Be American by Buying American

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ May 23 2006, 01:53 PM) [snapback]259917[/snapback]</div>

"Buy American" hasn't had any real meaning for automobiles in a couple of decades at least. American-made bodies with Japanese
engines, Japanese-made bodies with american engines, etc. I seem to recall that several "American" auto companies layed off many
of their american workers recently, but kept their plants in Mexico and Canada open. I guess if you want to buy a car that was actually
built in this country by american workers you need to get a Corolla or a Civic :mellow:

 

Well, I'm retired but not from an auto company, and I don't (yet) have liver-spotted hands. I think a lot of those "Buy American" promotions were started by the labor unions. I am an Army vet and my reasoning is that I served to defend my freedoms including freedom of choice. If an American auto company built something I wanted, I would buy it. But just like in the past, they don't have anything to bring to the market. But their CEO's still get the big $$$ for not producing.

 

define "american car" as a car that's produced in america by americans with american parts and they won't sound so damn hypocritical.

there are just as many americans assembling foreign cars in the usa...

 

I N T E R E S T I N G

However... I believe this belongs in Fred's House of Pancakes

 

"Make a product that people want, and Americans will buy it. Please don't blame competitors for making unfairly desirable cars."

Bingo! Send this memo to our domestic car makers. Get the word out.

I would have to believe domestic car makers have people who "know" what's hot and what's not...don't they? Especially selling in their own country?

(sarcasm on)

Just how do the foreign car makers "know" what sells and what doesn't when they are so far removed from America?


(sarcasm off)

Unfairly desirable cars. Now if that isn't the understatement of the new millenium...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 23 2006, 02:57 PM) [snapback]259942[/snapback]</div>

True. My last car, a Ford Probe, was built by the Mazda plant in Dearborn, MI.

 

A great example of how an American vehicle company could change is Caterpiller. Caterpiller was lumped in with the big three and in trouble. Caterpiller makes all that construction equipment, bulldozers, cranes, ditch diggers, diesel engines, etc. They were getting creamed in the market in the late 80s and 90s by Hitachi, Yamaha, Komatsu, etc. Then they decided to change what they were doing to get better. They told the United Auto Workers Union to get lost and built new lower cost plants in the South and Southwest away from the unions like a lot of the overseas car manufactures have done. Now their stock is up 300% in three years on sales of almost $ 40 billion with profits of about $ 4 billion a year.

The last four huge SUVs I bought were from American companies. All were great vehicles without any problems. That's about $ 190,000 they got from me and I'm sure they made a huge profit. That profit should have been invested in developing more competitive technologies, fuels and engines, instead I'm thinking it went to bloated labor union contracts, out of whack salaries, pensions and benefits.

Now I'm a Toyota Prius owner and going to double up when that next verion Prius comes out in 2008/9.

 

If there were apples for apples to the Prius amongst any other country and a USA company, I'd buy American.

It's sad that America doesn't make a hybrid that makes people ask why on earth you'd buy the Prius when you could get the Ford xyz...

They dont'... I needed the high mileage.. I'm getting it... Maybe next time..

I'd love to see Ford/Chevy come out with the hydrogen thing and lay a whoopin on the rest of the world automakers.

There's nothing wrong with loving your country and stickin up for it.. wanting it to be the best and having some pride.

I believe the unions have the US automakers in handcuffs and they spend so much time screwing with union labor problems there is no time for innovation. No one can be fired in the engineering department for lack on ingenuity because the unions would revolt. No one can be on an incentive based productivity plan because it has to be all pre-negotiated with the union... Dump the unions and the auto industry could compete. Until then, Ford is putting $8000 per car in union crap that Toyota doesn't have to think about.

 

The Mercedes ML and R Classes are both built right here in the US of A and it just so happens those are the two Benzes I don't care for.

 

Although no one has come up to me and "waved the flag" during the almost 3 years I have been driving my Prius, I have always thought that if one did I would ask him to take a look at who make the shirt he's wearing, pants, shoes, belt, etc... Oh...we're only buying American CARS today!!

Lets face it. Very little of what we consume is made in America anymore. Good or bad, that is where we are.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ May 23 2006, 06:56 PM) [snapback]259975[/snapback]</div>

With a Mitsubishi engine if I recall correctly.

 

I wish I could buy American. And I tried. I tried to purchase the first American-built EV made in modern times. GM wouldn't allow it. The only EV that I *could* buy was built in Japan. So I bought it. Again, I had zero choice, so who's gonna tell me I'm wrong for buying a Japanese car when the US maker refused to sell any of their cars in this category?

Make what I want, and I'll be first in line to buy it. I put my money where my mouth is.

 

Been lurking for a little while. Picked up my 2006 Barcelona Red #7 last week and haven't stopped smiling since. Must admit that it's a hard car to look manly in when I'm too busy giggling as I drive....

Now that I have the intro out of the way, I'd like to ask a more direct question. I think most of us would buy "American" (whatever that might mean) if the domestic companies produced something of value. The real question is "Why don't they produce something of value?"

Several of my friends/coworkers are in the market for a new vehicle, and they are all struggling trying to find something from Ford, GM, or Chrysler worth buying. For all of their resources and experience, I can't remember a time when they had so few interesting/exciting vehicles as they do now. Why is that? Can you imagine how badly they would be doing if they weren't actually "American" companies? How many Americans would be buying some of the bland cars produced by the big three if they were products of a European company?

Why is our automobile industry lacking in exciting products? Why do others get it and we don't?

- Jay

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ May 23 2006, 07:43 PM) [snapback]260019[/snapback]</div>

Innovation of that magnitude would be fantastic.

Unforunately, the "hydrogen thing" doesn't actually provide any gain. It just changes the nature of our emission & consumption problem.

 

I worked at FoMoCo many years ago, OK in a land far far away. Quality was job one, not. In those days if you drove a Import into the parking lot you were in trouble. Slashed tires were the minimum. I was glad that I drove my Mom's 68 Ford Mustang. GM's were barely tolerated. Drive a Bug and you might as well walk home! Now in Central Ohio farm country most of the workers at the Honda plant are local non union workers from all over Central Ohio. I would be willing to bet they do not all drive Fords! All we have is Multinationals and they do not care about any of us. Build a better mouse trap and I will come and move on. None of them care about me and I feel the same. Bad week I guess.

 

If I were in the market for a big, inefficient, polluting SUV or truck, I probably would 'Buy American'...

 

We tried to buy American. The first hybrid we looked at was the Ford Escape Hybrid, since we were trading in a small SUV. And it was nice, but .... it just didn't grab us, ya know? We went for a test drive with the sales person, then talked, then went for another test drive without the sales person ... giving it every chance to impress us ... and it was "nice" - not great, not really good, just nice. Maybe with a little more work, the next version will be better.

We then went to a Toyota dealer, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We were absolutely ready to buy, but we were also determined to get the very best vehicle for the money, and right now, the Prius is it.