Quote:
Originally Posted by camaropete
Is this really true? I mean, I know it seems that would be the case, but are people still buying from these companies: K-Mart, Circuit City, Delta Airlines, Macy's, USAirways, United Airlines, etc?
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Nothing you buy from any of those companies requires a commitment of tens of thousands of dollars and the possibility of an expensive breakdown. When it comes to a car, DGthe3 points out that parts may be impossible to find or that the warranty that came with the car is worthless. Plus, you don't resell a United Airlines ticket, but a lot of buyers want to resell their new cars in a few years. Without a warranty or dealer to handle that car's maintenance, there's simply no value retention. The car will be as worthless as your used plane tickets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
Difference between most of those companies is that once you've made your purchase, you're done. For a car there is the worry that the warranty might not be honored, or replacement parts would be hard to find if the company liquidates. That is the fear, but it has to be acknowledged. Funny thing is, if people didn't have these fears then the companies would have enough buyers to make those fears completely groundless. As it is, its a self fulfilling prophecy.
After researching a little more, the poll that I was thinking about had the following numbers:
Not as bad as I thought, but still bad.
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Those are better numbers than I've seen cited previously, but it still isn't good. The world's largest automaker can't survive on 52% of its sales.