How can I help America?

[Titan]

Buy the best quality oil, car, vacuum cleaner, etc.. that you can afford. THAT is the "American way". Although, I don't like the term "American", as it's connotation is really "USA". Not all Americans are in the USA...this smacks of a 2-year old's view of the world...way too self-centered.

 

[windnsea00]

I've noticed people's views vary a lot dependent on location. The mid-west/south seems to adhere more to buy "American" while over here on the west coast I never hear of such a concept.

 

[Clyde65]

quote:

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Originally posted by windnsea00:
... while over here on the west coast I never hear of such a concept.

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If you were an American factory worker, you would understand.

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

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Originally posted by Clyde65:
If you were an American factory worker, you would understand.

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Which one? The one working in Marysville, OH Honda factory, or the one in Georgetown, KY Toyota factory?

 

[ScottB]

Does that mean being an "American factory worker" requires said workers to buy ¢rap to support "the cause" or do they get to use their minds and buy what's good?
Just checking...

You see, nobody would have had the need to buy "rice" or whatever other stupid term you guys use if the products here had maintained a high level of quality and appeal.

They didn't, so folks went where they had to in order to get the most for their dollars.

Don't blame consumers.
Blame the makers of junk.

Scott

 

[RKBA]

getting the most value for your money is good for the United States, no matter what the country of origin is for the product. Ultimately competition is good, even if that competition is Wal-Mart.

On the "domestic" vs. "import" issue I believe that there is a very anti-US car bias in the auto media industry. The pessimistic idea about GM and Ford products seems to abound, particularly in the far West and other politically progressive areas. I don't agree that it is totally well deserved.
It is interesting to see that since Toyota has become so large, they are beginning to experience some of the same issues that have plagued GM. Namely falling quality and offering products that just aren't compelling. I have heard Toyota Camrys described as the Japanese Buick - I wouldn't necessarily take that as a compliment if I were them.

 

[ScottB]

Go to a Toyota dealer and then a Buick dealer.
See who has the most stock on the lot.

 

[eljefino]

You can help America by buying the thriftiest, most fuel efficient econobox that fits your needs. A "boring" Buick sedan can pull 30 MPG and make 200hp, not shabby.

Reducing our oil imports benefits pretty much everyone.

 

[outersquare]

quote:

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Originally posted by Matt_S:
Calling a car "American" just because it was assembled here is not considering the big picture. Car companies pay people to do design, engineering, assembly, parts manufacture, sales, marketing, purchasing, accounting, management, customer service and a whole host of other jobs. For the most part, the foreign makers that assemble cars here only do the assembly, sales, marketing and some parts sourcing in the states. Engineering, design, and all the other corporate stuff is controlled from overseas. If you think all of the money the foreign brands make here stays here, you're kidding yourself. If you want to support America, look at the company you're buying the car from and look at the people - ALL of the people - responsible for bringing that car to your local dealer. Pick the company that spends most of its dollars in this country. EVERYONE sources parts from overseas. It's part of doing business in this industry today and you can't really compare one company to another based on where they get their parts, at least not without taking all the other factors into consideration.

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more and more "imports" are doing design and engineering work in the US.

the flipside to this is more "american" companies are shipping out manufacturing, example, to mexico. It's only a matter of time before they also ship out engineering/design work to some third world country. Alot of nonautomotive american companies already have.

 

[HappyHyundai]

quote:

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Originally posted by lght1:
Hi

quote:

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Is relevant to lubrication in some way? I can see this turning into an import bashing thread.

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My work car has 241,000 on it with the original 4t60e never having been out of the chassis, and the '05 Chev Colorado 4x4 CrewCab gets 25-26 mpg.

With results like these, I see no need to sully the driveway with rice.

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What do you mean rice? If you're talking stereotypes, I stopped eating rice a couple months ago. You can just say "Asian car".

Anyways, thanks to all who replied. I'm actually writing a couple of things you guys said on my notebook. giving me great ideas. This is why I ask the most questions on BITGO.

 

[windnsea00]

quote:

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Originally posted by RKBA:

On the "domestic" vs. "import" issue I believe that there is a very anti-US car bias in the auto media industry. The pessimistic idea about GM and Ford products seems to abound, particularly in the far West and other politically progressive areas. I don't agree that it is totally well deserved.

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You made a good point about the anti-US car bias in the auto media; however for the automotive journalists/enthusiasts who spend everyday reviewing cars and take to heart the passion of driving a car and the engineering that has gone into them...how could they be very positive for 90% of American cars?

 

[Texas Aggie]

quote:

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Originally posted by HappyHyundai:
Well, let's talk about helping America out.

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Okay, maybe we should lay off quotes like this:

quote:

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Originally posted by HappyHyundai:
I wish all SUV drivers would just die (except the ones who use it for work)

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[rjundi]

quote:

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Originally posted by Texas Aggie:

quote:

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Originally posted by HappyHyundai:
Well, let's talk about helping America out.

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Okay, maybe we should lay off quotes like this:

quote:

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Originally posted by HappyHyundai:
I wish all SUV drivers would just die (except the ones who use it for work)

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The poster started a valid topic. There are people of strong view points on both sides but this discussion is not ugly as typical. Whatever they posted previously is irrelevant to the topic at hand.

 

[rjundi]

An indirect way of helping American is buying a non-domestic product. It only motivates Detroit to design a better product. The gap in reliability and product quality and engineering has narrowed proving this point. This would never be possible if everyone bought American built products previously.

Case in point GM's own chairman state that the best interior vehicle to him is the VW Passat in the materials, look and touch feel.

Still buy what you like most whatever the make/model. Never think you are better for owning a domestic or "import". They all are really great vehicles when you take the 100's of variables into account that comprise a vehicle. It really comes down the variables that you like best. Including the nameplate and its origin.

 

[VNT]

Domestic Content 2005

Domestic Content by Brand (2005 – sales weighted)
BMW 10%
Chrysler (domestic brands) 78%
Ford (domestic brands) 78%
GM (domestic brands) 74%
Honda/Acura 59%
Hyundai/Kia 3%
Isuzu 17%
Mitsubishi 36%
Nissan/Infiniti 46%
Subaru 26%
Toyota/Lexus 47%
Volkswagen/Audi 4%

quote:

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Originally posted by outersquare:

quote:

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Originally posted by Matt_S:
Calling a car "American" just because it was assembled here is not considering the big picture. Car companies pay people to do design, engineering, assembly, parts manufacture, sales, marketing, purchasing, accounting, management, customer service and a whole host of other jobs. For the most part, the foreign makers that assemble cars here only do the assembly, sales, marketing and some parts sourcing in the states. Engineering, design, and all the other corporate stuff is controlled from overseas. If you think all of the money the foreign brands make here stays here, you're kidding yourself. If you want to support America, look at the company you're buying the car from and look at the people - ALL of the people - responsible for bringing that car to your local dealer. Pick the company that spends most of its dollars in this country. EVERYONE sources parts from overseas. It's part of doing business in this industry today and you can't really compare one company to another based on where they get their parts, at least not without taking all the other factors into consideration.

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more and more "imports" are doing design and engineering work in the US.

the flipside to this is more "american" companies are shipping out manufacturing, example, to mexico. It's only a matter of time before they also ship out engineering/design work to some third world country. Alot of nonautomotive american companies already have.

---

 

[Kestas]

And how is domestic content defined?

Our company manufactures bearings for automotive use. I'm presently working on a project where the bearing is manufactured in Brazil from Korean forgings made from Japanese steel and supplied to an American manufacturer of automotive subassemblies. So tell me... is the bearing Brazilian, Korean, Japanese, or American?.... or maybe it's Swedish, because our parent company is in Sweden.

What I'm saying, is that it's too nebulous to accurately determine domestic content. Nobody can dig that deep into a product's pedigree.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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Domestic Content 2005
Volkswagen/Audi 4%

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Hmm, I could have sworn the torsen differential used by Audi is made (certainly was invented by) Gleason Corp. The engine bearings are made by Federal Mogul. 4% domestic content seems a bit low. But "domestic" is indeed difficult to define. Take Federal Mogul, which truly is a global enterprise.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

My truck is a GREAT example of why people may be led down the path to Japanese makes when shopping for a new car.

06 Nissan Frontier crew cab, 4.0 V6 265 hp / 284 ft/lb

I shopped the American makes and couldn't come up with anything that compared.

Ford Ranger - give me a break

Chevy Colorado - 3.7 I5 242 / 242 Was bestowed with the feature that has ruined their entire truck lineup...the nose. Until they get all their trucks cosmetically in line with the Tahoe, their sales will continue to be in the toilet. Why did GM feel it necessary to create a unique engine for this truck? Is the I5 used in ANYTHING else? Not a smart economic move.

Dodge Dakota 3.7 V6 215 / 235 or step up to the gashog V8 and get 235 / 300. Nice looking truck..does the weak V6 create more sales for the V8?

Ford Sport Trac. 4.0 V6 210 / 254 or again, band-aid the power with an available V8 with 292 / 300. My roommate has an 05 V6....competetent enough, but extremely small bed and no guts.

US full size trucks have always dominated the market mainly due to their superior size and power. Why are all the American mid-sized trucks neutered?
What will they all do if Nissan goes ahead with the rumored plan to put the Titan V8 in the Frontier as an option?

I'm really not US bashing here....I looked at my options and picked the winner of the pack. If I'd been in the market for a full-sized pickup, Dodge and Ford would have been on the top of the list with their truly good looking, tough and powerful offerings. I might have given a quick look at the Titan, but it likely wouldn't have won me over. As far as mid-sized offerings, Japan is kicking U.S. ***.

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
4% domestic content seems a bit low.

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Depends how they calculate it. If they just average it out across the entire sales of VW and Audi combined, then it may be right. VW accounts for the majority of sales and very few VWs are sold with torsen/4motion.

 

[Dave Sherman]

I guess I'll just be happy with my Honda, built by a company which has a plant staffed with american workers in Marysville, Ohio. So I'm supporting the local economy too. My folks had too many GM vehicles which I got tired of repairing.

To compare notes with lght1, we had 230,000 miles on our GMC van, and the original engine and transmission were still going strong too. Of course, it went through 4 alternators, 1 A/C compressor, 2 radiators, 1 power steering pump, 2 wheel bearings, 3 motor mounts, 3 cruise control modules.... . Who else thinks GM stands for "General Maintenance"?