[KSagal]

Bob,

I explain my opinions to you all the time. I did not mean for you to think that I was saying you were uncivil. That is other people.

Back on point... I believe that cars are not selling for many reasons, but any large investments like that are especially difficult right now...

I believe that many new cars are sold with a larger than justified value going toward image and 'keeping up with the Jonses syndrome'. That is not the reason that people get new cars, but often a major factor in just which car they get...

Now, the big american makers have their hands out, and are whining to the feds about how they are tetering on the brink.

Think about the comments that people often associate with segways... "That is cool!" "How much did it cost?" "How fast does it go?"

Now, think about the likely comments a person may get from their neighbor about their new caddy, as they show it off in the driveway... "Nice car, I always wanted one!" "Do you think they will honor the warrenty after they go belly up?" "Nice show, flying in on private jets to ask the feds for money, Huh?" "Boy, GM sure has fallen off the wagon, the top of the heap, their glory days... Whatever!" and more like that...

Couple that with the real difficulty in getting loans, new cars are just not selling much these days...

Think about it from the equity line... Houses usually always increase in value, from the time you buy them... In 10 years, it is unlikely you will loose money on a house, even today. If you buy a house on less than a 10 year plan, (This is not to say that things cannot change your plan) then you did not use good judgement to buy the house... Houses were only a good short term investment on the edge of a bubble, they are a mainstay in long term investments...

Anyway, your house right now, is not increasing in value.

Now, your car will almost always loose value. In 10 years, it is unlikely you will have nearly the value in your car that you have now. Most everyone who buys a car realizes that it will loose value. (With the exception of some collector's pieces)

So, if that which is stable and always increases in value is now unstable and decreasing in value, it makes sense that items that are never stable and always loose value will be even lower on the list...

The only savings grace is that cars do wear out, and do need to be replaced...

I have a friend with a repair station, and he tells me that business is good, as many people are fixing problems on cars that in years past, they would have bought a new car instead of the repair...

So, I would guess that car repairs are up, used cars are holding their own in sales, and new cars ... What new cars?