In a few years to come after local manufacturing has ceased, young drivers will be chasing after their first car. Like us when we were younger, we chased after Commodores & Falcons as parts were cheap & easier to repair than Euro/Jap cars. Most of us learnt how to service & fix Commodores & Falcons. Yes I agree that all cars have their faults & even new ones suffer as well. The younger drivers of tomorrow will end up buying cheap 2nd hand buzzboxes that come from China/India/Thailand that have poor safety & scare spare parts or Euro cars that need a 2nd mortgage for parts. By the time our Commodores & Falcons will be available to them, they'll be classic cars & parts will be harder to source.
Years ago the family Commodores & Falcons towing caravans on yearly holidays were the go as they were long distance cruisers. These days it's cheaper to fly than drive to your holiday destination. The poor conditions on most of our roads have the need for an SUV for a better longevity on the suspension systems. At least when we manufactured here that Holden, Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Chrysler & British Leyland produced cars suitable for the environment we live in (please don't start any arguments over the marques that have come & gone over the years). If you think that the local car makers have been ripping us off by taking taxpayers money, think again. The German govt give money to the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche & the Volkswagen Group for decades even though they turn good profits.
I've owned Holdens new & old (VL wagon was the worst), I've driven Fords as company cars (crap imo), old Datsuns, new Suzukis & even a VH Valiant Ranger. I've bought them at times that were suited to my life at those times. Families get larger, you need a large car/SUV/People Carrier, when kids start leaving, you look at other types of cars etc to suit. The only hope I have after local production ceases is that we get a decent crop of good vehicles.
Hahaha!
