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Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 11:53:10 AM   
Jeptha


Posts: 780
Joined: 9/18/2008
From: Portland, Oregon
Status: offline 		I've had bunches of american cars.
The last one I had to do all kinds of modifications to keep it on the road.
To be fair: these are some pretty old vehicles I've been driving!

But - I heard an interview with a former Chrysler executive recently where he stated something like: "We finally began producing some innovative designs, but we put crappy engines in them...."

That's paraphrased from memory, but I believe it's not too far off from what he actually said.

My point is, the concepts of cost-cutting, corner-cutting at the sacrifice of quality, and "built in obsolescence" seem in my mind to be very strongly associated with the american production value.

To the point where I don't see myself ever buying american again, as far as cars go.

I'd be curious to hear other's veiwpoints and experiences along these lines.

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 11:56:03 AM   
LaTigresse


Posts: 26123
Joined: 1/15/2006
Status: offline 		I haven't seen an American car that has interested me enough to consider buying it. I prefer my zippy little imports. Trucks are a different kettle of fish.

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 1:17:00 PM   
DesertRat


Posts: 2774
Joined: 11/29/2004
From: NM/USA
Status: offline 		Maybe a Vette someday. For the past 25 years it's been nothing but Honda, Toyota, and Lexus for me. I occasionally take American cars for test drives but even the ones that have performance comparable to my car are just too cheesy. Possible exceptions could be the Pontiac G-8 and the Ford Shelby Mustang with the 500+ hp engine. Both seem well-made and have nice interiors and solid feeling controls. I've rented Pontiac G-6s a few times and they seem like pretty good cars. The V6 version handles well  and is fast, too. But there's that cheap interior again.

For trucks, I dunno. I doubt I'll ever buy one and if I do, it'll probably be a Toyota. But my company has rented me lots of 4wd trucks, and I like the Ford F-150 and the Chevy/GMC Sierra whatever. The Dodge Ram is a joke. My company has a Nissan Titan with the 300 hp V8 and it is a total piece of shit.

Bob

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 1:28:34 PM   
slaveboyforyou


Posts: 3607
Joined: 1/6/2005
From: Arkansas, U.S.A.
Status: offline 		I love my little Nissan pickup. It's a 97 pushing 100k miles, and I've never had one problem with it. My last American car was a '93 Chevy Cavalier or a 'Crapalier' as I like to refer to it. I bought that car brand new, and it started having problems the first few months. It was a piece of shit. I'm not saying that I'd never buy an American automobile again. I would, I don't see myself buying a car again unless I start a family. I prefer trucks. I did have an affinity for the Ford pickup we had at a former job of mine. However it had the old straight 6 in it, which is the best motor Ford ever made IMO. Now that engine is no more, I don't know about Fords now a days.

My father has a Chevy Silverado, and I know it's been in the shop quite a few times. He's retired, and his truck doesn't see a lot of heavy use. So I am a little weary of Chevy. Like I said, my little Nissan has never had a problem and I use it all the time for hauling things and for driving off-road. I'm convinced that those little Japanese pickup trucks are almost indestructible. I had a 84 Mazda pickup at one time, and I did things in it that Jeeps couldn't do. It's still running, the old guy I sold it to is still driving it.

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 1:34:21 PM   
rulemylife


Posts: 14614
Joined: 8/23/2004
Status: offline 		I've never owned anything but and have no complaints.

To me, this issue of the quality of imports is something that started out with people buying Japanese cars which were smaller and got better mileage back in the '70's and early '80's.

Then when gas prices fell, and people reverted to buying trucks, jeeps, and SUV's the only way to market the brand was the supposed greater quality. 

With the media contributing, particularly the automotive press.  We hear lots of stories about 200,000 trouble-free miles on someone's Camry but how often do you hear stories about the 200,000 miles on Grandpa's F-150?

< Message edited by rulemylife -- 5/5/2009 1:37:15 PM >

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 1:35:02 PM   
LaTigresse


Posts: 26123
Joined: 1/15/2006
Status: offline 		Unfortunately there is no little import that can do what I need a truck to do. The jury is still out on Toyota's full sized truck.

Most of us (family) have Dodge Rams and like them. Mine is a '96' and still going strong but it will need replaced one day.


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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 1:45:51 PM   
BKSir


Posts: 4037
Joined: 4/8/2008
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Status: offline 		No.
I can spend the same money on a german car that is far superior in engineering, design and efficiency.  The U.S. hasn't put out a good car since the very early 80s.

Don't misunderstand, if we were to put something out that could compete, I'd be all over it.  The fact of the matter is, however, that we haven't, and I don't foresee us doing so soon.  I could be wrong, it's been known to happen once in a great while.  Until then, well...  germany has my auto purchasing moneys.


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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 2:40:11 PM   
CatdeMedici


Posts: 2257
Joined: 10/20/2008
Status: offline 		I'm a Ford chick, always have been, always will be.

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 3:15:43 PM   
caught


Posts: 20
Joined: 11/23/2006
Status: offline 		It's worth throwing out there that an American dollar towards an import is a vote against the UAW, as much as an American car company.  To the first post re: cost-cutting: Toyota has a notoriously good way to constantly improve their designs.  I've heard from gearheads that American cars have recently (past 3-4 years) begun to show evidence of these types of incremental improvements, pursuant towards optimization in general. 

As to whether Detroit will survive, has anyone heard of the Chinese cars to arrive at America bix-boxes in the next year? I think the future of American cars may lie in the vegetable oil conversion companies and Saturn, as well as any other subsidiaries that can be spun off into independent companies.  If there are no private investors who want to own these spin-offs, there's always DC bureaucrats who are more than willing to help.  The problem is two-fold for anyone who is both a consumer and a tax payer.  I'm not sure how we preserve a car industry without making better cars.  There's a lesson in there.... 

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 3:16:19 PM   
JstAnotherSub


Posts: 6174
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: CatdeMedici

I'm a Ford chick, always have been, always will be.


me too.....love em and never had any trouble with them

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 3:32:04 PM   
SilverMark


Posts: 3457
Joined: 5/9/2007
Status: offline 		I have driven American the last 3 cars I have owned and the last 2 of my wife's cars, no complaints with any of them. All have performed to my expectations and have been very solid in all respects. I could buy most any car I wish to drive and have come to prefer the American cars to anything else. I am going to get a new toy within the next year, a Dodge Challenger....I am thinking the SRT 8,with the manual transmission and 425 hp, this one will not be for everyday use but should be a lot of FUN!!!!!!



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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 4:00:40 PM   
Vendaval


Posts: 10297
Joined: 1/15/2005
Status: offline 		I would start off by doing the research to determine which car best fits my needs and is also within the budget for payments and insurance.  My cars over the years have all been small, sturdy, second hand imports with great gas mileage; Toyota, Datsun, Honda and Hyundai. 

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 4:27:34 PM   
Lynnxz


Posts: 4813
Joined: 10/3/2006
From: Atlanta
Status: offline 		I like old american cars ratted to hell with other cars parts. Does that count? XD

My Ford Ranger has only ever broken down once, and that was from a worn belt that finally snapped. I would buy another, if I was in the market for a little truck.


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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 4:31:54 PM   
thishereboi


Posts: 14463
Joined: 6/19/2008
Status: offline 		To many people in my family work for Nissan to buy anything else. Not that I would ever buy a chrysler unless I had no choice. GM, maybe. Now my Sentra was built in Tennessee so does that count for anything?

< Message edited by thishereboi -- 5/5/2009 4:32:38 PM >

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 4:36:28 PM   
thishereboi


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Joined: 6/19/2008
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quote:

ORIGINAL: caught

It's worth throwing out there that an American dollar towards an import is a vote against the UAW,


I know a lot of people won't like this, but to me that is just more incentive to not buy american.

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 5:22:06 PM   
DarkSteven


Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline 		I have no clue what an American car is.  Are you referring to the location of the plant, of the parts suppliers, or of the company management? Or should I simply pop the hood and see if it takes standard or metric wrenches?

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 5:31:22 PM   
kiwisub12


Posts: 4742
Joined: 1/11/2006
Status: offline 		Have had a Ford van, a Pontiac car - neither of which held  up like my Toyota Camry.  I bought the camry because it was rated most reliable - which is what i needed. Have had no problems with the camry and it is nine years old. Love it. The ford aerostar crapped out at nine years.  So my value for money goes with Toyota.

and as far as i know, it was made (assembled) in America, so i consider it an American car - just not assembled by UAW - and apparently the quality shows that.  Sometimes unions don't do a body good

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 5:41:30 PM   
MarsBonfire


Posts: 1034
Joined: 3/6/2005
Status: offline 		Not if I had a choice I wouldn't.

I'd much rather get another VW bug. I drove a single bug (a '74 sun bug) for almost a quarter of a century. To my mind, the VW bug is automotive perfection. (Just look at how well it held up on the UK's "Top Gear" when crossing the African continent.) I finally had to sell the one I had because Colorado got strict about it's emissions standards. The little car just couldn't quite pass.

But, if I found one in as good a condition as the one I bought in '79? Hell yes!

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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 6:07:43 PM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		Another VW fan. I drive a Passat wagon 4wd, my kid drives a Jetta.
When something goes wrong it's a major pain and a fortune but things rarely go wrong.

However if I was buying a truck, then an American made is the only way to go.



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RE: Would you buy an american car? - 5/5/2009 6:11:18 PM   
BKSir


Posts: 4037
Joined: 4/8/2008
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Status: offline 		Hehe, 1989 audi 100E, with damn near 200k on it now, has only needed front cv's, wheel bearing and recently a new computer.  20 years, 200k miles, and that's all that's gone wrong (well, it could use new shocks *GASP!*), I'm sure not going to bitch.


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We'll begin with a spin, traveling in a world of my creation. What we'll see will defy explanation.

I am the voices in your head.

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