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Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

7263 messages,  Last post on May 27, 2009 at 4:31 AM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires

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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#6625 of 7263
Re: Professional Politicans vs Big3 [motorcity6] by gagrice
Dec 01, 2008 (7:56 am)
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Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 7:31 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 (8:45 am)
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Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 7:31 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 (11:18 am)
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Replying to: dieselone (Nov 25, 2008 9:39 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
#6628 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [motorcity6] by lemko
Dec 01, 2008 (1:54 pm)
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Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 01, 2008 11:18 am)

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.
#6629 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [lemko] by bpizzuti
Dec 02, 2008 (8:59 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Dec 01, 2008 1:54 pm)

It's not amateur, nor is it a theory. The Saudis came out and said that they were concerned that if the price stayed too high it would impact oil use to a large degree. Presumably that would be because alternatives would become more cost-effective in addition to people simply curtailing their use of gasoline. So it's not too far of a reach..similar enough to large companies selling products at a loss to drive a smaller competitor out of business, which has been done many times.
#6630 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [bpizzuti] by andres3
Dec 02, 2008 (10:54 am)
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Replying to: bpizzuti (Nov 26, 2008 3:02 am)

But if you want complaining rights, you want Korean iron, since they'll stand by their product for 10 years, something the domestics don't want to do yet. Wish they would, good P/R decision that should boost immediate sales and not cost much to implement initially; the costs are all down the road, but by then they're out of the woods or out of business anyway.
 
I've been saying for years the domestics need to extend their warranties and stand behind their product equal to the Koreans with 10 year warranties and long bumper to bumper warranties, but no, they won't do it.
 
Why? I suspect because deep down they know their products are still crap.
 
Also, GM did extend their powertrain warranties (although not equal to the Koreans), and that is probably coming back to bite them really hard as it's been around for a few years now (when did it start) and may be a HUGE and main reason they are running in the red financially now. I didn't see how the Big 3 could extend their warranties and still make money, unless of course, they started selling Honda's and Toyotas.
 
I'm sure GM's warranty work expenditures accounting and logs are as cooked as Enron's books were.
#6631 of 7263
Who bails out the Bailer?????? by motorcity6
Dec 02, 2008 (11:12 am)
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All the good taxpayers!!!!!
 
I hope you youngsters keep on working hard and paying taxes to cover the bailouts along with my Medicare and SS checks..My lifestyle is depending on you all to cover the gas bills, insurance, villa maintenance fees, groceries, and property taxes. I will cover the balance of my living costs with the stock market games..
 
I had to fill-up the hungry GPGT with ethanol premium and lost 2 mpgs right now, what a farce the corny gas is!!!!
 
In reviewing the president-elect personnel picks and the choice of many exClintonites, I was truly disappointed to see that Sandy Berger was not selected for any document swapping/destroying cabinet position..The weasel would be a perfect choice..
 
See where Toy sales were down 34% last month, another bailout in the asking???
 
Another solution to the Big3 problem---$1500 tariff on every foreign transplant produced and sold in American..payable to our Treasury Dept...to pay for the bailout of the Big3..
 
Happy to hear Ford is healthy and will be able to replace any busted parts on the Bullitt...
 
Just maybe the American public will get the message, and boycott the Asian products..That's just nasty, isn't it!!!????
#6632 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [andres3] by steve_ HOST
Dec 02, 2008 (11:16 am)
Reply

Replying to: andres3 (Dec 02, 2008 10:54 am)

GM did extend their powertrain warranties (although not equal to the Koreans), and that is probably coming back to bite them
 
"If GM has done its accruals correctly, provisions should have been made to finance those costs at the time of sale."
 
Big if?
 
Note the chart there - GM's claims rate is up a percentage in the last year.
 
General Motors' Warranties (Warranty Week)
#6633 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [steve_] by motorcity6
Dec 02, 2008 (3:08 pm)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 02, 2008 11:16 am)

Never looked at a Korean Car, however, is the warranty transferable to the next party..Their names don't really set off any big desire to own..Resale on the Korean wheels is miserable, so I guess the warranty is a real come-on.
 
!00,000 mile warranties probably became a must for GM, however they aren't a big selling point to me..The most I ever had was on the Caddies, and had one engine replaced long after the warranty of 50k had gone south..free of charge..4.9 liter., piston slap when starting cold..no big deal..
 
The day I buy a Korean car is the day I rennounce my citizenship!!!!! Sorry, at 75, I not going to throw the Big3 under the bus.....
 
Kind of funny the banks and the big boys were bailed out quick with biggggg billions
and the auto companies are grilled and sliced up for effect, a drama setting, total political spin...Stevey, it's all political!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#6634 of 7263
Re: Big Day Coming Up!!!!!!!! [motorcity6] by gagrice
Dec 02, 2008 (4:44 pm)
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Replying to: motorcity6 (Dec 02, 2008 3:08 pm)

Sorry, at 75, I not going to throw the Big3 under the bus.....
 
At 65 it looks to me like GM keeps crawling in front of the train. They haven't done anything right for nearly 40 years. They are no more American than some Korean cars. Their Aveo is made in Korea. Now if you are interested in bailing out Americans. How about the building contractors. They represent a LOT MORE American workers than the Big 3. They want some of this easy money also. Nothing more American than your home built by Americans in America.
 
I just read today that several states including CA have asked for over $100 billion to keep afloat. Heck I could use $25 for when the pizza guy gets here.

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