27th May 2015, 12:24

I had high hopes the new Fisker plant would open in the former GM plant in Delaware. We lost both GM and Chrysler, and have zero auto manufacturing in the state. All the revenue totally lost. Chrysler even made tanks in WWII here. As far as "Furrin". That would be a great name for one of their new models. A Fisker Furrin. Has kind of a ring to it.

27th May 2015, 18:56

Furrin. Is that a California term for a Toyota import car? I own a GM domestic that was built in Van Nuys Ca.

New term for me.

28th May 2015, 16:43

I mentioned the term "Furrin" because I am originally from the South and that's pretty much what those who didn't like foreign cars just because they were foreign said. It was very much the same sort of attitude that seems to permeates many of these discussions where people's opinions have been prematurely tainted over their own agendas, which are in no way shape or form tied to the actual quality of a given product.

We should all be glad this mindset is in the minority. Blind nationalism is what leads to companies becoming complacent. If everyone just automatically bought whatever domestic brand for none other than the badge, the big three would likely still be chugging out the same garbage they made for decades. To me it's ironic that the quality of the Big 3 has actually gone up dramatically to the point where they are on par with the Japanese Big 3 in terms of quality. Why is that? Because they were being squeezed by the likes of Toyota and Honda who forced them to improve their quality or go out of business. My Mom owned a '78 Malibu, and Dad owned a Olds Delta 88 and later a Buick Riviera. These were all awful cars that had problems almost as soon as they were driven off the lot. The quality was terrible back then, and that is what turned so many Americans off of those brands and on to Toyota. It has taken over 30 years to finally get some of those buyers back - myself included.

But let me be clear: I didn't buy my current Chevrolet because it's an American brand: I bought it because it was a kind of car I wanted. Period. That's it. As a US consumer I have the right, the choice and the ability to buy what I see as the best product for me. If a US, European or Japanese branded product is in my eyes not up to my standards... I won't buy it. Otherwise anyone who shops with their patriotism over consumer choice is in many cases doing themselves a disservice.

Oh - and as far as Lincoln still being in business? As of now all I really see are Ford Fusions and Edges with fancy trim. When they actually come out with a purpose-built, Lincoln-specific platform then maybe I'll actually care...

28th May 2015, 20:23

Most auto manufacturing has been up North. I don't know anyone that has ever used that word. First time I ever heard it.

Did you parents buy their domestic cars new? I had these cars new and they served us very well.

I don't see that as a cause for people buying cheap cars; to save fuel maybe?

Foreign pressure can send plants to rural areas.

If you have a new Ferrari in your drive and a new Edge, more power to you.

The all import mentality is every bit as short sighted as the other way around. Buy quality and minimal recalls vs just fuel economy only.

We had a Delta 88 by the way that just kept circling the odometer. Not pretty, but it just would not die. That was not a cheapo car new. Some people want a cheap car and cheap to fuel. Maybe use your money for other entertainment. I love driving and will spend for a really nice one that has high quality. Best of both worlds. It's all personal preference, not one size for all.

29th May 2015, 00:18

There's so many great choices among the big 3 today that it seems like a really great idea to effectively kill 2 birds with one stone. It's not a rural uninformed decision.

29th May 2015, 05:02

Sorry to hear your family got bad ones. But cars like the Delta 88 Malibu and their GM cousins were seen everywhere at that time. Mid-full size GM and Ford were reliable cars for millions of people, which would explain why. I remember when I was younger, the most common car you saw in driveways was the Chevy box Caprice.

Oh - and as far as Lincoln; If you don't care then why make opinionated comments?

Or better yet "stop making comments against cars you will NEVER own in the first place".

29th May 2015, 15:26

Yes - My parents bought their GM cars new off the lots. It's no secret that GM had some serious problems with their cars of that era. I have distinct memories of these cars. As I was in elementary school at the time, I had no concept of car ownership. I just remember that I spent a LOT of Saturdays with Dad at the Olds dealership where I watched Saturday cartoons. As a kid I thought that's just what you did: you went to the car dealer to have the car fixed on Saturday and sat in a wood paneled room with a drip coffee maker and a small TV to watch. This happened with both Dad's Delta '88 and his later Buick Riviera.

The Camry we bought was actually a used company car, and this car just ran forever. After the previous cars it seemed like a miracle. After that my parents were sold and have never bought any other brand. Since then they've owned probably 10 other Toyotas. Of all of those there has been maybe a handful of minor issues, and they tend to keep them to about 250,000 before trading them for another one.

Saying that there is an "Import mentality" makes no sense. There is no such thing. As mentioned before it's about product, choice and desirability. No company no matter what nationality deserves to stay in business if they build a shoddy product.

Here's something I don't get though: I've probably seen 1000s of these comments regarding almost entirely Honda, Toyota, Lexus and so forth. These are all brands that have been near the top or at the top of the quality charts for decades. These are benchmarks for the industry. Yet I NEVER ever see these comments showing up on other import brands such as VW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Land Rover and so on - all European brands, all of which are notorious for having way, way more problems than both American and Japanese branded vehicles. If the arguments here were genuinely about quality, then they wouldn't be showing up with such regularity on Toyota and Honda reviews on vehicles that are routinely some of the top-rated models. They would instead be showing up on something like a VW Jetta instead. Yet they don't.

29th May 2015, 19:34

Sounds like a Toyota commercial. There are quite a few people on here that have had less than satisfactory Toyota experiences and have switched. And this is recent. I didn't watch cartoons, but did more than my fair share of sitting in waiting rooms, waiting to have more than average issues fixed. Perhaps there's more Toyota and Honda owners grieving than Saab, Audi, Mercedes or BMW if the repairs are not as significant to them vs a Camry owner.

Maybe your parents were having an oil change or wiper blades installed at a dealer. I use to sit and hand my father tools to work on his new 60 MGA, clueless as a little kid about what he was doing. As a mature adult today, I am pretty aware of reviewing an invoice today. And have a good memory of unloading ones that had premature major issues. It's a quality debate for us.