Great discussions at work

[stovt001]

I usually never talk with my coworkers about cars. For the most part, they're just not car people and only see cars as commuting appliances. Yesterday while arranging carpools to lunch I pointed out my coupe wouldn't be good because it is hard to get people in the back seat. This started one coversation:

coworker: so what kind of coupe do you have?
me: Chevy Cobalt
coworker: oh... so that's GM... how's it working out for you?
me: Great! I love it. It gets great mileage, has never had a mechanical problem not caused by the dealer, and is really cheap to run and maintain.
coworker: really? That's surprising.
me: American reliability and quality has really improved recently. And the Japanese reliability and quality is really tanking.
coworker: hmm. I guess it is just perceptions then.
me: exactly.

Then at lunch, another coworker was talking about waiting for the 4 cyl Toyota Highlander to come out, because she wants one to replace her aging Jetta. I mentioned that I knew how she felt, because I was waiting for the Camaro to come out. Another coworker chimed in:

coworker: Oh, you want a Camaro?
me: Yup. I love them
coworker: Aren't they really expensive?
me: Oh no, not at all. They're just a little more than a Mustang.
coworker: Oh, wow, that's great. I just thought that Camaros were really fast and the Mustang isn't, so I figured they were a lot more expensive.
me:

Changing misconceptions, one at a time.

[diddiyo]

coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

one week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

another week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok
me:

[DGthe3]

That goes a lot better than the conversations I have at work.

coworker: american cars are crap
me: nope, not anymore. (cites JD power, malibu, aurora, CTS, G8, Enclave, upcoming volt, 2 mode hybrids, etc)
coworker: no . . . (pulls out consumer reports) see! look here!
me:

[TAG UR IT]

Everyone: Did you order yours yet?
Me: Of course.
Everyone: Can't wait till you get it. I want to go for a ride.
Me: You got it!
Everyone: What did you get?
Me: 2SS/RS...basically fully loaded.
Everyone: Man...that's going to be nice.
Me: Yep.

[TheClassicCarKid]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

one week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

another week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok
me:

I thought that story was going to end with a slap

[AngryAmish]

almost everyone at my work drives american, except for the 20 or so turksish guys they brought over and gave a chance to. they lost their homes do to the war. one has since become a bmw fanatic. hehe.

anyway, we got some ford fanatics at work too, so the discussions usually get away from cars and more into the aftermarket parts. its pretty awesome in the summer though. on any day you have a chance to come to work and see an old school GTO parked next to a chevelle, which is parked next to a grand national which is parked next to a corvette.

[ZombieEatsYou]

Talk about misconceptions; saw a post on another board about the B3 loan and some guy was hating on Detroit because he bought an American car in 1991 that wasn't the best he ever owned and swore off US cars since then. Then goes on to say that Consumer Reports was down on American cars back in 2000 so no one in their right mind would buy American. What a maroon; talk about ancient history. That's like saying I'd never date a girl from Florida again because I was treated badly by one back in high school.

[FenwickHockey65]

Idiot #1: GM sucks, their cars aren't reliable at all.
Me: Actually, JD Power and Associates ranked quite a few of their cars among the most reliable vehicles in production today. GM's quality is increasing every year, while toyota's is going down the tubes, as evidenced by the ton of problems experienced with the new tundra.
Idiot #2: Well, maybe if they made more fuel efficient cars, more people would buy them.
Me: GM has more models that get 30 MPG or more than toyota or nissan, and in the coming years we will be producing the most hybrids of any automaker. In 2010, the Chevy Cruze will arrive in the US, getting 45 MPG, and the Chevy Volt will run 40 miles without using gas at all.
Idiot #3: Well Consumer Reports says...
Me: Consumer Reports is a crock of **** that hates everything that comes out of Detroit.
Idiot #4: toyota still sells more cars than GM does.
Me: No, the two best selling vehicles in the US are the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado. GM has lead toyota in global sales for the past 77 years.
Idiot #5: You know what? You're just a GM fanboy who can't see how awesome toyota is. I mean, they have the prius! toyota saved us from high gas prices!
Me: *facepalm*

[GrnMchin]

coworker: the US auto makes don't need help they did it to them selves

me: the us auto industry is not totally at fault, yes they have made mistakes, but have made great improvements in last 10

coworker:

me: the majority was the banking industry with sub prime loans causing even harder times for the US auto industry pushing them over the edge

coworker:

me: for example coworker 2 how many miles on your jeep 250 coworker 3 how many miles on your jeep 150+ and most of all my trucks I owned all US have gone 100+. read some consumer reports and studies, US auto maker are better or equal to the Japanese auto's

coworker: that's not real good examples

me: as I left stating do your home work please

[diddiyo]

Originally Posted by AngryAmish

almost everyone at my work drives american, except for the 20 or so turksish guys they brought over and gave a chance to. they lost their homes do to the war. one has since become a bmw fanatic. hehe.

that's hilarious! in germany the older 3-series bmw are called the "turk-mobile"

[zebra]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

...I mean, they have the prius! toyota saved us from high gas prices!...

i really wish people would quit talking about high gas prices!!!! have they not noticed that gas ain't been this low in over 4 years!

end rant.

my friends can't wait til i can get mine, but don't wanna know much more about it! guess i can get a little enthusiastic at times

[Eighty-Six Z]

Most of my co-workers either have American trucks or cars. There are a few imports in the parking lot, but not many. Because of this fact, I haven't had to re-educate anyone yet. But I have had a few dinner conversations where I had to inform people that their opinions of imports being better was nothing more than perception.

To those that face this battle daily at the work. Good for you on getting these people informed!!

[AngryAmish]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

that's hilarious! in germany the older 3-series bmw are called the "turk-mobile"

lol, I'm so calling him on that next time I see him.

[GLBL WMR]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

one week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok

another week later:
coworker: so is the camaro out yet?
me: no, production starts in february
coworker: oh, ok
me:

I've had the exact same conversations with 2 people. It certainly doesn't help me with the whole patience thing.