David Hillman
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Actually, I am not sure the CPI would be an accurate judge for the facts that I stated in all honesty. My comments were in regards to what happened in the 1980's, and more specifically your gauge by the CPI is not in relation to the Big 3, but new cars in general. Are you not aware of what transpired in the 80's when the Tariffs were placed. So, does your research include foreign cars, Tariffs, and such? Your diagram is pretty vague if you want my honest opinion. I actually do not even see how it relates to what I mentioned.
If the price didn't go up, and hasn't gone down much either, they didn't 'jack up their rates' as you put it. That was the basis for your blaming the Big 3, as I read your post. If that didn't happen, then how can you blame them?
That said, even if the prices DID jump, you still have a problem in your argument. The time frame you are referring to was arguably the most dynamic ever for carmakers. Compare a late-seventies domestic car with one from the early fifties or even late forties, and not much had changed. On the other hand, compare a 1980 with a 1995. The latter probably has several computers which would've cost more than the entire car did in 1980, a bomb installed in the steering wheel as required by the Federal government, all manner of emissions controls, and an energy absorbing unibody. None of that was free. Where do you expect the money for that R&D to come from?
Can someone out there who has been a GM/Ford shareholder for a couple decades report on their dividends? Did they take a huge jump up in the eighties?