Originally posted 12/21/08 - Consumer ramblings: auto industry bailout

Some of you who are my friends on Facebook read an article that I posted (http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/081114/14_10_cars_that_sank_detroit.html?.&.pf=insurance) in which one writer tells his POV about why the U.S. auto industry has been hurting for money -- shoddy products and arrogant attitudes were the reasons that stuck out to me -- and I couldn't agree more.

After I graduated college and was an impoverished pedestrian, my parents came into some money and bought me a new car. It was a very generous gift that I'll always be thankful for. I loved my little Dodge Neon (I named him Trekkerdude). He was a trusty, nifty little vehicle... until he started breaking down.

I was very naive when I first got Trekkerdude, and after the A/C went out, about 9 months after I got it, I took it to a local mechanic (instead of finding a Dodge dealership to honor the warranty). The mechanic, who was very blunt and kind of rude, told me, "It's not a good car." As time went on, I kept getting recall notices in the mail (probably about a dozen of them) that confused me, so I ignored them.

I had my first wreck almost 2 years after I first got Trekkerdude. The car I rear-ended -- a Honda Accord, I think -- didn't even get a scratch. But my beloved little Neon got its front end bashed in real good. While it was in the shop, I rented a Ford Escort. Now, I used to make fun of people who drove Escorts, because they'd always drive so slowly and it was frustrating to be stuck behind them. (Incidentally, I've noticed the same thing about Mustangs.) Then I found out why! The freakin' Escort wouldn't accelerate! Yes, I had driven a Ford lately, and I wasn't too happy with it.

Wreck #2 with Trekkerdude happened about 14 months later. This time, it wasn't my fault, but the repairs were still slowgoing. While Trekkerdude was in the shop, I rented a brand-new Dodge Neon (while I missed mine terribly). One day while I was leaving a friend's place, the freakin' Neon wouldn't start! I had to get a tow truck and go back to the rental car place, where I rented a Chevy Cavalier. Which was OK, but I found it to be awkward and kind of clunky. (The steering wheel was fat and chunky. Sorry, but my fingers don't really have that big a grip.)

I still loved my Trekkerdude, my little Dodge Neon. We had been through a lot together. And I would have gladly bought another one if its deterioration weren't so scary. After rebuilding the transmission at around 76,000 miles, replacing the power steering pump twice, fixing the A/C for the third time, replacing the motor mounts, and a ton of other repairs through the years, I was exhausted from spending my Saturdays in smelly, crowded mechanics' waiting rooms and spending my hard-earned money on repairs. After Trekkerdude hit 100,000 miles, he just didn't feel safe to drive anymore.

Through the years, I noticed that my friends who drove used cars usually had Toyotas or Hondas that seemed to last for a long time. My family has almost always driven Fords, Buicks, or Chryslers/Dodges. (When I was a kid, we had a brand-new Ford Fiesta, but only my dad could drive it because the steering wheel would lock up on everyone else. Weird...) I had always been taught to buy domestic and keep my money in the U.S. But, darn it, as I got older and have been able to be a little picker about how I spend my money, U.S. carmakers just didn't prove to me that they could make a vehicle that I could drive safely and long-term. So, as my Trekkerdude deteriorated, I found myself staying up late researching foreign cars on the internet... and dreaming.

My dream came true kind of spontaneously after I bought a new Corolla from a local Toyota dealership this past summer. (I had hoped to drive Trekkerdude for another year, but it was getting scarier.) I doubted the timing of my purchase, but with the economy going crazy later in the year, I'm convinced now more than ever that God made sure I got my Toyota exactly when I needed it. :)

And it's not like I'm any less patriotic for purchasing a foreign model. I didn't travel to Japan to buy it. And I mail my payments to a Dallas address. God bless America, and God bless my new car for many years to come. Just because I love my country doesn't mean I have to be stuck with a low-quality domestic car.

All that to say, I think it's ridiculous for the government to have to rescue or loan money to the U.S. auto industry. Simply put, if they'd make better cars, people would want to buy them. I think this is an example of competition at its finest -- people like me who think domestic cars are kind of embarrassing to be called American and who choose to spend our money on a product that we feel is safer and more reliable.

The only sympathy I have for the U.S. auto industry is for its employees who'd be seriously hurting if the government didn't step in. It's a shame, really, that it's come to this, but I guess we gotta do what we gotta do. I truly hope that the rescue/bailout accomplishes everything it needs to, and that the money goes to the people who really need it. :)

In the meantime, for crying out loud -- Ford, please design a car that will actually accelerate when you want it to. Chevrolet, please design a car that isn't so awkward to drive. And Dodge, your customers are human beings who put their lives inside your cars when they drive them, and they don't appreciate it when mechanics look under the hood, chuckle, and remark, "It's just so Mickey Mouse."

Oh, what a feeling.