I noticed some traffic looking for an SNL satire post, thinking it was odd that people would be interested in a clip that is now either a month or two months old, I did a search and found that SNL had aired a skit about the “Big Three” auto bailout hearings. However, I could not seem to find an upload of the video, apparently because Saturday Night Live offended the wrong people (?). Anyway, I found it today, and uploaded it myself.
Below you will find the video and the embed code (in case you want to post it on your own blog or webpage):
doneNOTE: Sorry about the delay. WordPress was acting weird and I was not about to get the SNL automaker bailout sketch uploaded until recently.
44 Comments
Very good. Thanks for posting this. I was looking all over for it and your site is the only one that has it.
And that’s why I drive a Toyota, 90,000 miles and I have only had to replace the starter and the rear brake lines, and that was at 85,000 miles.
Letters,
I know we’ve discussed this before, but, I too drive a Toyota. 244,000+ miles, 1989 Camry. It just cost me $22 to fill up the tank.
The way oil prices are going it might cost you $15 in a bit.
All I can think about the bailout is “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And If it stops moving, subsidize it.”
It’s the same think with the auto industry only stick in the fact that the unions are overpaid and the cars suck so no one wants to buy them.
Just thought I would share since you seem to be bashing the US Auto Industry. I own a GM vehicle with 128,000 miles and with the exception brake pads & a set of new tires, have only had one repair to the car amounting to about $200.
So you are the one person in history that has a good American car. Congratulations
I know there are good American cars out there but it’s not the 50’s anymore so they are harder to get.
How many American cars have you owned anyway. I myself have owned nothing but American cars and have no complaints. I currently drive a Dodge Avenger and it gets 33mpg on the highway.
Quite a few. Enough to say I would rather not own another.
I love American cars. My favorite car is actually a mid-80s Monte Carlo SS. What I have a problem with, however, is the government preventing American companies from progressing naturally. When a company fails it opens up a spot in the market and frees up resources for other companies to step in. A company fails, most of the time, because they can not offer the costumer a competitive price or product. In the face of real failure, that is, with no government safety net, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, will be forced to innovate and cater to the needs of an ever-changing American population.
Artificial life-support for companies who can not compete in the market is anti-Capitalism and, ergo, ipso facto anti-American.
My two favorite cars are still the 1958 Chevy Bel Air and the 1970 GTO. I just don’t like new American cars and wouldn’t own one.
Hmmm….I have a 2000 Honda Odyssey with about 116k on the odo. The transmission has about had it, and believe it or not, I consider myself lucky as some are already on their THIRD transmission by this mileage. This is not bullshit. There has even been a class-action lawsuit regarding the weak trannys.
When I need to replace it, it will probably cost me >$2000.
So the Jap car companies are certainly not infallible.
So here’s an auto bailout story that will get you interested. See
http://saturdaymorningpost.com/2008/11/12/an-oprah-bailout/
Not bad, SW, not bad.
Absolutely hilarious! Thank you for the link, I am going to use it on my blog!
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http://saharsblog.wordpress.com
I agree with several of the posters above- this skit would be funnier if it wasn’t for the incorrect perception (and resulting inaccurate portrayal) that domestic vehicles are more trouble prone than imports. I’ve owned mostly domestic products since I began driving, though I’ve also owned two Toyotas and a Suzuki, while I’ve driven a couple Hondas and Subarus (parents’ vehicles). I would have to agree that the refinement edge, at least during the late 80’s and especially the early 90’s, went to the imports, the overal reliability, fuel economy, and drivability wasn’t really that different overall. Ironically, I would say that there has been a shift since the late 90’s and especially the 2000’s, toward less refined, high-quality-feeling designs / materials in the imports, and toward the same with the domestics, to the point that many domestic products actually feel much better than the import competition. If this skit hadn’t ‘gone there’ with the whole ‘lemon’ thing, and with the cars failing miserably on the trip to DC, it might not have been as funny, but it most assuredly would’ve been more accurate.
I will however, agree that, while the product is now largely there for the Big 3 (despite many of the public now absolutely certain it’s not, due to past experience, and therefore being unwilling to even check them out), the management of the companies was pretty bad, and they ARE in between a serious rock and a hard place.
That is so cool; hits the nail squarely on it’s weak little head. Why shouldn’t these crappy car companies go under anyway? Use the bailout money to retrain and reemploy the workers elsewhere.
USA1fan et al.,
It’s true that there is nothing inherently superior or inferior about a product that is made in a given country. There are crappy products made all over the world, and there are great products made all over the world. I believe in Capitalism and America, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to defend an American company (that screws up) for the sole reason that they are an American company.
As an American, I believe that my fellow citizens have the right to choose which cars they want to by. Just as I have a right to choose what products I want to buy. If American consumers don’t want to buy from one of the Big 3, it’s not the responsibility of the Gov’t (i.e. tax payers) to put them on artificial life support. It’s the responsibility of the companies to improve the way they do business.
I have a 2002 Toyota Prius with 120,000 miles so far. Other than changing the tires, oil and filters, I haven’t had a damn thing to fix on it yet, and it still runs like the day I bought it. How often can anyone say that about a GM, Ford or Chrysler product?! (Oh, and I’m still getting 51 mpg, which means that I’ve saved about $6,500 in gas costs so far.)
well i have a 1998 ford f-150 and it has a little over 250,000 miles and i probably runs better than any of you cars, its not that the cars suck, it how you take care of you car, most imports cost a little more than the average american vehicle, therefore people with more money tend to buy imports or really classy american cars , like cadillac. and i never heard comlains about cadillacs. but since most people have american cars and treat them like crap, they happen to become crap. also what happens when something does break on a import to fix it your gonna have to go in your wallet and dig deep, because those parts are really sexpensive.
For all of you import likers/Big Three Haters, consider this. Yeah, the B3 has had their problems. From 1996~2003, fuel economy was second to profits. Let’s face it, they were making a crapload more money on big SUV’s than cars. So capitalism dictates that you make more and sell more SUV’s. Then the Iraq war started, insurgents were taking out pipelines, therefore there was less supply and more demand. So capitalism kicks in and the price of gas goes up. Meanwhile, it takes TIME to totally redesign/retool/manufacture new fuel efficient products. And yes, the fact that you have twice as many retirees as workers doesn’t help. Throw in idiots who just say “well they should just make them get more MPG” as if the laws of physics don’t apply, and yes, they’re in for a hard time.
Now, the Surge worked, IRAQ is putting out more product, gas is down, and some of the best potential for green products from the Big 3 (Chevy Volt, various hybrids, etc.) are all in jeopardy. Sure, you could let the domestic automakers fail. Just remember that when you’re spinning out of control on a snowy road, so you can say to yourself “Glad I bought a car made in China!” And for the record, I’m not union (or a big fan), and have a Masters in Systems Engineering and been in automotive (up to 5 months ago) for 20+ years.
lol…thanks for the video.
U-S,
Think about it this way, every US dollar that goes over-seas will eventually be used to buy US goods or services (or foreign investors will buy stocks in US companies). If the government starts handing out cash to companies that are failing (it does not matter why they are failing, shit happens) the entire world will know that those US companies are not truly prospering and that the US gov’t can’t keep them on life-support forever. If I was a foreign investor with a lot of US dollars, I’d think twice about investing in US companies and seriously consider going to a bank in order to exchange my dollars for some other currency. When foreign banks buy more dollars than they can sell, as the law of supply and demand dictates, the value of the US dollar goes down.
It’s not that I have anything against US companies per se, it’s just the bailouts. We should have let all of these failed companies truly fail. And by the way, I don’t think it’s a life or death situation for the USBig3.
When did it become a crime in this country for anyone to have a decent retirement? The union people are not the only ones at the Big 3 that enjoy good benefits, salaried people get them also. When someone can make a KIA overseas with just a step above above slave labor, no EPA or OSHA standards, ship it over here, sell it for the same price as a Focus, and then put the profit in their pocket. That is capitalism at its best. But is it a level playing field? The first “gas shortage” is the only reason the foreign markets got a hold here originally. The cars were NOT better than American cars then, they just got a little better fuel mileage. How many 1980 Corollas or Civics are still around, not many, they all rusted away so that we couldn’t even recycle them. They put a few plants here so they can say American Made on them, but where do the profits and the engineering jobs go? To Japan, Korea, China. Why bring Labor and EPA standards up to reasonable levels when we can buy the crap from China for less. I’ll be back.
Heard about GM suppressing this video (taken off the SNL website; taken off youtube,etc.) Thanks for letting me see it and letting me make my own decision about its merits. God bless free speech and the USA.
JesthewayIseeit: Are you serious? That’s terrible! I wonder if SNL ever gets in trouble for airing these skits…. Thanks for sharing!
JesthewayIseeit,
No problem. To tell you the truth, the conduct of SNL (bowing down to their advertising masters) negates any sort of “comeback” they might have had with their Sarah Palin skits. This is the second time in the past few months they’ve taken down material because someone “important” complained, the first was the original bailout sketch I have it posted too, here: [Link:djkonservo...saturday-night-live]
I have never owned a imported car. One of my current cars is a 1988 Chevy Caprice that I’ve owned since new with over 200K miles and never any trouble just reg maintance gotta love them
DUDE! Awesome. SNL never posted this you are awesome for posting it. First time I got to see it. I’m sorry the auto industry, ownwers and workers alike are such bumbasses, but they should be toast. But they along with the banks are “too big to fail” and now we will throw money at them just like the banks. It is just a matter of time until we will either be consumed by hyper inflation or government default on debt. It is NOT going to be pretty. You better learn how to grow some food.
thank u so so so so much for uploading this!!! i too could not find it anywhere either!!
Since it is obvious that most of the bloggers are ignorant to this fact, there is essentially no difference between American and foreign cars now. I work for a vendor in the auto industry and we supply to GM, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, and VW. The quality of parts and vehicles has leveled off so to say that an American car sucks compared to a foreign is a ridiculous claim. That claim was valid in the late 1900s but in the last 15 years, there is no evidence other than biased claims that this is true.
SNL did this as bit as comedy. Nothing else. They are playing on the ignorance of people like you that have a perception that foreign is better. That being said, I have two cars; a BMW and a Jeep. I have had no issues with either but they are both under five years old. In the past, I have owned Nissan, VW, GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles. By far, the worst vehicle was the VW. It has a lot of electrical issues and the second worst was the Ford.
The moral of the story is do not go off blogging if you don’t have a clue what you are talking about.
autoengineer,
Uh… no. The morals of the story are:
1) The U.S. Big 3 are acting in ways incompatible with Capitalism and, therefore, freedom.
2) SNL is removing material from their website because the auto companies are pressuring them.
Konservo. Both of your statements are opinion and have no factual basis. If you want acts that are incompatible with capitalism, then look at the 700 billion dollar bail out. That bail out is a pure gift from the tax payers whereas the 25 billion is a loan.
Your second statement is a rumor that has no merit. You have proven yourself even more ignorant by using a non-factual statement to try and prove your point. Seriously, are you 12 years old? You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
I have looked at the $700b bailout. In fact, that affront to American values is what set the precedent the “Big 3″ needed before going to Washington with their hands out.
Perhaps, however, they’ve done it before, and I went ahead and posted the original clip. For this clip, maybe folks can’t seem to find the NBC website. That’s why they’ve been coming here instead of just watching it directly from the SNL archives. Who knows?
funny stuff!
I’m only talking from experience. I owned a GM car during the 90s and brought it in for repair at least twice per year. I then bought a used Toyota Camry and never brought it in for repair during the 4 years I owned it… not once!
Its going to take a complete restructuring of the American Auto Industry and at least a generation before the Auto Industry gets any respect or seems like a viable option. I feel bad for UAW workers but its probably going to take a Chapt. 11 for this to happen.
Thats just my stupid opinion but I did just buy a 2009 Toyota Corolla and am quite happy (and secure) with it. Sigh.. of course it will probably get repossessed once I get laid off.
Konservo
This post has landed on the front page of Word Press under:
“Hot Community Posts”
I don’t know how, VH, I guess the lolcatz and club penguin blogs have been slow lately
All companies must meet the bottom line. The fact is (and has been for many years) that auto makers have to figure out how to make up a net $2,500 loss on every car off the line that is made in America. This is why Mexican plants have been built, it’s the only way these companies can make up the deficit.
Further study shows clearly that wages and benefits are the core cause of the American deficit on each car made here. Until those wages and benefits are drastically cut, this will not change. Taxpayers should not be made to pay for this colosal blunder.
My personal story shows this clearly. A friend’s dad wipes down the front bumper of cars coming off the line – not the back bumper, mind you – just the front bumper. His wages are $34/hour plus incredible benefits. This is definitely a minimum wage job that is grossly overpaid due to union involvement. Another friend is a “custodian” in the administrative offices. His main job is to empty trash cans and recycling – it is considered the cream of the crop union jobs and his position took him many years to get. His wage is $110,000 per year plus benefits.
Simple math folks. Lower wages and benefits (and I do include execs in that catagory when your company is losing money hand over fist). Until that happens NO BAIL OUT!
FedUp,
You’re exactly right about the unions, and it’s not just the auto industry either, it’s pretty much every industry where unions have artificially inflated wages. Any increase in wages gets passed on to the consumer, if products are too costly, people won’t by from that company.
Sadly it looks like the big 3 will recieve billions of dollars. I wonder who will be next.
2000 Camry 4 banger…Oil changes & brake pads only….132K so far.
Just read that 3500 B3 workers are sitting at home collecting 95% of their salaries, thnx to the UAW. Also, it costs over $80 per hour to build a B3 car, while down south, foreign companies build cars for about $43 per hour, without a union artifially inflating wages. You can partially thank the UAW for the present fiasco in Detroit.
2002 Yukon XL SLT. Kicks butt, gets me through the snow, rides like a luxury car. Only standard maintanence needed. 1993 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 4×4. Plows my drives and parking lots and gets BEAT on. Keeps on going. Easy to find parts without going to chinatown if needed. 2007 G6 with a $210 lease (try getting that lease from toyota). Great ride, no problems. Dealer is 3 miles away. Toyota dealer is 50 miles away. Sorry Toyota lovers, but you don’t have much on GM. Just keep buying your cars with the thin doors and the tin feel to it. Then rejoice about the fact that the engine starts every day. Oh yeah, and lets bail out all those bankers that contribute NOTHING to the economy. The U.S. can only go so long selling hot air. We need to invest in our industries that make things or we won’t have an economy.
While the comments about reliability were true, once, they are no longer. American auto manufacturers have long ago corrected the reliability issues, and are now producing cars that out perform the imports in nearly every aspect, including reliability and fuel economy. To think otherwise is merely living in the past.
You all have missed the point. The question is: Why did this video get banned? The answer has nothing to do with the Big 3 auto makers or the government bailout, and has everything to do with an extremely powerful Senator that strongly desires to be taken seriously.
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