GM- "Leather seating surfaces"

["Deric" <deric@domain.elided>]

One of the most widely quoted business eupheninsms(sp) was uttered by a GM CEO
many years ago: "We're in the business of making money not cars". From purely
a business stand point this makes sense, however, from a consumer's point of
view- especially a car guy consumer ( like most of us)- it is unacceptable. I
just returned to the bank, on lease end, a perfect example.
For the past 3 years I was driving a 1997 Oldsmobile Aurora. The first 2 years
was fairly uneventful but with 65 thousand miles on a 1997 model I expected no
problems. Strange things started happening towards the lease end, two of the
most irritating involved the A/C and electric windows. Two weeks after the A/C
packed it in the windows suddenly stopped working. After a trip to the local
dealer the A/C fault was traced to an expired compressor and the windows quit
working because of a couple wires breaking in the rubber accordion that
attaches the A pillar to the drivers door. Now an A/C compressor going out on
a 97 model is open for debate but broken wires is a poor design. I've owned
numerous unreliable, poorly built imports (present Alfa 164 not included) and
I have yet to deal with broken door wires. Add to that that an American
"sports touring sedan" would regularly bottom out on highway undulations from
its floaty suspension. The steering was dead. The interior, I'll just say
"leather seating surfaces", the rest of the "surfaces" must have been
corinthian leather. $38 grand is what GM was getting for this turd. No more
Oldsmobiles being built?


Deric Schare
93 164L
86 Maserati Biturbo Spyder (15 psi boost woo-hoo)
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