She made you trade it in? 
I have a 2010 Citroën C5 diesel that has never given a second’s trouble. It’s an absolutely lovely car in the city or on the open road: quiet, comfortable and the smoothest ride you’ll ever have. I’ve had many Citroëns and Peugeots. After the C5, the next best was a 1984 Peugeot 505 STi manual that I bitterly regret selling.
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Well HAP, I was in Beijing a few months ago, and that is the line that the Chinese Government guys gave me.
I questioned them when I saw so many different models of new cars, even
And I checked Mr Google who says that about 1,500,000 passenger cars were imported in China in 2016 and he is rarely wring.
I think that generally the Australian made cars are of poor quality compared to imported varieties and I have owned both.
Ultimately manufacturing in Australia is tough when compared to several other countries that pay employees $5 per hour and don’t give a ■■■■ about health or safety.
It’s difficult to make a call though to prop up one industry and not another.
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Bit of a cop out saying aussie made cars are of poor quality compared to europeans. they come in at a very different price point.
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Few comments (cause I’ve done a fair bit of manufacturing research in my time):
Wages/training/productivity were a bit of a problem.
So too was the lack of management vision. If labour is expensive, you produce high value added products to offset it. It’s what the Germans do, for example.
US management didn’t help either - Ford Australia was prevented by their bosses to engineer the last Falcon in lefthand drive.
Geography was another issue. We’re a long way from major export markets, and we’re a small domestic market. Car manufacturing is a volume game,.
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Did not say European at all. Was more comparing to Asian.
But it’s the quality level that you should aspire to. If you’re uncompetitive quality wise with emerging Asia, you’ve got a problem.
We also produced cars that had almost zero export potential at a scale that would have helped save either company.
Too busy building cars that appeased the yahoos
Ford is the perfect example
At the same time Germany Ford decided to take over from Korea ford the building of Focus, Fiesta, Ranger and Mondao, Ford Aus doubled down on Falcon and Territory
Don’t get me wrong, they were good cars but no one outside of Australia wanted them
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And both company’s were already getting smashed in volume sales by Mazda 3 and i30
Then Holden import a Daewo badge it a golden and call it a cruise to try and fill the demo.
They only got themselves to blame
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I had a Camira, leaded version, which had no problems at all, but was just gutless. Maximum of 85kmh up any sort of incline.
My last Ford Focus, which I had from 2005-2010, which unaccountably had terrible fuel economy.
My current Mazda CX-5 gets far better economy.
1st car was a Ford XA, … great car.
Then a Holden HJ Prem Wagon…
Then went through a phase that included, a TF Cortina, (flew), an XP coupe, and a Triumph Stag.
Then it was Holden Premier Wagons all the way…
HX
HZ
VH SL/X
VN Acclaim
VS Acclaim
VY Acclaim
Next will be a VF Berlina V8, …
Then???
Fk knows. No one makes a Wagon like Holden.
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I’ve owned two cars in the last 19 years, both Falcons, and (considering the first one was a junkpile purchased at a clearance auction with a whole lot of crap aftermarket modifications) they’ve been really bulletproof, and i was planning on picking up one of the last Aust-made falcons, a FG or FGX, over the next year or so. Dunno what the hell i’ll do when that one bites the dust.
It really was the economy of scale which killed car manufacturing here. Hard to maintain manufacturing, design, and engineering infrastructure for such small (on global scales) sales volumes once tariffs went away and international shipping became so cheap.
I suspect that on a macro scale this is going to bite the country in the ■■■■ though, in the long term. A strong economy is a diverse economy, cos it insulates you from downturns in any one sector and means you’re in a position to take advantage of booms in others. In Australia we seem to be saying that the manufacturing sector is all too hard, and that mining, agriculture, aged care, and selling real estate to each other will do in perpetuity. Can’t help but feel that’s not a strategy with much of a long-term future…
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I had an EH Holden in very original condition for about 10 years.
Some ■■■■ stole it and I’ll fucken end the ■■■■ if I find them.
You owned a Camira?
Did the Stag work? Beautiful car to look at.
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Great car to drive. Independent rear suspension before it was heard of in most cars, electiric o/drive in 3rd & 4th gear at the flick of a switch on the top of the gear stick (fkn lurrrvved that), … amazing note from the very small (holden 173 cc eqiv ) very short stroke V8 cruising along the freeways with the lid off late at night.
You just couldn’t drive them at over 80 mph for any great length of time or they’d cook heads. Loved it & would have another tomorrow. (Except with all the Lucas electrics replaced (starter alternator relays etc with Bosch stuff instead,… 
)
Proberly wouldn’t of never happened if our country wasn’t so intent to make everything so unfordable like houses an jobs to afford them. I will always love my V8s an will keep mine for a long time. I am drunk while I write this in indo but our country seems to want to make everything unaffordable. Go spend 100 plus grand on some German merc that only just beats a well looked after commodore that u would pay 45 grand for. U can all bag me if u want but I couldn’t give a ■■■■ if u do. It makes me sad that it has come to this but personally if u travel around we get ripped off by phoney politicians talking crap. Long live rear wheel drive V8s. An go bombers. The best club u could barrack for:black_circle:️:red_circle:
️ By the way the waves r pumping 
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When I was younger, my older brother (who I thought was the world’s biggest douche) was obsessed with all things Holden. He had posters everywhere, our backyard was filled with two Monaro wrecks that he was using for parts on the third Monaro in the garage, he crapped on about Bathurst, had stubby holders… Errgh.
So because of that, I intentionally decided to be a Ford man just because I knew it would ■■■■ him off.
After my first two fords continually farked up, I decided to go Toyota Camry, which was ok… Until that farked up too.
So, after all that, I finally reneged and said to my brother ‘Go find me a Holden.’
Now I have a VY wagon, and it’s easily the most reliable car I’ve ever had, and aside from the wagon having the turning circle of a jumbo jet, it’s easily the nicest car I’ve ever driven.
Damn Holden and their good cars…
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This is one of the greatest posts I’ve ever read.
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