The American Spectator

p> UGLY ORNAMENTS br> Re: Eric Peters’s Can GM Come Back? : /p>

Can GM come back? GM’s still here?

Not that long ago, GM could have bought into Microsoft or even Toyota, to the general welfare of its employees and shareholders. It didn’t, of course. Now, GM should sell its assets (perhaps on E-Bay), buy off its employees, and use whatever is left to invest in biotechnology and nanotechnology start-ups with a future.

p>Fungible commodities like look-alike autos are not the stuff of dreams to hotshot, young, innovative engineers. br> — David Govett br> Davis, California /p> p> It has been frustrating to watch the decline of GM over the past 40 years while the company blames everyone and everything but itself. GM’s main problem is quality. Except for Cadillac, GM’s new cars have significantly more defects than Toyota or Honda. But what really hurts GM are the defects that appear as the cars age. Those of us who drive cars for more than a couple of years know that Toyotas and Hondas will last far more miles with fewer problems. All GM has to do is visit a used car lot or attend a used car auction to see the huge price disparities between its cars and comparable Toyotas and Hondas. Even Click and Click, the Tappet Brothers of NPR’s “Car Talk,” will tell you that Toyotas and Hondas are good for about 200,000 miles with little maintenance. You’d be lucky to get 100,000 out of a GM car without major maintenance issues. br> —