That would explain why I have not seen any posts from you in a while over at GMI. Ridiculous.

believe half of what you see and less of what you read.

bottom line…the article written by the fearless leader of TTAC got the job done. not that I’m overly anxious to return, something about a taste in your mouth.

Chris:

Nick

You might want to remove nsap’s email address from your post–or the spambots will eat him alive.

As for GMI, the admins are good people. The members are about evenly split between two groups: people who want GM to do well, but are critical of many things it does, and people who feel GM can do no wrong, and attempt to bully the first group into shutting up.

Because of the second group, which became steadily more assinine and obnoxious, I don’t post there nearly as often as I used to.

First of all, the members of the site are quite critical of the way the company is run these days and of the not-quite-thereness of many of its products.

Buickman was a bit repetative with his assail against uppermanagement, but that’s hardly something new. He’s been a member for years. Everyone knows his schtick and has accepted him graciously as a member of the community.

Further, the site was sold not too long ago to the AutoForums people, and they couldn’t care less if one of the members of one of its sites was outspoken. And none of the former administrators have left, and they’ve had years to get rid of Buickman if they wanted to. They haven’t.

And their M.O. is to actually ban someone for violating policy. Not only does the need not exist, but I doubt anyone has the time to “jam” someone to prevent log in.

I’m betting that it’s a simple misunderstanding/glitch. They really have a lot of tolerance for annoying people over there, and the fact that Jim Dollinger had a thread on the news ticker called “congratulations Jim Dollinger” makes me think that perhaps they weren’t banning him.

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f59/congratulations-jim-dollinger-buickman-65119/

BON cleaned out all the non Ford fanboys after the new owners took over. Wonder who the new owners were?

There is an excellent rant on how they screwed up the KJ (1st Gen Liberty) relative to to XK.

This site is not run by General Motors. Many of its mods are consistently harsh on the company, as they should be. I see less and less blind fanboys and more constructive criticism. I’d say there’s less Kool aid flowing there than at Toyota Nation.

Check both fora out, and let me know if you disagree. Those guys at Yota Nation are simply zealots.

All the same, I’m sad to see Buickman go. GMI was wrong to jam him.

GM has never learned the lesson of learning from it’s critics rather than demonizing them.

gotta love TTAC. honesty and truth are the principles here, and dissenting thoughts are allowed to contend.

I have to agree somewhat on GM’s recent drive trains – they seem to be pretty solid. I now have a little over 80k on my 2004 Grand Am Gt and it’s still solid with no problems in the drive train (knocks on wood).

As for the rest – I’ll have to give it failing grades – all sorts of interior items are failing including the illumination in the Monsoon head unit.

I put around 113k on a 2000 Tiburon and didn’t have any interior issues or drive train issues. Hyundai did better on a lower priced car in a lower bracket and was 5 years older than the 2004 GA GT I am driving with several annoying issues with the interior. GM has improved, but not enough to earn my business again. What Buickman suggested would go a long way in helping GM.

You mean Cheers & Gears?

The biggest fans of GM can be (and should be) the biggest critics. They know the company can build knockout cars, that it’s brands have a rich identity and heritage and that with the right management and product plans it can be successful again. GM fans should be demanding this from their favorite automaker and not cheerleading the further degredation of each brand with terrible products that ignore each brand’s history and mission that made them in the first place.

That’s always been my core message at GMI and for the most part GM has fallen far short of it. The message always falls on deaf ears at GMI too, if you don’t love GM’s current product plans you’re obviously the enemy. I’m sure the brass at the RenCen thinks the same way.

Long live Buickman :)

toxicroach I like your plan but I think it would be easier to let them go to Ch. 7 then some American investors intent on revitalizing the american auto industry at a decent profit can buy up the good bits.

The company could be broken up into 2 or 3 seperate auto companies each with their chosen GM nameplate, associated resources(staff and labor can be rehired back cutting out the sh*t that infects the company now) with new marketing, vision and focus. Many parts of GM have tremendous value its just sqwandered under the current GM umbrella. Sort of starting over with a clean slate.

Also, as much as it pains me that I actually have to say this, but while there likely are “company stooges” lurking about, GMI is not affiliated with GM. At least they state that in their disclaimer at the bottom of the home page.

GM Inside News = false bravado

Blue Oval News = annoyance/frustration, false hope

AllPar = bitterness and contempt

I find Allpar the most interesting to read. They seem to be the most honest, probably because they have little left to loose.

(I still get angry when I think about the prematurely forced release of the Ultradrive. So much potential, so much lost.)

Face it, if your car breaks under warranty, you won’t hold much of a grudge if the problem is taken care of quickly, you get a loaner car, etc. Too often GM and the dealers tried to avoid making the repairs, “jiggled” the wiring harness so that it’s replacement could be deferred until the warranty ran out, etc. And, reducing the depreciation so customers can trade in and buy new more frequently is also a smart approach.

I’ve read all the knocks about GM products here – I just bought a 2008 GMC Acadia. It is a fantastic vehicle. Well built, quiet, nice interior (I don’t any difference between it my co-workers BMW as far as interior materials). My experience with GM and Ford is they last longer than most (contrary to popular opinion). Based on my initial impression, I would expect this go the distance as well.

– 83 Ford Fairmont – 160,000 miles
– 86 Mustang – 170,000 miles (still drive it)
– 93 Ford Ranger – 175,000 miles (daily driver)
– 1999 Ford Expedition – 215,000 miles (still going strong)
– 2008 GMC Acadia – lovin’ it