7th Jan 2011, 13:27

Yes, "predicted reliability" is about as reliable as the weather forecast for the next 10 days! It is purely a bought and paid for marketing ploy to make it appear that domestic cars have gained some magical value. The problem isn't whether the cars are worth it, as I feel the Fusion is on par with many of the import rivals for quality. It is all about the public perception of domestic resale worth. Domestics have always lagged behind their foreign competitors in the resale department.

My parents drive me crazy with this issue. They insist on buying American. They drive the cars so little, and then trade them in and get killed on them. One Cadillac they had literally cost them 1 dollar per mile to own. They paid $46K for it new, and traded it with 23K miles on it in mint condition for $23K... not even 4 years later. Had this car been a comparable Lexus, it would have still been worth over $30K in the same condition. They also owned a Lincoln LS. This one was $47K, and it got traded in at 4 years old with under 30K miles on it... again in mint perfect condition for about $17K.

Domestics just don't stack up to foreign rivals in this area. It is proven pretty easily by booking out any domestic and then comparing it to an import rival. I know book values aren't the ends all of market value for any car, but if you go to a dealer, they are going to offer you wholesale. Wholesale is generally what the car will go for at auction. I actually won't trade anymore for this reason, as dealers are totally ripping off consumers with this practice. They claim they can wander into any auction and find a car just like your well maintained mint example, and buy it for really low money. NOT TRUE. I've talked to a few dealers about this, and the cars at auction are anything but perfect. I got tired of arguing this point with any dealer, so I just sell outright. The last one I sold for $5K more than the dealer was offering, so it more than made up for the tax difference. Anyway... I slipped off of my point here... LOL! Wholesale for your domestic will be just as much below the wholesale for any import, unless you live in a market where there is a specific interest in a specific car.

7th Jan 2011, 13:34

Giving up Starbucks doesn't reduce our dependency on foreign oil, nor does it do anything to reduce your carbon footprint and help your environment... yes, your environment.

I too love a good sports car, but things have changed. Gas is going up, and will probably be $5 per gallon within a year or so. We have to think about transportation differently and really start thinking about what is really important. Is having a really cool car more important then the next generation living in as good of a world as you have enjoyed?

And incidentally, I have always washed and waxed the cars I don't like just as much, as they will be worth more when you want to get rid of them, only if they are in excellent condition. Nothing is worse than being stuck with a car you hate, because you can't sell it when you want to!

7th Jan 2011, 17:45

"Not everyone wants to be cramped in a tiny "me too" mid-size (if you can call them that) sedan from Japan with all of the pizazz of their refrigerator."

Ummm... have you seen the Camry, Avalon, most of the Lexus lineup, the Accord, and most of the Acura lineup? These are all what I and most other people would consider big cars. The current Camry is every bit as large as the Buick lineup - thus they are close to the same size. In fact, the current Camry has 101 cubic feet of interior space while the current Buick Lacrosse has 99 cubic feet. Thus the Camry actually has slightly more interior space. Not that this really matters, because car designers have done a far better job of organizing space inside cars anyway. Some of the small cars on the market today have more interior space than full size cars did 20 years ago. I've driven both the new Camry and Lacrosse: Both have more than enough room to comfortably seat a family of 4.

As far as I'm concerned just about all of the cars made today- whether they're imported or domestic, look about the same anyway. Buy what you want.

8th Jan 2011, 01:31

"Not everyone wants to be cramped in a tiny "me too" mid-size (if you can call them that) sedan from Japan with all of the pizazz of their refrigerator."

I really hate generalizing statements like this. There are many cars in the Japanese companies that have plenty of pizazz! There are many cars in their lineups that are anything but "tiny" too. Any midsized sedan is pretty much the same size nowadays including the Japanese brands. Have you actually driven any of them? Try the 271 HP Accord, and tell me the car lacks pizazz. It outperforms most average domestic sedans, and runs smoother and is more refined as well. It is also rated as a large sedan, and has a ton of room inside. It still drives like a smaller car though, being tight and really easy to handle. You can even get the Camry with the 268 HP V6, which is another amazing engine.

If you hate Japanese imports, then so be it. If you haven't really taken the time to actually compare them side by side against the domestic competition, then save your comments, as you aren't helping anyone make a truly informed decision on anything but your own biased opinion.

8th Jan 2011, 05:18

My point was styling and fun to drive. I am not 80 years old yet. I can't go for the boring yawn mobile cars and trucks. Some of the cars and trucks have some imagination vs homogenized plain transportation with uninspired suspensions and performance. To make 5 years of payments if necessary, it's depressing. To many it's a gas pump or resale, even if uncomfortable and banging your head every time you get in and out.