Buying American Cars What Does It Mean?

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

Outline

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#7199 of 7263 in retrospect by prlady1 Apr 01, 2009 (9:58 am)
How interesting that this discussion began in 2006 with a speculation that seemed outlandish at the time...
#7200 of 7263 Perhaps they believe me now.. by m1miata Apr 04, 2009 (6:12 pm)
Told the people here that a GM bankruptcy was likely. Perhaps they may believe me now. Guess GM plans to hold on to Cadillac, Corvette and Chevy brands... won't they, as they head into restructuring. Just keep the RWD stuff, the rest is, well the rest, as in nothing too exciting. loren
#7201 of 7263 Brands to keep by nvbanker Apr 08, 2009 (9:26 am)
I have thought for years that GM had way too many brands. They should have 3, period. Chevrolet, Cadillac and Saturn. Looks like they're keeping GMC, which is redundancy defined, and Buick - also redundant as a cheap luxury car, and dumping Saturn, which should go back to its roots as an entry level, somewhat sporty car for young people, schoolteachers and secretaries. Replies to this message: stewpidaso (Apr 09, 2009 12:33 pm)
#7202 of 7263 nvbanker by marsha7 Apr 08, 2009 (3:48 pm)
I think it should be Chevrolet, Cadillac and either Chevy Truck or GMC Truck, and maybe the top of the line Buick could be an entry Caddy under the CTS...dump Saturn, Saab, Hummer, Pontiac and anything else I forgot...too many lines, probably too much overlap in having so many cars, and no real identity for many... Ford should dump Mercury and consolidate to Ford and Lincoln...too bad they sold Jaguar, as I would have liked it to stay in the Ford stable...Aston Martin, who needs it???...Volvo, was always in the forefront of safety and orthopedic seat technology, even back in the 60s/70s...nice to keep but I think it has been sold... Replies to this message: bpizzuti (Apr 08, 2009 4:29 pm)
#7203 of 7263 Chevy and Caddy...Period. by circlew Apr 08, 2009 (4:06 pm)
It's all about what sells. SUV's under a certain price point and trucks are exclusively Chevrolet. All upscale and specialty vehicles should be Cadillac. G8?? Chevy LaCrosse? Caddy Upscale AWD CUV/SUV?? Caddy. 2 Divisions that sell brands that are desirable, meet customer's expectations and are profitable. No More Clones (almost typed Clowns!) Prius fighter?? Chevy. Tesla S fighter?? Caddy. Easy. Regards, OW
#7204 of 7263 Re: nvbanker [marsha7] by bpizzuti Apr 08, 2009 (4:29 pm)
Replying to: marsha7 (Apr 08, 2009 3:48 pm) Actually, Mercury has some potential, if they start moving it toward being the new Mazda...slightly upscale, sporty vehicles.
#7205 of 7263 bpizzuti by marsha7 Apr 08, 2009 (4:39 pm)
But in order to maintain an brand name all its own, it needs enough models to sell, not just one or two...I do not think there is enough to maintain Mercury as a separate brand...do you??? Replies to this message: bpizzuti (Apr 08, 2009 5:04 pm)
#7206 of 7263 Re: bpizzuti [marsha7] by bpizzuti Apr 08, 2009 (5:04 pm)
Replying to: marsha7 (Apr 08, 2009 4:39 pm) Neither is there enough to maintain Lincoln (well, maybe just barely). Mercury needs a smoothed out Mustang variant to be the new Cougar, an Edge variant, and possibly one of those small SUVs Ford has over in Europe. That's another possibility, bring some of the Euro-only stuff over and sell them as Mercuries.
#7207 of 7263 GM by m1miata Apr 08, 2009 (8:59 pm)
GM may be Grand Memories now..... I would keep Cadillac, Corvette, GMC trucks, and work on some more entry level Cadillacs, say around the $28K range. Possibly import Opel for smaller cars. Drop the rest. There is nothing special about most all of the rest -- is there?
#7208 of 7263 Ford by m1miata Apr 08, 2009 (9:07 pm)
Ford / Mercury cars, such as the Milan, which is not too bad a lookin' gal, could just as well be a premium Fusion, or just switch plates. IMHO, the Milan is the better looker of the two. Just have a Continental and a Continental Sports model, like the old Mark VIII as the new Lincoln, and drop the Lincoln name. Continental and Continental Mark IX as Fords would be enough - Two cars, one medium large the other smaller and sporty.