GM and Chrysler are now burnt toast, officially in bankruptcy. President Obama, the Bankrupter-in-Chief, is too young to remember the glory days of the American car company when songs like GTO, Mustang Sally, and 409 glorified the muscle cars of the 60's. The mid 50's to the mid-60's was fueled by America's love for cars, short commutes and cheap gas. It was a great generation for the car buff. 

I still remember waiting for the new model years to see how BIG the headlights (size and number), horsepower, and tail fins would be. Who can forget the 1959 Cadillac, with the two foot high "fins"? Americans loved their cars and couldn't wait for the next model year to come out.

There was no Toyota or Honda to compete with. It was LSMFT (Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco) and 409 time at the drive up hamburger joint. The American car companies had it made. Cheap gas, an ever-growing middle class, the good life. Then the "JAP" cars showed up.

Americans inititally laughed at them. Who would buy this crap from Japan? That was when "made in Japan" meant "junk". Slowly, but surely the Japanese car makers kept plugging away, making boring-looking quality cars. Consumer Reports consistently gave them TOP QUALITY Rankings in their annual car reports issue.

At the same time the UAW and American car makers got fat and lazy. Every time a contract expired, the UAW would go on strike, the car companies would capitulate, under the assumption that Americans would only buy American cars at any price. It worked for a few years. And then..............Jimmy Carter showed up, the Iranians held us hostage, and there were gas shortages. Suddenly, muscle cars weren't that important. The guy in the White House with the cardigan sweater meant business. We need to find better, more fuel efficient cars. Those gas guzzlers that need "fixin" all the time just don't cut it anymore.

Suddenly the automobile was looked at as a nuisance. If we had to wait in line for an hour for gas, at least we wanted a quality car that got good mileage! I traded in my 1971 Malibu and bought a Toyota Celica. The rest is history

I will NEVER buy a GM or Chrysler car again. I have owned Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Jeep Cherokees over the years. I can't tell you the number of defects all these cars have had. I gave up on these American cars several years ago and now own TWO Toyota Highlanders - 2002 and 2003 (guzzle, guzzle -- 18 MPH). They never break, just change the oil, routine maintenance. They are both humming along at 90,000 miles. As the Toyota serviceman told me a few weeks ago: "These cars are just breaking in".

I never could get an American car past 60,000 miles before the repair expense just got to be ridiculous. Memo to Mr. Obama...why would I want to buy a GM car that is now owned by the government and a disgruntled UAW?

Jimmy Johnson just won the NASCAR Dover 400 race in a Chevrolet. I pity him in 5 years when he has to drive a Chevy Volt and make a pit stop every two laps to recharge the defective battery!

GM and Chrylser - R I P! 

                                                                                            

                                                                       I hope to get more than 1 lap out of my Chevy Volt!