3rd Aug 2012, 16:35
One reason so many domestic owners are so passionate in defending domestic vehicles against the constant attacks and virtually always untrue assertions of import fans, is that it DOES matter... a LOT. Yes, we are a "global economy". That by no stretch of the imagination means we have to totally turn our backs on American industry. Down that path lies a future where everyone works at a fast-food restaurant. And yes, Japanese car companies have a handful of plants on U.S. soil, but they employ only a tiny fraction of the number of people the domestic auto industry employs.
In addition it is quite obvious that current domestic auto makers are building some of the most incredible cars on Earth. Name just one Japanese, German or Italian car company that can offer a car to compete with the awesome Mustang Boss 302 or 650 horsepower GT500 at even TWICE the price. Nor can any come even close to the Cadillac CTS-V or 470 horsepower Jeep Cherokee SRT-8. They just don't HAVE any competition.
And yes, I suppose trying to make any argument in favor of American industry is pointless. It is very obvious from comments on here that most people have an "I don't care" or "It doesn't matter" attitude. That is sad. We once supported our own industries. Of course, if the Republicans win the election, we will lapse into a major depression anyway and no one will be able to buy a car.
3rd Aug 2012, 17:38
If everybody knew they built good "products", you would think everybody would buy them, but not everybody does. Therefore that makes them no better than any other car company.
4th Aug 2012, 09:40
I hear you. In the 80s especially I could care less. Economy was strong and I had 2 Mercedes in that period. I also owned Acuras purchased new. When we started going through transmissions, we shopped domestics. The latest ones are great. With the overdrives in the domestic V8s, some 6 speed trans are getting 30 MPG are and fun to drive. I also am not in the shop all the time. I also like the idea of buying here as well. Took a long time, and we are just one family, but it's a start.
5th Aug 2012, 23:47
Yeah, and the imports are subsidized by the US government. If Toyota builds a car and it costs more than what it sells for, they get the difference from the government. Funny, apparently to import buyers that's not socialism, but buying a car from GM or Chrysler is (even though they were given loans, not stipends).
Our economy wouldn't be trashed the way it is now if people hadn't bought all these foreign products in droves. And yes, if the Republicans win the election, no one will be able to afford a car much longer because the rest of the decent jobs will be going overseas. And no one will be able to retire, either.
6th Aug 2012, 12:14
Seems to me that it's the other way around as far as "domestic versus import" arguments... Usually how it goes is that someone posts a review about a Toyota. Then you almost always see the exact same generalized comments that lack any specifics - as in "why, I gave up on imports and now all I own are domestics" or something like that, which of course means zilch, given that the brands and models aren't specified.
I suppose I just feel differently about it, because I grew up in the Southeast, and when I was a kid, the whole area was pretty economically depressed. Now almost every major auto manufacturer has a presence there, and that includes everything from parts manufacturers, design facilities, and manufacturing plants. These of course all bring good paying jobs. I remember when I was a kid Mom bought a new Camry that was made in Kentucky. A lot of the parts in the drive train were made by Denco USA in Tennessee. We were pretty proud of that car, because it was made in the US, and what's more - by people in either our state or neighboring ones. That car ran forever. We put 250,000+ miles on it and it never gave us a lick of problems.
Looking at it that way, Ford and GM have been in Europe for close to 100 years. They design, build, and sell cars and trucks there that most in the US would not recognize. I visited the UK 10 years ago, and to them Ford was as British as anything. Ironically many of the small cars now being sold in the US have been sold in Europe for decades. The point is that the auto industry has been highly global for a long time. A worker who works at one car plant gets paid and makes a living. Doesn't matter where.
But getting back to the argument here, I suppose the reason I personally find it ridiculous is that there are so many comments made to the effect that Toyota and or Honda build bad products. If that were the case then they wouldn't have the reputation they earned over the years. My family would have stopped buying them. The reality is that they build exceptional cars. Sure - not perfect cars, as they are like anything else, a man made machine, prone to eventual problems. But there is a reason why these brands routinely sit at the top of those reliability lists. That isn't to say the Big 3 don't also build good products. They have improved drastically over the past several years, and make a few models I would consider. Competition is a good thing. It means in the end consumers get better products from everyone.
So in the end - why debate this? Buy what you want. Drive what you want. If you truly believe that such and such product is the best product (for you) then buy it. Let others make their own decision.
6th Aug 2012, 12:31
23:47 is right. Our government gives Japanese car companies more in freebies than the loans they gave GM. Also, nobody seems to be aware that due to the mostly repaid loans, GM has created 100,000 new U.S. jobs and brought in over 100 billion dollars in new revenues, far offsetting the 18 billion in loans. In addition, the 100,000 people GM hired are no longer drawing unemployment benefits and they are paying taxes., That saves the taxpayers even more. It's sad the way our own citizens have turned against U.S. business. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!
3rd Aug 2012, 13:28
And that is perfectly acceptable on a new Toyota? A bad suspension is perfectly alright? It's certainly a major issue to others. If I bought any car with frame and suspension failures, rest assured there would not be any praise forthcoming. I have had a recall on my new domestic for a replacement steering wheel interlock. Not a bad recall, as the car would not move vs a critical safety component that could fail at speed. We once had a used Honda Accord that dropped its gas tank on the highway. That was pretty interesting. No exciting stories to share with our current domestics however.