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Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

corvettefan427corvettefan427 Member Posts: 92
Imagine if GM, Chrysler, or Ford were to go out of business, imagine how many Americans would lose their jobs, and think of the large hit our economy would take. It would ruin America. In these times there are no reasons not to buy American. Between the big 3 and their respective divisions, anyone can find a product to satisfy their needs/wants. And if quality/reliability is a concern, you need to update your thinking. For instance a 2005 Chevy Impala garners the same overall quality and reliability ratings from JD Power and Associates as a 2005 Toyota Camry, while actually garnering higher ratings in terms of body and interior dependability and mechanical quality, and the Suburban/Tahoe are the most reliable large SUV's. Also, in a recent report by Forbes, the least reliable vehicle was made by a Japanese company, Infiniti.Finally, in a recent graph of consumer's problems per 100 cars, Buick and Cadillac were rated with less problems than Toyota,. So to all of you who haven't looked at an American product lately, it's time to look again.
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Comments

  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,014
    I agree with you pal 100%. As a former Acura owner I will say that my TL wasn't the perfect alternative to the American car. That will be even more true over the next few years when Americans realize just how far THE BIG 3 has come in Quality. Now GM, Ford, Chrysler, need to build cars with passion that distinguish themselves from the Asians. Going retro is a huge advantage to the Big 3 that the asians, europeans don't have. I think if the Big 3 stir the pot with a mix of retro, and a mix of new, they can all 3 be successful once again.
    I will tell you I won't buy anything except a Big 3 car again. I am afraid too. Our trade deficit is too high. The ones that will suffer will be our children and grandchildren.

    I however will say this: I do believe the Asian car manufactors should have a place in america as long as they keep building plants here and the cars have "X" percentage amount of American content in them. If it someday comes to the point where The Big 3 can compete fairly with the Asians and Koreans using the American labor pool to build parts for their cars and assemble them, you won't hear any complaining from me. That said however, doesn't mean the money doesn't still go back to Japan or Korea. I however would rather see the money go to Japan, Europe, Korea, rather than to China where the people don't have
    "human rights" :mad:

    Rocky
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    I think many people out there wouldn't mind driving a Chevrolet, Ford, or Dodge if those vehicles were actually up to par with the stuff Japan is putting out.

    I don't think I would consider an Uplander or Freestar as a replacement for my Odyssey unless the rebates and deals got really big and good because the Sienna and Odyssey are just far better minivans. (albeit at a severe premium)

    Even though I am Chinese, I don't think I would consider purchasing a Chinese car, unless it was really good and really cheap.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    "So to all of you who haven't looked at an American product lately, it's time to look again."

    I'm sure many people look at them all the time... It's BUYING them that is the problem with some of the domestics.

    GM, FMC and DMC are NOT going out of business... I'd say Chrysler and maybe even FMC are pretty healthy with sins of recovery actually...

    "In these times there are no reasons not to buy American."

    I'll buy whatever the hell I want bud. Not your money or your decision what I buy... It's called FREEDOM.

    Welcome to AMERICA, enjoy your stay.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Didn't this baby get the axe like a week ago? Deja vu

    I'll say what I said before...an 05 Impala may be perfectly reliable, but it exudes quality in no way whatsoever. There's GMs problem, and a big problem for domestics as a hole.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,014
    Even if I was Chinese, I couldn't support their government. I feel very sorry for those people. :sick:
    I just wished we could do something for them. The fact remains they will bring a car over to the states eventually. The "GIANT" that our government uses at some facilities is a piece of dog doo doo ;)

    Rocky
  • carlisimocarlisimo Member Posts: 1,280
    The only thing worse about the Chinese government... was the one before it!

    Me, I choose to reward workers, engineers, and yes, even the managers involved in the creation of cars that I like.

    Except I haven't ever bought a new car, so...
  • harrycheztharrychezt Member Posts: 405
    maybe a G6 on sale:
    http://cartalk.com/content/testdrives/
    check out their review of the G6. Good car, but like they said, one totally loaded, their most expensive model at 28K(vs 22K), they would not buy it, but on sale, could be an excellent deal, indeed.
    They actually rank the Sonata ahead of G6, a little.
    I just do not care for their new looks of it, inside or outside, where as the G6 sedan looks decent, adn the coupe is like something between a Mitsubishi Eclipse meets a Scion tC, which is a good thing.
    Just too bad that the Coupe costs soo much more than the sedan!
    Also, if you check out the Detroit Autoshow, soudns like ford may make one great compact car, perhaps.... The Reflex.
    http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Daily_Edition/Daily_Edition_Jan_4_2006- .S173.A9813.html

    It may not be as high tech as this(probably would cost 35K?), but even a "regular" sporty car would be cool, say that 4 cylinder they have in the Fusion, 167HP,(to save cost) in a 3000 lb car? may not be too bad, with 5 speed atuomatic, or shiftronic offering.What was that Ford 2 door a few years back, for under 20K, sporty car?

    Stuff like this would be cool. Pontiac designs are nice, and so are the cars, the whole package, except MSRP's(unless there's a sale of 2-3K going on). Then, it's a great buy. Not knocking the G6 coupe, but I read for the 240HP version is like 26-28K?
    I think Mitsu, you can get the Eclipse V6, with the 1,200 or so sunroof/etc...deal, for around 25K, give or take.
    Or just buy a turbo and put it on the tC, and get 200HP, for about 20-21K.

    I dunno.

    My main gripe for GM is for HHR: Like the idea, a lot great styling. Quiet ride,,decent handling.
    If you get a sunroof, though, forget it... thismuchheadroom, to me, unless I put the seat to the bottom setting, which is not why you have a height adjustable seat, to have it on lowest setting only.
    And shoulder width is thisclose, and the back seats, if the 2 front passengers are comfortable....well, unless they are 2 year olds or pets... No leg room

    If they increase say headroom by 2 inches, width about 3, and legroom about 3 or 4....for the rear seat, then we would be talking about possibly a purchase.

    I think the new xB has 46 inches of headroom....and it is tiny.
  • socala4socala4 Member Posts: 2,427
    -Chrysler is owned by German company Mercedes
    -Many an "American" car is built in Canada
    -Many Hondas/Acuras, Nissans, Toyotas, and Mitsubishis are "Japanese cars" built in the US.
    -Likewise, BMW and Mercedes build "German cars" in the US
    -Jaguar, Volvo, Saab and Range Rover, among other boutique brands, are owned by either Ford or GM
    -Many "domestic cars" include foreign content
    -GM and Ford build substantial quantities outside of the US, rather than building everything here and exporting it

    In this era, the relationship between automakers is so globalized and convoluted that "buying American" is not necessarily easy or obvious. What's more American to you -- an Acura TL built in Marysville, Ohio, or a Chrysler Crossfire that was built partially with Mercedes components and is owned by a German company?
  • dglozmandglozman Member Posts: 178
    Honda Accord - built in Ohio, USA
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    My neighbor has a Buick Rendezvous, built in Mexico. Maybe I should go tell him to buy American?

    A little over a year ago, I got run off the road by some jerk in a Chevy Avalanche. He then proceeded to tell me that I didn't belong on American roads with my Honda Accord. Told me to go back to China... :mad:
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    I used to know what this expression meant. But no longer.

    Obviously, if you intend to support American WORKERS and parts suppliers rather than just the corporate offices (is Chrysler even a domestic brand anymore?), one would be inclined to buy vehicles with a high 'domestic' content.

    The problem is, when the UAW pressured Congress into passing the labeling laws requiring the manufacturer's to post the % of domestic content, 'domestic' was defined as being EITHER of U.S. or Canadian origin.

    Why is Canadian origin anymore 'domestic' than German/Mexican/Japanese origin? Simple; the Canadian plants were Union plants - overseas plants aren't.

    I think the "Buy American" slogan is really just a thinly veiled "Support the UAW" slogan.
  • dglozmandglozman Member Posts: 178
    Based on your profile you are driving 1996 Toyota Corolla....
  • asafonovasafonov Member Posts: 401
    Based on your profile you are driving 1996 Toyota Corolla....

    Is it ok because it was likely built at a union NUMMI plant jointly operated (and owned?) by Toyota and GM?
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    I judge a car to be American based on how much of the parts were built by American manufacturers and whether it was assembled in America. Here's the breakdown of American content in cars:

    Big 3: 80%
    Japanese: 31%
    Germans: 5%
    Koreans: 2%

    I think it's great that all of these companies are building assembly plants in the U.S. - the more American jobs the better. But let's not fool ourselves about who is providing more American jobs or American healthcare - it's the Big 3 (or Detroit 3).

    I don't want people to buy an American product if they find a superior import. But I don't understand the vitriol of people who seem to actively want the Detroit 3 to fail. Talk about your economic and health care crises. It'll effect everyone, not just the midwest.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    we're getting repeats over in that UAW discussion. I just posted there how an Accord is 70% US parts, built in the US, etc, while something like a Chevy Aveo is just a Korean car. So let's not give the US manufacturers a free pass just because the bulk of their business (trucks) offsets the foreign cars they are passing off as their own.

    Look at the car itself, and not the badge.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Agreed. I'm sure my Frontier (built in Tennessee) and my 2 Camrys (built in Kentucky) have more than 31% American content.
  • reddogsreddogs Member Posts: 353
    The story is devastating as it shows what happens to American jobs when a major retailer, in this case WalMart changes from selling American goods to Chinese made goods...

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

    The most horrifying part is when they ask the Walmart executives if American jobs are important and they come up with "Low Prices" are the most important thing in retailing..... :surprise:
  • harrycheztharrychezt Member Posts: 405
    Dude who was run off the road(few posts up): I have had some people ride me, maybe due to what I drive. In your case, the guy said so.
    I told this to a friend of mine who lives close to Chicago. He has a newer Impala. He said people in some trucks, cars(say pre-2000 models, ride his bumper, harass him, because he has a New(er) vehicle than they do.
    An of course, he says people will(intentionally?) bang into his vehicle with their car doors, or throw a shopping cart into his vehicle at Wal-Mart, for examples.
    My spouse, new car, 5 years ago(Tiburon), she saw this lady just push the cart-unintentionally- into the car, too lazy to walk 50 feet and put it into the cart holder... she almost got the lady, except some old guy got in the way(long story).
    it put a ding in the fender.
    I do find a lot of trucks(some cars) will ride me, or give me dirty looks, because of where we live( farmer county) and had one kid, 18, 8 years ago, ask me why I drive what i drove(a 90 sentra xe, built at the time in Smyrna, TN), I told him, and mentioned even GM made coin on the deal: GMAC financed the vehiocle in 90, at nearly 12% interest! Sold to us from a Chevy/Nissan place in Georgetown,S.C. GM made a few grand off of us,via GMAC.
    He had no come back, lol, dropped the harassment, and we sort of became friends :D
    ------------------------------------------------------
    about jobs: without naming names(as not to get booted from edmunds site): I am a DAV(disabled American Veteran, and served during Gulf War I time frame, also).
    I thought when I got out(well, I was told by the VA reps, before hand) I would get "special considerations" as a Veteran, a disabled veteran, when it came to hiring people, at almost any job.
    Never happened.
    I even went to a few factories, one made mixers, one makes trucks and cars: the one factory saw my medical discharge, and never considered me, told me to come back when I
    get factory experience?" :confuse:
    The other, well, they told me they do not hire you unless you have a relative in the factory already working for them.
    Neither factory would even direct hire me for any job, even cleaning the rest rooms!
    So, as far as buy American to save American jobs falls on deaf ears, as you can see why, in my posts above.
    I served my country, needed a helping hand(a good job) and I got nothing but told to go away, and this was in 95 and 97, when the economy was really good.
    So... if Wal-Mart's good enough for a DAV, good enough for anyone else :cry:
    Been a janitor, baker, and deli worker at Wal-Mart. Even got a 2 year degree, Business, Commercial Arts, but since I am "old", no one will hire me (or about 40 others who also took the same thing in the past 5 years, that I know).
    :cry:
    It could be worse.
    --------------------------------------------------------------
    anyhow.... add head-leg,shoulder room GM, to cars like Cobalt, HHR,etc, and lower MSRP of those G6's permanently(instead of red tag, family -friend -relatives & my-fellow- countrymen sales), I may be back one day.

    DAV
    83-94
  • 151ranch151ranch Member Posts: 109
    Between the big 3 and their respective divisions, anyone can find a product to satisfy their needs/wants.

    Um, no. I want a sedan with a stick, side air bags, leather interior, and decent handling for less than 30k. Any Americans? no.

    OTOH, we also need a four-door, 4WD truck that will pull a really heavy trailer. Definitely American.

    I have test driven many 04-05-06 domestics. The only ones I would remotely consider: Corvette and Focus. Would have bought the Focus two years ago but could not find a stick.

    Economically speaking, it is more expensive to build cars in Japan or Europe and ship them here than it is to build the same exact car in the US. It is cheaper to build in Korea, China and Central/South America. IOW, Toyota is just a much better run company than Ford or GM. Honda is peanuts compared to Toyota. Toyota will rule the car world for the next 20 - 30 years, at least.

    FWIW, I own 2 Hondas, a Ford, a Chevy, a Volvo and a Kubota.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...from the future of deindustrialized America:

    4 January 2026

    "Ten years ago, the fall of General Motors, Ford, and the United Auto Workers came to symbolize the fall of America. For the people of the United States and Canada, Toyota and Honda's promise to build new plants held out hopes of a better life. Ten years later, many of those hopes remain largely unfulfilled. Instead, the transition has brought far more hardship rather than relief. Dramatic increases in infant mortality, suicide, violent crime and corruption have plagued North America.

    Literally overnight, Americans saw life savings vanish and with it much of the country's investment capital. A corrupt privatization drive, meant to reap the fruits of the free market, instead spawned a class of greedy capitalists.. Between 2012 and 2015, the country underwent an economic contraction worse than that at the height of the Great Depression.

    The toll exacted by the economic implosion is staggering. The grinding poverty is soul-destroying. Alcoholism is more rampant now than ever. Coupled with virulent drug abuse, depression and a huge upswing in violent street crime, many American men are dying faster and earlier. People live their squalid lives against a backdrop of numbing drunkenness, drug abuse, immorality, crime and violence. Robbery, rape and assault are endemic, and gangs often rule the streets. Thoroughfares are filthy and often unlit at night, and brothels and marauding prostitutes are commonplace. Murder, extortion, thieving, money lending and prostitution are a way of life in this poverty stricken atmosphere.

    Over the last decade, this nation of more than three hundred million people staggered into turmoil that ripped it apart. Politicians are corrupt. Schools are lousy. Hospitals are ill-equipped. And even though the average income is less than $200 a month, the pitted roads gleam with BMWs, Mercedes, Lexi, and Audis.

    Survival has become a daily struggle. For many people in living back in 2006, this kind of poverty coupled with violence is unimaginable and the shock can be quite powerful. Eighty percent of children suffer from some form of malnutrition. Throughout the Midwest and Northeast, low-income families are buying less milk, meat and vegetables. A good education has become a luxury commodity affordable only to the offspring of the nouveaux riches. So many children are so busy helping support their parents that school has become an afterthought. This in a country that once boasted some of the highest educational standards in the world. A growing legion of abandoned children spend their days around the city railway stations sniffing glue to dull the hunger pains. At night, hundreds descend into the catacombs of sewer systems. Sporadic violence comes with no warning."
  • day9day9 Member Posts: 57
    LOL, I don't think you will ever find any car that is really good and really cheap.
  • day9day9 Member Posts: 57
    That is really arrogant.
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    The statistics I stated were not for individual cars, or even individual companies. So, yes, I believe you when you say that the Accord is 70% American. It doesn't change the fact that, when taken as a whole, the Japanese companies "American content" is only 31%.

    I also didn't say to give American car companies a free pass. Just don't celebrate their troubles.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    Philadelphia must be a whole different world than the South. Industry, including manufacturing, is thriving here. We have basically zero real unemployment. It seems like companies are desperate for employees, from ditch diggers all the way up to executives. The economy couldn't hardly be any better.

    Maybe you should move down here.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    So America becomes a baron wasteland, an Apocolypse, yet people can afford Benzes, BMW's and Lexus Automobiles? What!

    Once again, flip the coin. Domestics all of a sudden put the import brands out of business. It's OK right? Those people at the factories and on the showroom floors and the service bays can rot in hell for supporting a no domestic brand right? :mad:

    "Gee daddy, life is wonderful, I am the luckiest kid in the whole world!"

    "Thank the local Chevy dealer for your wealth and happiness son..."

    Gimme a freakin break.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    BTW, Buick is growing at a rapid rate in China. Does that mean we should get the hell out of China? We sure as heck don't belong there then.

    Might want to stop buying that Middle eastern Oil for that 12mpg Cadillac...
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Hey if I support DMC and FMC, am I going to contribute to the demise of the U.S.?

    Support GM or face the Apocolypse?
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    - Might want to tell Ford to dump the PAG...
    - Dump Mazda...
    - Tell GM to dump Suzuki, Isuzu, Saab...
    - Eliminate all ties to NUMMI...
    - Might as well kick Chrysler out of the country while we are at it, since they are part of a Daimler colaboration...

    Watch the landscape become littered with modern interpretations of Citations and Pintos... Oh what a wonderful America we'd be living in!
  • harrycheztharrychezt Member Posts: 405
    Hey, you forgot GM-DAT, maybe they should leave S Korea, then?
    GM Owns/Controls what is left of Daewoo( GM-Daewoo Automotive Technologies, which I read now also include 15% stake by Suzuki and a few % by Chinese company GM makes stuff with in China on a joint effort?).
    Here's the info on GM-DAT
    http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/global_operations/asia_pacific/kore.html

    DAV
    83-94
  • reddogsreddogs Member Posts: 353
    ...you can even make negative comments and not face a firing squad like in Cuba or reeducation like in China...Its a Wonderful Life were living in... :shades:
  • carlisimocarlisimo Member Posts: 1,280
    Curiously, the Chamber of Commerce forsees a shortage of labor in the coming years.

    That could make it more expensive to hire workers. Or, it could mean an influx of labor (for both manual jobs and engineering). It'd be a somewhat regulated influx, which would keep wages from collapsing. But it would be an interesting twist to "supporting the American worker."
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Life is bad for the majority of Americans, but a small minority have it good...

    Philadelphia, 4 January 2026, 2:45 PM:

    "Philadelphia is now an extremely ugly city. I just hate it. When I look outside my window, all I see are squat old buildings blackened by the soot of the old factories, all of which are now themselves rotting abandoned hulks. Pennsylvania cities are so ugly and Philadelphia is probably the absolute ugliest. From the 20-times-painted-over row houses to potholed streets to tacky, neon-wrapped storefronts and hookers, the Philadelphia of 2026 seems filthy down to the last bit. You can smell it. It smells of filth, it smells of disease, and it smells of death. You can feel it, know just what it is like. I realized why my girlfriend moved out of Philly in 2009 -- her apartment, which once had been in a "genteel" neighborhood, turned into a ghetto and the entire city became a giant cesspit. Trash and garbage is blowing all around the street. Broken beer bottles and overflowing garbage cans are abundant. Bums huddling in doorways beg for the price of a drink. Skinny, half-starved dogs bark at every passerby. Violence, pornography, and prostitution are everywhere. A couple of sleazeball cops are shaking down various scumbags.

    Enshrouded in a stagnant cloud of pollution, Philadelphia is now the ugliest place in this now ugliest of countries. It is now home to the thousands of displaced and disenfranchised former middle-class suburbanites who have flooded into the city in the past few years, living in their little corrugated metal shacks, trying to stay warm with their little fires. They huddle together in their torn coats, drinking the cheap liquor that will eventually destroy their kidneys and kill them.

    Yet depressing as it is, this future America holds a scary fascination for me. I stood for almost an hour watching those pathetic, ragged creatures. This country is now the ultimate degradation - the final graveyard of impossible dreams and unfulfilled expectations. How I hate it. It has become a cancer; a disease grown monstrously out of control; choking and killing off any hope of recovery and rejuvenation. What I found in this putrid-smelling place was disgusting. While there, I had to endure the hell of a filthy, dangerous existence. America is now the corrupt urban jungle at its grimmest. It robs the people of money, dignity and ultimately hope. They constantly experience random acts of violence, shooting massacres, brutal serial murders and rapes, wholesale robberies and looting.

    My stay in deindustrialized America led me to live fearfully. This was mainly due to the fact that I loathe violence. But, in 2026 America , I had to face it and deal with it daily. When I approached the police in my district, they offered no protection, so I was alone. At first this conflict led to injury to myself - the first time I walked out onto the street I was strangled almost to death! (But, I then learned how to take care of myself). I used to go back to my hotel room shaking inside. I never allowed anybody to face me, but I always stood sideways (to avoid direct attack). There were times when, seeing signs of impending violence, I had to steel myself, and calmly remove my tie (which could be used to choke me), my pens (which could be used to stab my eyes out) and watch (because I did not want it damaged, too!).

    I look from the window of my hotel room in the once grand Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. A homeless girl sleeps in a shop doorway across the street, in front of a boarded up store, covered in posters and graffiti. This whole downtown is full of boarded up stores, rotting posters of Wal-Mart ads layered on every surface, graffiti on every wall. It occurs to me that if the vacant buildings were opened for squatting the girl across the road, lying on the wet pavement could get a little warmth and rest. I am surprised how few of the buildings are being used as squats, since so many are empty, but I suppose the police make sure the property is not inhabited by the homeless. I have seen mothers and their children huddled in shop door ways, thin as the victims of Auschwitz, huddled together for comfort. I passed what I think may have been a squat a few days ago. Someone had kicked in the corner of a boarded up shop window, large enough for someone to crawl through. The stench of urine and feces coming from inside was wafting out into the street.

    All night long there is a continual stream of luxury cars speeding down the road, the drivers probably not wanting to slow down in this area of the city. Outside in the street I can hear shouting, smashing glass, and police sirens, even sporadic gunfire in the distance. All night long the screams and shouts, the fights on the pavement, the drunks and the drug addicts, the prostitutes and the homeless. My room is small, and the windows are large and dirty. I am on the eighth floor, and can see down into Broad Street below. Twice this week I have come back to the hotel to find two police cars parked outside the building, and the cops barring the metal door. Both times they were there to take some of the other 'guests' away with them for God know what reasons. The room I am in has pale blue walls, there are no bed frames, just yellowed mattresses on the floor with an equally yellowed pillow and sheet on each one. It has been quite warm at night, despite the rain, so it has not been uncomfortable. The room has a small bathroom too, which is a blessing, though it too is dirty and smells strongly of stale urine. In fact, the whole building reeks of stale sweat and urine, like a trough urinal at a bar. The doors have been pulled off the closet space, and are stacked against the wall.

    When I was first led up the stairs to the room, I first entered a large empty concrete storage space, with no furniture, and piles of garbage in the corners, which I mistakenly thought was my room for a few minutes. It had once been the lounge area of the hotel, and I couldn't see the small corridors running off from it. I was suitably relieved when the small elderly man who ran the place in the day followed me into the room, and then showed me down the hall to my actual room. The elevator in the building seems to work only when it wants to, so to avoid getting trapped in it I only used the stairs. There is a refrigerator in my room also, as yellowed and dingy as everything else. I only plugged it in once, and it made such a rattling noise, and gave off such a smell, that I unplugged it instantly. I also have a small black and white television which flickers and rolls. The name of the hotel has been carved into the metal on top. I don't watch the television much; it acts as a link to a world so unlike the one outside my window that it seems almost sick to turn it on.

    All night long there is the tramping up and down the stairs of the other guests, and I can hear the shouting matches between them late into the night. L
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    We're getting off the automotive track here. As intersting as apocolyptic fantasy might be, let's stick to what "buying American cars" means, if it means anything anymore.
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    "Life is bad for the majority of Americans, but a small minority have it good..."

    Wake up and smell the roses.

    Writing/posting fictional accounts of the future is a flawed means to 'prove' a point regarding the present.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Slight renaming of the topic.

    With parts coming from everywhere, does "Buying American" have much meaning anymore? Is quality and price the bottom line?
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Regarding your fictional accounts of life in the future...

    Compare the state of the economy in 1976 to today. Now compare GM's share of the market in 1976.

    One could ALMOST draw the conclusion from just those data points that a reduced GM share is GOOD for the economy.... :surprise:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I think you need to start going to bed earlier, taking sleeping pills, or something. I swear I saw that movie the other night on the Sci Fi channel. I distinctly remember one scene in that movie where a teary-eyed father mentioned giving up his daughter for marriage when she turned 15! :surprise: Oh wait a minute...that was "Little House on the Prairie" :P
  • harrycheztharrychezt Member Posts: 405
    for me, it is also price(how much do I get for what iam paying) and quality(will this thing hold up at least 6-7 years) are what I look for.

    G6 was recently on sale, V6, for the price of some I-4 Fusions and Sonatas! That is a good deal, and quality was predicted to be at least Avg, (if not better).

    Style also..... yes. A Sonata may be loaded up like a 30K car from other makers, but if I do not care for the interior or exterior, I'll wait for a sale from some other maker(s) with vehicles we like, and comparable ot say Sonata.
    DAV
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    "With parts coming from everywhere, does "Buying American" have much meaning anymore?"

    Nope. It's an old school way of protecting the Domestic markets. "American" is however extreme the consumer wants to take it to. To me, Buying a Mazda is no less "American" than buying a Ford. And Buying an Ohio built Honda or S.C. built BMW shouldn't be condemned either...
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I caught a radio ad the other day from Toyota, talking about how good they are for the American economy, with all the factories and such they have here, as well as parts suppliers and such. I thought it was interesting, to say the least. I wonder if Toyota is starting to worry about some kind of backlash against them?
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Holy Smoke! Pretty soon they'll be preaching "What's Good for Toyota is Good for America!"
  • harrycheztharrychezt Member Posts: 405
    Gotta admit it, I may not agree with you a lot,lemko, but that last comment was funny :D
    LOL.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Toyota's been pretty good for me! I've made a 37% return so far on some of their stock I purchased! Plus it's paying a dividend now. Not the consistent 50 cents per quarter that GM does, but I got one payout of 73 cents per share back in July, and one of 58 cents per share in December.

    Seriously though, I don't think GM, Ford, or Chrysler are going away anytime soon.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    ^ Exactly, and I don't think there are many on the boards who want that to happen. I don't.

    I don't believe for one second that GM deserves the title of #1 in the Automotive world. I don't care if Toyota steps up to the spot any more than I'd like to see Ford or Chrysler take the spot.

    GM has been milking its success for FAR too long. Even Hyundai deserves the title more than GM just by the efforts here in the US over the last decade and I'm not really a huge fan of them.
  • reddogsreddogs Member Posts: 353
    Well we always thought what was good for Walmart was good for America and they are buying almost exclusively Chinese goods, so we might as well go ahead and say "What's Good for Toyota is Good for America!"
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    "What's Good for Toyota is Good for America!"

    Would you agree that what is good for American workers is good for America?

    Why does 'domestic content' include parts/labor/materials from Canada? If the purchase of a Chevy Silverado supports Canadian workers/suppliers while the purchase of a Toyota Tundra supports AMERICAN workers/suppliers, which do you think is 'Good for America!'.....

    I think what you guys are REALLY trying to say is "What's Good for the Big 3 is good for the UAW. And what's Good for the UAW is Good for America".
  • jlawrence01jlawrence01 Member Posts: 1,757
    Compare the state of the economy in 1976 to today. Now compare GM's share of the market in 1976.

    And how many FEWER people are working in the steel industry? And the textile industry? And the automotive industry??

    On the other hand, Jimmy Carter is still out there and is eligible to run in 2008.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    What's even worse is that there's fewer competitors in the retail industry. You have three giants selling the same junk. "Where did you get that? Wal-Mart? Target? K-Mart?" "Does it matter?"
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Let's stick to the automotive side of things here please. I know side issues get brought up as examples, but we can't spin off into a discussion of Walmart here.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    is that they used to have some funny import laws that taxed the hell out of stuff that we exported to them. Back in the old days, Pontiacs in Canada were basically rebadged Chevies. The Chevies were made in Canada, as were the Canadian Pontiacs. I believe Oldmobiles and Buicks were imported to Canada though.

    I think the rationale was that the Buicks and Oldsmobiles were prestigious enough that the hefty tarrifs could be absorbed into the price of the car, but it would make an imported Pontiac too expensive. Still, it must've been expensive to make some of those Canadian Pontiacs, because they still used Pontiac interiors, dashboards, and sheetmetal that was altered to fit the shorter Chevy wheelbase. And they ran Chevy engines and drivelines. So that import tarriff must've been expensive, for them to go about getting their Pontiacs in such a roundabout way. :confuse:

    I guess Canada stopped doing this eventually, though.
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