Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
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People don't go buy BMW's because they are cheaper than cars produced here. You don't see BMW and Mercedes cars being sold at the automotive equivalent of Walmart. It is a fools errand to equate the erosion of the middle class, people who by and large aren't buying bimmers and benzes with the out-sourcing of standard goods like tools, clothing, shoes....etc.
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I disagree, and this is why: The Jaguar I bought new in '04, after three or four years, depreciated to about the cost of an average new domestic car.
Guys on here brag all the time about how smart they are waiting to buy a car like that once it's depreciated. It's entirely plausible that these depreciated cars compete with, and displace sales of, new manufactured domestic cars. In the absence of actual evidence to the contrary, I'm unwilling to set aside my common sense and blindly accept the assertion that because these import cars are high priced, they do not displace domestic products. It may take longer, but it can, and probably does, still happen.
And after a few more years, they are indeed pocket change. I can buy old BMW's, Mercs, Jags, whatever, all day long for pocket change when they hit the second and third tier used car lots. They are still competing with domestic manufactured product, just in a different class at that time.
Look, I like imported cars. But I have no sense of doing something better for my nation by buying a car made in Coventry, instead of a car made in lower Wangchung. The only people I've helped are the people in the UK. Arguably, I've hurt my local economy worse by picking the higher priced object, because I sent a bigger boatload of money out of the country.
I'm not really a big fan of Chinese imports, and actually share some of the sentiment here that it is better to avoid them unless I have a good reason not to, even though it probably comes across otherwise.
But their stuff is not all junk. Some of it is pretty good, and getting better. An interesting discussion for sure.
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People don't go buy BMW's because they are cheaper than cars produced here. You don't see BMW and Mercedes cars being sold at the automotive equivalent of Walmart. It is a fools errand to equate the erosion of the middle class, people who by and large aren't buying bimmers and benzes with the out-sourcing of standard goods like tools, clothing, shoes....etc.
.....
I disagree, and this is why: The Jaguar I bought new in '04, after three or four years, depreciated to about the cost of an average new domestic car.
Guys on here brag all the time about how smart they are waiting to buy a car like that once it's depreciated. It's entirely plausible that these depreciated cars compete with, and displace sales of, new manufactured domestic cars. In the absence of actual evidence to the contrary, I'm unwilling to set aside my common sense and blindly accept the assertion that because these import cars are high priced, they do not displace domestic products. It may take longer, but it can, and probably does, still happen.
And after a few more years, they are indeed pocket change. I can buy old BMW's, Mercs, Jags, whatever, all day long for pocket change when they hit the second and third tier used car lots. They are still competing with domestic manufactured product, just in a different class at that time.
Look, I like imported cars. But I have no sense of doing something better for my nation by buying a car made in Coventry, instead of a car made in lower Wangchung. The only people I've helped are the people in the UK. Arguably, I've hurt my local economy worse by picking the higher priced object, because I sent a bigger boatload of money out of the country.
I'm not really a big fan of Chinese imports, and actually share some of the sentiment here that it is better to avoid them unless I have a good reason not to, even though it probably comes across otherwise.
But their stuff is not all junk. Some of it is pretty good, and getting better. An interesting discussion for sure.