LS2JSTS, you post some good facts but I think it just falls on deaf ears, because a couple posts later someone will say, "but foreign brand X has a plant in State Y, and domestic brand A has a plant in foreign country B. Equivalency!". Then you explain how it is not economic and employment equivalency, but the cycle repeats itself.
I don't think they really want to know or care. I just wished they would be honest and say, "I really don't care much about the US economy and employment", or at least not even bring the claim up. On the other hand, if the foreign brand vehicle is US assembled and has some domestic content, that is valid. But that isn't full equivalency. I only wished it was.
Although I think it's important, I'm not saying the US economy and employment should trump everything else when comes to buying a car and if there is a valid reason to not buy a domestic that would be fine. The thing is you rarely if ever really see valid reason given for purchasing a foreign competitor vehicle. What you see mostly is bias and misperception. I would need a compelling reason to buy a foreign brand over domestic, and 90% of the time I'd say it is just not there.
I think a lot of people actually want to send their money out of the US economy. They probably think doing so won't undermined themselves as long as they don't work directly in the industry but it can and does.
Anyway, you can't change some people's mind no matter what the facts are you present. I have my own thinking on what their motives are that I won't go in to. But some people might be open to facts. And as long as some are going to keep arguing equivalency when there isn't, I think someone should counter that. Let's face it, with the amount of misinformation out there why would anyone buy a domestic brand?