Are there any People That care in this country anymore??

[joesgarage71]

 Are you or any of your family out of work or so slow at work cause the auto industry is going to pot? I am and so are people in my little town.
 You know if there were more people that would buy AMERICAN products we might not be in this mess. ya there are companies that moved away from the states, and there products should have been boycoted. Just for an example the garmet industry moved away. There where so many jobs lost in the southeast is wasn't funny. Just like the auto industry, people are buying these NEW foreign cars. I don't want to hear "oh they get better gas milage or they are built better Or what can I do I'm just one person"  Well if people didn't buy them and bought American cars the US car companies might build them better but NO They have to compete so they build them cheaper. Like Earl Pitts says"WAKE UP AMERICA" We are doing this to our selves.
 
 Are you a patriot?? or are you just thinking of yourself?
Nuff said
 I got my flame suit on!

[choptop]

Part of it lays rest on our government. We have tons of import cars here, but to import our cars over seas, someone on the other end has to pay an astronomical price just to get it. That added cost is due to their government. Maybe should return the favor and charge the tar out of them if they want to sell their cars here. A good frind from South Africa said that to get an American vehicle over there would cost almost twice what it would here. He said you can get a Mercedes there for what a Caprice classic costs here, but the Caprice Classic would be alot higher than the Mercedes. Im with you.

[dumbucket1]

I put in a credit app with the local gmc dealer saturday morning for a new truck. Never heard back from them though  . I bought a new truck from them before too.

[79scottsdale]

  Are you a patriot?? or are you just thinking of yourself?
Nuff said
 I got my flame suit on!

LOL, love the "flame suit on"

First let me say that I own no "foreign" vehicles, but I also own no vehicle where everything on them was made in the USA. My vehicles are a 79 Chevy 4x4, 97 Chevy Suburban, 87 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z, and a 2008 Jeep Patriot (Note no foreign models listed.)

But we have to remember, the old label no longer works. Here's why:

Today, Honda builds the Accord, Civic, Odyssey, and Acura MDX in plants in Canada and The United States.

Toyota builds the Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Solara, Tacoma, Tundra, Matrix, Sienna, and Lexus RX350 in plants across Canada and the United States.

Nissan builds virtually all of their vehicles in The United States including the Maxima, Altima, Titan, Armada, Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra.

Mitsubishi, Subaru, BMW, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz also build cars throughout The United States.

Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru and others have Research & Development centers in the United States which means they are also designing their cars in the US.

Ford and GM build cars in Europe, Asia and North America.

Chrysler is owned by Daimler-Benz (a German company).

At the Detroit auto shows the UAW hand out bags at the Ford booth that say "Buy American" written in big letters. What exactly does that mean: Buy the Toyota Camry that is built in Kentucky, the Ford Fusion that is built in Mexico, or the Dodge Charger that is built in Canada?

Crap, I have no idea what built in America means anymore, do you know something I don't

[VileZambonie]

I have no idea what built in America means anymore, do you know something I don't

Everything "made in America" seems to be half the technology at twice the price. I can't blame anyone for buying foreign products anymore. Toyota is probably the most reliable vehicle with the best technology in the auto industry.

[dumbucket1]

my wifes 07 sonata was built in alabama by americans. Maybe they were put together with parts made in korea I don't know but the americans that assembled the car still earned a paycheck so in my mind I still helped out fellow americans by buying that car new.

[choptop]

I have no idea what built in America means anymore, do you know something I don't

Everything "made in America" seems to be half the technology at twice the price. I can't blame anyone for buying foreign products anymore. Toyota is probably the most reliable vehicle with the best technology in the auto industry.

+1 Ilook at American vehicles as being built by Americans in America, but I know the parts come from overseas in some instances. The new Toyota is an awesome truck. I bought a Chevy because I prefe Chevy and it was the same price (actually cheaper) than an equally equipped Toyota. I also know that not all the parts were made in the US. The killer for me with foreign vehicles is the cost of parts, but the big 3 arent far behind.
   Alot of parts come from outside the US, and are assembled in the US to be sold as American. Why is it that the supposedly true American car companies are having so much trouble?
   I think we are in the same boat with the automobile industries as we are in the oil feild. Those who have the money to make the decisions on what costs what and what happens where know they can get t cheaper elsewhere than here. I have seen many guys in the patch that make $20-$25 /hr and it is amazing that they can even dress themselves. Anyone who works in the oil patch know what I am talking about. There are certain guys that make over$100,000 a year to sit in a rv and tell rig hands what to do. They never leave the trailer. Now there are some that work their hind ends off for their money, but Id bet 75 percent or more dont. The oil market got too high too fast, and now is paying the consequences. Poor management ( not government) caused this. I think the same goes for the auto industry. The number of new vehicles from the Big Three I see here in Texas is amazing. Why are they broke? Is texas the only state buying new trucks/???  I dont think so.

[eventhorizon66]

If I ever buy new.  I'll consider my American options, but will most likely end up going Japanese.  My mother's Acura TL has had NOTHING go wrong with it in the past 4½.  If she had gotten the Impala she test drove and seriously considered, that would almost certainly not be the case.  Good thing the interior quality didn't even compare, or she may have gotten it.  She spent a few thousand more and got the better car.

My parents got their first Japanese car in the late 70's.  My father admits that it really bothered him to do so.  But at the time American cars were garbage and couldn't come close in terms longevity or gas mileage.  That little Datsun was still serving my grandmother until about 8 years ago when her lack of maintanence finally did it in.

I recommended a Honda Odyssey to my Uncle in 2001.  After comparing it to all the other minivans on the market for nearly two months (he never rushes into a decision), he agreed that it was the best overall choice.  He was bothered by it not being American-made at the time, but he made the right decision anyway.  Now over 250,000 miles later (he's driven it cross country numerous times - two sons in the military), he swears he'll never even consider another American vehicle; he says he's never had such a reliable, satisfying car in his life and now resents the American manufacturers for selling him such crap all these years.  I drove it the other day, a few interior rattles, electrically operated rear vent window that sticks (only in cold weather), but it runs cherry, and handles/rides great.  I bet he could go another 250,000 miles if he wanted to.

Sorry, but American car manufacturers did this to themselves.

[oldwhity]

Sorry, but American car manufacturers did this to themselves.

Even, I'll have to agree. I've always been a Chevy guy and probably always will be. I just don't understand why the "Big Three" can't follow or even lead in the quality of vehicles built. Are they holding back or just using the money for their corporate jets?

[eventhorizon66]

Exactly, there is no good reason American cars shouldn't be ahead of the curve.  American car buyers didn't just wake up one morning and decide to stab Detroit in the back.  Detroit allowed the Japanese to gain a market here by betraying the American car buyers with laziness and incompetence.  I hate that this is the truth, I'd love to see the big three on top again...and they have been improving in the past few years, but it seems like too little, too late.

[Strange81Z]

Sorry, but American car manufacturers did this to themselves.

Even, I'll have to agree. I've always been a Chevy guy and probably always will be. I just don't understand why the "Big Three" can't follow or even lead in the quality of vehicles built. Are they holding back or just using the money for their corporate jets?

{flame suit on}
It has a lot to do with the unions.  If GM and Toyota was building the exact same car, GM would have to charge $1500 more than Toyota just to cover the cost of thier workers Benefits.  Then you through in the salary difference and the cost if even higher.  So GM knows they can't compete building the same car, so they build a cheaper car to reduce the cost then claim that it's the same car or better.
{flame suit off}

[Blazin]

Its the unions, and the over paid lazy suits of the big three. Many other reasons / pros, and cons but it boils down to them building crap for a long time, and while doing so the unions, and suits got greedy! Like already said, quality now is a to little to late. The two cars I own that I would trust most are 55 Chevy, and a 91 Toyota Camry. I have never, and will never buy a brand new car or truck. 

[78 Chevyrado]

I have never, and will never buy a brand new car or truck. 

Me too, What really puts me off is how much the value of a new car drops right when you drive off the lot.  That tells me right there the new car dealers/manufacturers are raping every person who buys a new car.  I'll just buy used and the value won't change when I drive off the lot..... 

I'll never even own a foriegn car or truck.  anyone who buys a foreign car/truck is sending money from our economy directly to foreign countries, which in my mind (correct me if I'm wrong) is sucking us dry and making them richer (a little bit at a time).  They may have workers here, but the profits go overseas and stay there.  Especially if that guy that works at the toyota plant buys a toyota truck.  It's bad enough my electronics are foriegn, but I'm not sending a car-sized chunk of my money overseas.

I think the UAW should be shut down, They served their purpose in the beginning, but they've outlived they're productiveness.  They've switched places with the old companies they were formed to fight. 
Check this out where the UAW is screwing FORD over real good.  Here's your cheaper cars, but they're not coming thanks to the UAW.  This is a ford video, but before too long gm and chrysler would have a version too.
http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1189
The UAW WON'T allow it here in the US.  Whats wrong with that?  Employees telling the company what to do?  I'd bankrupt my own company to get rid of them and start again.  Someone is full of crap to think that under any circumstances, ANY forklift driver is worth 110k a year.  The info is out there, but i know this is fact for some of their forklift drivers.

I think they should tax heavily any companies farming labor out to any other country, and also they should tariff all imports to the point of making american stuff competitive, if need be.  Remember WWII?  We were the industrial envy of the WORLD.  and guess what, we didn't import cars, computers, toys, FOOD, etc. We made everything and exported crazy amounts of stuff to the alies.   It can get back to that, But people are too lazy and miserly to help the cause of themselves.  A phrase comes to mind, not to crap where you eat....  I think it's already over though.  All politics and religion aside, Look around at things dude, were screwed.

I am not directing any of this at any one person, but the general public in general.

[ccz145a]

If you buy used, it doesn't really matter if the car is foriegn or not. The money goes to the pocket of the PO.

The point about driving off the lot and the worth of your car drops value meaning the value was never what you paid is right on the money (pun intended). Same thing happens for the foriegn jobs, too. I bought new once, never again. It just doesn't make good sense for the average person.

The only reason I can think of to buy new is for a business where you get a rightoff on depreciation.

[lowbucktruck]

I have no idea what built in America means anymore, do you know something I don't

Everything "made in America" seems to be half the technology at twice the price. I can't blame anyone for buying foreign products anymore. Toyota is probably the most reliable vehicle with the best technology in the auto industry.

Too true.  I've got a 1990 Toyota 4Runner with over 300,000 miles on it, still ticking like a Timex watch.