22nd Mar 2007, 10:57

Really? Well GM announced all cars and most trucks are going to be made abroad, Chrysler hasn't been an American company since 1998, and Ford is going down the tubes.

So good luck buying "domestic" since you basically won't be able to.

22nd Mar 2007, 13:11

Well, sorry you decided to drive so-called domestics. You must have more money than I do.

I drive Toyota's and they never break. But, I guess walking halfway to work and pushing your car up the driveway (if it starts) are good exercise, and it builds character too.

You'll also meet lots of nice people at the dealership's service garage when you take it back for all the recalls, so I guess you'll make friends, too.

Maybe you'll buy a GM 100,000 mile warranty, hopefully they'll be in business for that long. It's guaranteed for 100,000 miles, that when you bring it in for service, they'll deny that there is a problem, fail to diagnose the problem correctly, or fail to fix the problem the first 3 or 4 times, until you finally decide to just fix it yourself, or wise up and buy a Toyota, Nissan, or Honda, and avoid this whole situation, and drive happily for 195,000 miles before you might have to fix something. Good decision.

22nd Mar 2007, 17:51

I totally agree with 22:31. When irrational loyalty to a foreign car can distort the reasoning of people to the extent that they can no longer see FACTS right in front of their eyes, it's time to do a MAJOR reality check.

We've had 3 imports (all garbage) and about 30 domestic cars and trucks over the past 35 years. NOT ONE of the domestics EVER broke down or required an engine or transmission repair, including several that went nearly 300,000 miles. NOT ONE of the imports made 100,000 miles without a MAJOR engine or transmission failure.

Based on that very relevant data (as opposed to ad hype), I no longer even CONSIDER an import. With Ranger costing 7 grand less than Tacoma and rated EXACTLY THE SAME in reliability, I'd be insane to pay 7 grand more.

With the Fusion rated as BETTER than Camry OR Accord, plus outperforming them in EVERY category, only a very ill-informed buyer would opt to pay MORE for LESS.

Now that the disastrously unreliable first generation Tundra is history and Toyota has copied much of Ford's bullet-proof F-150 build details for the 2007 Tundra, it MIGHT qualify as a halfway decent truck for light hauling around town, or pulling a small fishing boat, but it can't come close to the F-150 or Silverado (or Dodge Ram either, for that matter).

If there were any EVIDENCE to back up claims of superior reliability or build quality in imports, then import fans would have met the challenge to present it long ago. Since there IS no "evidence" (other than the rant that "The Corolla my daddy gave me is the BESTEST CAR IN THE UNIVERSE!!") I'm left totally convinced that domestic owners are far more credible, and domestic vehicles a far better value.

23rd Mar 2007, 16:54

"It's called a disinformation campaign and it's what got the US into Iraq as an example."

Yes, and this disinformation campaign was launched for some reason by a few import-loving, domestic-hating people with some sort of axe to grind.

I have not been misled by the solid reality of the dependability of my domestic vehicles. After three late 1970's Plymouth Volares that passed 200,000 miles, a 1984 Cavalier (bought for $350) that went to 208,000 miles, a 1977 Dodge van that hit 225,000 miles and was still running when we sold it, a 1994 Cadillac Seville that is still going perfectly at 170,000 miles, a 1997 Mercury Sable still daily driven at 165,000 miles, a 1985 Dodge Ram still daily driven at 256,000 miles, a Chevy van that ran like new when we sold it at 190,000 miles, a 1984 Plymouth Reliant with 210,000 miles, and a 1973 Dodge sedan that has spun the odometer around so many times I can't tell if it has 260,000 or 360,000 miles on it, I am still waiting for somebody to tell me where this "unreliable domestic junk" is.

Where is it?? Really, show me, because obviously I have never encountered it! With every brand of American car, spanning three decades, why have I never encountered these junk American cars of which you speak?

Okay, to be fair, we had three 1974-1975 Chevy Vegas, and those things were not too great, but even so, they didn't break down, and they fulfilled their purpose of basic transportation. But considering that we got them for $200 and drove them for two years each, I couldn't really complain.

Interesting association: anti-Iraq comment, continual anti-domestic car comments, and lives in California. Hmm, I think we know what your agenda is.

24th Mar 2007, 22:44

I ran into my problems with my domestic cars once they started getting complicated in the 90's onward. We had a Chevrolet Caprice in 300,000 miles of driving needed three engines...1. 48k 2. 100K 3. 148k. It had a problem of cracking the block because of an engine control that was a factory defect replaced under warranty every time. It was our best car since it was ordered right out of the factory with all of the options and I always loved it. We had a 1987 Caprice that was pretty good and we sold it off at 213,000 miles... another 87 Caprice we bought with 20k in 2001. These were our good American cars. Then we started having problems with the 92 Buick Roadmaster, 95 Caprice, 97 Escort, 06 Ranger. These cars were built poorly, often had serious mechanical problems and they do not hold their value anything close to a five year older Japanese car. We now own Honda's and have a '94 with 260,000 miles on nothing but a timing belt and radiator, etc and a 1999 Accord on nothing but a alternator/timing belt, etc with 149,000 miles. As far as I am concerned the newer American cars are nowhere near the newer Japanese cars as my siblings own 2006 Japanese cars and they run excellent. Keep in mind that the build quality is nowhere close to the Japanese. I have driven a few Chryslers lately and they are light years behind the competition.