17th Dec 2008, 21:27

In the first place, cars that go 100,000 with no repairs are not "crap". Most people don't even keep cars for that long anyway because they want something new. None of our domestics has ever required a repair before 100,000 miles, so why not drive something with power, style and comfort?

As for GM, I keep hearing import fans saying "No one will buy one now because they will be afraid to". Definitely NOT SO. I visited a local GM dealership yesterday. A friend of mine who works in the parts department told me that "Tuesday was a bad day. We only sold 14 new vehicles, but we sold 51 on Saturday." This is in a small city of only 40,000 people (though people do car shop from a wide area here). Granted, most people here are more patriotic than in other areas of the country, but even taking loyalty to American companies into account, selling FIFTY ONE vehicles in one day isn't bad for a "dying company".

I tend to hear more people (here at least) talking about the need to support our own industry and buy American. Two of our neighbors who owned imports (one a Honda Accord and one a Toyota Camry) both recently bought a new Malibu and a new Fusion. Both told me they couldn't justify stabbing their fellow Americans in the back by buying a foreign company's vehicle. I hope this kind of patriotism takes hold in ALL areas of our country. I love seeing new American vehicles with drive-out tags. On the way home from my office today I saw two (both were Chevy Silverados).

18th Dec 2008, 12:42

I totally agree. In spite of having a major brand import that literally started self-destructing at 40,000 miles, I still research and test drive vehicles from both domestic and import brands. I can't take seriously ANY comments by people who base their decisions entirely on owning a 20-year-old domestic and a 16-year-old Toyota. Before my last car purchase I drove Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and a Subaru Legacy as well a number of domestics. Based on quality, feel, appearance, warranty and value, I bought a domestic.

Under the present circumstances I could not justify buying a new German or Japanese vehicle because I feel I should be supportive of my country and buy only from an American

company. We are even doing that with our appliances and electronics.

18th Dec 2008, 17:26

I worked in Alexandria Virginia downtown district today and saw numerous brand new Vettes everywhere. Lots of new Z06's readily identified by the front hoods. Must be a great place to have new GM dealerships as well as exotics.

16th Feb 2009, 23:05

"We are even doing that with our appliances and electronics."

He must be building them in his garage. :)

17th Feb 2009, 14:44

The business section of today's USA Today carried a pro and con article about U.S. versus Japanese/German vehicles. It was immediately apparent from reading the comments of the pro-foreign owners that there are HUGE misconceptions about domestic vehicles. Virtually EVERY import owner cited "better gas mileage" as a reason for buying foreign, and categorized domestics as "gas hogs". NOT TRUE. For nearly a DECADE, GM alone has made MORE 30mpg+ cars than Toyota and Honda COMBINED. Apparently the public is uninformed about this point. GM's sub-compacts have the highest fuel economy rating of any non-hybrid cars sold in the U.S., and higher than many hybrids. Ford's Focus also has a higher mpg rating than most Hondas or Toyotas.

Many import owners say that "buying American" doesn't matter because foreign auto makers have plants here and employ Americans. Here are the figures (USA Today, Feb. 17, 2009) : Foreign manufacturers employ roughly 111,000 people. The Big Three employ roughly 1,300,000. That is more than 10 to 1 in favor of buying from an American car maker if you truly want to support our economy. End of argument.

17th Feb 2009, 14:55

To comment 23:05: You can buy just about anything you use from autos to electronics that are built in the U.S. Our microwave, cooktop, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, all 4 TV's, both DVD players, computer and heating systems are all built in the U.S., as are all 4 of our vehicles. People who care about helping our economy bother to find these items (and it isn't hard, most all stores carry them). We DID have a Sony big screen TV, however. It lasted a whopping TWO YEARS. My computer is custom built (in the U.S.), has TWICE the warranty of a Japanese computer and cost me ONE HALF of what a comparable Japanese unit would have cost. People need to do more research rather than buying into the "Only Japan makes things" argument. It is NOT TRUE.

17th Feb 2009, 17:48

Guess what? I work at a job too, and if people don't buy my products, then either it's something consumers don't want or the quality is bad. That's the risks you take in a free market economy such as ours. People who work in the auto industry do not owe me anything nor should they buy my products unless A: They need and like them B: It provides a useful, reliable, and satisfactory service.

Now we can have this little back and forth argument all day long. But the overwhelming fact is that Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and their various divisions didn't get to where they are selling poorly made products. They did so by winning long-term admiration and respect from consumers. Remember that prior to their introduction to the US market, they had no reputation whatsoever. The same will be true when Indian and Chinese companies start selling their cars here in the US. If they're good, people will buy them. If not, then they won't. The bottom line is that the choices people make are generally honest, telling, and indicative. Thus it's obvious Toyota makes a good product. Otherwise they would not have gradually become the now largest car maker in the world.

In summary, I do not feel one bit guilty not buying a domestic vehicle. I do not wish ill wishes on those that work in the US auto industry just as much as I don't for those who used to work in what was once a huge textile industry in the US. Industries, jobs, and economies change. If domestic automakers begin making the kinds of cars and trucks consumers can trust as outright reliable and thus not have their negative reputation, maybe I'll reconsider. But don't get me wrong - I do not owe them or the companies they work for one cent anymore than they owe me for my trade. It's as simple as that. Welcome to American economics.