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Buy American?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by HayesStreet, Jan 21, 2007.

  1. MFW

    MFW Member

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    Um no, Walmart's imports from China is 10% of the US' TRADE DEFICIT with China, NOT 10% China's global exports.

    There is only a $730 billion difference between the two.
     
  2. MFW

    MFW Member

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    I should say even that notion is silly though, because it assumes that China doesn't buy anything from America.
     
  3. pirc1

    pirc1 Member

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    I know from my family's experience that American cars sucked. We used to have this ford tarus that required three major repairs in 3 years started when it was 6 years old. More recently, in 97 my mom bought a carolla, I bought a Camry. My sister bought a ford in 98 and my dad bought a Camry in 99. Well my sister's car is the only one that has gone under major repairs since then, oh she won't be buying another American car anytime soon, she wants a Prius next. One bad experience in a family or close friends will turn off that family for decades, that's where the perceptions came from.
     
  4. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
    Supporting Member

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    I buy the best car for me personally.......I don't care where it is manufactured etc.


    That being said....we have 2 cars....a Ford and a GMC.

    :D

    DD
     
  5. Rockets2K

    Rockets2K Clutch Crew

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    lawl

    Taurus

    lawl

    that is the third worst car made by Detroit in the last two decades.

    to judge american cars in general on one experience is pretty lame.

    go ahed and come out and say "The Ford Taurus sucks" and Il happily sit here nad agree....I worked on FAR too many of them POSs when I was a mechanic.....butdont presume you know anything about the quality of american cars based on one experience with one of the worst cars possible.
     
  6. pirc1

    pirc1 Member

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    So let me ask you this. If your family spend over 5k fixing some junk you paid alot of money for, what would you do. The next time you buy, you would want the most reliable car wouldn't you? Guess who makes the most reliable cars these days?
     
  7. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    That's part of the problem. You can't say 'Japan does,' or 'the US doesn't.' Each company and model are different.
     
  8. tested911

    tested911 Member

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    There is a reason why Focus is the best seller in Europe have you seen the styling on that SOB.. its awesome.. For some reason when you badge a vehicle with American styling goes down the tube. And don't get me started on the engine.. Jesus you can get a 220+hp with 230+ of torque... Hmmm itty bitty car with that much bite can make alot of people happy...

    Here this might help

    USA
    [​IMG] 4door [​IMG]

    European
    Plain
    [​IMG]
    SportyEdition
    [​IMG]

    TopDown
    [​IMG]

    Ford Europe > American Ford

    Remember 4 selling points for a vehicle

    1. Price
    2. Reliability
    3. STYLING
    4. and recently gas consumption
     
  9. pirc1

    pirc1 Member

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    Well I do not know about all cars, but within our budget Camry and Accord seems like very good choice. There is a reason why these two cars are most popular with Asian-American families.
     
  10. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    I'm not saying the Camry and Accord aren't good cars. I don't have any idea what being Asian-American has to do with it.
     
  11. pirc1

    pirc1 Member

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    I am not sure, but 9 out ten Asian-American family I know have one or both of those cars. I think as a whole Asian-Americans care less about styling and handle than fuel reliability and fuel efficiency.
     
  12. NewYorker

    NewYorker Ghost of Clutch Fans

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    you have to understand that European styling with a ford american car wouldn't ever sell. Reason is that anyone who liked European styling would buy a EUROPEAN IMPORT and wouldn't even consider buying a Ford.

    Ford makes bland cars for bland people. That's what they are good at in the US. And that's why I got the heck away from Ford - what a mind-numbing account that was to work on. Ford USA is incapable of making a daring car. They just don't get their consumers anymore.
     
  13. wizkid83

    wizkid83 Member

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    That's just the thing, like a poster said earlier, the Taurus are the kind of cars people at a young age buy when they don't have money. If they have a bad experience, they wont buy some of the better cars when they get older.

    Also, the reliability and quality gap is for real in the late 80's and early 90's. How do you think the Japanese cars were able to gain the market shares they did. I do think that in the last few (read 3- 4) years the U.S. auto makers have made tremendous stride in those departments and a lot of the reliability gap of new cars are due to perception.

    However, you don't get to get over a decade of mediocrity that easily. If the U.S. auto makers can keep it up for another decade, enough so that the youngsters getting the hand-me-downs from mom and dad aren't gonna have traumatizing experiences when they finally have purchasing powers themselves, they will be ok and great once again. In the short term, they will have to brace for some rocky times ahead. How they do against those adversity will determine their eventual fate.
     
  14. IROC it

    IROC it Member

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    :confused:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Yep. All totally boring and crap. :rolleyes:
     
  15. wizkid83

    wizkid83 Member

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    Any of those cars ~$20K new?
     
  16. tested911

    tested911 Member

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    Half those cars are Concept Cars ( Meaning your never going to see them :) )
    and the other half well lets say you have to have a 100K yearly bankroll ....
     
  17. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    Concept cars. Innovation.

    Hmmmmm.......
     
  18. Lynus302

    Lynus302 Member

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    Exactly. Detroit needs to build a better mouse trap and quit b****ing.

    Granted, I have an '88 Mustang GT with nearly 165K miles on it, but this is definitely the exception to the rule.
     
  19. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    That's the point. It isn't the exception to the rule NOW, although it may have been in the past (like when you bought your '88).
     
  20. wizkid83

    wizkid83 Member

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    As I've posted above, you don't spend over a decade digging a hole and expect to get out of it with a snap of a finger. It will happen in time, they just need to continue to do what they've the last 2 years.
     

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