Tuesday, June 02, 2009

I Remain a 'Chevy Guy' ...

My first car was a VW Beetle, and a few years back I drove a Toyota Landcruiser ... the rest have all been Chevies. I love the line, and part of me hurts a little to see the parent company of General Motors declare bankruptcy.

From the perspective of one humble consumer, I have to wonder what's going on up there ... I mean, I've had nothing but joy from my Chevies. The Camaro was fun, the Tahoe was comfortable, and my old Silverado remains a favorite mode of transportation. So how can a company that produces a diverse lineup of good vehicles go bankrupt?

Of course, Chevrolet is just a part of GM ... which has produced its share of clunkers, as well. But even so, it became an American icon, and image of our nation and its industry ... which employed a few family members of mine, who left the farms of northern Michigan to work the assembly lines of southern Michigan. And when you travel the world, time and again, you see representations of America that include a Chevrolet.

The following report from NBC's Roger O'Neil gives voice to some of the feelings I've had since yesterday's announcement.

2 comments:

Darrell W. Ward said...

Jeff:
Again, just speaking anecdotally, one of the best autos I ever owned was an '89 Chevy Blazer. It had 315,000 miles on it when I sold it and it was still going strong. In high school I had mucho fun driving a '59 Chevy Bel-Air. I'm driving a Ford right now (parenthetically speaking, it's interesting that Ford seems to be getting by without becoming a government entity) but have had great service over the years from GM products. And I'll miss Pontiac. What teen-ager of my generation didn't drool over the GTO?

Jeff said...

Darrell, SO GOOD to hear from you, another member-emeritus of that youth fellowship, the 'Goat-Driver Wannabes.'

And a 50s Bel-Air?!?! Talk about one of the definitive American cars. A boyhood chum of mine in Pennsylvania drove a Bel-Air wagon (a Nomad), and that drove me to breaking one commandment (Coveting), and close to breaking another one (Killing).

I, too, wonder what Ford's up to ... being a Chevy Chauvenist, I find it "INCONCEIVABLE" (with a nod to Wallace Shawn).