alaskaman
Senior Member
Back in the "day" as it is now called, the Big Three, Ford, GM and Chrysler intentionally prevented the American public from knowing anything about their vehicles safety. The Pinto's gas tank was originally designed out as a safety risk but kept on the assembly line due to the cost of a change out. It was the tip of the iceberg. Lack of seatbelts, collapsible steering columns, and goodbrakes and tail fins able to puncture body parts all led to numerous deaths on our roads. Madison Ave PR and the Big Three got out the vaseline and had the party until Ralph Nadar came along. He single handedly changed the landscape by suing the pants off these lying companies. As a result Americans turned to Japanese automobiles and reinforced the image of reliability in the mind of most customers. The monoliths of Detroit, culpable of fatal greed took 2 decades to catch the wind living in palaces in Dearborn Mich and worrying more about their golf handicap. The American dream but only for the lucky few.
The oil embargo further enhanced the choices of Honda and Toyota. Lean, somewhat sporty these vehicles saved $ were more reliable than ANY vehicle produced by Detroit and sipped gas. That Toyota is now having reliability problems should come as no surprise, hell that trend was predicted here on T4R.org years ago by the members here.. Greed has many faces and apparently no culture is immune to it's grip.
I would not trade the Beast for any American made vehicle....ever. The Big Three had to be humiliated brought to their f'n kees economically and forced to change. They did not give a damn about the driver, only their profits.:hunter:
End of Rant, Dated and now awake, with soapbox returned to downtown Berkeley, Ca with gratitude.
The oil embargo further enhanced the choices of Honda and Toyota. Lean, somewhat sporty these vehicles saved $ were more reliable than ANY vehicle produced by Detroit and sipped gas. That Toyota is now having reliability problems should come as no surprise, hell that trend was predicted here on T4R.org years ago by the members here.. Greed has many faces and apparently no culture is immune to it's grip.
I would not trade the Beast for any American made vehicle....ever. The Big Three had to be humiliated brought to their f'n kees economically and forced to change. They did not give a damn about the driver, only their profits.:hunter:
End of Rant, Dated and now awake, with soapbox returned to downtown Berkeley, Ca with gratitude.
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