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Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

18079 messages,  Last post on May 20, 2013 at 10:17 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 1574 of 1809

#15723 of 18079 Re: The new US manufacturing [busiris] by gagrice

Dec 12, 2012 (9:37 am)

Replying to: busiris (Dec 12, 2012 9:28 am)
If I was advising someone studying to be an engineer, 3D printing would be right up there with robotics. Great fields to get into. As recent events have shown the people running the machines are not going to be high paid. Installation and Repair should be good for a while.

#15724 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [gagrice] by bpizzuti

Dec 12, 2012 (9:42 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Dec 12, 2012 8:17 am)
It is kind of funny when you think about it though. One of our biggest exports are import cars.

#15725 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [andre1969] by busiris

Dec 12, 2012 (9:45 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 11, 2012 3:50 pm)
About 3 months ago I had the occasion to rent a Malibu (2012 model, I think) for a week.
 
My view (remember, this was a rental unit) was positive.
 
The car had 8K miles. No squeaks or rattles that I recall. The way the dash was designed gave the impression of lots of room up front (I didn't pay much attention to the back seat), but the odd thing (perhaps not the right word) to me was how the dash was a 2-tiered design, with about a 1/2" wood grain strip separating the upper and lower halves. It gave me the appearance that there was some requirement to display wood grain somewhere, somehow, and that was the answer to the requirement.
 
I also thought the transmission selector handle seemed out of proportion, as in large. The seats were made of a charcoal suede-type material, and the door panels were, IIRC, some sort of soft plastic finish (neatly done, good fit and finish, but overall a slightly cheap look to it).
 
The ride was pleasant and relatively quiet, and the front seats were comfortable enough. The trunk appeared to be spacious and useable. The 4-cylinder supplied adequate power for my driving style, and the transmission shifted smoothly.
 
IMO, this particular car would have been an excellent choice for someone looking for moderately priced, comfortable and roomy transportation for a basic family of 2 adults and 3 (younger) or 2 (older) children. The cabin seemed to have a suitable design/layout, with controls placed properly.
 
Nothing screamed "luxury", but then again, this example wasn't designed to be a luxury vehicle.
 
I can't speak to any reliability issues, other than I had it for a week without any service issues.

#15726 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [busiris] by uplanderguy

Dec 12, 2012 (10:24 am)

Replying to: busiris (Dec 12, 2012 9:45 am)
The woodgrain strip was only utilized on 2LT and LTZ models, and cheaper models with beige interior. Our 1LT has just a flat silver 'inlay' (for lack of a better word) where the rental you had had the woodgrain strip. Our interior is black cloth.

#15727 of 18079 Re: The new US manufacturing [busiris] by steve_ HOST

Dec 12, 2012 (10:26 am)

Replying to: busiris (Dec 12, 2012 9:28 am)
3- D Printer technology is truly amazing, but as of yet, it only "prints" items in a relatively non-durable material.
 
Titanium not durable enough for you eh? (BBC)
 
Seems pretty far fetched but the tech may be here quicker than you think. The UP needs to get busy making feedstock (i.e., cut down all the trees again, this time for cellulose).
 
I can see it now - my Chevy was fabbed in my garage using US sourced feedstock from a Detroit design.

#15728 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [bpizzuti] by tlong

Dec 12, 2012 (1:02 pm)

Replying to: bpizzuti (Dec 12, 2012 6:57 am)
Know what else we export? Cars.
 
That's a really interesting article. I knew that we exported, but not how much. Some of the statistics are amazing
 
- GM made substantially more cars in China last year than in the U.S.
- 17 percent of "import" brand vehicles made in the US are exported
- BMW exported 70%(!) of one plant's US production.
 
The article also says that Free Trade Agreements are responsible for this ability. So it's not all negative regarding those agreements. The U.S. *can* compete, if not hobbled by the unions!

#15729 of 18079 Re: The new US manufacturing [steve_] by busiris

Dec 12, 2012 (1:32 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Dec 12, 2012 10:26 am)
Well, I stand corrected. Indeed, technology moves quickly these days...
 
I wasn't aware the capability to utilize more durable materials had progressed to this point.
 
Live and learn...

#15730 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [tlong] by busiris

Dec 12, 2012 (1:43 pm)

Replying to: tlong (Dec 12, 2012 1:02 pm)
- BMW exported 70%(!) of one plant's US production.
 
Yes, every BMW X3, X5 and X6 are made at the Spartanburg plant in SC.
 
Touring the plant, it's amazing to see totally separate models being assembled back-to-back, one after another, but I guess that's probably more common nowadays in auto assembly.

#15731 of 18079 Re: The new US manufacturing [busiris] by steve_ HOST

Dec 12, 2012 (1:45 pm)

Replying to: busiris (Dec 12, 2012 1:32 pm)
Pretty amazing eh? (although this is the 20th year of the technology, so it has been a while getting to the real material stage).
 
The feds are pumping a bit of money into the tech to stimulate it but Obama wants to make it a cool billion. Handle 3D printing with care (Yahoo)

#15732 of 18079 Re: Shopping "American" this weekend... [uplanderguy] by busiris

Dec 12, 2012 (1:50 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Dec 12, 2012 10:24 am)
The woodgrain strip was only utilized on 2LT and LTZ models, and cheaper models with beige interior. Our 1LT has just a flat silver 'inlay' (for lack of a better word) where the rental you had had the woodgrain strip. Our interior is black cloth.
 
As I said, it was a rental, and quite often rentals aren't very representative of what an individual would find on a new car lot.
 
The inlay I described would not keep me from considering the car, it just struck me as a little bit of an odd design. Of course, that kind of thing isn't limited to GM.
 
I was actually somewhat impressed with the suede type seating surfaces. I found it rather unique, and a comfortable surface to plant yourself on...

Messages Page 1574 of 1809

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