Are you proud of your american made automobile ?

[Skirkpat]

it's hard to blame the bean counters who run these companys, if you could buy a new Corvete for 50,ooo or get the exact same thing with a Korean nameplate, for 5,000 which would you buy? Same with Labor.

[panhandler62]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Lazy Americans who won't work for 60.00 a week, oh yah, Americans can't live on that can we?

Toyota line workers and GM line workers take home the same pay but GM has nearly double the labor rate. Unions god? Unions bad? There probably isn't a simple answer to that question but unions are certainly part of the equation that has GM bankrupting one of their lesser divisions today.

[special-K]

To answer the question,I ordered a K3500 single wheel pickup in`92 to work out of.I`m still working out of it,17 years later.I am proud of it.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by panhandler62

Toyota line workers and GM line workers take home the same pay but GM has nearly double the labor rate. Unions god? Unions bad? There probably isn't a simple answer to that question but unions are certainly part of the equation that has GM bankrupting one of their lesser divisions today.

I do agree that the Labor contracts are an issue, I will not stick up for the union leadership that has bloated contracts with rediculous benifits. But the truth is that Labor costs are a relatively small amount of the cost of an American car.

"The total labor cost of a new vehicle produced in the United States is about $2,400 which includes direct, indirect and salaried labor for engines, stamping and assembly at the automakers’ plants.

This represents 8.4 percent of the typical $28,4513 price of a new vehicle in 2006. The vast majority of the costs of producing a vehicle and transporting it to a dealership and preparing it for sale – including design, engineering, marketing, raw materials, executive compensation and other costs – are not related to direct or indirect manufacturing labor."
http://www.uaw.org/barg/07fact/fact02.php

All I am trying to say is I love my American Made Cars, Whether it is an import, or Domestic, but given a choice I will stick up for the Domestic brands because they use union Labor....The reason being that Union bargaining is what made Tha U.S. great, and while there are alot of downfalls, I believe it is still the best enviroment for an unskilled Laborer to work. I have alot more to say about American cars but I will spar eyou my long winded ramblings..

Oh and I currently own:

1969 Suburban 2wd
1969 C-30 cab & Chassis (Ramptruck or Shortbed?) 74,000 mi
1995 2500 Extended Cab 4x4 350/700r4 180,000 mi.
2001 HD 2500 4 door SHORTBED 496 big block, Allison Auto 172,000mi
2005 Ford 500 42,000 mi.
1995 E-250 Work Van 164,000 mi
1999 Explorer Sport 2wd 94,000 mi
1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera 148,000 mi
AND
2004 Mazda 6 51,000 mi

Luv them all and thanks to the men and women who built them all !!!!

[leddzepp]

I have a 72 C-10 SWB and a 72 C-20 LWB. I am proud of them both, and show it by driving one or the other every day.

[screwballl]

Look at the older vehicles on the road... how many are more than 15-20 years old and still on the road? I saw my first classic foreign made vehicles yesterday that I had not seen in at least 6 months or more, an early 80s Nissan Sentra and late 70s Honda... yet every few miles were all types and years of American made vehicles made 1990 and earlier on the roads. The most popular "classic" vehicles I see locally are GM trucks. On any given day you can see GM trucks that range from 1970 to new in this area and the classics (usually) run just as good as the newer ones. On occasion you will see anything from a Model A or T up to late 60s driving around, and ALWAYS American...

Locally, the foreign vehicles are almost always 10 years old or less, versus the American brands can range from new to 40 years old and anywhere inbetween. If I keep an eye on a tow yard a few miles from the house, the vehicles that are always towed due to problems or because of a wreck tend to be a non-big 3 vehicle, even though there is a good majority of local vehicles on the road that are made by the big 3....

[LEEVON]

I wish this picture had turned out a little better, but it's still one of my favorites. That's my boy, my country and my truck.


some reading if you're interested in my opinion: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/no...356813&index=3

[vectorit]

Awesome picture!

[Skirkpat]

I think you are wrong!! That pic is Perfect,

[t&tkennels]

i guess you can get a lemon whether it be an import or america.But i owned a toyota coralla that died @ 160,000mi, an isuzu pup that was on its last leg @ 180,000. i also just sold an 1984 ford bronco 2 that had 319,000 miles on it all that was ever replaced was an alternater & clutch.my sister has an acura legend & the timing belt went out @ 50,000 mi, her husbanb has a blazer with over 200,000mi. only problem was he had to get the ac recharged.my bro has a 00' stepside chevy with over 150,000mi. no problems at all. he also had a 1986 monte carlo with nearly 400,000 miles( he changed the oil every 15,000 to 20,000 miles)& the only problem he had was the computer went out .my boss had a 2000 mercedes with 60,000 miles & the wireing harness dry rotted( harness alone was $1,000) dealer said it was a common problem, his daily driver an 01' silverado has over 300,000 miles and has only had to replace a heater coil. so when i sum it up, i will never buy an import. their not as great as some people think.

[big_al_71]

I guess it depends on what part of the country you are in I can tell you that in South Florida you see Japanese Branded vehicles at a rate of 10 to 5 over any other brands. It is not rare for us to see a toyota with over 100k miles trouble free.

So if the big three were so great as some of you claim, how come they are asking for a bailout? Who is to blame?

Look at resale value, which companies hold their value better? Look at the quality,style, performance and overall satisfaction.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

I guess it depends on what part of the country you are in I can tell you that in South Florida you see Japanese Branded vehicles at a rate of 10 to 5 over any other brands. It is not rare for us to see a toyota with over 100k miles trouble free.

So if the big three were so great as some of you claim, how come they are asking for a bailout? Who is to blame?

Look at resale value, which companies hold their value better? Look at the quality,style, performance and overall satisfaction.

Toyota said it expects an operating loss of $1.66 billion for the fiscal year ending in March, compared with an operating profit of $25.2 billion a year earlier.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,471286,00.html

Want the truth? All auto makers are in trouble, SAAB is going out of Business, Isuzu is out already, Nissan , might file bankruptcy and has asked Japan for help in the future.....It is not just U.S auto manufacturers everybody's hurting, If you are in Fla. you should know that ?

[screwballl]

there will be solid vehicles of almost any make and model, it all depends on how they are cared for... it just looks like the cars on the road that you see every day, that the american vehicles, especially older ones last much longer than anything else.

There are several 1 million mile Chevy trucks out there... theres one saab, one volvo I think it was, and a scattering of other random non-US based... but there are more 500,000 mile plus american branded vehicles out there than any other...

[special-K]

Are only car makers suffering?Huh,I thought about everything,especially big ticket items,is hurting right now.What did the homebuilders do to cause a housing crisis?Alot of vehicles are being reposessed just like foreclosures.

Let`s get back to the question on pride in ownership.This is a seperate topic and economy turns into political these days.

[boatpuller]

well said special k.isn't this a chevy site?

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by panhandler62

I almost never buy new so my car money gets spent in the US no matter what I buy.

(My Toyota is 78% US. btw)

Originally Posted by big_al_71

somehow there will always be the "Buy american" arguement.

I personally buy whatever fits my needs and I can get more bang for by buck. It does not matter to me who,where or how it was built or by who.

These two statements pretty much sums it up for me too. I don't buy new vehicles, except for my motorcycle. And it's not made in American, or in the USA, but it was the best value for what I wanted.

If I only bought American, or only bought USA, my house and shop would be veeeeeery empty! Are there any electronic items made here anymore?

Heck, my US passport is not even assembled in the United States! Blank passports are sent to a company in the Netherlands to add the RFID chip, then it gets sent to Thailand (!!!) where the RFID antennas are installed.

I'm surprised to hear that Toyota and the like are sending all of their money back to the mother land. What are they paying their workers then, salami and crackers??

But I am proud of my 68 C10, even though it doesn't run at the moment. Heck, it's not even assembled. I am proud of my 70 K10, even though it only gets driven once a month or so at best. I am very proud of my 92 Subaru, with it's 30 mpg at 226,000 miles and all. I'm proud of my wife's TrailBlazer, even though it is not 100% USA produced.

My next vehicle will be an Audi A6. Sorry Powell! Sorry USA.

[special-K]

I can`t buy anything w/o giving thought to the American worker,because that`s what I am.I can`t say I don`t buy foriegn products,but I still give consideration.

I bought a Blazer in`90.I sold it in`07 w/193,000 miles.It just went and went.I bought it,paid for 5 years,then just drove it.I hated to sell that thing.I was proud for 17 years.