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Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

18078 messages,  Last post on May 15, 2013 at 9:27 AM

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What is this discussion about? Car Buying

With parts coming from everywhere, does "Buying American" have much meaning anymore? Is quality and price the bottom line?

Messages Page 1507 of 1809

#15052 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [mcdawgg] by gagrice

Nov 16, 2012 (5:11 pm)

Replying to: mcdawgg (Nov 16, 2012 2:20 pm)
Several German models like the ML from Mercedes are made here for the rest of the World. The Jeep GC uses the ML chassis from what I have read. MB, BMW & Jeep all build vehicles here that are exported. That is good for American workers.
 
Many states, Counties and Cities offer incentives from free land, reduced taxes, cheap utilities etc, to get companies to relocate. That has been going on since at least the 1960s. There was a mass migration out of the Midwest to the South in the 1960s. Cheap land, lower taxes were incentive enough. I know of several Telco manufacturers that moved South. Most offered to take the employees that wanted to relocate. It was not for cheap labor as much as repressive taxes in Illinois and Ohio.

#15053 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [ceejaysquared] by tlong

Nov 16, 2012 (5:57 pm)

Replying to: ceejaysquared (Nov 16, 2012 1:46 pm)
It seems to me that the only "loss" to America of buying foreign is the executive profit -- and given the ridiculous compensation paid to auto executives (and their equally ridiculous low tax rates), I feel no pull to "buy American" in cars, anyway.
  
As long as the workers getting paid are US workers, I feel I've done my part. I don't care about the nationality of the fat cats who get rich.
 
Hi ceejay, welcome to the forum.
 
Not only what you say, but given the poor performance and decision making of many of those same executives, why support them? Why encourage mediocrity?
 
As an example, if you bought GM pre-BK, you were supporting people like Wagoner and Lutz, the same people who made some very poor decisions. I wonder how many people felt Wagoner was worth $10M/year for his performance?

#15054 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [tlong] by cooterbfd

Nov 18, 2012 (9:35 am)

Replying to: tlong (Nov 16, 2012 5:57 pm)
tlong,
 
I'll give you Wagoner, or guys like Roger Smith too, but what poor decisions did Lutz make???

#15055 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [cooterbfd] by berri

Nov 18, 2012 (6:46 pm)

Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 18, 2012 9:35 am)
While Lutz is a car guy no doubt, I always kind of felt he was also an excellent marketeer and self promoter.

#15056 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [cooterbfd] by tlong

Nov 19, 2012 (7:09 am)

Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 18, 2012 9:35 am)
I'll give you Wagoner, or guys like Roger Smith too, but what poor decisions did Lutz make???
 
He thought hybrids were a stupid idea, then after the Prius was a runaway success suddenly GM went all hybrid-ape and gave us 2.5 losers: the mild hybrids that barely increased gas mileage; the two-mode hybrids that cost $10K extra on huge SUVs, and the Volt. At least the Volt is a technical success even though it makes no financial sense to the buyer or to GM.

#15057 of 18078 . by anythngbutgm

Nov 19, 2012 (7:49 am)

FIAT (Chrysler) Adding 1250 Jobs, Investing $240 Million at Detroit-Area Plants

#15058 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [tlong] by ateixeira

Nov 19, 2012 (9:15 am)

Replying to: tlong (Nov 19, 2012 7:09 am)
Lutz did his best work while at Dodge, bringing concepts to reality without watering them down like others were doing.

#15059 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [ateixeira] by cooterbfd

Nov 19, 2012 (6:01 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 19, 2012 9:15 am)
I think he did the same thing at GM too. There would be no Enclave, and he pushed the concept Solstice into reality. One has to wonder if not for him pushing for something as "impractical" as the Solstice if they would have green lighted the Camaro.

#15060 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [cooterbfd] by busiris

Nov 20, 2012 (7:44 am)

Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 19, 2012 6:01 pm)
The main issue I always had with the Sky/Solstice was the wrinkled "wings" at the rear of the soft top when it was up.
 
To me, on a modern automobile, a wrinkled convertible top is just unacceptable.
 
Other than that, I thought the design was a good one, and you can see a fair amount of them, mostly Sky's, here in upstate SC.

#15061 of 18078 Re: Since so many "foreign" cars are US made [busiris] by ateixeira

Nov 20, 2012 (8:48 am)

Replying to: busiris (Nov 20, 2012 7:44 am)
It was an attractively styled car, but I'd stop short of calling it a good design.
 
When you have to exit the car to put the top down...that's poor design, plain and simple.
 
On top of that the top took up the whole trunk.
 
Keep in mind the Miata had been around since 1990 and was the primary competitor, so they had plenty of time to learn how to design a simple folding top, that goes down without exiting the car in about 3 seconds and takes up zero trunk space.
 
Man, what were they thinking?
 
It was beautiful, yes - I saw the concept in person at NAIAS in 2005, IIRC.

Messages Page 1507 of 1809

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