Speakeasy forum: No one is buying cars because they have no jobs to go to.

As the car got older the registration and taxes dropped lower so an incentive to keep it.

I wonder how folk would react to an old car tax. (no I don't wonder at all.)
Bob

many ex-husbands travel down........no financial benefit for keeping them around either.

this almost three years ago when the Cash for Clunkers crap was going on.....when the Obama-money stopped so did the buying. You guys are really slow...........

or did you skip over the parts you didn't like?

>>>But full-year sales at Ford and General Motors lagged. GM's rose only 3.7 percent for the year, while Ford edged up 5 percent. For December, GM sales rose 5 percent, while Ford was up 2 percent.>>>

>>>Demand was led by the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, Ram pickup and Chrysler 300 luxury car.>>> So much for the popularity of all those green battery POS vehicles.....which, BTW, the government is the biggest customer for, not the population.

>> She said Ford is more concerned about an increase in the payroll tax, which is scheduled to bounce up to 6.2 percent this year from 4.2 percent in 2011 and 2012. That amounts to a $1,000 to $1,500 tax increase per household, she said.

"We will look at that closely because it will crimp spending in the months ahead," she said.>>> What for that downturn coming.

>>>December featured year-end deals on GM's big pickup trucks; the company offered discounts of up to $9,000 to help clear growing inventory. The move worked. GM cut its full-size pickup supply by more than 20,000 in December to about 222,000.>>> The only way they could get rid of them was to play "Huge Cash for Pickups" or they would still be sitting in the lots.

>>> The Polk auto research firm predicted even stronger U.S. sales for 2013, forecasting 15.3 million as the economy continues to improve. Polk, based in Southfield, Mich., expects 43 new models to be introduced, up 50 percent from last year. New models usually boost sales.

The firm also predicts a rebound in sales of large pickups and midsize cars. All eight of the top manufacturers are strong and introducing new vehicles, and that should bring competition and lower prices in those segments, according to Tom Libby, lead North American analyst for Polk.

But the firm's optimistic forecasts hinge on Washington reaching an agreement on government debt limits and spending cuts.>>>>

Polk is sitting around with their fingers crossed.........the CBO recently said that the deal that got put into place two days ago will actually cost 600,000 jobs. Good luck with that Polk wishful thinking.

e there's no demand for "Green" vehicles? Nah, they discount the vehicles on which their margins are largest, and for which demand is expected to be soft. I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't at least a hybrid, and I think that's true of anybody who didn't absolutely need a big vehicle, or who had money to burn because that's what you're doing every time you fill up.

Rob

We'll need to deal with constructing and deconstructing the batteries. All of this requires energy we've not had to use in the past. If it adds to the total energy use in building and later disposal of the car, we need to add that into the algorithm for proper computation of savings. We can't look at this as just a money issue but must also look at resource use.

"Vehicles get less mpg on 10% ethanol than they do on 100% gasoline, so if there is no traffic stalling/jams there is basically no savings on pollution because you burn more. It's less pollution per gallon, but you burn more, so......"

so....does that mean you think it's the same amount of pollution? If so, then what if one runs a car on 100% ethanol? Obviously there is some lessened pollution factor for the amount of ethanol burned. Where the same or greater amount of pollution might factor in is back during ethanol production.

I think having alternative fuel sources is a wise idea, so long as it's inherent inefficiencies are not expanded too much except during times of crisis where such alternative fuel is needed in greater demand due to something like the Arab Oil Embargo in the 70's.

You claimed nobody was buying cars because they have no jobs to go to. You just proved yourself wrong.

Since the article that was in the news...YESTERDAY?

Sales HAVE dropped off OR they PREDICT they will?

more people have been laid off

The rebound has itself been good for the U.S. economy.

The most recent figures from the Labor Department show that employment at auto plants and their parts suppliers grew by 55,400, or nearly 8%, over the 12 months ended in November, and automakers have announced plans for more hiring in the months ahead. Auto dealers have added another 25,400 jobs over the same period.

And those 80,800 jobs don't capture all the additional hiring at other companies that benefit from auto industry spending, from makers of steel, aluminum, paint and carpeting, to advertising firms and other media companies.

It was about saving the Auto industry, which it and the bailouts (already repaid) did successfully. In other words it was about jobs, not about sales.

If we're slow, you're ... mistaken? confused? obtuse? Choose whatever you prefer.

Rob

missed the point of it.....it had nothing to do with saving the industry (that was done with the bailout). The whole idea of the Clunkers program was because BO wanted all the old 'gas' vehicles off the road and give incentives to people to buy the newer hybrids that ran on both gas and battery. His Executive Order to the car industry now is to get vehicles running a minimum of 50 MPG by 2015 or 2020 which will make them so expensive that people will start veering away from them and go to the battery tiny cars instead.

I'm not buying a new car that's for sure. Yeah, I know car sales have been pretty good lately. All that article mentions is probably true. However, besides having jobs and cash or ease of loans, the plain fact is buyers are in the mode to buy. That old car maybe asking too much to repair or become unreliable. However, in my case I'll buy a new car when prices aren't so high. Geeezz, a loan for 72mos(or less) maybe something in the $20K range and I get approved. NOPE!!! Little squirt cars for $30K+ easy and maybe save on gas but too little for me. SUV, forget that gas hog, but i still need a truck(p/u) but they will be used until I take a dirt nap. A car is going to be used and it better be US made(cross-fingers) or a huge chunk of it, if I get another one. Back to the auto auction. -----Willy

labor in it than most American made vehicles(much less pick ups) on the road.The Tundra even has more American content that the Chevy Corvette !

The figures in this table come from the govt,not Toyota.

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2009/07/03/25-vehicles-less-american-than-the-toyota-tundra/

here, or there?

The new company name is Nissan and these fare much better. I also remember reading that the ride of early Japanese cars compared to that of sitting on a buckboard. I do wonder how often it happens that a name change is needed to even begin to earn back customer respect.