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Automotive News & Views Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?
7263 messages, Last post on May 27, 2009 at 4:31 AM
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With parts coming from everywhere, does "Buying American" have much meaning anymore? Is quality and price the bottom line?
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Sep 26, 2008 3:43 am) Houses down by 20%? Miami is still double of the 1-1-01 values. House values are way up from 2001 levels, everywhere. Cars are better made and more affordable compared to then. I know someone who paid $22,200 for a new 1998 Civic with hand crank windows. Are you saying America has a high confidence in itself now? Where is that info coming from? 10 years ago? You mean just before the tech bubble burst that turned taxpayers into loss claimers when they filed? It suprised you that tax receipts went down after that? The US Embassy, the Cole, the first WTC attempt and the planning of 911 happened on whose watch? The world liked us then? We woke up and realized we needed a military on 1-1-01. It wasn't going to be free. Any surplus we had was derived by not keeping up the military and taxing the tech bubble, two things that had to end.
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Replying to: fintail (Sep 26, 2008 8:29 am) The postwar Europe is so far superior to prewar Europe that there is no comparsion. To say that Europe went from one bad ideal to another is not true. fintail: there's every reason to expect anti-Americanism there, especially among the young. The cultural disaster being seen is a postwar creation.? What they hate is that, after World War II, the European powers had basically either destroyed (Germany) or exhausted (France and Great Britain) themselves, and America was now the dominant world power. It was also the dominant cultural power (which, from a European standpoint, was probably even worse). One can understand some resentment in the wake of World War II. When an entire continent is basically destroyed and virtually broke, and largely from its own doing, blaming outsiders is expected. But such feelings are, in the long run, hardly productive. fintail: Generally the older people don't hate Americans so much, in my experience...but the youth are jaded and skeptical at best, as they should be. Being jaded and skeptical generally comes from having too many things handed to a person. The jaded and skeptical tend to think that the current standard of living is a birthright (so they can pretend not to care about it), and it it goes away, it can somehow be legislated back into existence, without too much effort on the part of anyone. Which, right now, describes far too many young Europeans and Americans.
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Sep 24, 2008 7:24 pm) The US currently charges a 2.5% tariff on all (non-NAFTA) imported cars and a 25% tarif on all (non-NAFTA) imported light trucks. |
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Replying to: grbeck (Sep 26, 2008 7:23 am) I don't know, the dash on my '07 is 3 or 4 different colors, the panels are mismatched, you can see the mold release lines across the top of the IP over the radio. I would say it is average in fit and finish. If you are comparing an '03 Accord to an '03 Taurus, I am right there with you, but I think with the Fusion the gap shrank alot. The Accord still bests the domestic competition in handling, refinement and reliability. Eh reliability is arguable. Even handling, where the 3 year old Fusion was within 4 tenths of a second of the brand new just introduced boat from Honda, or where it beat it in skidpad lateral grip implies that its not the case. And no domestic company offers anything like the Accord V-6 six-speed coupe. Hmmm an oversized "personal luxury coupe" makes me think T-bird and Monte Carlo, but if people like 'em, its fine with me. they still rely on fleet sales for a fair amount of their total sales. Don't confuse "fleet sales" with "rental car fleets." Businesses buy them because they are inexpensive to buy and maintain, and they are reliable to support the needs of a business.
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Sep 26, 2008 6:27 am) It amazes me how people complain about the dynamics of an automobile after they have purchased it - did you even bother to test drive the car? If so, then why did you buy it? Oh, and let me guess, you have the LX model with a slushbox and the hard as nails OEM Michelin tires that are good for only one thing - fuel economy. As for me, I thoroughly enjoy my 5-speed '03 Accord EX-L. It doesn't handle like my previous BMW, but then again, no other car that I have driven handles like a BMW. But it's not bad, and the 4 banger with a stick really give it some zip and make it more fun to drive. My parents Camry can't compare. And I get great gas mileage too. |
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Replying to: m1miata (Sep 26, 2008 7:56 am) Its price range was what got it in trouble. Every hot hatch would spank it, and then it couldn't compete with the 10k less expensive Scion tC, which by every account I have read, is no sport anything. The Prelude didn't fair much better and apparently got morphed into a Monte Carlo, I mean Honda Accord Coupe. At least the Civic SI is a legitimate entry, with a 6 spd and limited slip differential like the Nissan Sentra SER. |
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Replying to: m1miata (Sep 26, 2008 8:19 am) Yes because people in places other than the central coast love to drive RWD vehicles in this white stuff that falls from the sky, much like rain, in the months between November and March or so. Every rear drive platform that has come out in the last 4 years has an AWD version because people don't like RWD in snow. It wasn't that it was too expensive, its just that its a bad idea. |
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Replying to: pmomtv (Sep 26, 2008 9:28 am) Also, where are the inspiring US cars? SILENCE. There is nothing that inspires me and many others as well. I might as well buy an Asian brand because nothing the US makes comes close. The Malibu is the only sedan under $30K that competes. Other than that, boring cars. Regards, OW
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Replying to: dave8697 (Sep 26, 2008 8:59 am) The best part of that is come November, my responses, views and opinons are worth exactly the same as yours. You admit the media runs down the country. News reports News. They don't "run down" things, they say what happened. Fox, which isn't news, is more of a reality show following the President. Houses down by 20%? Miami is still double of the 1-1-01 values I am glad you are continuing to enjoy the bubble...what is the forclosure rate down there? On my map it doesn't look so good. I know someone who paid $22,200 for a new 1998 Civic with hand crank windows. I wouldn't admit that to too many people, or I would get them credit counseling. We woke up and realized we needed a military on 1-1-01. No, we didn't. If we had, the US citizens would've bought war bonds and supported their military just like every other war we needed to be involved in, instead of selling the country to China to pay for it.
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Replying to: pmomtv (Sep 26, 2008 9:28 am) Actually, it is an EX 4 door 5-speed manual with Bridgestones, and because I got $4000 off, I thought the deal would compensate for its lack of driving dynamics. My '93 Accord EX 4 door 5-speed manual was much more fun to drive. Was it a mistake? Definitely. Do I have buyers remorse? Certainly.
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