Not exactly Airstreams in the news...

[Minnie's Mate]

But it will affect us all. We may all be confined to towing with trucks in the not too distant future at the rate things are going:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/bu..._r=1&th&emc=th

You might want to get 'em while you can.

Sad.

[Airslide]

Thanks for the article. Its tough times. Im in this business and each morning i read the headlines in automotive news Automotive News -- In-depth coverage of the automotive industry with special features for subscribers
Its always bad news.. i dont know why i keep reading....
It will turn around.. it will just look different than it does now.

[jcanavera]

It is sad. You know you saw those stickers on your door jams where your car was built. Janesville was an icon.

Jack

[SafariSS]

The real bummer is I think even if the economy turns around and the auto manufacturers' get back in the black I bet there will be alot less focus on large vehicles, especially SUVs. It has become apparent that public image is as important as the quality of vehicles manufactured, it ties in with responsibility.

I have wondered how long they will offer the 3/4 ton Suburban. I have owned three of them, and with four kids they are really our only option for towing upwards of a 7500# trailer with room for gear etc.

[centennialman]

We Americans have always been Nomads....they will probably have a tow vehicle manufacture for us....but at a much, much higher price...just watch

[jcanavera]

Could my current 3/4 ton van be my last tow vehicle? With it being garaged and with TLC and Synth. oil, at 24,000 miles it has a long way to go before I consider having to replace it.

Jack

[Airslide]

Thats a tough van. It will last many many years. Its always funny that when we sell something thinking its not going to continue being reliable, someone else buys it and does what we do with it and thinks its the greatest thing since sliced bread. Might just as well depreciate yourself and save the money.. unfortunately that doesnt help the auto industry but its what people are doing now. The service bays are a bit busier now than in past years as people are forced to fix their vehicle rather than replace right now.

[moosetags]

I read the entire plant closings article with a great deal of sadness. I have owned 4 Suburban 2500s and 2 Tahoes over the towing years. If they go away completely, I'm really going to miss them. I guess that I can go with a pick-up if I really have to.

I guess what saddens me most is seeing an era passing, and hearing the stories of the American workers whose lives have been turned upside down. I am not concerned for the big automotive corporations who have been making stupid decisions for the past 40 years. I am concerned for the people and communities that have been devastated by these stupid moves. I guess that's what you get when "car guys" no longer run the company, and are replaced with "wall street guys". That's when it becomes all about the closing stock price, and has nothing to do with how good a car you make.

We need our manufacturing might to remain a world power. If we ever have to fight a war for our survival again, we can't do it with strong insurance and commodities industries.

Brian

[Airslide]

Amen to that

[Minnie's Mate]

I think the high gas prices this summer and mostly the hype about going green and the environmental issues and the oil independence issue that was so heavily stressed during the election has made large SUV's, and mid-sized SUV's for that matter, persona non-grata in the automobile world. It's a shame, too. The SUV market is devastated because of election rhetoric that will be long forgotten before January 20th.

[Mikethefixit]

It was kinda sad to see the last SUV come off the line here. ITS a White GMC. It's said it will go into a museum about 2 miles above the Moraine plant where it was produced. It will be alongside the FIRST S10 Chevy Pickup produced I think about 1986. This plant had a very long run as it produced Refridgerators for many yrs prior to being retooled to produce Trucks.
The End of AN ERA

[cosmotini]

Originally Posted by moosetags

We need our manufacturing might to remain a world power. If we ever have to fight a war for our survival again, we can't do it with strong insurance and commodities industries.

Brian

No Problem! We'll just SUE our enemies to death!

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

But it will affect us all. We may all be confined to towing with trucks in the not too distant future at the rate things are going:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/bu..._r=1&th&emc=th

You might want to get 'em while you can.

Sad.

Well, you could do worse! I don't have a lot of experience with trucks, but bought a 1/2 ton extended cab 4x4 a few years ago, and just traded it on a new crew cab diesel when we bought the AS.

Haven't tried towing the AS with it yet, but now i am used to the slightly larger dimensions than my last truck, I am really happy with it. I have no doubt it will do yeoman's duty in pulling the AS.

Presumably no matter what the fate of SUV's, trucks should always be available to us, and a 4x4 crew cab with a cap isn't a whole lot different.


Brian.

[henw]

The auto makers were making the right cars. SUV's are perfect. People want cars that give them the freedom of the road. The ability to head out and just keep going. Something to haul a boat, move a piece of furniture, or bring home a load from Home Depot. There is also a need for speed. A Prius just won't do it.
We are not Europe. Their roads are narrow, and, one does not need to travel great distances to shop in most areas of the old world.
The NYT's caters to the crowd that lathers in guilt. The one's driving their hybrids to Whole Foods in Birkenstock sandals.
One problem is that SUV's are not energy efficient. The bigger issue is that they are symbols of excess. And, one must project the pc image.
Don't talk to me about 40 mile range electric cars. I have no need. Tell me about big and fast vehicles that also happen to get good mileage. This is what the public wants.
Oh, and everytime Al Gore or Thomas Friedman advocate an energy tax designed to force consumers into their version of future transportation, I want to smack them. How arrogant to assume that it's OK to place a extra burden on those folks who live in rural areas for example. They may be stuck with the old Ford Explorer for yrs to come. Couldn't afford to switch to something with better mpg if they wanted. And, evey trip to the store is 30+ miles round trip.

Tom

[dreadydreame]

Very sad to see the plants closing, I really feel for all those workers who lost their jobs. I hope things make a turn for the better soon.

[ronstory]

Yes, it's bad for the workers. As for some fun Al Goreism... this was my favorite from last year.

ABC News: Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth'? -- A $30,000 Utility Bill

... Hmmm... a $30K a month for electricy. That's almost a bambi a month.

But just to be fair, IMHO Dan Quail is still has the best "choice of words" on the outtakes.

[Ganaraska]

To be fair, it's really $30,000 a year not $30,000 a month. Or only 20 times the average American home.

"Nashville Electric Services records show the Gores in 2006 averaged a monthly electricity bill of $1,359 for using 18,414 kilowatt-hours, and $1,461 per month for using 16,200 kilowatt-hours in 2005. During that time, Nashville Gas Company billed the family an average of $536 a month for the main house and $544 for the pool house in 2006, and $640 for the main house and $525 for the pool house in 2005. That averages out to be $29,268 in gas and electric bills for the Gores in 2006, $31,512 in 2005."

The pool house eh. Well I'm glad they're not wasting it.

By the way they don't talk about Global Warming anymore for obvious reasons. Now the politically correct term is "Climate Change".

As in, "The climate is changing! We are all going to die! Buy your Indulgences, I mean Carbon Offsets, from my Carbon Offset company and give me all your money and power!"

Actually the climate is changing, it is different today than it was yesterday. And we are all going to die, some day. It's the last part I have a problem with.

[ronstory]

Oops... I made a mistake. You are correct, it was per year.

I got curious since my electric bill just arrived today and I'm at $900ish for the year. But electricity is relative cheap in Oregon... should probably compare by KWh.

[Ganaraska]

Did you check out this link on the ABC News sight?

ABC News: Ex-Bush Aides Say He Never Recovered From Katrina


I especially enjoyed this quote from Washington insider Lawrence Wilkerson:

"He became vice president well before George Bush picked him," Wilkerson said of Cheney. "And he began to manipulate things from that point on, knowing that he was going to be able to convince this guy to pick him, knowing that he was then going to be able to wade into the vacuums that existed around George Bush — personality vacuum, character vacuum, details vacuum, experience vacuum."

When he says "around" do you suppose he means "between the ears of"?

[Larry in MO]

Gee, the media being critical of President Bush? Now whomever would have thought that might happen?