5th Nov 2007, 10:02
Hmmmmm... just driving a Honda you can tell that there are many things that GM was lacking. I will not get into them now, but just stating that the Japanese did not bring anything innovative is just another blind eye to this whole subject. For all you guys know, the Japanese cars never existed and you just went on driving your Chevettes and your S-10's.
5th Nov 2007, 12:43
Round and round we go again...
Listen, nobody is going to label anybody who prefers to buy domestic brand goods at any cost or sacrifice in quality an "isolationist". But at the same time, I find it blatantly wrong to claim that free trade doesn't work.
In fact, the US economy has had the highest degree of success internationally over any other country over the past 100 years. This even includes bad years during recessions and depressions. Most of this success came post WW2 when the US became increasingly supportive of free trade. The problem is that there are many people who are still living in the stone age, and who firmly still support this happy image of the US worker, toiling away on the ole' assembly line punching together cars, radios, TV sets, and so on.
The US is much less a manufacturing country and more a country that embraces intellectual property development. Most of what we do now is engineer and develop. Even if you were to buy a GM or Ford product, it just like most other manufactured goods are composed of a myriad of internationally sourced parts. The Chevy Equinox for example has an entire engine shipped from China. The much-touted Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan are made in Mexico. And so on.
So if you're not helping George on the assembly line in Arkansas, then who are you helping? Upper executives? Well be their guest. Here's the irony: even if you don't support free trade and think buying a Ford is going to solve that problem, then you're supporting it anyway, because every single item you buy today - whether it be a pair of socks or a domestic brand car, is supported by the principal of free trade.
Secondly, we're heading into a new era where platforms, technology, ideas, engineering, and manufacturing facilities are being shared in an open-source manner, similar to the way open source software works. This is one step further where companies that might actually be competitors can share information with each other for mutual benefit. I see this as an incredible positive. If we were to remain staunchly domestic, then none of this would be possible, and instead American companies would ultimately lose.
In regards to US cars from the 80's... I will agree that technological advances were made. Motorola was the first on-board computer management system for cars. Domestic car makers embraced safety, emission, and engine management technology fairly aggressively in the 80's. But if the cars you put the technology in fall apart, then this could hardly be called superior. Cadillac's Northstar engines were a disaster. Ford tried to make a modern car - the Taurus - only to have created another total piece of junk. My mom had an 85' Camry that had electronic fuel injection, ABS, and a whole slew of gadgets that for even then, made even some of the loaded Caddys seem antiquated.
As far as trucks, well I wouldn't say that even now GM can produce anything worth buying. Heck- just read this review for a 2007 Silverado:
http://www.carsurvey.org/review_103794.html
OK... so tell me how the Silverado is a better truck than the Tundra?
Anyhow, I'm sure a whole slew of misinformation is going to be heading this way as soon as this is posted.
5th Nov 2007, 13:16
Lets see... Honda has the ACE system for their cars... ummm... Honda has 100% ethanol vehicles on the road that are more efficient than corn-based ethanol. Mmm lets see here; while I was driving my American cars around in the 80's and 90's I noticed they were built poorly, no efficiency etc.
Hmmmm Vtech is another one... you could say God built it first, but it is more mainstream.
Hmmm, something about an old Civic without a cat converter. Reliability comes to mind also with Japanese car innovation; how about cars that were not wider than semi trucks?
5th Nov 2007, 14:20
In the past year and half I have had to replace one tail light bulb on my late model Silverado...that's it. I drive a lot and have saved vs. import repairs.
5th Nov 2007, 15:54
00:15 If you'd actually researched anything at all, you wouldn't make a comment like that where every single sentence is either completely baseless opinion, or 100% incorrect on the 'stab in the dark' attempt at facts. I hope that entire comment was made in jest. If it wasn't...wow. That WAS a joke, right?
5th Nov 2007, 18:43
You know, we can sit here and throw stories around back and forth about who had what truck that blew up, or performed in an 'unacceptable' way, or who heard that such and such said that their Silverado/Tundra/F-150 was the best truck since sliced bread all day long. That's not exactly productive or conducive.
As for myself, I wonder why there are so many super pro-domestic people on here who are trying their best to try and convince us of how BAD Toyota trucks are, how that their reliability is a big fat lie, and that we're just arrogant and full of ourselves for possibly believing that we could actually be very happy with our trucks. All I know is that I've driven the exact same Toyota truck for 12 years, with no problems, and with no signs of wear, tear, or mechanical failure past 200,000 miles. In fact, I just waxed, washed, and cleaned her up yesterday and guess what? It still looks brand-spanking new. Ask me. Ask my neighbor. Ask my family. Ask the vast majority of the Toyota truck owners out there just how many problems they have/had. Then try to convince them that they were really wrong and that the fact that their truck just keeps right on running flawlessly is a giant fib and conspiracy theory. "Those darned Japanese trucks- how come they keep on running forever?!- it's because they don't know how to make a truck!
Ya... whatever...
PS: Yes- I did go look at the new Silverados at my local dealership on Saturday. Seeing as how several BRAND NEW trucks already had small dents in the bed does not impress me.
I think you would be a.
5th Nov 2007, 08:33
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steven@carsurvey.org
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In reply to 4th Nov 2007, 18:21.
I'm pretty sure that when exporting goods outside the EU, there's no rebate of VAT. It's just the case that VAT is not applicable. The same is true of sales tax going in the other direction (at least with all the state sales taxes I've encountered).
VAT rebates only happen for business to business (not consumer) transactions WITHIN the EU (you pay the VAT, but then claim it back later on). Transactions outside the EU actually involve less paperwork, as there's no need to claim back VAT, as it was never paid in the first place.
If CSDO Media (a UK company) provides an entity in the US with a product or service, there is no VAT to pay, but there is no rebate either.
When CSDO Media pays for its web hosting in Texas, no Texas Sales Tax is charged by the web hosting company.
So in my experience, exporters in both directions have level playing field regarding sales tax and VAT.
Steven Jackson, CSDO Media Limited.