In the old days, I used to like Car and Driver best. They had irreverent writing. Motor Trend seemed like a freshman rag in comparison. Automobile is somewhat interesting...I liked Jean Lindamood Jennings' column ("Vile Gossip"). I thumb through them now, but haven't bought one in decades...same old stuff and cars I'd never consider buying. If I buy a newsstand car mag now--and it's rare--it'd probably be 'Collectible Automobile'.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Me too. My '05 Avalanche is the best vehicle I've ever owned. Don't really need a new truck, but been thinking of picking up one of the last of the '13's.
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Say Circlew, I just read that this wasn't the first time Hyundai and Kia got caught fibbing. Appears they exaggerated horsepower about a decade ago and had to retract those ads too. But heck, watching TV political ads the past few months, there seems to be an almost invisible line between hyperbole and outright lying anymore.
A simple walk around your nearest Chevy dealer and a glance at the window stickers will show that, other than the Spark, there is not a single GM vehicle sold in North America that isn't built in North America.
I don't get why the North American continent is so important if it's not made in the US. Somehow German or Japanese or Korean made cars are bad, but Mexico and Canada are ok. We should only be talking the U.S. (if that is important to somebody), because Canadian and Mexican manufacture doesn't provide local economy from the mfg plant, and those workers aren't paying US income taxes. Kind of arbitrary based upon what chunk of rock you sit on, even though outside the U.S.
I know this is blasphemy and the height of political incorrectness these days, but Canada, for one, has been importing cars into the U.S. for widespread domestic purchase for at least forty years, for that's how long I've seen Chevy Monzas and Monte Carlos from Canada in stock at our local Chevy dealer's in NW PA.
But also....a mere thirteen years before my birth (not hundreds of years), German, Korean, and Japanese soldiers were trying to kill our guys. Their sons and daughters are probably still building cars, and no one can tell me there is zero residual bad feeling on any of their parts either, just laughing all the way to the bank at how we fawn over anything from their countries. Japanese soldiers in 1943 were still beheading prisoners of war. Beheading. 1943. That's quite a culture to completely overcome in 69 years and one or two generations.
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What? Who is the first to state "Talk Current"! You downplay a a 2003 GM quality disaster but now talk 1943?
WOW!
Ever drove a BMW? Ever? You will see the massive difference compared to any GM in it's class. Then you will know why American auto fans need to stop whining and demanding far more from GM, Ford and Chrysler. Not defend all of the horrible decisions GM KEEPS making.
Taking all the politics out of it, America does not excel in top class cars but rather always hits "middle of the road". Like it? Keep buying GM. Tired of it? Go for the best products produced by companies that operate far more effectively in producing high value automobiles than current GM, F and C operations.
Not to feed trolling, but you oughta buy a BMW. Yup. Yup. Yup. ROFLMAO
Fellow up the road works on cars. Long history of doing so. He has a regular with his BMW 3xxx convertible. Cute, LITTLE car. Always having problems. To get to anything is a major removal of lots of plastic on the engine. Diagnosing is difficult without the proper BMW proprietary ( or not proprietary--for the purists) equipment. That car visits every 8-12 weeks for some problem. Blue with blue top. May 315i is the number.
And then there's the BMW wunderauto now gracing his driveway, garage, and roadside parking. 325i. Don't know the year. The cooling system is all plastic tubes. Can't fill the heater core. Overheating. But the engineering of a plastic thermostat housing and accessibility is amazing. Now if these were cars with reliability after the warranty runs out, that would be one thing. But the plastic for cooling reminds me of the Murphy Law that something will break and go bad on that at the worst possible time. Right now the thermostat is out of it and the thing still overheats. So he's going to replace water pump.
Maybe BMWs are Germany's method of paying us back for winning the war. After all, revenge is the best way to do things, we learned in the last few days of the US election.
You couldn't give me a BMW even if I didn't have to pay tax on the gift.
I did win a Mustang in the past. I was trying to recall all that went wrong with that. PaceCar, 4-cyl. Ignition wire broke during spirited cornering in Newport KY. Towed home, since I didn't see the wire dangling. Rear suspension was loose. Tightened bolts on suspension. Rear hatch interior lgiht switch went broke or something. Never repaired. Strut developed a clicking during warranty. Catalytic converter, exhaust pipe developed a leak problem. Dealer repaired under warranty.
Kept her 6 months and got rid of her. Found a happy buyer salivating to own the thing. He must have had the BMW virus that's going around now.
3:12PM EST November 4. 2012 - The government, spooked by discovering discrepancies in mileage numbers on 84 variations of 2011 to 2013 Hyundai and Kia models, is expected to consider an industry-wide mileage audit."This is an ongoing investigation," the Environmental Protection Agency says, but won't elaborate.
8:12PM EDT November 1. 2012 - The BMW Group in the U.S. reported combine October sales of its BMW and Mini brands of 32,339 vehicles, up 18.5% from a year ago.
Year-to-date the group is up 8.4% to 246,602 vehicles.
The BMW brand, which is challenging Mercedes for top sales in luxury vehicles, saw sales up 20.9% in October to 26,451 and year-to-date sales are up 6.7% to 212,848.
Brand volume leaders were the 3-Series cars, up 25.6% to 9,729 for the month. and the X3 crossover, up 39.9% to 3,248.
Mini Cooper sales rose 8.7% in the month to 5,888 and year-to-date is up 15.7% to 54,419. :P
You can't deny that image is big in a market like Cadillac and BMW. It's no secret that BMW isn't a bastion of quality; even you would have to concede that. It's all about perception when you're looking at that price class. And I never even look at Cadillacs because I can't justify spending that much money on a car. When I have disposable income for a car fetish, it'll be on an old car, not a current one.
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So why is Caddy sales shrinking? Old GM disease? "Standard of the World" working fantastic? Image got stuck?
Opposite questions for BMW. Doing a few things right?
Of course the BMW quality is suspect. Just like Chevy has a cheapo image.
The Germans will cut to the bone to ensure the performance end of the equation at the expense of reliability. But they all seem to be outflanking GM, as usual. Particularly Caddy.
Btw, you seem to have no problem harping on CW for Hyundai/Kia's disappointments, what are your thoughts on Buicks bottom feeder status? A brand for the retirement community (who can't afford Caddies) that has since decided to up the "excitment factor" with cars like the Regal and look what happens to their standings?
It's all about perception when you're looking at that price class. And I never even look at Cadillacs because I can't justify spending that much money on a car. When I have disposable income for a car fetish, it'll be on an old car, not a current one.
I feel the same way, but I have a feeling that, once you experience a premium car and get used to it, then lesser cars might start feeling inferior. Lifestyle creep or whatever they call it. Kinda like how I used to be perfectly happy with a 32" tube tv, but after getting used to a 50" plasma, anything less just feels like crap.
As for Cadillac, they really don't make anything that grabs me right now. The ATS and CTS are too small for my tastes, and I find the style of the XTS too disproportionate. Plus, even though I'm sure the V-6 is more than adequate, not having a V-8 just makes the XTS seem like a step down to me, compared to something like Lemko's DTS.
You know, you really should take a trip overseas and visit these "bastions of evil" as you like to see them.
I spend about a month each year in Germany and surrounding countries and have never, ever met a single person that displayed a bitter opinion about the US in WW II, even though our bombers pretty much made their cities the envy of what many wanted Afghanistan to look like. For the most part, they understand who the bad guys were back then (the folks running their governments).
Also, don't forget, Italy (Chrysler... Don't you have a Chrysler product?) owns Chrysler, and Italy was part of the Axis powers. Killed Americans, too.
These populations have moved on.... Too bad you don't seem to be able to do the same.
They compare the number for a model to the overall average.
I am able to comment on them whether you like it or approve or not
You don't need my approval, but naming the source (month/year) would be nice. You guys demand it when the GM bashers post stuff, it's only fair to provide the same when you make claims.
Busiris, I have vacationed in Italy in 2010. I don't hate the people, but why reward countries that allowed that type of thing to happen, not so long ago?
I didn't really want to go (didn't want to spend the money), but I enjoyed it once we were there. I particularly enjoyed our impromptu stop at the American Cemetery in Florence.
Our tour guide was unable to even say the word "Hitler"--it was "Mussolini's buddy from Austria"!
I think it is a blanket statement to say there are 'no' hard feelings there. There'd have to be some...like there still would be here. There are people still alive who participated, on all sides.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
I spend about a month each year in Germany and surrounding countries and have never, ever met a single person that displayed a bitter opinion about the US in WW II
Not to your face, anyway. You're a tourist, and stay in and visit touristy places. I never felt any negative feelings in Italy either, although I did think our tour guide seemed like she definitely went through the motions for our visit at Florence's American Cemetery--let's see it and 'move on'.
BTW, our PT is a Daimler-Benz, per many labels under the hood! Buying used, I figured the damage was already done!
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It's funny how trying to be pro-U.S.-auto companies is nearly indefensible on this forum!
Believe it or not, I'm pro-US too, but at the same time, I appreciate the foreign brands and completely understand why people buy them. I can only imagine how bad domestic cars would be without foreign competition.
It's that way in the US boat industry (not much foreign competition unless you spend 7 figures or more). We spent a lot of money on a new boat (more than twice as much as I've ever spent on a car) this year. It was in the shop for a month to correct problems that never should have made it out of the factory. I know quite a few people with new boats over the years, and quality control is horrible across the board.
Same with the RV market. We have a travel trailer we bought new in '10. Once again the attention to detail and quality control is poor. Our camper also required a few repairs shortly after taking delivery. Seems the end user has to do all of the QC checks.
Now in the marine outboard market, the asian makes have made a real difference in raising the reliability across the board. It didn't take long for Honda and Yamaha to lead the industry in reliability and really made Mercury step up. Though OMC didn't survive, but you can only sell junk for so long. Evinrude does live on via Bombardier in Canada.
Enough said in support of GM...The foreign manufacturers are looking better, and this is after the 34 GM cars owned to date..Only the Mustang is on my list,no GM or Chrysler in my garage ever!!!!
Back in the good old days,I supplied OMC with 6 & 8 cylinder forged crankshafts..and 100% of Mercury Marine push-pull cables for throttle and shift controls..Guess what, all cables were supplied by a Japanese owned,American based company in Battle Creek,Mich...started back in the late 70s..
Maybe YOU'RE a tourist when you go there, but I'm certainly not. I stay with friends I met there 25 years ago (some longer), and I stay in their homes, mostly located in smaller towns and villages outside of Frankfurt/Wetzlar/Giessen. When they visit the US, they stay with us.
If anyone had a right to be anti-American, it would certainly be folks in those areas. All 3 were high priority bombing targets during the war, and Giessen was practically flattened. Wetzlar was a target due to the fine optics facilities located there (Leica). Scope out the eye testing equipment next time you have your eyes checked. There's a good chance the machinery was manufactured by Leica.
Frankfurt was a primary manufacturing and transportation hub, and it, like Cologne nearby, also got hammered constantly.
Yet, sitting in people's houses for countless meals and evenings, in which many had drink flowing excessively, I never heard a single harsh word about those "nasty Americans" that ruined their country.
Were they happy they were bombed and lost the war, losing family and friends?
Of course not! But they knew exactly who caused it, and they know what happened in Germany during the 30's was, and is today, a national shame.
Something along the lines of having legalized slavery in this country, only that particular "shame" has a bit more distance between when it ended and today.
Is there someone in Germany or Japan that blames his/her troubles on America?
Sure, why not? There's certainly no shortage of folks in America that blame their troubles on other countries, so why should Germany or Japan be any different?
Thank you for expanding on your travel experiences in Germany...seriously.
I might just add, the terrible things that Germany inflicted on other countries went beyond "the '30's" until the middle of the next decade, and slavery here ended "a bit" earlier than Germany's issues? It ended 82 years before Germany surrendered...even longer than when Pearl Harbor happened, and today.
There has not been a single soul alive who was a slave, and could remember it, for decades and decades. And, although someone here once called them 'a few', there are many, many people alive today on all sides who have living recollections of the many atrocities of World War II.
Incidentally, I'm of German heritage on both sides. My mother's grandfather used to talk up Hitler all the time, she had told me.
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How many Toyotas were imported into the US made by at least one assembly-line worker that chopped off some GI's head?
Or...
How many MB's, VW's and BMW's were imported into the US made by at least one assembly-line worker that killed someone in a gas chamber?
My guess is somewhere between an extreme few to none.
I can't help but wonder if you research your clothing buys to ensure they in no way had any manufacturing done in Viet Nam, or if you refuse to purchase any items, food or otherwise, that originates in Central/South America/Mexico, since the drugs flowing through those regions kill dozens of Americans daily.
I guess it's all in how one justifies their actions.
LOL@busiris Sometimes it's hard. I fail to find the relevance of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, FDR, Churchill, and Hideki Tojo have on GM News. It's important not to feed the trolls. I know it's hard.
I know your ilk, obyone. Any opinion different than yours is 'trolling'. If you read far enough back, this discussion started when someone asked why a car from Germany or Korea or Japan was different than a car from Mexico or Canada.
And to answer your question, busiris...do the math. In the '80's there were a lot of German and Japanese cars imported here. If someone was in their 20's in the 40's, would they still not be working in their 60's?
I'm not certain that the type of behavior mentioned about Japanese treatment of prisoners of war, was a 'going rogue' thing by a few soldiers. The kind of things that happened via Japan and Germany then were indicative of a culture gone awry.
Because some things make people uncomfortable, is that a reason to not accept the possibility that those things really occurred?
As I posted at the onset, I'm fully aware these are unpopular things to say. I don't think they are entirely inaccurate, however.
There are genuine trolls on this forum, regularly. Like the one who says people who 'Buy 'Merican' are racist, among others. I also consider a troll, somebody who puts lopsided info here while deliberately leaving considerable, relevant information out solely because it doesn't fit their agenda.
I might add, this is only my opinion. I'm not posting on Japanese car and German car forums that anyone who buys them is wrong, and why....although that's the type of thing I face on this forum regularly simply because I take a pro-American company stance here...whoa.
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I'll vouch for uplander. He's many things and sometimes I think he's as crazy as circlew (sorry) but he's not a troll. He responds and can actually be persuaded off of position.
I will say I don't see using WWII as a reason not to buy German or Japanese. Yes, I know there are still WWII vets around. My parents were both vets of that war and my mom owned a Corolla as far back as 1973.
I applaud the fact that Ford is making cars that are world cars without nearly so much "Americanizing" the handling. Would like to see more of that from GM. Heck I drove my uncle's Opel Kadette in 1968 and loved the thing. They sold them at Buick dealerships.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
I agree. We have a uss Indianapolis survivor in town and he drives a camry. Many service men liked the small sporty cars from Europe which they discovered while being deployed.
Crazy=wishing really bad things happen to UAW workers. I've read it here before.
Never been an auto worker or had a family member who's been one, BTW. In fact, never been a union worker except for two summers in the '70's when I worked at a ladder and extrusion factory while off from college.
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I can't complain about Cadillac quality and I have purchased several new Cadillacs over the last 23 years. No problems whatsoever from my 2007 DTS Performance.
I can't justify buying a BMW because I'd have to spend over $70K+ to get from BMW what I get in a Cadillac. For the price of a 3-Series, I could've bought a loaded Mercury Grand Marquis and still have change left over.
Most definitely! I see a vast gulf between the quality of my Cadillac DTS and my Mercury Grand Marquis. The lack of a V-8 in the XTS keeps me in the DTS. That plus learning the XTS is based on the LaCrosse platform. The LaCrosse, or anything based on it, is perfect for my petite little wife, but I require something more substantial.
I've seen a few XTSs running around. They do have a presence, but as Andre mentioned the proportions looks odd to me too. Nice car, but not for me. For that kind of money I'd gladly spend some more and get an E Class or 5 series. They may be a bit smaller, but at least they are RWD, and offer far more interesting powertrain options. Or I'd rather buy a used S class and get 3x the car.
I keep hearing rumors about Cadillac making a serious S-Class competitor called the FTS. I'm waiting to see if it comes to fruition before I pull the trigger on another car. My DTS may end up being another long-term occupant of my garage like my 1989 Cadillac Brougham.
I think Cadillac will have a serious problem building and selling a true S class competitor unless they can find away to sell it all over the world like mb does. That's a huge advantage. More realistic would be something rwd and priced like an ls460 or less.
Comments
If you don't want the best and instead want incentives, GM is the best to buy from. I admit it!
Regards,
OW
Me too. My '05 Avalanche is the best vehicle I've ever owned. Don't really need a new truck, but been thinking of picking up one of the last of the '13's.
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I don't get why the North American continent is so important if it's not made in the US. Somehow German or Japanese or Korean made cars are bad, but Mexico and Canada are ok. We should only be talking the U.S. (if that is important to somebody), because Canadian and Mexican manufacture doesn't provide local economy from the mfg plant, and those workers aren't paying US income taxes. Kind of arbitrary based upon what chunk of rock you sit on, even though outside the U.S.
If you don't want the best and instead want incentives, GM is the best to buy from. I admit it
I'm talking about reliability. Come on now, say it....it's not that hard.
And who on earth would want incentives when they buy a car? (slapping myself up against the head)
But also....a mere thirteen years before my birth (not hundreds of years), German, Korean, and Japanese soldiers were trying to kill our guys. Their sons and daughters are probably still building cars, and no one can tell me there is zero residual bad feeling on any of their parts either, just laughing all the way to the bank at how we fawn over anything from their countries. Japanese soldiers in 1943 were still beheading prisoners of war. Beheading. 1943. That's quite a culture to completely overcome in 69 years and one or two generations.
Some want better than second rate. GM gives people like you that reliably!
There! Happy now?
Regards,
OW
WOW!
Ever drove a BMW? Ever? You will see the massive difference compared to any GM in it's class. Then you will know why American auto fans need to stop whining and demanding far more from GM, Ford and Chrysler. Not defend all of the horrible decisions GM KEEPS making.
Taking all the politics out of it, America does not excel in top class cars but rather always hits "middle of the road". Like it? Keep buying GM. Tired of it? Go for the best products produced by companies that operate far more effectively in producing high value automobiles than current GM, F and C operations.
You get what you pay for, incentives and all.
Nest stop: More bailouts for GM coming soon.
Regards,
OW
Fellow up the road works on cars. Long history of doing so. He has a regular with his BMW 3xxx convertible. Cute, LITTLE car. Always having problems. To get to anything is a major removal of lots of plastic on the engine. Diagnosing is difficult without the proper BMW proprietary ( or not proprietary--for the purists) equipment. That car visits every 8-12 weeks for some problem. Blue with blue top. May 315i is the number.
And then there's the BMW wunderauto now gracing his driveway, garage, and roadside parking. 325i. Don't know the year. The cooling system is all plastic tubes. Can't fill the heater core. Overheating. But the engineering of a plastic thermostat housing and accessibility is amazing. Now if these were cars with reliability after the warranty runs out, that would be one thing. But the plastic for cooling reminds me of the Murphy Law that something will break and go bad on that at the worst possible time. Right now the thermostat is out of it and the thing still overheats. So he's going to replace water pump.
Maybe BMWs are Germany's method of paying us back for winning the war. After all, revenge is the best way to do things, we learned in the last few days of the US election.
You couldn't give me a BMW even if I didn't have to pay tax on the gift.
I did win a Mustang in the past. I was trying to recall all that went wrong with that. PaceCar, 4-cyl. Ignition wire broke during spirited cornering in Newport KY. Towed home, since I didn't see the wire dangling. Rear suspension was loose. Tightened bolts on suspension. Rear hatch interior lgiht switch went broke or something. Never repaired. Strut developed a clicking during warranty. Catalytic converter, exhaust pipe developed a leak problem. Dealer repaired under warranty.
Kept her 6 months and got rid of her. Found a happy buyer salivating to own the thing. He must have had the BMW virus that's going around now.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Is Chevy next? :P
Regards,
OW
8:12PM EDT November 1. 2012 - The BMW Group in the U.S. reported combine October sales of its BMW and Mini brands of 32,339 vehicles, up 18.5% from a year ago.
Year-to-date the group is up 8.4% to 246,602 vehicles.
The BMW brand, which is challenging Mercedes for top sales in luxury vehicles, saw sales up 20.9% in October to 26,451 and year-to-date sales are up 6.7% to 212,848.
Brand volume leaders were the 3-Series cars, up 25.6% to 9,729 for the month. and the X3 crossover, up 39.9% to 3,248.
Mini Cooper sales rose 8.7% in the month to 5,888 and year-to-date is up 15.7% to 54,419. :P
Caddy Sales YTD 2012 = 117,017....Down 6.7% Y/Y - ROTFLMAO!!!
Regards,
OW
One side: Beheading
Other side: Bad 2003 GM vehicle you owned.
Hmmmmm......
Are we talking War or cars on your scale?
You Kill me (beheaded)! :sick:
Regards,
OW
So Caddy quality is driving sales down and BMW quality is driving sales up?
Let us all know what you think about the quality equation in just this example.
Regards,
OW
Opposite questions for BMW. Doing a few things right?
Of course the BMW quality is suspect. Just like Chevy has a cheapo image.
The Germans will cut to the bone to ensure the performance end of the equation at the expense of reliability. But they all seem to be outflanking GM, as usual. Particularly Caddy.
Regards,
OW
Korea was on OUR side in WWII. Until they got invaded and conquered by Japan.
It's no secret that neither is Cadillac...
The same study conducted in 2011
2010
2009
Where is Hyundai??? Where is Caddy??? Oh snap!
Your blind bias is getting the best of you.
Btw, you seem to have no problem harping on CW for Hyundai/Kia's disappointments, what are your thoughts on Buicks bottom feeder status? A brand for the retirement community (who can't afford Caddies) that has since decided to up the "excitment factor" with cars like the Regal and look what happens to their standings?
I feel the same way, but I have a feeling that, once you experience a premium car and get used to it, then lesser cars might start feeling inferior. Lifestyle creep or whatever they call it. Kinda like how I used to be perfectly happy with a 32" tube tv, but after getting used to a 50" plasma, anything less just feels like crap.
As for Cadillac, they really don't make anything that grabs me right now. The ATS and CTS are too small for my tastes, and I find the style of the XTS too disproportionate. Plus, even though I'm sure the V-6 is more than adequate, not having a V-8 just makes the XTS seem like a step down to me, compared to something like Lemko's DTS.
Never once said it was.
But then, I'm not the one harping repeatedly on a BMW forum about how p***-poor BMW's are and how great Cadillacs are.
I spend about a month each year in Germany and surrounding countries and have never, ever met a single person that displayed a bitter opinion about the US in WW II, even though our bombers pretty much made their cities the envy of what many wanted Afghanistan to look like. For the most part, they understand who the bad guys were back then (the folks running their governments).
Also, don't forget, Italy (Chrysler... Don't you have a Chrysler product?) owns Chrysler, and Italy was part of the Axis powers. Killed Americans, too.
These populations have moved on.... Too bad you don't seem to be able to do the same.
It's your loss...
They compare the number for a model to the overall average.
I am able to comment on them whether you like it or approve or not
You don't need my approval, but naming the source (month/year) would be nice. You guys demand it when the GM bashers post stuff, it's only fair to provide the same when you make claims.
I don't have to "verify" each item
Precisely the problem.
I didn't really want to go (didn't want to spend the money), but I enjoyed it once we were there. I particularly enjoyed our impromptu stop at the American Cemetery in Florence.
Our tour guide was unable to even say the word "Hitler"--it was "Mussolini's buddy from Austria"!
I think it is a blanket statement to say there are 'no' hard feelings there. There'd have to be some...like there still would be here. There are people still alive who participated, on all sides.
Not to your face, anyway. You're a tourist, and stay in and visit touristy places. I never felt any negative feelings in Italy either, although I did think our tour guide seemed like she definitely went through the motions for our visit at Florence's American Cemetery--let's see it and 'move on'.
BTW, our PT is a Daimler-Benz, per many labels under the hood! Buying used, I figured the damage was already done!
I will not buy even a GM that's built in Mexico for reasons that include you very salient point.
Believe it or not, I'm pro-US too, but at the same time, I appreciate the foreign brands and completely understand why people buy them. I can only imagine how bad domestic cars would be without foreign competition.
It's that way in the US boat industry (not much foreign competition unless you spend 7 figures or more). We spent a lot of money on a new boat (more than twice as much as I've ever spent on a car) this year. It was in the shop for a month to correct problems that never should have made it out of the factory. I know quite a few people with new boats over the years, and quality control is horrible across the board.
Same with the RV market. We have a travel trailer we bought new in '10. Once again the attention to detail and quality control is poor. Our camper also required a few repairs shortly after taking delivery. Seems the end user has to do all of the QC checks.
Now in the marine outboard market, the asian makes have made a real difference in raising the reliability across the board. It didn't take long for Honda and Yamaha to lead the industry in reliability and really made Mercury step up. Though OMC didn't survive, but you can only sell junk for so long. Evinrude does live on via Bombardier in Canada.
Enough said in support of GM...The foreign manufacturers are looking better, and this is after the 34 GM cars owned to date..Only the Mustang is on my list,no GM or Chrysler in my garage ever!!!!
Back in the good old days,I supplied OMC with 6 & 8 cylinder forged crankshafts..and 100% of Mercury Marine push-pull cables for throttle and shift controls..Guess what, all cables were supplied by a Japanese owned,American based company in Battle Creek,Mich...started back in the late 70s..
If anyone had a right to be anti-American, it would certainly be folks in those areas. All 3 were high priority bombing targets during the war, and Giessen was practically flattened. Wetzlar was a target due to the fine optics facilities located there (Leica). Scope out the eye testing equipment next time you have your eyes checked. There's a good chance the machinery was manufactured by Leica.
Frankfurt was a primary manufacturing and transportation hub, and it, like Cologne nearby, also got hammered constantly.
Yet, sitting in people's houses for countless meals and evenings, in which many had drink flowing excessively, I never heard a single harsh word about those "nasty Americans" that ruined their country.
Were they happy they were bombed and lost the war, losing family and friends?
Of course not! But they knew exactly who caused it, and they know what happened in Germany during the 30's was, and is today, a national shame.
Something along the lines of having legalized slavery in this country, only that particular "shame" has a bit more distance between when it ended and today.
Is there someone in Germany or Japan that blames his/her troubles on America?
Sure, why not? There's certainly no shortage of folks in America that blame their troubles on other countries, so why should Germany or Japan be any different?
Funny thing is I read that as "faulty passengers".
I might just add, the terrible things that Germany inflicted on other countries went beyond "the '30's" until the middle of the next decade, and slavery here ended "a bit" earlier than Germany's issues? It ended 82 years before Germany surrendered...even longer than when Pearl Harbor happened, and today.
There has not been a single soul alive who was a slave, and could remember it, for decades and decades. And, although someone here once called them 'a few', there are many, many people alive today on all sides who have living recollections of the many atrocities of World War II.
Incidentally, I'm of German heritage on both sides. My mother's grandfather used to talk up Hitler all the time, she had told me.
How many Toyotas were imported into the US made by at least one assembly-line worker that chopped off some GI's head?
Or...
How many MB's, VW's and BMW's were imported into the US made by at least one assembly-line worker that killed someone in a gas chamber?
My guess is somewhere between an extreme few to none.
I can't help but wonder if you research your clothing buys to ensure they in no way had any manufacturing done in Viet Nam, or if you refuse to purchase any items, food or otherwise, that originates in Central/South America/Mexico, since the drugs flowing through those regions kill dozens of Americans daily.
I guess it's all in how one justifies their actions.
An "eye for an eye" makes everyone blind.
And to answer your question, busiris...do the math. In the '80's there were a lot of German and Japanese cars imported here. If someone was in their 20's in the 40's, would they still not be working in their 60's?
I'm not certain that the type of behavior mentioned about Japanese treatment of prisoners of war, was a 'going rogue' thing by a few soldiers. The kind of things that happened via Japan and Germany then were indicative of a culture gone awry.
Because some things make people uncomfortable, is that a reason to not accept the possibility that those things really occurred?
As I posted at the onset, I'm fully aware these are unpopular things to say. I don't think they are entirely inaccurate, however.
There are genuine trolls on this forum, regularly. Like the one who says people who 'Buy 'Merican' are racist, among others. I also consider a troll, somebody who puts lopsided info here while deliberately leaving considerable, relevant information out solely because it doesn't fit their agenda.
I might add, this is only my opinion. I'm not posting on Japanese car and German car forums that anyone who buys them is wrong, and why....although that's the type of thing I face on this forum regularly simply because I take a pro-American company stance here...whoa.
I will say I don't see using WWII as a reason not to buy German or Japanese. Yes, I know there are still WWII vets around. My parents were both vets of that war and my mom owned a Corolla as far back as 1973.
I applaud the fact that Ford is making cars that are world cars without nearly so much "Americanizing" the handling. Would like to see more of that from GM. Heck I drove my uncle's Opel Kadette in 1968 and loved the thing. They sold them at Buick dealerships.
I've had that problem a lot - and with all different makes...
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Never been an auto worker or had a family member who's been one, BTW. In fact, never been a union worker except for two summers in the '70's when I worked at a ladder and extrusion factory while off from college.
I can't justify buying a BMW because I'd have to spend over $70K+ to get from BMW what I get in a Cadillac. For the price of a 3-Series, I could've bought a loaded Mercury Grand Marquis and still have change left over.
BTW, remember when 'rear wheel drive' meant 'anachronistic'? Boy, that has surely turned around 180 degrees.