[Cruzer]

' Many people are paying high taxes while the Sports stars are not lets. make a change. buy more American Cars Trucks.
and help keep this country growing. not growing over seas. Thanks Cruzer

[Useless]

Neat idea, but the dynamics of "American made cars & trucks" have changed. The last three Ford/Mercury vehicles I've owned (and the last Fords I will ever buy) were built in Mexico. My wife's Acura was built in Greensburg, Indiana. My Honda was built in Marysville, Ohio, and our Toyota Tundra was built in San Antonio, Tx. Our daughter's Toyota built in Canada.
Ontario, Canada produces more vehicles than any other jurisdiction in North America, and IIRC, the majority of GM vehicles are now built in Canada.

Fiat now holds majority interest in Chrysler, and they're churning out the crap to prove it. I looked at the Fiats while we were shopping for our daughter's car. Made me feel like Fred Flintstone. One thing the Fiat lacks is the one thing that might make it worth buying...... It needs a four foot blade underneath the cabin to spin around while the owner drives it around his yard, and the trunk needs to be converted into a grass catcher.

Speaking of Chrysler, I found a YouTube vid of "Jay Leno's Garage" celebrating the Ford Mustang's 50th anniversary. Of course, such a celebration would not be complete without the quintessential Rock Star of the American automobile industry, Mr. Lee Iaccoca. Jay was genuinely thrilled to feature Mr. Iaccoca, but for me, it was a bit heart wrenching to watch. Papa Time and Parkinson's Disease has taken their tolls on the man who's legacy to the automobile industry rivals that of Henry Ford.

[GMAN]

Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes and other foreign owned car companies are making cars in the U.S., while U.S. manufacturers are making cars abroad. I find that ironic. All of them are mostly manufactured in the southern states which are non union. Higher quality and lower prices at the dealership. I have only owned one so called foreign car in my life. I have always tried to buy American cars. One reason is the quality. I have always felt that cars made in the U.S.A. were of higher quality. I no longer feel that way. But, I still drive American cars that were made in the U.S.A., but they are older. Actually, I think that my wife's van was made in Canada. OOPS!!!

[Useless]

Originally Posted by GMAN

I have only owned one so called foreign car in my life. I have always tried to buy American cars. One reason is the quality. I have always felt that cars made in the U.S.A. were of higher quality.

C'mon, GMAN!! Have you forgotten about the quality of American made cars in the early to mid 1970's?? Remember the number one selling car in the U.S. during the late 1960's and early 1970's?? The VW Beetle?? Remember WHY it was the best selling car in America??

Remember the gas lines of 1973, 1974, and when The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979??

My first car was an (almost) new 1974 Pontiac LeMans that spent more time in the shop than it did on the road. Gas mileage was less than 10mp, and that was with the engine in proper tune. My second car was a 1976 Toyota Corolla that I drove well over 300,000 miles. Granted, I has to replace the transmission and the timing belt along the way, but even by today's standards, it was remarkable. By the time I said good-bye to it, it lookedand rode like every mile of it, but it was a tough little machine that was economical to drive and inexpensive to repair...... with far better quality than The Big Three were offering.

My father's 1972 Ford Galaxy 500 dieseled so badly we thought it had had acid reflux........ I had to talk him out of pouring Pepto Bismol into the gas tank. My mom's 1975 Chrysler Cordova had an annoying bump and rattle coming from the passenger side door that turned out to be a 12oz. glass Pepsi bottle, (remember glass soda bottles??) compliments of some UAW worker that was too lazy to dispose of it properly. I remember shopping a 1975 Ford Granada fitted with a door lock that wouldn't unlock..... and this was at the dealership!! Then, of course, there was the Chevy Vega, the Ford Pinto, and the Mustang II, and the Pontiac Sunbird/Chevy Monza. As for Chrysler?? The were plowing into the grave that Lee Iaccoca later had to drive them out of!!

By the time The Big Three came to terms with the fact that the quality issues facing them could no longer be ignored, the baby boomers who had graduated college were passing up American made cars and returning to the Toyota and Datsun (now Nissan) dealerships. The baby boomers who were coming out of medical schools, law schools, and other graduate schools were turning to Mercedes and BMW dealerships.

As an aside, remember National Lampoon's Vacation?? The Highway Queen Family Truckster?? I remember reading that the creators designed it to reflect all that was wrong with American automobiles. Methinks they did a great job of it!!

[Malaki86]

My '99 Chevy Blazer was built in Canada. My wife's '02 Subaru Outback was built in Indiana.

[VPIDarkAngel]

I don't think it should stop at vehicles. Trying to find apparel or electronics made in the US is a difficult task, but sometimes can be met with success.
As for the sports stars, don't buy their stuff, or tickets to their games, or the expensive cable/satellite subscriptions to their leagues.

As for vehicles, my first F150 was made in Norfolk, VA, and my current one was made in Kansas City, MO...
However, if I should come across enough greenbacks, a Hungarian Audi TT-RS would be in the mix, too.

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by Useless

C'mon, GMAN!! Have you forgotten about the quality of American made cars in the early to mid 1970's?? Remember the number one selling car in the U.S. during the late 1960's and early 1970's?? The VW Beetle?? Remember WHY it was the best selling car in America??

Remember the gas lines of 1973, 1974, and when The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979??

My first car was an (almost) new 1974 Pontiac LeMans that spent more time in the shop than it did on the road. Gas mileage was less than 10mp, and that was with the engine in proper tune. My second car was a 1976 Toyota Corolla that I drove well over 300,000 miles. Granted, I has to replace the transmission and the timing belt along the way, but even by today's standards, it was remarkable. By the time I said good-bye to it, it lookedand rode like every mile of it, but it was a tough little machine that was economical to drive and inexpensive to repair...... with far better quality than The Big Three were offering.

My father's 1972 Ford Galaxy 500 dieseled so badly we thought it had had acid reflux........ I had to talk him out of pouring Pepto Bismol into the gas tank. My mom's 1975 Chrysler Cordova had an annoying bump and rattle coming from the passenger side door that turned out to be a 12oz. glass Pepsi bottle, (remember glass soda bottles??) compliments of some UAW worker that was too lazy to dispose of it properly. I remember shopping a 1975 Ford Granada fitted with a door lock that wouldn't unlock..... and this was at the dealership!! Then, of course, there was the Chevy Vega, the Ford Pinto, and the Mustang II, and the Pontiac Sunbird/Chevy Monza. As for Chrysler?? The were plowing into the grave that Lee Iaccoca later had to drive them out of!!

By the time The Big Three came to terms with the fact that the quality issues facing them could no longer be ignored, the baby boomers who had graduated college were passing up American made cars and returning to the Toyota and Datsun (now Nissan) dealerships. The baby boomers who were coming out of medical schools, law schools, and other graduate schools were turning to Mercedes and BMW dealerships.

As an aside, remember National Lampoon's Vacation?? The Highway Queen Family Truckster?? I remember reading that the creators designed it to reflect all that was wrong with American automobiles. Methinks they did a great job of it!!

I do remember those events you mentioned. I remember all the recalls. U.S. manufacturers thought that they could put anything on the market and the American public would still buy their products. The found out differently. For the most part, I have had good luck out of
American cars. I put over 250,000 on a 71 Chrysler New Yorker. It never caused me a problem. The rear doors were just like new when I got rid of it. I did have a problem from a 77 Cordoba. We found out that it had a computer problem than eventually caused the engine to backfire and catch on fire. It never was right after the fire. I also owned a couple of Cadillacs. Both had a little problem with rust. The last one had a couple of small rust spots show up before I made the first payment. The car was only about 6 weeks old!! My mother owned an Impala that also had a problem with rust. GM was doing some experimenting with paint, or so we were told. I think they were just trying to cut costs. I don't recall a lot of problems with any of the big three during the 60's. I think most of the problems started to surface when the OPEC got control over our oil and the big three started to make those ugly kcars.

It seems that if you want to buy a car made in America you will be buying from a foreign owned manufacturer with facilities in this country. It has been more rare to hear of many recalls from these companies. None are union. While I think that the quality of American cars has improved from those dark days, it gave these foreign manufactures an opportunity to gain a major share of the global auto market. And the cost to buy American cars is ridiculous. I bought a new Cadillac in 79 for a little over $15,500. That same car today would cost at least $50-60,000. It is insane. You can buy a different brand for much less.

Volkswagen made a good, reliable, inexpensive car in the 60's and early 70's. It wasn't fancy and very basic, but was very reliable and affordable. It was a fun car to drive. Cars made during the 50's, 60's and early 70's were fun to drive. Most were not the best on fuel economy, but some did well, including the Beetle. All the big three had their economy cars. The newer cars are not as much fun to drive. If the big three would keep the quality up, lower prices and get rid of the unions, they would make buying their cars much more attractive to many Americans. I have friends and family who would never have bought foreign growing up. Since they started buying foreign, they would not buy anything else. The Germans and Japanese both make high quality cars and have done well in this country. Volvo and Saab have also made strong inroads into the U.S. market, especially Volvo.

American manufacturers let the world auto market in design and performance for many years. The Japanese companies have especially challenged them in design and performance. Mercedes and BMW have also done extremely well in the north American market. Competition has made them much better. I am not sure that the big 3 will ever regain the market share that they previously enjoyed before the mid seventies.

[Useless]

Originally Posted by GMAN

I do remember those events you mentioned. I remember all the recalls. U.S. manufacturers thought that they could put anything on the market and the American public would still buy their products. The found out differently.

I don't recall a lot of problems with any of the big three during the 60's. I think most of the problems started to surface when the OPEC got control over our oil and the big three started to make those ugly kcars.

The 1960's were in the latter part of the American "Heavy Metal" era. By 1972, American Heavy Metal was pretty much done for. As I recall, the quality in workmanship issues and the performance related problems began becoming more noticeable in mid-sized and full sized cars in about 1972. In the American economy cars, it was rather notable in about 1971. I remember reading a "Consumer's Report" article regarding that matter. After the EPA was established, the so-called "anti-pollution" equipment was introduced in 1972. That was still a few years before the advent of Catalytic Converters.

My dad was a sales representative who traveled a lot, and his car was his "office". His 1970 Chevrolet Impala was a terrific car. Two years and nearly 100,000 miles later, he traded it for a 1972 Ford Galaxy 500, which was garbage. I remember that our next door neighbor had a '71 Galaxy 500, and there was the difference between night and day in their performance. Our neighbor's 500 was a real gem. I remember that the anti-pollution equipment (which is when the cars started "dieseling") was supposed to reduce emissions, but they also reduced gas mileage by as much as 50%; so in the end, there was no real benefit from having them.

The Chrysler "K-Car" didn't hit the market until the late 1970's. President Jimmy Carter drove the first one off of the assembly line. The "K-Car" was the brain child of Lee Iaccoca, after he took the reigns at Chrysler Corp. Chrysler Plymouth was hemorrhaging red ink. The K-Car hit the market after the so-called "government bailout" of Chrysler Corporation; "so called" because the U.S. government never directly loaned a dime to Chrysler; all it ever did was guarantee the loans that were extended to C.C. to facilitate it's restructuring.

There was fierce opposition on Capitol Hill, with much grandstanding, political posturing, and self righteous indignation, until Mr. Iaccoca went to Washington, D.C. to testify before house and senate committees, and to lobby for Chrysler's survival. He arrived well prepared. He'd done his homework.

In the days preceding his trip to Washington, he led his management team in conducting exhaustive research in a very short period of time. He succeeded by showing the members of The House and Senate how many automotive manufacturing related jobs would be lost in their respective districts and states if Chrysler crumbled, and the devastating economic impact that those losses of jobs would cause.

His research extended far beyond steel and rubber. He has numbers that involved everything from glass, to the textiles and leather industries. The automotive industry is the second largest user of textiles. He also ran numbers on everything from to batteries, to electronic components, to fiberglass and plastics, to radios, stereos, and speakers, to light bulbs and fuses. His team has to work at lightning speed, they had to be able to prove their numbers, and they had to get everything right the first time. His strategies and campaigns were absolutely ingenious!! Those "bail-out" loans were all repaid years in advance, and the U.S. Government made millions off of the warrants it held.

As far as the unions were concerned, It was Mr. Iaccoca who dragged UAW to the bargaining tables with them kicking and screaming as he demanded concessions across the board. He did something that is all too rare..... oh, hell...... more like UNHEARD OF.... in today's times. HE LED BY EXAMPLE!! Mr. Iaccoca cut his own salary to $1.00 per year. In 1980, at Mt. Iaccoca's behest, The Chrysler Board of Directors voted to appoint UAW President Douglas Fraser to The Chrysler Corp's Board of Directors.

It seems that if you want to buy a car made in America you will be buying from a foreign owned manufacturer with facilities in this country. It has been more rare to hear of many recalls from these companies. None are union. While I think that the quality of American cars has improved from those dark days, it gave these foreign manufactures an opportunity to gain a major share of the global auto market.

Actually, there have been some recalls. Remember the Toyota/Lexus recalls of 2008, that had to do with the stuck accelerators?? As it turned out, those recalls were also (partially) politically motivated.

And the cost to buy American cars is ridiculous. I bought a new Cadillac in 79 for a little over $15,500. That same car today would cost at least $50-60,000. It is insane. You can buy a different brand for much less.

Volkswagen made a good, reliable, inexpensive car in the 60's and early 70's. It wasn't fancy and very basic, but was very reliable and affordable. It was a fun car to drive. Cars made during the 50's, 60's and early 70's were fun to drive. Most were not the best on fuel economy, but some did well, including the Beetle.
........All the big three had their economy cars.

Remember the gas wars of the 1960's?? In Texas, gas would drop to as little as 10.9 cents per gallon. With the exception of the baby boomers who were in high school or college, car mileage was pretty much of a non-issue. I remember that my mother's 1962 Cadillac Sedan deVille got about 6 MPG. Of course, that was also back in the days of filling stations. You couldn't but gas at a 7-11 until the mid to late 1970's.

The VW Beetle ruled the market until about 1972, when VW tried to make it bigger and started offering more options on it; it just wasn't what the VW "Bug" was ever intended to be!! The Big Three turned out their offerings of economy cars, but in terms of quality, they were pretty much garbage. The Chevy Vega had an aluminum block engine (with a notably short lifespan) and the Ford Pinto's gas tank was poorly engineered and dangerously positioned. I've forgotten what Chrysler/Plymouth offered.

Remember the Chevy Corvair of the early to mid 1960's?? Of course, Ralph Nader put an end to them.

The newer cars are not as much fun to drive. If the big three would keep the quality up, lower prices and get rid of the unions, they would make buying their cars much more attractive to many Americans. I have friends and family who would never have bought foreign growing up. Since they started buying foreign, they would not buy anything else. The Germans and Japanese both make high quality cars and have done well in this country. Volvo and Saab have also made strong inroads into the U.S. market, especially Volvo.

Fuel mileage and emissions standards, as well as safety requirements and crush-point engineering, have resulted in a certain sense of "sameness" throughout the industry. Although I'm only 29y/o, I remember the "Reveals" of the 1960's. They were events. Remember how in September of each year, the dealerships would hang huge curtains around the showroom windows, and serve hot dogs and sodas to the crowds of car fans, they'd have local bands come to perform, along with local DJ's, to serve as emcees. Then, in the evening, they would pull the curtains and "Reveal" the new models??

The days of stock car racing and street racing are pretty much done for. Gone are the big block engines, with the Holly four barrel carburetors, the Muncie "Four On The Floor- Rock Crusher" Transmissions, the Hurst shifters, the 3:83 and 4:11 rear ends, and the Cherry Bomb mufflers with "sneaker pipes". Except for the car shows, they're now just memories....... along with the Sears Catalogs, (Especially The Christmas "Wish Books") the Rex-All drug store with the soda fountains, the TG&Y "five and dime stores", the "Western Auto" stores, (who had ever heard of "Auto Zone"???) A&W Root Beer stands, (along with the car hops on roller skates), the drive-in theaters, and the jukeboxes.

I miss those days.

But, part of the trade-offs have resulted in cars and trucks that are far safer, more crash worthy, and much more efficient. When our daughter pulls out of our driveway, I'm thankful for the safety features. Now, if we could just get the idiots off of the streets and highways!!

American manufacturers let the world auto market in design and performance for many years. The Japanese companies have especially challenged them in design and performance. Mercedes and BMW have also done extremely well in the north American market. Competition has made them much better. I am not sure that the big 3 will ever regain the market share that they previously enjoyed before the mid seventies.

As Lee Iaccoca noted, part of the problems (although by no means all of the industry's problems) facing The Big Three have less to do with unions or corporate management, (although it by no means exculpates them) and far more to do with U.S. Anti-Trust laws. American Anti-trust laws forbid American companies from sharing research or working cooperatively in developing and improving technology. Those practices have always been allowed in Germany, Japan, and Sweden. There are legal means by which those laws can be circumvented to certain degrees, but they are far less cost efficient.

Who would have ever thought that "Mo-Town" would someday become the American symbol of societal rot??