5th Jul 2009, 10:56
Most of the people driving Hondas and Toyotas are not actual traitors, just dupes who have been misled by advertising and hype.
5th Jul 2009, 15:09
13:08 Nobody, let me say that again - NOBODY is attacking or ridiculing "patriotism".
You have conveniently managed to manipulate this site, so that NOW if anyone disagrees with you, you claim it is an attack on "patriotism".
As far as I'm concerned, your comments are not "patriotic", they are not pro-American public, they are not pro-working class America, they are pro-American corporations, with no regard to the mismanagement that put them in the position they are now in.
To me, that is not patriotism.
6th Jul 2009, 12:15
"A lot of my friends have been surprised to learn the truth, and a number have traded their Camrys and Accords for the much better Ford Fusion."
It's scary how easily those around us are influenced. I'd dare a neighbor of mine come and tell me what kind of car I should be driving. Patriotism has NOTHING to do with my purchases. Long-term dependability does. If I keep the car over ten years, it has little value anyway so it does not matter. If I try to sell a domestic in less than 5 years, it has lost half its value, not including repairs that have been made. With my imports, repair bills are less and trade-in value is more. I will stick with imports. Thanks!
6th Jul 2009, 12:32
This is very true. And it isn't just advertising hype. Most magazines are, for whatever reason, HEAVILY biased toward Japanese cars and make blatant attempts to promote them. The October 2007 Consumer Reports featured a headline about long lasting cars. Under the headline was a Honda Civic. 99% of people seeing the magazine cover never read the article and just ASSUMED Honda was the "longest lasting vehicle". Those (like myself) who DID read the article discovered that of the cars featured, the Honda had the LEAST mileage of any of them. The longest lasting vehicle without engine or transmission repairs was a FORD. It had gone 488,000 miles (at that point).
As for patriotism, it is being loyal to one's country and helping to promote the welfare of its citizens. I don't honestly see how one can root for the destruction of our own industries and call themselves even remotely patriotic.
We have fallen for the ad hype and bought Japanese and German cars before. Never again. If our country does survive the economic catastrophe brought on by the Bush administration, we ALL need to be more aware of the harm we do by advocating the destruction of our own companies.
6th Jul 2009, 14:03
"13:08 Nobody, let me say that again - NOBODY is attacking or ridiculing "patriotism"."
"To the person who keeps beating the patriotism drum"
"You have NO RIGHT to consider yourself more patriotic than your neighbor who drives a Civic or Corolla.'
"We all of us get it. The person who uses the 91/9 comparison should just go and be the mouthpiece for American car companies."
"The fact of the matter is, is that people should be free to decide whichever car they drive. Whether we are hurting 91% of workers and helping 9% is beside the point."
"15:12 - I agree. Let the "mouthpieces" spew their corporate propaganda"
Yes, the above quotes really sound PATRIOTIC, don't they?
Speaking up for American industry is "Spewing corporate propaganda"?
"Whether we are hurting 91% of workers or helping 9% is BESIDE THE POINT??" (I assure you NOT to the 91%!!)
I have NO RIGHT to consider myself "more patriotic" because I SUPPORT U.S. Industries?? An odd concept of patriotism indeed.
And being a "mouthpiece" for those evil AMERICAN car companies might not be a BAD idea at all. It just MIGHT help save a few jobs and keep a few families out of bankruptcy. I guess that is just too "radical" an idea for this day and age of "me first, the heck with everyone else" ideology.
I am truly saddened that speaking up for our fellow citizens has become a subject of ridicule and attack. Yes, you are free to buy whatever you want to... just as you are free to walk by a starving child on the sidewalk and ignore them. It is, after all, a free country.
6th Jul 2009, 19:05
15:09...I am another commenter that will verbalize it a bit differently. For every automotive job lost there are 10 other jobs being completely and directly eliminated. Maybe the ones buying new imports do not know of anyone affected by the current economy, are receiving annual raises, property values are rapidly escalating to not have any empathy. Unfortunately I know too many otherwise and am doing my best to buy locally as much as possible. Our last automotive plant is closing up less than 5 miles from my home. It contributed $181 million annually. I am not buying any new imports. I would like to help boost the economy, not take any more out of it.
7th Jul 2009, 09:37
Choice may be free, but there is no free ride in this bad economy. Your choice affects others when you send money overseas.
7th Jul 2009, 09:57
That really is crossing the line.
Are you really equating buying an import with walking by a starving child on the street?
It is not possible to even attempt to reason with that!
7th Jul 2009, 11:16
Did you "isolationists" ever stop to think that those import car dealerships are owned by Americans, that they employ Americans and that many of the vehicles they sell are made by Americans?
I think some of you need to get off your high horses and stop trying to turn the USA into something that it is not.
7th Jul 2009, 11:43
This is a good point. The sad part of all this is that those duped into buying Japanese vehicles really do, in their minds, THINK they are getting something more reliable and with a better resale value. They have been misled by so much of the ad hype and outright misrepresentation by the Japanese auto industry and biased media. In truth, Ford and GM long ago surpassed Honda and Toyota in reliability and were ALWAYS more reliable than Nissan.
Although marginally better now, Japanese cars were a JOKE in terms of safety for decades, crushing like tin cans when hit by a real car. A dear friend of ours was crushed to death when her new 2005 Acura hit a Ford F-150. The Ford F-150 was driven home by its un-injured driver. The much-ballyhooed "crumple zones" in the Acura really did crumple... all the way back to the driver's seat.
Resale values are another joke. A recent magazine article pointed out that a basic 4-cylinder Accord sells for MORE than a Ford Mustang GT. That is ludicrous. If you pay thousands more up front, you will STILL end up losing more of your money due to the outrageous purchase price, not to mention replacing a transmission or two in the case of most late-model Hondas. I ran the numbers on comparable Honda Civics and Ford Focuses after three years. Based on the higher purchase price, you are over $1600 BETTER OFF with the Ford Focus.
Educating people on the merits of buying American vehicles should be a duty of every citizen who really cares about promoting our jobs and quality of life. I've NEVER had any of my friends or neighbors react with the hostility I see on this site when I sat down with them and showed them the data showing the Ford Fusion to be superior in reliability to all Japanese cars. Most are surprised (ad hype does a good job of brain washing) and happy to know they can help our economy and own a much more reliable vehicle for thousands less. One of my friends recently approached me and said "You know, I see what you've been saying. Will you go with me to trade my Honda CRV for a Ford Escape." (which carries the EXACT SAME RATING as the CRV). I gladly agreed to go with him. It is not an attack on someone to inform them on making better choices that help our own economy. More of us need to do likewise.
5th Jul 2009, 09:56
I also agree, although we still own one final 2003 final Honda Civic EX in our driveway. It's our high school sons car we bought. The parts and even 15" replacement tires on this model do not come cheap. He likes the car however.
We have also quit buying new Acura TL's after owning the prior Legend, and quite a few Honda Accords previously. The older ones had far less issues.
The past year especially has been very challenging for everyone we know. I agree that I should have been more attuned to others as many small and large industries have gone away. We have been a mixed import domestic family for many years and bought whatever we felt like. I hold no animosity to what anyone buys. I now see first hand (maybe a bit late for many), but at least finally it's important to care about others livelihood. Many small and large businesses have gone away in our community. I especially feel for the small business owners (some many generations past down) that are really suffering. I am seeing many businesses of all kinds closing. As a result I buy as much as possible locally and stopped even buying off the Internet. There are some very nice people, and many of my friends that work downtown in a variety of businesses. I am just against imports and am not the 91%-9% commenter, but I understand. Took a while to sink in til I saw the fate of others.