My decision won't be based on the trade deficit. It will be based solely on what's best for me. My last 6-7 cars have been American for that reason only. It's up to GM and Ford to get their act together and sell products (in the category I want to buy) that are better than the competition. It is a good thing the Japanese auto manufacturers have focused so much on the North American market because they are forcing the old dinosaurs to shape up and sell what the buying public needs. As many others have already said, Toyota & others do a lot of their manufacturing in this country, so you argument fails. This is also why I stated the nationality of the company doesn't figure into my buying plans. It looks like most Americans agree with this. Car buyers should be grateful for the free market. It has liberated us from being locked into what Detroit wants to shove down our throats.
There's always a fear that American companies can't hang with the likes of Toyota, but the next big thing is the Chinese market and their growing disposition towards buying their first new car. If GM and Ford can't compete at home, they're certainly in trouble trying to peddle their cars in a foreign market.
this from a reviewer in cars.com that will relate to this topic "As a long time Chevrolet sales person and GM owner I was veryt reluctant to try a foreign truck.Call me old fashion but I always beleived buying a foreign anything was anti American But I was tired of all the problems that American trucks have after the first year or so ,and seeing how much less American vehicles are worth after a few years. Besides most of the Toyota's,Honda's,and Nissan's are made here anyway. And alot of the GM's are made in Mexico. So this time around I drove and researched all brands before making my next truck purchase. I had been driving a 2004 silverado z71 ext cab. Which was nothing but headaches from day one. First off I must say that the fit and finish on this truck is excellent. The power is great even though it is slightly less horse power than most of the full size pickups out there the smothness of the transmission and quietness of the engine more than make uo for it. It rides and handles much better than any of the domestics and has way better resale value. But the best part of this truck is the interior you forget your in a truck!! This is only based on my opinions and if you are intrested in a full size take the extra couple of hours to drive them all. That way you will not have to wonder for the next several years if you made the right decision!"
Ditto. However, it's important to keep in mind the transformation the automobile industry has gone through over the past decade or so. The reality of the automobile industry these days is that most of the so-called 'foreign' brands are about as American -- if not more so -- as the domestic 'big three'. It's difficult to characterize GM/Ford/Chrysler as 'American' when one or more are using Chinese-built engines or selling cars that are in reality Korean made, with many of their most popular vehicles coming off the assembly line in Canada and Mexico. At the same time you have many 'foreign' brands with manufacturing plants employing thousands of American workers (true of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mercedes, and others)....these are multinational corporations competing in the global market, they are no more American or Japanese than the rest, they're Globalists. I would say it isn't as much about the brand as it is about the particular vehicle you're interested in. I tend to make a conscious decision to 'buy American' in the sense that the vehicle be built/assembled by American workers in the U.S. You can find those vehicles under pretty much any nameplate.
you should always buy quality and not base your judgement on politics. I dont like how the American cars use cheap plastic interiors. Its like rubbermaid or some crap.
there are numerous reasons why toyota is numner one and all have nothing to do with its buyers wanting to see american companies fail
most of the people i know drive either japanese cars or german. I know 2 who used to drive a Jeep and a Ford explorer. They have a terrible experiences with their cars. I'm NEVER going to waste my money on american cars. One more thing, hwen you'r driving, take observe for vehicles stalled on the highway and make a tally of what kind of cars.. type and model. you'll see what I mean.
Funny enough, the Chinese think the American cars are of a high quality. Buick's and Caddy's are sometimes considered up there with BMW and Benz, and already above Audi. It's the one place where the perception of American cars are much higher than Americans think.
quick questions, if you won $20K, what car would you buy? $40K? $100K? $300K? would any of these be American cars?
Today's American cars are far more reliable and the gap has narrowed greatly - but it's still there. You're right about perception though. But also, American Car Makers don't give what the consumers want. I use to do marketing strategy for Ford - and realized that no matter how they market their cars, they won't be able to compete, because they just dont cars that excite anyone to buy anymore. Their culture is anti-change. It's full of execs not wanting to take a chance and rock the boat or get fired....they just want to make it to their pension. Unless Ford makes some radical changes and effectively decides to re-invent itself - it will eventually be acquired by another company. It's lost it's competitive place and is a dying brand. GM is in danger. Chrysler has some hope.
American cars are better than the Chinese brand cars, and in terms of price, Caddy's and Buicks are up there with BMW. As far as performance, I think the typical Chinese don't put as much weight as Americans in performance (handling, horsepower, acceleartion and etc.) but rather opt for reliabillity (and we've all seeing the posts on this board regarding how well german cars do beyond 3 years). The most reliable cars would be Japanese, but they will not get as much of a foothold in China in the near future due to what happened in the recent history.
Like Wizkid83 said, Chinese consumers don't trust Japanese brands. It was a big deal when Yao refused to endorse Toyota and it might've been a bigger deal if he did. In America, would you rather buy a Toyota Matrix and a Corolla or a Pontiac Vibe and a Geo Prizm? It might be public perception, but with the intermingling of worldwide parts and companies, brand name and image is everything.
Just on that. Why don't Americans realise its stupid to pronounce NISSAN - NEESAN?? Cracks me up every time I hear it.
I call bs on your statement. Sounds like an impasse, but I'm pretty sure I read that it had closed. I guess when someone actually qualifies then we can go from there. Further, it's not as if you can't name some crappy imports, so naming two US models as poor quality doesn't make the argument. "According to the Detroit News study by J.D. Power, 70 percent of consumers who avoid American brands cite "concerned about reliability" as their chief reason. By comparison, only 20 percent of those who avoid Asian brands say reliability is a concern, and just 19 percent of European brand avoiders express concerns about vehicle reliability. The perception, however, does not match the reality. In J.D. Power's 2006 benchmark study of vehicle dependability, American vehicles registered 234 problems per 100 vehicles after three years of ownership. European vehicles had 270 reported problems, and Asian brands had 208. In its study for The News, J.D. Power concluded that the perception gap is definitely dragging the Big Three down in the marketplace. "American vehicles are avoided due to perceived quality concerns much more frequently than imported vehicles," the study said. "Actual quality of American vehicles shows a much more competitive outlook." http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/AUTO01/701030382/1148 I'm not advocating nationalism, FB, but economic benefit. My question wasn't should we buy american for patriotism. Major, I'm not sure what not having explorers five years from now has to do with having an explorer now. Every auto company phases car lines out. As for resale value I wonder what that impact is vs something like the trade deficit? My question also hits on the point of whether you do what is better for the country as a whole or yourself - if you can find something relatively comparable from a US auto company. Then again there are other factors to consider besides resale value (if that is true): "You'll pay a little more to insure a foreign car, says Mike Gould of Advanced Insurance Services in Iowa City. If your car tops the list of frequently stolen vehicles, that gets factored in, as does the replacement cost for parts if your car is a rare import and you live in an isolated area. Generally, Gould says a Honda generally will cost about 10-percent more to insure than an American car with a similar price tag. Expensive imports will often be more expensive to insure, Gould says. Expensive cars will have pricey parts and insurers take that into account." http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2004/domestic-import1.asp hotballa - I own a Ford and a Chevy. Haven't had any problems and like both cars. My first cars were all Honda and Toyotas. Liked them too. NewYorker - nice input. I am certainly not saying these companies shouldn't improve. The basis of my question was 'IF you can find a comparable car from a US manufacturer,' not you should buy American no matter what. windfern - you'd never waste money on american cars but you'd buy german. that's funny. tigermission - yeah the whole phenomenon of foreign companies having plants here makes a distinction harder. i wonder what the ratios are between foreign vs domestic? A_3PO - I posed a question, not an argument - so it cannot 'fail.' That some foreign companies produce cars here does not mean that most are, or that more than enough to hurt our economy are - the auto trade deficit is still something like 150 billion dollars.
I think HayesStreet asks an important question. It is ALWAYS a good idea to challenge your preconceived notions. Having said that, when I google "most reliable cars" the first result I get is a Forbes magazine article stating that "Only nine cars meet the most stringent standards for reliability--and they're all Japanese." The second link in that search is more promising. CNN reports that "Nissan, Hyundai have models in both the highest and lowest ranks; hybrids do well. Consumers can't just put their faith in a trusted brand name when it comes to looking for a new car." So it seems that while the most reliable cars tend to be Japanese, it would be a mistake to generalize and say that all Japanese cars are more reliable. I do think my next car is going to be a Toyota, though.
you guys remember when Hyundais were considered crap cars? They learned that the US consumer wanted a better car, then they went out and made some. Is it hard for the GM to figure that out?
