What do you think of the "buy American" mindset re: cars?

[Rocknrule]

I personally will probably never buy anything but Honda, Subaru, and maybe Toyota. Buying an (IMHO) inferior product just to say you're "supporting the home team" is foolish, especially when it comes to something expensive that you're trusting with your safety. What do you think? Are you a foreign or domestic person? What's your favorite brand?

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. It's quite likely your Honda, Subaru or Toyota...

Would be built in the US

One other thing;

You can buy a Ford built in Turkey.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. But by union or non-union labor? n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. You know the answer to that question.

And FWIW, I'm a Teamster.

[Rocknrule]

3. Mine is built in Ohio

That's 'Murkan enough for me

[NightWatcher]

4. I drive a Ford F150 that was made in the USA back in 2000

I like the fact that it was made here. The last truck I drove before that was a Ranger that was built in the USA. I put more than 280K miles on it before I sold it. I probably would never drive a Nissan or Honda truck.

I don't consider either of those to be "inferior".

[oldandhappy]

5. Was unaware of the mindset

I have a 22-year-old Ford 250 van and a 9-year-old Mini Cooper. Plan to drive both of them the rest of my life. I am 75. Both are great vehicles and let me live my way!

[csziggy]

6. I've always been a fan of GM cars and trucks, but I don't limit myself to them

And I don't buy for some nationalistic concept.

The best trucks I've had were the two GMC 2500 Suburbans - first bought new in 1977 and driven until the engine gave up in 1994 with something over the 270,000 miles that showed on the odometer which broke twice over the life of the truck. My second Suburban was purchased almost ten years ago as an off lease vehicle. It's a 1999 GMC 2500 and only has about 160,000 miles on it. It's being used more lightly than the original and will probably be the last truck I'll ever buy.

I owned a Ford F-250 diesel for a few years and it was not a good match - the diesel and I just didn't get along and I finally gave up on trying to keep it running. It was an OK truck, but diesels don't like sitting. My gas Suburbans don't mind sitting for two or three weeks in between trips into town.

On the other hand, over the years my husband's cars have been Buicks, a Honda Civic, a Toyota station wagon, and currently a 2006 Toyota Prius II. Before we got married I had a Toyota and a Datsun, he had a Volkswagon and a Peugot. The old Honda was too small as were the ones we tried out before finding the Prius last year when we were car shopping. My husband has long legs and many of the foreign cars just don't let the driver's seat back far enough. The Prius is a little close, but is doable.

Our next car will probably be a Prius IV unless we find a good deal on something that fits us better. We could use just a little more room than the Prius II for trips. But since we're not likely to buy new ever again we will go for the best deal on the best vehicle that fits our needs.

[Throd]

8. I prefer older American cars, but I'm not rational when it comes to cars.

If I were to buy a new foreign car I would probably get a Mercedes.

The Honda my wife bought (brand new) has been an absolute lemon.

[d_r]

9. we only buy American cars

union-made American cars from an American company.

[Major Nikon]

10. I try to buy cars with the greatest union made content

http://www.uaw.org/sites/default/files/2015vehicles.pdf

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. I don't like

"American" cars. I had one Ford, a 2000 Focus and it was a piece of shit. My dad stopped buying American in the 1980s and became a Toyota convert. I like Mazda, Toyota, Honda....had a great old Volvo 240 back in the day. Japanese cars have a long reputation for reliability.

[kentauros]

12. I think that I should have the freedom to buy

whatever the fuck I want

That same thinking also ignores the single biggest purchase anyone can make (unless they're more into supercars, most of which are not built in the US) and that is a house.

Unless you live in another country, your house was built in the US

[Taitertots]

36. And everyone else has the freedom to point out the impact of outsourcing jobs on the American....

Working class.

[kentauros]

39. It's kind of difficult to ousource the job

of building a house in this country, though

[mnhtnbb]

13. My last 3 cars have been BMW's bought when they were 2 years old with low miles.

My current one--2007--I will have had for 6 years this March--and it still has only 42,000 miles on it.

I had a Jeep (1988) prior to the BMW's and I liked it. Bought it new. Before that, I had
Nissans, which I also bought new. I had a disastrous Oldsmobile way back
in the late 70's and I dumped it for Nissan.

I probably won't buy another car for at least another couple of years. Don't know what
I'll do then.

[PasadenaTrudy]

23. I had a BMW once...

a 1973 2002! That car was such a blast to drive, I miss it. I haven't driven a newer one but I bet they are nice. Enjoy!

[Jamaal510]

14. With my budget and lack of driving expertise,

all I care about are if the price of the car is low, and if it is reliable and safe.

[bigwillq]

15. I've never bought an "American car"

I've always had a Nissan.

[olddots]

16. another worker bee here = truck owner

One Toyota ,one Ford ,5 G.M.s

We have a Prius and I would love a hybrid wagon or small truck .

[petronius]

17. No matter what I'm buying, I seek out union-made, in the US (CA if possible), from

a green-operating, blue-donating company. If I can't find an acceptable product (price, quality) within my criteria then so be it, but that's what I look for first...

[WinkyDink]

18. Toyotas now (had Datsun, VW, and Ford), but I wouldn't turn my snoot up at a Mercedes or Jaguar!

[tabbycat31]

19. I had a ford before my Subaru

Both cars were bought within weeks of each other (I bought the Subaru from my parents). When I bought the Subaru, it had almost identical mileage (within 1000) of my (dead) Ford. That was January 2007.

It's now January 2015 and the Subaru is still running.

THe Ford died at 116K and had problems after 100K. The Subaru (right now) has 247K.

My next car will be a Subaru.

[NV Whino]

20. I haven't bought an "American" car in years.

If Americans had built the kind of car I wanted—small, efficient and cost effective—I would have. But American manufactures went the gas-guzzling, behemoth route, so I went with Honda and Toyota.

But honestly, the nationalist broohaha doesn't matter any more. "American" cars are built in Canada and Mexico, and "foreign" cars are built in the U.S. Parts and components come from all over the world.

[cemaphonic]

21. Yeah, it's kind of an obsolete argument

at least from the standpoint of supporting American industry (there's also the issue of where the ultimate profit is flowing, but given the era of multinational corps that do everything they can to dodge taxes, I'm not sure that even that makes a huge difference anymore)

I know a lot of Suburu Outbacks are built in IN.

As for me, I've had much better luck with Suburus and Hondas than I have with Fords, so that's what I plan to stick with.

[hamsterjill]

22. I buy only General Motors products.

While I've heard other people complain about cars that they've bought from GM, I have never had an issue with any that I've purchased. I'm in my 50's and I've never bought anything else. Each and every vehicle that I've had has performed well, and most of them went well over the 100,000 mile mark before being replaced.

[OriginalGeek]

25. My grandpa would shake your hand

He still has the 1965 Pontiac LeMans he bought new and all his other cars have been GM too. Up until he got too old to hook up the Airstream to his Chevy Avalanche he drove all over the country. He's 94 and it was just too much work to hook the trailer up. SO he sold the trailer and bought an Airstream RV (Which is built on a 1 ton Chevy van chassis) and he goes to Airstream club rallys with his friends. Still has the Avalanche for his daily driver but we go over and take the Pontiac out for a spin a couple times a month.


UNBELIEVABLE UPDATE: As I was typing this reply my wife just texted me - the Chrysler has a crack in the radiator. Has to be replaced. Actually, this update is completely believable. I hate that POS.

[hamsterjill]

30. And I, sir, would shake his!

n/t

[OriginalGeek]

24. I will never buy another Chrysler/Dodge again for as long as I live

Our 2003 Town and Country (bought new) is falling apart while my 2002 Mazda B4000 P/U (which is just a Mazda-brand on a Ford Ranger) is as solid as the day I bought it (used with 22k miles in 2004). And I treat that truck WAY worse than we treat that minivan.

My Grandpa has been a GM man for as long as I have been alive (51 years) and I imagine the next cars I buy will be GM as well. My aunt's 2012 Camry has had its' own share of problems and you will be hard pressed to convince me a modern american-made car today is functionally less safe than a similarly priced import.

So since I believe (unless and until shown otherwise) that safety and quality are close enough, I'll set my sights on buying things that put American union members to work whenever I can.

And if it breaks I will take it to my locally owned shop to get it fixed. (or the warranty place if it's a warranty thing).


I reeeeeeeeeeally want a Camaro.

[HappyMe]

26. I have always figured

that since it's my money, I'll buy whatever I want.

[hunter]

27. I bought a new car once, many years ago. I'll never do that again, no thanks.

I currently drive a thirty year old POS with a salvage title. It cost less than $1000.

In my personal utopia we'd stop making new gasoline powered automobiles and start rebuilding our cities in a manner that makes automobile ownership unnecessary, even undesirable, for most people.

My wife and I were Los Angeles commuters, once upon a time. We've managed to avoid the commuter lifestyle for about a quarter century now.

I suppose that makes up for the insane amount of driving I did as a young man.

[liberal N proud]

28. And I will never buy a Honda, Subaru or Toyota

Or any of their luxury brands.

Their superiority is all in the mindset of their owners due to the brands being in the right place at the right time when American companies were in a bad place. That was much shorter lived than the Asian imports would like you believe and is no longer a valid statement.

[Blue_Tires]

29. Domestics until I die

(unless I win the lotto and can afford a Porsche or Ferrari)

[Fla Dem]

31. My first car was a mustang, then I switch to VW which lasted only 1 car, then for the next 20 year

it was all Nissan and Toyota's. But my last car, the one I'm driving now is a Ford/Lincoln. I did this precisely to support the American auto industry. The car is 3 years old and I love it.

[Ahpook]

32. I made the switch to Toyota recently

Actually a Scion TC that seems to treat me well so far.

My dad talked me into test driving Nissan and Toyota products. This was after years of driving Ford

[bif]

33. If you don't buy American, you're a terrorist.

[blackcrow]

34. I try to always Buy American

whether it's a car or anything else.

I drive a 1992 Buick.

[Taitertots]

35. Just don't complain about high unemployment when you outsource...

One of your biggest purchases.

We are the job creators. What jobs are you creating?

[TreasonousBastard]

37. Idiotic on all counts...

Mostly bigotry, largely because the Big Three dropped the ball in the 70's. Good and bad cars come from everywhere, and they are all made around the world. As already stated, "American" cars are made in Canada, Mexico and other places, and you might as well think of Honda as an American company.

I have a 2013 Chevy Cruze, bought new, that has had 4 or 5 oil changes in 45,000 miles and that's it for maintenance and repairs. Average 35mpg and it starts every day and runs with no problems. If I was buying another car, I'd probably look at GM first just because i'm happy with the Cruze.

[pipi_k]

38. No brand loyalty

whatsoever at my house.

We buy:


Whatever is affordable

Reliable

Decent gas mileage

Not butt ugly

Safe

Suitable for rural/Hilltowns driving on dirt roads



Any vehicle that can meet the most of those standards wins