The 10 cars that brought down Detroit!

**1st Synthetics** · 07-11-2009, 12:07 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31688479/ns/business-autos/

**detailjohn** · 07-11-2009, 04:56 PM

No Comment....

**2COR517** · 07-11-2009, 07:35 PM

I generally disagree with the article, which I believe I read quite some time ago. Anyway, for the most part, these were good/great cars, especially the K car and Cherokee. The Kcar saved Chrysler from going down the tubes. It was very innovative at the time. The platform developed into several popular cars, including the minivan. The Explorer had issues as mentioned, and the Taurus has to be one of the most popular cars ever. The Cimmaron was a joke, the Aztec was super ugly. The Citation wasn't great looking, but OK for the time. The Fairmont was not pretty from day one. The Detroit problem wasn't so much bad cars, but they just didn't keep up with innovation and quality improvements like Japan. Couple the lack of innovation, America's lust to have the best whether I can afford it or not, throw in a couple of super greedy unions, and look where they are.

**TRPLXL2** · 07-11-2009, 07:42 PM

I didn't recognize half of the cars on that list, BUT my parents did have a Vega way back and my dad still comments to this day that it was the worst car he ever owned. A friend of mine still has her Aztek although she gets teased all of the time for it, she has the tent that hooks on the back of it making it like a mini pop up camper. It's kind of cool actually, but definately not something that I would have payed money for.

**1st Synthetics** · 07-11-2009, 08:46 PM

My wife use to have an Aztek and we loved it. Just thought I should add that.

**hunky** · 07-11-2009, 09:18 PM

X2 on the cherokee.We drove those for years at work,off road all day,a** deep in mud. Gas miliage was not great but that 4.0L straight 6cyl. will run forever.

**catbert** · 07-15-2009, 07:37 PM

There is a total of one decent car in the roup. It's hard to defend cars like the Cimmaron.

**2ToNe04** · 07-17-2009, 08:39 PM

all those cars are effin ugly including the new camaro

**catbert** · 07-20-2009, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by catbert

There is a total of one decent car in the roup. It's hard to defend cars like the Cimmaron.

You're right - there might be one decent car in the group, the Jeep. The rest are just bad for a number of reasons. The K Car, for example, might have saved Chrysler, but it was a bad, marginally terrible platform, and had weak motors and defective automatic transmissions. With the last Taurus, Ford made the best selling car in America into a loser in just 2 years...etc.

**Hoss2500** · 07-23-2009, 06:51 PM

There have been some vehicles that made me say WTF were they thinking?

But I think the main problem was Unions and huge Legacy costs.

"Cradle to the Grave" treatment of employees doesn't work forever.

An employee works for GM for 20 years and retires, but keeps getting paid and health insurance etc.

Eventually you don't have enough employees paying in, to cover their own costs PLUS the retired guys.....

Unions had a time and place.

That time and place isn't in 2009.

Just my $.02

Hoss2500