I can see Frank's point about supporting American companies...as way too many businesses are going overseas for cheap labor, etc., but I also know what Bud is talking about.
From 1979-1983 I worked at an Oldsmobile-Honda-De Lorean dealer in Southern California. The Oldsmobiles were CRAP! GM had the great idea to convert the 350 into a diesel...and those engines weren't worth a $hit. Those year cars were built to fall apart after 3-4 years...In fact, one of the selling points that DeLorean had in marketing HIS cars was the fact that HIS cars were built to last...not engineered to fall apart(so that the consumer would have to buy again in that time frame)
Unfortunately for Delorean, the engineering on his cars sucked, too! We had SOOO many people get stuck in their cars when the inner door handle latches broke off(in their hands, no less)when trying to open up the doors. Some people had to wait up to 3 months to get replacement parts for their cars...
Honda's on the other hand, were cheap, got great gas mileage, ran forever with regular oil changes and had great resale value!
Is it any wonder that Ford realized that "Quality is Job #1"? That wasn't just a marketing ploy, they figured out that the American consumer wanted a good value for what the paid for...and they weren't getting it(at that time)!
Finally, in defense of the American auto makers...they are "light years" ahead of where they were in the 80's. I own a 2003 chevy truck...and I'm happy with it. But it pales in comparison to our BMW528it wagon...in fit, finish, quality and reliability.
Bud...tell your cousin to get a hold of the zone rep for Chevrolet. Have him tell the rep to get a harness off of a truck that's on the new car lot, so he can get his truck running again. Have your Cousin stay on top of the rep to make sure that he gets what he needs. The squeaky wheel gets the most grease!
