn owners will NEVER buy any GM product, ever. Look it up, it is true. Think that that is all that GM has done . . I mean other that take two bailouts from our tax dollars? I ask that you watch this documentary, http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/ and then think about your next car purchase.
It could save your life.
Oh, and please thank GM for Killing the EV1 too . . . . . . Oh and Bush, and the “Fed”, and the Oil Companies, and the “Bankers” AH SHIP! too many to list. Ignore all of this rant, it’s just “Foxing”, isn’t it?
Oh, and GM, this is just my opinion, except for the FACTS, enjoy.
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