Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

7263 messages, Last post on May 27, 2009 at 5:31 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?

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#6619 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [m1miata] by nvbanker Nov 30, 2008 (8:32 pm)
Replying to: m1miata (Nov 30, 2008 6:21 pm) Exactly, the Union is designed to manipulate the market and set wages artificially higher than the market will normally allow. Good for the worker, right up to the day when there is no longer a job for you because the industry has gone bust. Replies to this message: bpizzuti (Dec 01, 2008 3:24 am) nvbanker (Dec 04, 2008 9:49 am) imidazol97 (Dec 04, 2008 10:10 am) and 3 more... bpizzuti (Dec 04, 2008 10:37 am)
#6620 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [nvbanker] by bpizzuti Dec 01, 2008 (3:24 am)
Replying to: nvbanker (Nov 30, 2008 8:32 pm) You know this is stuff I hate to hear, as if the unions had horns or something. Why is it all of a sudden if there's a union the onus is 100% on the union to set the out-of-market wage, instead of the goofball at the car company that was dumb enough to sign a contract agreeing to it? It's up to the car company to determine what pay rate is profitable to pay their employees at. If they screw up that math it's THEIR fault, because union or no, they'd likely pay their employees too much (kinda like they're paying most of their non-union execs too much right now, for example). Now, mind you, the union isn't helping with the jobs bank and all...they're not innocent. But there's no way they should be carrying 100% or even 51% of the guilt. Replies to this message: nvbanker (Dec 04, 2008 9:49 am) imidazol97 (Dec 04, 2008 10:10 am) andres3 (Dec 09, 2008 4:34 pm) and 2 more... bpizzuti (Dec 04, 2008 10:37 am)
#6621 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [cooterbfd] by 62vetteefp Dec 01, 2008 (5:36 am)
Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 27, 2008 7:03 pm) "I figured as much. It just gets my gall to think that someone could spend tens of thousands of dollars on an education, only to be undercut by someone who makes literally a fraction of what you make. " Article in paper yesterday that lawyer work is being outsourced to India. Contracts go over there and they have rows of Indian lawyers going through them looking for errors. Guess that is a good thing. May soon not have any lawyers here. Naww that will not happen. Most of DC is lawyers and they will stop that somehow. Probably say it is not safe to have overseas labor looking at important contracts. May bring our country down it they make a mistake. Replies to this message: steve_ (Dec 01, 2008 8:17 am)
#6622 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [62vetteefp] by steve_ HOST Dec 01, 2008 (8:17 am)
Replying to: 62vetteefp (Dec 01, 2008 5:36 am) Legal research has been outsourced for decades. It's gone from the associates in the office to the 2nd and 3rd year law students to India. It's been shipped over there for at least 5 years - I remember bugging Bob/Marsha7 about it a couple of years ago. The guys in DC just mark it up 1,000% (Bob just marks it up 200%, lol). Follow the money. Time to play favorites? The automakers "agendas are diverging as they contemplate futures as drastically different car companies." Each Player in Big Three to Bring Its Own Plan (NY Times) The plans? UAW: Signaling More Concessions GM: Deeper Cuts, Possible Brand Eliminations Ford: Focus on Fuel Economy Chrysler: Looking for a Partner While Squabbling with Daimler Detroit Three: Making the Sales Pitch of a Lifetime (AutoObserver)
#6623 of 7263 Professional Politicans vs Big3 by motorcity6 Dec 01, 2008 (8:31 am)
It's a laugh when our Congress thinks they know more about building cars than Detroit..Granted our folks in the Motorcity have made some mistakes, but to be insulted by our congressional folks is pure hypocrisy..Our congress clowns never held a job in the real business world and we are letting them decide the future of our manufacturing base..Get real!!!! Class envy and class warfare--Autos are pure politics---Without lobbyist to pad their $160,000 congressional salary, these clowns would be lucky to make $10.00/hr in the business world.. The American/Detroit auto has become 100% political.. Solution: Let the UAW agree to 19.50/hr, full health benefits and no pension..Existing workers can take a buyout of $50,000 max depending on yrs of employment, and hit the bricks.. No gravy train lasts forever, you just take while the pot of gold is there, and go on with life.. Isn't the EPA political, and the auto BS coming out of California all enclosed in Politics??????????????????? The Bullitt runs like a champ, very smooth up to triple digits, perfect wheel balance and zippo driveline vibration..The 5-speed gearbox is smooth, however I would prefer an automatic..In reflection, my 71 SS350 Camaro still has the edge on the Bullitt, it was a great ride, those 90k miles in 18 mos with the Turbo-hydramatic slicing the shifts..Inflation--the SS350 stickered around $3,500 and the Bullitt was around $33,000.. I see where Ford on the 2010 models is using the Bullitt 315 HP and offering a performance pkg consisting of items from the Bullitt parts bin..I choose the Bullitt mainly due to the suspension goodies, lacking from the std GT.. It seems to draw a crowd, so that means it is subject to vandalism and that means it's a day car only..Got to keep the insurance company happy, no political stickers for it might just upset someone for a friendily scratch across the painted surfaces.. No doubt it would be a Kool-Aid drinker.. Replies to this message: gagrice (Dec 01, 2008 8:56 am) bpizzuti (Dec 01, 2008 9:45 am)
#6624 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [cooterbfd] by lemko Dec 01, 2008 (8:48 am)
Replying to: cooterbfd (Nov 27, 2008 7:03 pm) Heck, I've been saying this for years! Mr. Smith, why should McDonald's hire you? Well, I just got my PhD in Fryology from MIT last month and I'm furthering my studies in burger engineering. I also specialized in shake processing analysis at Cornell... Replies to this message: cooterbfd (Dec 02, 2008 7:04 pm)
#6625 of 7263 Re: Professional Politicans vs Big3 [motorcity6] by gagrice Dec 01, 2008 (8:56 am)
Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 8:31 am) Isn't the EPA political, and the auto BS coming out of California all enclosed in Politics? Good post, fair and balanced. I only put political stickers on my beater PU truck. Too many wackos allowed to run free here in LaLa Land. You are right that Our Congress is clueless about business, though they are the best money can buy. Every bit of legislation can be traced to a political contribution.
#6626 of 7263 Re: Professional Politicans vs Big3 [motorcity6] by bpizzuti Dec 01, 2008 (9:45 am)
Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 8:31 am) It's a laugh when our Congress thinks they know more about building cars than Detroit Not so much of a laugh these days, when Detroit is hemorrhaging money faster than Washington. Fact is, if the government (meaning us the taxpayers) is going to buy a stake in these auto companies (my much preferred method of "bailing out" companies...loans suck) then they have a right to a say in how the company is run, same as us if we bought stock directly. That being said, I agree with your solution on the UAW side...given today's job market and health care costs, that's a fairly sweet deal for both sides. You should seriously write your Congress-critters and let them know that that should be a condition. Matter of fact, I think I'll do that myself.
#6627 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [dieselone] by motorcity6 Dec 01, 2008 (12:18 pm)
Replying to: dieselone (Nov 25, 2008 10:39 am) Purdue is a great school, however was too close to Monticello, so I switched to Univ of Arizona..Pure playground in the 50s. Indianapolis was always the home base for the family due to real estate and rental holdings, Monticello was the "get away" destination, complete quiet and never ending work.. "Tippecanoe Springs" was the name of the farm and lake frontage., south of Monticello, had a large stone barn on the farm side which is a wine bar today as I understand.. South on Airport Rd.. Lake Freeman was created in 1925 after the completion of the Oakdale Dam on the south end as we had Norway Dam on the north end. Approx 12 miles between dams was the length of Freeman. Great boating lake and outstanding fishing combined with "no Public Access" made it a private and residential lake. My family become involved in the early 1920's with the purchase of the farm and frontage on the Tippecanoe River at that time. They ran a small fishing camp as a hobby and had a tenant farmer for the other side. When Freeman was created they sold approx 80 acres to the Northern Public Service. On Lake Freeman we had 5/8 of a mile of lake frontage. The fishing camp was disbanded during the early 40's when my older brothers went off to WWII. After the war the cottages were moved and we expanded our summer home, farming switched to sharecroppers. In 1952 our summer home was wrecked and a permanent dwelling was built. I left Monticello in 1957 to pursue other interests and my father sold the entire lake frontage and farm to a local car dealer. He kept 7 acres of lake frontage, high ground, which my stepmother had a house built on in 1971. We sold that off in 1988 and the last time I was near Monticello was 1973. I should have bought the house, but I was living in Detroit and couldn't figure out a way to survive in that great town of Monticello. The Contour V-6 was a hot little car with the SVT adding to the excitement of ownership. The Contour really never took off like Ford had planned, some what small sized interior I guess..I remember trying to obtain some of the suspension components on the carline from a Canadian machining source.. Enough history, sorry for the personal side.. The Volt will not sell in any big numbers, trouble waiting..The ethanol producers are taking a blood bath during these low pump prices---too bad Replies to this message: lemko (Dec 01, 2008 2:54 pm) bpizzuti (Dec 02, 2008 9:59 am)
#6628 of 7263 Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [motorcity6] by lemko Dec 01, 2008 (2:54 pm)
Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 12:18 pm) The amateur conspiracy theorists at work are telling me the recent low gas prices are a plot by the oil companies to drive the producers of ethanol and developers of alternative energy out of business - that they fear both will be successful and topple Big Oil. Replies to this message: bpizzuti (Dec 02, 2008 9:59 am)