Would you buy a GM if a year's worth of car insurance was thrown in?
Car makers – well, North American car makers – will do anything to get you in one of their rides these days.
You’d think, with the devastating Japan ‘quake/tsunami having crippled production from giants like Toyota and Honda, domestic manufacturers would hold all the cards – except, of course, when you remember the decades of lousy models, greed and mismanagement that kind of turned us off local vehicles in the first place.
But, wait! What about this? Would your views on buying a domestic car change if a year’s worth of auto insurance was thrown in the deal?
According to the Associated Press, that’s just what GM is offering customers in limited markets now (just Oregon and Washington states at the moment, “but the company says it may eventually be rolled out more widely,” the AP notes): a free one-year policy to customers who purchase or lease a new GM car before Sept. 6.
The incentive program applies to new 2010, 2011 or 2012 Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, trucks and crossovers. Coverage will be provided by MetLife for one year from the purchase date, whereupon motorists will have the option to re-up with the insurer or find new coverage of their own.
It’s an interesting enticement, to be sure, but do things change when we break the deal down, by the numbers?
Your car insurance – I know mine is – is likely a bit more, but the Insurance Information Institute reports the average auto coverage in Washington is $840 per year; only $727 in Oregon.
So we’re talking less than a grand here, which begs the question, Is that enough to sway you over a major buy like a car?
If you’re already in the market for a new GM – hey, we’re talking gravy here. Sit back and enjoy the savings. But for those that’ve been steered clear from domestic rides for whatever reason, it’d be intriguing to find if a year’s worth of free auto coverage would be enough to have you make the switch.
Would you be lured toward a GM if the auto maker covered your first year of car insurance?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: John S. | Jul 8, 2021 5:53:19 PM
No way! The bottom line is that I do not like any GM product (my freedom of choice in this supposedly free country). At the end of the year, I would still be stuck with a vehicle that I wouldn't like, and worth much less.
Posted by: richard patterson | Jul 9, 2021 7:26:06 PM
Gm has made great stides in marketing.At my local malll.They had a test drive.corvettes and sts.And now one year insurance.If they add a gas card.Then it will be all over!
Posted by: vossen | Jul 11, 2021 9:47:05 AM
if GM really wanted my business they would fix the warranty issues i have with my present vehicle instead of offering more gimmicks.i would be happier with my purchse and may even pass this on to my freinds.instead of being happy and satisfied with my present GM vehicle i am battling them to get repairs covered and i can guarantee you i am telling everyone i know and even those i don't through various media how bad my GM is and how poor there customer service is.it costs less to keep a customer than it does to get a new one but obviously the morons at GM haven't figured that one out yet......
Posted by: Steve | Jul 11, 2021 11:35:14 AM
Whatever it takes to sell junk!!!!
Posted by: Jorge da Luz | Jul 11, 2021 12:37:38 PM
The only way I would be tempted to buy, but still may not necessarily buy, a GM would be if they would take the car back at the end of a year if I was not satisfied FOR ANY REASON, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! They were told for 30 years by every car magazine and enthusiast what they had to do to compete and they did nothing. Worse, they often did the opposite of what these people told them to do and disregarded what other car companies were doing to take away their customers. Then we, the people, had to bail them out and the workers had to pay as well for the loss by taking cuts in their pensions.
GM deserves nothing until they back their cars. (See above comments from Steve.)
Posted by: Glenn | Jul 11, 2021 1:25:02 PM
This is all a load of bull. Car producers offer everything but the kitchen sink to sell cars, when in reality they just simply cost too much. Why not just drop your stupid, over inflated prices and be honest about it? As if the prices aren't enough...they build-in obselescence so you have to bring it back and be fleeced with repairs too. They also don't provide warranties that cover the things that go wrong. No, the warranties aren't worth the paper they're wirtten on. GM used to make good cars way back when....as did most manufcaturers, but not any more. They're all junk.
Don't even get me started about Dodge. Now there's a car maker who couldn't make a decent bicycle if their life depended on it, let alone cars. They should have been left to go out of business years ago as the laws of nature provide. Garbage is garbage, no matter how you package it.
Posted by: r belore | Jul 11, 2021 2:17:36 PM
So what is a the average cost of a year's insurance, anywhere from about $1200.00 to maybe $1800.00 depending on the model of vehicle and the individual's driving record. Hardly worth buying a brand new car, getting slammed on resale and last but not least it's a GM! Sorry but I have to agree with the comments above because they all ring true to my sentiments about the mighty GM. They lost me as a customer many years ago when they refused to replace a starter under warranty and it appears from some of the comments above those tactics are still in place today. So the answer to the question is a resounding no! Not worth it.
Posted by: Al | Jul 11, 2021 2:30:11 PM
Gimmicks are cheap parlor tricks, if it's really getting that bad for Gm then they should just call it quits and pack it in. I would expect some kind of crap like this from hyundai in the late 80s, not GM.
Posted by: mike | Jul 11, 2021 2:41:15 PM
I would`nt have a G.M. or Dodge if you gave it to me , I think they are badly made and not finished well , I have a Toyota and can say that they really do live up to their word of making things better.
Posted by: mike | Jul 11, 2021 2:55:27 PM
When I first came to Canada many years ago, I first worked at a G.M. car dealership on the Danforth and I sold cars, when I tried to get some deals and had the customer`s car evaluated they valued any Japanese made cars artificially low to try and make the customer feel bad about his car and make him buy G.M. . Even in those days G.M. were very underhand with any of their dealings but that was one way in which they tried to do business and it really put me off , I would not ever buy a G.M. or Dodge and have found Japanese cars to be fairly sold and much better built, they hold their value better too. and the cars are backed all the way,
Posted by: Nicky Spades | Jul 11, 2021 3:14:59 PM
While I agree with most of the comments about GM vehicles not being up to snuff, they definitely should be putting their efforts in to satisfying their current customers. It's customer's word of mouth that sells cars and establishes reputations. I bought a used Ford a few months back and was very impressed with their customer service. When buying off a dealer you can usually negotiate more off the purchase price than the cost of one year of insurance premiums. I also did not go with a Japanese car because they continue to massacre dolphins and whales.
Posted by: Yerallnuts | Jul 11, 2021 3:41:37 PM
I suppose that all of the commenters who have been criticising the company based on quality have been living under rocks for the past 5 or so years.
GM builds world-class products these days (and note that GM has never had to suffer the huge embarrassments that Toyota has had because Toyota promoted that and was perceived as building quality product when the reality was that they were lying to the public while shipping trash).
Would including the cost of insuring the vehicle be an enticement to purchase? I suppose it might be for my 19 year old son who would cost $3,000 to cover. But it depends on what the level of coverage was and what the restrictions might be - for me, no. I pay less than $600 for full coverage of a 1 year old CTS . . . .
Posted by: Steve | Jul 11, 2021 5:40:21 PM
Your right Yerallnuts, GM does build a world class vehicle....(3rd World!) Toyota still outsells GM hands down and there reputation although maybe slightly tarnished recently have come back as strong as ever. I've owned vehicles from all the big three and personally now only buy Japanese because of there reliability and resale value. Sure, all cars depreciate but non faster then the big three. I used to be an avid advocate for GM, but all you have to do is own a few and that wears off real quick. We bought a brand new Jeep grand Cherekee and the chrome trim around the shifter started to rust or tarnish after 1 month, when I took it back to Chrysler they told be that the trim is not covered under warranty, the vehicle was 1 month old for christ sakes, they ended up fixing it after I complained enough. I'm not saying either that Japenese cars run issue free, but the service is far better. But what impresses me is the trade in or resale you get when you want to trade. ie: My brother purchased a 2000 Honda Accord brand new and payed $32,000 taxes in. The car was great and had no issus other than the regular stuff, tires,brakes etc. When he traded the car in it had 450,000km on the odometer, and he got $5000 for the trade in on a new one. There is no way in hell you would get $5000. on a 10 year old GM midsize car on a trade in let alone get 450,000km on it! So maybe the only one that might have there head under the rocks might be yourself! Unless you have actually owned a Honda or Toyota, you should be so quick to comment!
Posted by: Neil | Jul 11, 2021 5:48:27 PM
This has been mentioned before. GM makes a good quality high end cars.
GM's issue is that they make low end cars with poor quality. When you are a student, newly married couple with a baby, graduating student with a loan to pay for, you don't have extra income to fix your car when it needs to be fixed and is not covered under warranty. If your car is covered under warranty GM needs to realize that their customers have to constantly rearrange their life to get there car fixed. I know of enough people that had to bring their cars in constantly to have them fixed under warranty, but their employers become impatient and warn them they still need to get to work. With that said when your only source of income is threatened when you are young and just starting out as I mentioned above, you become jaded with the GM name. I know first hand how many warranty issues GM has for their low end cars as I am not only a buyer in the car market I was also employed by GM. I have discussed this with many GM executives, but it only feel on deaf ears.
Other car manufactures picked this up and took a page out of GM's play book and provided a reliable low end car to gain customer loyaity. As consumers and we get older and move into higher paying position and we have bought what got us there. Not GM.
Don't get me wrong GM use to make a reliable car but along the way they forgot about the little people and we forgot about them.
Posted by: DeeDee | Jul 11, 2021 5:59:20 PM
Well here we go again! Let's bash the North American models in favor of the foreign! We all have our own opinions but none so forceful as those who advocate buying foreign! Wonder why that is? (Me thinks he doth protest too much!)
I'm a Chevy kid from way back and although I've owned other makes (foreign included), I've always come back to Chevy.. I've never owned a "Lemon" of any description, just prefer the Chevy brand and in the past few years they've upped the ante by building not only equally as good as the foreign makes, but actually better!
Maybe instead of being so critical, you should all take one for a drive and compare apples to apples, not what the current Japanese market is producing against what the big 3 produced 15 years ago!
Happy Motoring!
Posted by: Steve | Jul 11, 2021 6:12:13 PM
If GM was building these great reliable vehicles they wouldn't have to be offering free insurance, 0% financing and now Employee pricing.....it is because they are not selling...period! We all know that when they are brand new that they look good and drive nice, it's just that after you buy them, it all goes downhill rather quickly and when you get fed up and say f**k it I'm done, I'm trading it in....you get NOTHING for it!!
Posted by: Darin | Jul 11, 2021 6:38:40 PM
Don't know what your all talking about, I've owned many GM cars over the years and while yes they did have some warranty problems,what car doesn't I've also owned Audi's and Mercedes they have their problems too.I've never had a repair refused under warrantyfrom GM, so if you have I think it was the dealer trying to make more money, not GM.Maybe you should go to another dealer.Also Neil As far as getting to work when the car is being repaired the dealers I've dealt with always provided a free ride to and from work so thats a bogus complaint.Steve you brag about your brothers Honda getting $5000 for a $32000 car 10 years on, not bad. I had a 1995 Cavalier I bought for $13000 an traded it in, in 2001 with 288000km on it and got $4000 off a new Impala after I had already negotiated a lower price.Everyone on here except for yerallnuts seems to love Japanese cars, well if they ever built a Good Looking car I might consider buying one,Acura used to have some nice looking models then they came out with those God awful front ends and ruined their entire line up.What it all comes down to is all cars have problems Buy what you like from a reputable dealer and you shouldn't have to worry.
Posted by: David Weaver | Jul 11, 2021 7:00:55 PM
I just love you Morons who criticize North American vehicles and buy foreign crap. Then you wonder where all the jobs went and why you state or province cannot pay it's bills. I buy a new car every 2 or 3 years and have had only one chronic problem and that was in a 2005 GM. products and I was given a new car to drive until it was fixed. My Father bought new cars (only domestic and mostly Gm ) every year from 1954 to 1996 and had one engine seize in a 1955 Dodge. The top v8 and 6 cylinder engines in the whole world are produced at the G.M. engine plant in St Catharines , Ont. , Canada .
If you MORONS want to continue to support the economies of foreign governments and not your own then please move there and stop being a drain on our economy while not supporting it. Toyota just lies to it's customers and fixes their crap during routine visits. Maybe your next Toyota will come with a standard Geiger counter since the government lied to their own people about the severity of the disaster that killed so many wonderful and innocent .Friends had to replace their 30 year old GM. with a Japanese vehicle because their GM ended up being a piece of junk.It still ran great just looked old like the crap you idiots say about domestic vehicles.
So please go to one of these foreign countries to live and take some of the other bitcher's and complainers with you because I am sick of you anti-American/Canadian jerks.
Posted by: Steve | Jul 11, 2021 7:04:38 PM
Darin, i agree with your feedback, especially with Acura. I owned a 2006 Acura TL, great car, but the new designs on the TL/RL. Turned me right off....Yuk!
Posted by: BJ | Jul 11, 2021 7:17:35 PM
I have been a faithful Pontiac line of vehicles owner for years and since they have eliminated this line I would be hard pressed to buy GM again. My daughter has had chevy product and has had nothing but problems. GM needs to take better care of customers with their warranties and not nickel and dime people. I and my children who have been longtime GM supporters have gone elsewhere, namely Honda....to bad as I like to support local but to much is being spent on upper management than on customer relations.