27th Jul 2009, 04:38

Yeah they're made here... using foreign parts and the profits still go to another country, so what's your point?! It's not the 1980's anymore, American cars are actually good! OMG imagine that!!

27th Jul 2009, 09:15

You must all look at this from an economic standpoint. Ford, Chrysler, G.M., all have their own ways of doing business, and it has not always been the right approach. As Americans, we have been conditioned by the marketplace to look for huge discounts and rebates on our so-called American products. All this does is destroy your future value, the manufacturer just told you that they had a fake price to begin with, or they would not need a rebate. The Big Three make cars that are on Par with Toyota and Honda etc., but until they can make less units and still be profitable, they will always have this huge loss of equity when you purchase their vehicles. They need to stop applying rebates and hold strong on having a good product.

27th Jul 2009, 13:04

Interesting fact... the 2010 Ford Fusion is built in Mexico. American car or import?

Another interesting fact is that the US auto industry has been adding manufacturing plant after manufacturing plant since the 80's. Some have been in Fremont CA (Toyota), Evansville IN (Toyota), Georgetown KY (Toyota), Marysville OH (Honda), Flat Rock MI (Mazda), Smyna TN (Nissan) and San Antonio TX (Toyota). Subaru, Hyundai, even Mercedes have also built plants here to take advantage of skilled American labor.

The significant fact here is that NONE of these plants employ union labor. They DO provide tens of thousands of jobs that people have been lining up to get.

During the same time frame, Ford, GM and Chrysler have been shifting more and more of their production OUT of the US in an effort to cut the high (very very high) cost of union labor.

27th Jul 2009, 13:30

I did not receive a rebate and the rewards program was over a couple of months back on my GM. Also any import of any significant value besides cars was addressed in the comment.

I use to buy a lot from Bombay Furniture, but they closed and left my malls. The transportation dept maintains highways in my state have not seen a paycheck since July 1. People have homes and taxes to pay and it is far greater than what car you bought this year; the economy needs your business, sending it overseas with profits hurts the economy.

27th Jul 2009, 15:19

"Wherever the parent company is located should answer your domestic-import question at any rate."

A parent company may be located elsewhere, but if the vehicle is made on American soil then technically it is domestic.

27th Jul 2009, 15:27

1) The Big Three makes few cars that are on par with Toyota and Honda. With so many people wanting to support our economy, this would have been discovered long ago, before they got into this mess.

2) They will not be able to make fewer units and still be profitable. The manufacturers are overly confident in a product that the public has little faith in. See how much warranty they offer?

3) Resale value on domestics is traditionally poor on domestic vehicles. Also, why buy a vehicle that survives the duration of the warranty when one can buy a vehicle that lives hundreds of thousands of miles beyond the warranty?

4) The Big Three's best days are clearly behind them and are likely never to be seen again. Poor management, poor quality and workmanship, over-priced products, etc, have contributed to their demise, namely GM and Chrysler.

27th Jul 2009, 17:10

I think the point is that at least they are employing Americans. Unless you are a stockholder of GM, Ford or Chrysler, should you really care where the "profits" are going as long as they are providing good jobs for Americans?

Please don't repeat the 91 vs 9% rhetoric, especially when the American companies have been closing US factories, only to open new ones in Mexico and/or Canada. Those are Americans jobs lost forever, not by foreign competition, but by corporate greed.

27th Jul 2009, 18:13

I feel bad for your friend... He's made a big mistake. That car is gonna seem great for the first few thousand miles, but then it's going to start breaking like all domestics do. And then when he wants to trade it in because he's sick of it, he won't get any money for it because it won't be worth a thing. Plus the Fusion isn't actually made in the USA. It's made in Canada. He's really helping those Canadian's though!

28th Jul 2009, 19:57

Worse resale ever was Acura for us. Carfax reports really killed our resale; worst ever in 35 years of driving. Anyone have any engine transmission failures to share?

We had many imports, anyone else notice the quality drop to satisfactory, to less?

Smaller quantities seem assembled with better care are my thoughts. We also are not buying over major issues.

29th Jul 2009, 00:58

I must agree with everything said here. However, I must add something. I believe it is terribly sad this person's friend was bullied into buying a Fusion just so he could keep a friend. He still believes he's helping the U.S. economy though!

29th Jul 2009, 11:02

It is sad people don't know what profits are used for. They go into development of new car designs.

If there are no profits, there are no new car designs, people buy from other companies, the old car company loses out, then the workers get laid off.

For instance, Ford no longer makes a minivan and their small pickup is dated. It is because they did not have the profits to develop new versions. Instead, the money went to fund UAW pensions, health plans, job banks and inflated salaries for low skill jobs like sweeping ($30 an hour to sweep the floor, no joke.) Good for the UAW workers I guess, but now there are no jobs for their children. Not in the car companies and also not in the industries that young people often get started in... restaurants, clothing stores, hotels, etc...

29th Jul 2009, 14:47

00:58 I feel people are indirectly bullied or herded more likely into small econobox lineups. I buy by test driving, and do buy every few years... The only new element is expecting 100,000 mile warranties before even leaving the lot. No ad hype will ever overcome a written warranty, as it's entirely possible to be in a vehicle with sludging engine replacements, failed transmissions, even in 2009.

Consumeraffairs.com illustrates issues on imports and domestics. I get a Carfax if there is 5 miles on the odometer. I love buying and hate selling, as I know what is done. And buyers nitpick. It is no special feat to rack up high mileage, especially highway miles, and I do it, but have been caught in my last new low mileage limited import warranty. Give a 150,000 mile warranty; if it's never honored, where's the manufacturers loss? Saying it's not needed is not getting me back.

29th Jul 2009, 16:01

I feel bad for all of us, as we all are being "bullied" by the same person, who is telling us we must buy American cars. (American cars, manufactured in Mexico)

But for all we know, he could be a Ford salesman!