2008 Honda Accord EX from North America - Comments

"A lot of my friends have been surprised to learn the truth, and a number have traded their Camrys and Accords for the much better Ford Fusion."

It's scary how easily those around us are influenced. I'd dare a neighbor of mine come and tell me what kind of car I should be driving. Patriotism has NOTHING to do with my purchases. Long-term dependability does. If I keep the car over ten years, it has little value anyway so it does not matter. If I try to sell a domestic in less than 5 years, it has lost half its value, not including repairs that have been made. With my imports, repair bills are less and trade-in value is more. I will stick with imports. Thanks!

"Most of the people driving Hondas and Toyotas are not actual traitors, just dupes who have been misled by advertising and hype."

This is very true. And it isn't just advertising hype. Most magazines are, for whatever reason, HEAVILY biased toward Japanese cars and make blatant attempts to promote them. The October 2007 Consumer Reports featured a headline about long lasting cars. Under the headline was a Honda Civic. 99% of people seeing the magazine cover never read the article and just ASSUMED Honda was the "longest lasting vehicle". Those (like myself) who DID read the article discovered that of the cars featured, the Honda had the LEAST mileage of any of them. The longest lasting vehicle without engine or transmission repairs was a FORD. It had gone 488,000 miles (at that point).

As for patriotism, it is being loyal to one's country and helping to promote the welfare of its citizens. I don't honestly see how one can root for the destruction of our own industries and call themselves even remotely patriotic.

We have fallen for the ad hype and bought Japanese and German cars before. Never again. If our country does survive the economic catastrophe brought on by the Bush administration, we ALL need to be more aware of the harm we do by advocating the destruction of our own companies.

"13:08 Nobody, let me say that again - NOBODY is attacking or ridiculing "patriotism"."

"To the person who keeps beating the patriotism drum"

"You have NO RIGHT to consider yourself more patriotic than your neighbor who drives a Civic or Corolla.'

"We all of us get it. The person who uses the 91/9 comparison should just go and be the mouthpiece for American car companies."

"The fact of the matter is, is that people should be free to decide whichever car they drive. Whether we are hurting 91% of workers and helping 9% is beside the point."

"15:12 - I agree. Let the "mouthpieces" spew their corporate propaganda"

Yes, the above quotes really sound PATRIOTIC, don't they?

Speaking up for American industry is "Spewing corporate propaganda"?

"Whether we are hurting 91% of workers or helping 9% is BESIDE THE POINT??" (I assure you NOT to the 91%!!)

I have NO RIGHT to consider myself "more patriotic" because I SUPPORT U.S. Industries?? An odd concept of patriotism indeed.

And being a "mouthpiece" for those evil AMERICAN car companies might not be a BAD idea at all. It just MIGHT help save a few jobs and keep a few families out of bankruptcy. I guess that is just too "radical" an idea for this day and age of "me first, the heck with everyone else" ideology.

I am truly saddened that speaking up for our fellow citizens has become a subject of ridicule and attack. Yes, you are free to buy whatever you want to... just as you are free to walk by a starving child on the sidewalk and ignore them. It is, after all, a free country.

15:09...I am another commenter that will verbalize it a bit differently. For every automotive job lost there are 10 other jobs being completely and directly eliminated. Maybe the ones buying new imports do not know of anyone affected by the current economy, are receiving annual raises, property values are rapidly escalating to not have any empathy. Unfortunately I know too many otherwise and am doing my best to buy locally as much as possible. Our last automotive plant is closing up less than 5 miles from my home. It contributed $181 million annually. I am not buying any new imports. I would like to help boost the economy, not take any more out of it.

Choice may be free, but there is no free ride in this bad economy. Your choice affects others when you send money overseas.

"I am truly saddened that speaking up for our fellow citizens has become a subject of ridicule and attack. Yes, you are free to buy whatever you want to... just as you are free to walk by a starving child on the sidewalk and ignore them. It is, after all, a free country."

That really is crossing the line.

Are you really equating buying an import with walking by a starving child on the street?

It is not possible to even attempt to reason with that!

Did you "isolationists" ever stop to think that those import car dealerships are owned by Americans, that they employ Americans and that many of the vehicles they sell are made by Americans?

I think some of you need to get off your high horses and stop trying to turn the USA into something that it is not.

"Choice may be free, but there is no free ride in this bad economy. Your choice affects others when you send money overseas."

This is a good point. The sad part of all this is that those duped into buying Japanese vehicles really do, in their minds, THINK they are getting something more reliable and with a better resale value. They have been misled by so much of the ad hype and outright misrepresentation by the Japanese auto industry and biased media. In truth, Ford and GM long ago surpassed Honda and Toyota in reliability and were ALWAYS more reliable than Nissan.

Although marginally better now, Japanese cars were a JOKE in terms of safety for decades, crushing like tin cans when hit by a real car. A dear friend of ours was crushed to death when her new 2005 Acura hit a Ford F-150. The Ford F-150 was driven home by its un-injured driver. The much-ballyhooed "crumple zones" in the Acura really did crumple... all the way back to the driver's seat.

Resale values are another joke. A recent magazine article pointed out that a basic 4-cylinder Accord sells for MORE than a Ford Mustang GT. That is ludicrous. If you pay thousands more up front, you will STILL end up losing more of your money due to the outrageous purchase price, not to mention replacing a transmission or two in the case of most late-model Hondas. I ran the numbers on comparable Honda Civics and Ford Focuses after three years. Based on the higher purchase price, you are over $1600 BETTER OFF with the Ford Focus.

Educating people on the merits of buying American vehicles should be a duty of every citizen who really cares about promoting our jobs and quality of life. I've NEVER had any of my friends or neighbors react with the hostility I see on this site when I sat down with them and showed them the data showing the Ford Fusion to be superior in reliability to all Japanese cars. Most are surprised (ad hype does a good job of brain washing) and happy to know they can help our economy and own a much more reliable vehicle for thousands less. One of my friends recently approached me and said "You know, I see what you've been saying. Will you go with me to trade my Honda CRV for a Ford Escape." (which carries the EXACT SAME RATING as the CRV). I gladly agreed to go with him. It is not an attack on someone to inform them on making better choices that help our own economy. More of us need to do likewise.

"If I try to sell a domestic in less than 5 years, it has lost half its value, not including repairs that have been made."

I really had to respond to this one. The last vehicle I sold (not traded) was a 2001 Dodge truck. It was 5 years old, had NEVER had a repair (who has repairs on ANY domestic in FIVE YEARS?? They are UNDER WARRANTY that long!!) and was sold for just under $900 less than I bought it for BRAND NEW in October of 2000. I'm not impressed with stories about the "great resale value" of imports.

12:15 imports worth more? If you have major mechanical issues and it's reported to Carfax multiple times, see the result. I would never buy a car today even with a few miles showing on the clock without one. I have all of our CarFaxes at home in a file. My worse resale ever was a low mileage Honda-Acura. Carfax is great for the buyer and even the dealer at trade in. Think the engine and trans issues in vehicles today go unreported... ask for a Carfax. Domestics too. We have multiple cars all nicely kept... the Carfax thing is an issue more than ever. It's honest disclosure, which is fine, but it gets scrutinized, every issue is there in black and white when you sell. Keep your car 10 years and drive to a junkyard, may not ever be an issue if that's your thing.

"Did you "isolationists" ever stop to think that those import car dealerships are owned by Americans, that they employ Americans and that many of the vehicles they sell are made by Americans?"

This issue has been addressed so many times it would seem that it would eventually sink in, but apparently not. U.S. auto makers employed 91% of the people working in auto-related jobs (as of May 2009). Foreign auto-related jobs totaled only 9% of all auto-related jobs. Any way you look at it, buying a Japanese or German vehicle helps only a scant 9% of those working in auto-related jobs, while hurting 91%. Why is it so hard to see that helping 91% is better for our economy than helping only 9% (and getting less reliable vehicles at far higher prices)?

It's estimated (as of May 2009) that 10% of ALL jobs in the U.S. are auto-related. Given that figure, and assuming that 100,000,000 of our citizens are (or WERE) employed, that means that buying a domestic vehicle helps preserve the jobs and quality of life for 9,100,000 U.S. citizens, and that buying from a foreign manufacturer helps only 900,000. Perhaps looking at it from that perspective is more helpful. 9 million unemployed versus 900,000 unemployed. Yes, BOTH numbers are tragic, but helping 9 million seems far more humane and patriotic than helping only 900,000.

And no, I'm NOT an isolationist. I'm a U.S. citizen who cares about other U.S. citizens. Many of the components of our vehicles were made in other countries. So were many of the components of our TV's, stereos, appliances and household items. Nonetheless, the items THEMSELVES were built by U.S. citizens on U.S. soil and contribute to the U.S. economy. The money from purchasing these items goes to U.S. companies and pays U.S. taxes. To call someone who cares about supporting our economy derogatory names is ridiculous (unless you live in Japan, of course).

"Are you really equating buying an import with walking by a starving child on the street?"

This isn't so far-fetched. I recently watched a TV documentary about the unemployed in the U.S. It featured "tent cities" in a couple of areas where the unemployed were forced to live after losing their homes. Many of these people had previously been employed in auto-related jobs. Many of them had children. I imagine many of them were hungry.

To the person trying to educate us-

We are not being "duped"

We are not being "brainwashed"

We are making informed decisions.

Many of us have advanced college degrees and are professionals.

Please stop trying to protect us from ourselves.

Thank You.

Why not simply buy domestic products instead in 2009? My new GM models are better than our Acura's drivetrain woes.

Making an "informed decision" is precisely what auto buyers NEED to do. They need to be informed of the fact that current Ford and GM models outrank Japanese or German vehicles in reliability and build quality. They need to be informed that domestic vehicles have a far better warranty than Japanese or German vehicles. They also need to be informed that buying from a U.S. manufacturer helps 91% of our citizens who work in auto-related jobs. These facts don't require an advanced degree to understand. Even high-school graduates can comprehend this.