Are you proud of your american made automobile ?

[fine69]

I have worked for Honda for 20+ years in Marysville, Ohio.

Dont currently own one. But i have had a bunch of Honda's. I new Civic. And a bunch of used cars. Love them.

That is exactly why we currently have 3 of the top ten selling cars in the USA. Quality, dependability and hold a great value.

And more domestic content per vehicle than GM, Ford, or Chrysler.

Also, with the economy sucking so bad i still have work available 5 days a week.

But to really answer the question of the whole thread. Am i proud of my
American made cars?

Only one made in America i currently have is my 76 Dodge Coronet wagon. And as we all know it made it cross country without a hitch in December.

NOT one single issue. Heck yes i am proud.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by fine69

I have worked for Honda for 20+ years in Marysville, Ohio.

Dont currently own one. But i have had a bunch of Honda's. I new Civic. And a bunch of used cars. Love them.

That is exactly why we currently have 3 of the top ten selling cars in the USA. Quality, dependability and hold a great value.

And more domestic content per vehicle than GM, Ford, or Chrysler.

Also, with the economy sucking so bad i still have work available 5 days a week.

But to really answer the question of the whole thread. Am i proud of my
American made cars?

Only one made in America i currently have is my 76 Dodge Coronet wagon. And as we all know it made it cross country without a hitch in December.

NOT one single issue. Heck yes i am proud.

Honda builds a good car, not the best which is my point, they are all good. In the current enviroment with gas mileage being as important as style or performance, AMERICAN car makers run neck and neck with everyone...numbers do not lie. I am glad you have a job, a good job. America needs manufacturing jobs like yours at Honda. Everyone bashes the big three for paying to much, when $50,000 a year is too much to pay someone who works as hard as UAW members work ( or a Honda employee), then this country has truly lost it's way. we are all in this together and should support ANYONE who gets up in the morning and goes to work, for a fair wage , and does not have their hand out at the end of it !!!!! I am proud to be AMERICAN, but Canada, and Mexico are both AMERICAN countries also, Think about that? it is a world economy and everyone can fit in driving U.S., Canadian, Mexican, Korean, German, English cars.....we ALL need jobs!!!!! (sorry if this broke a rule, it is car related though)

December 2008’s Top 10 Best-Selling Cars ( 1/2 are U.S. companys)

Ford F-Series: 41,580
Chevy Silverado: 33,340
Toyota Camry: 25,275
Honda Accord: 22,348
Toyota Corolla: 22,129
Chevy Impala: 21,148
Chevy Malibu: 17,355
Nissan Altima: 17,311
Honda Civic: 17,302
Dodge Ram: 16,618

[magsnubby]

I love my '56 Chevy 150 sedan. I'll be proud as hell of my '71 Cheyenne once it's finished. I am not proud of my '05 GMC Canyon that had to have the auto tranny replaced with less than 23K on it. I was not proud of my '01 GMC Silverado that went through two auto transmissions in less than 44K miles. I was not proud of my '89 RS Camaro that blew a head gasket at 30K. I bought all three of them new.

If GM ever decides to produce a quality vehicle again, i might buy another new GM product.

[vectorit]

I'm proud of my 68 K20 burb! 40 years old and still running on all of it's original running gear. Sure the engine and trans has been rebuilt, but the rest has not. Just cleaned up and wearing a fresh coat of paint, and inspection covers removed to change lubricants.

My burb has led a very trusty life with my family since new, never leaving the family stranded or even when I have had it by myself.

I've owned quite a few brand names in my driving career, only driving yota's when money was tight and gas prices were high. Since then I have grown attached to the little yota 4x4's, and have one now as a matter of fact since it is small and economical for a person like me.
I don't need to tow anything, don't need room for kids, nor do I live on a farm, so the small truck does me just fine as a single guy doin home projects n stuff. Plus it's paid for. (BTW my 02 Taco came out of the same manufacturing plant as my 68 burb in Freemont CA)

I do plan to buy a new car someday soon, and I will be looking at the Cadillac CTS. (The CTS-V looks frikin awesome! Did the Nurburgring in 7:59.32 Fastest sedan on street tires...)

I do know the older I have become, I am more apt to go American branded on just about everything these days.

[Skirkpat]

Some people are really bad at Driving, and or maintaining vehicles. My Mom and Sister are good examples of the later...you cold give them an Abrams tank and they would have parts falling off in a year, they are bad car owners, and as such have no right to evaluate the quality of the products they abuse and mis-use. just my .02

[texanidiot25]

1950 Styleline
1978 El Camino
1974 Camaro
1974 Grand Prix
1998 GMC Jimmy
2001 Pontiac GP GT
1990 Pontiac Firebird
1969 Chevy C10

to say the least, yes.

[grinch4om]

as a former ford, yota, mazda tech, quality is par for all. I saw no huge difference from one brand to another. I like fords performance cars, I like gm trucks, I like the fit and finish of hondas and yotas, I feel that the people like me,blue collar, are employed by the manufacturer in this country, that's good enough for me. I really don't care if a handful of people over seas reap the benefits because my brothers are raising their families on the foreigners dime. It is a world economy whether we like it or not. The days of total domestic cars are over.

[Mudder]

I worked for Chrysler for 31 years and have always had Chevrolets. The last two girlfriends I had were dumped because I didn't like them parking their cars in front of my house. The American car/truck makers have been getting a bad rap for many years.

[panhandler62]

My Toyota is more American than my Chrysler (both assembled in the US) but not quite as American as my 68.

[Dooley]

I keep seeing the bogus excuse that it's ok to have a foreign car because the transplants employ Americans. Bull puckey, I say! The foreign automakers home country has tariffs and roadblocks to the American automakers that guarantee no free market over there. An American vehicle's cost here at home triple and more over there ensuring their people will not buy a foreign car. If the American auto manufacturer got the same protection against imports they do, the workers employed at transplants would be employed in American car companies to meet demand in America. Foreign car companies take American jobs, then take the profits home, plain and simple.

[Shane]

Originally Posted by Dooley

I keep seeing the bogus excuse that it's ok to have a foreign car because the transplants employ Americans. Bull puckey, I say! The foreign automakers home country has tariffs and roadblocks to the American automakers that guarantee no free market over there. An American vehicle's cost here at home triple and more over there ensuring their people will not buy a foreign car. If the American auto manufacturer got the same protection against imports they do, the workers employed at transplants would be employed in American car companies to meet demand in America. Foreign car companies take American jobs, then take the profits home, plain and simple.

Meanwhile GM, Ford and Chrysler continues to move jobs out of the country.

[bhoeger70]

I have a 1994 sub with 222000 on it, I have replaced the starter twice and the alt. once, two drivers side front drive shafts and four mufflers to me it has been a good truck, drivin nicely (60-65) will get me 17 mpg and still get 14 mpg pulling a 3200lb boat. My 2003 Impala will get 30 mpg at 80 and seats 5 with a huge trunk. From what I see fit and finish are on par with the Asian imports. I still think to many people believe what any mag. will write without going to check for themself.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by Shane

Meanwhile GM, Ford and Chrysler continues to move jobs out of the country.

Just wondering what jobs you are talking about? The UAW has not authorized any job outsourcing that I am aware of ? Please explain, I must have missed something

[chevyboy55]

My very first car was foreign(vw bug 57 small window) but it does not count because it never ran. I just bought it because it had diamond button tuck interior,fiberglass fenders & a 8 track stereo & I could sit in the driveway in it listening to Deep Purple & The Doors pretending I was driving to the Huntington Beach pier. My wife & I both own American made vehicles,although I must admit the best lawnmower I've ever owned by far was a Honda mower.

[69gumby]

The fact is Honda and Toyota are Japanese car companys not American. Everyone that buys one of these cars sends their 20 odd thousand dollors out of this country. They use and pollute our land to make their money while paying a few bucks for labor. I have and always will drive American Cars even if the Big Three go under I'll just have to keep an old American car running till the day I die. I will not buy a car from a company that is owned buy a country that attacked us and tried to kill my father along the way. Let them build their cars in their own country and let us charge an import tax. Now let's see how well you all like your Toyotas and Hondas.

That said I drive a 2000 Pontiac with almost 96,000 miles and my 69 truck. I have never had to do anything other than the routine maintenance. The paint and upolstry are perfect. That's an American car.

[screwballl]

Originally Posted by 69gumby

The fact is Honda and Toyota are Japanese car companys not American. Everyone that buys one of these cars sends their 20 odd thousand dollors out of this country. They use and pollute our land to make their money while paying a few bucks for labor. I have and always will drive American Cars even if the Big Three go under I'll just have to keep an old American car running till the day I die. I will not buy a car from a company that is owned buy a country that attacked us and tried to kill my father along the way. Let them build their cars in their own country and let us charge an import tax. Now let's see how well you all like your Toyotas and Hondas.

That said I drive a 2000 Pontiac with almost 96,000 miles and my 69 truck. I have never had to do anything other than the routine maintenance. The paint and upholstery are perfect. That's an American car.

More cars are built in the US and exported than are imported. Starting in the mid 90s, Toyota, Honda and other plants with factories state-side becan increasing production and exporting more than they import. With most of the parts made and manufactured and assembled right here in the US, it has gotten to the point where Toyota and Hyundai is more of an American product than any of the big 3. The big 3 have outsourced the parts manufacturing to Canada and Mexico, with a few specific computerized portions coming from overseas, and only the assembly of the vehicle itself is handled within the US. Latest numbers show 35-45% of the total vehicle's parts that the big 3 use in their new vehicles are made outside of the US.
Yet For Toyota and a few others the number is much lower, usually 5-15% come from outside of the US.
Anymore it is more of American pride in the roots of the big 3, regardless of how or where the modern vehicle and its parts is produced.

One major startup I am keeping an eye on is Tesla. they are one of the few that also use a large percentage of American made parts aside from some computer or electronic parts. I believe a good majority of the parts in the Chevy Volt will also be manufactured stateside but as it is released and demand increases, some parts may end up being made overseas.

Welcome to the new millennium and our shifting global economy.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by screwballl

More cars are built in the US and exported than are imported. Starting in the mid 90s, Toyota, Honda and other plants with factories state-side becan increasing production and exporting more than they import. With most of the parts made and manufactured and assembled right here in the US, it has gotten to the point where Toyota and Hyundai is more of an American product than any of the big 3. The big 3 have outsourced the parts manufacturing to Canada and Mexico, with a few specific computerized portions coming from overseas, and only the assembly of the vehicle itself is handled within the US. Latest numbers show 35-45% of the total vehicle's parts that the big 3 use in their new vehicles are made outside of the US.
Yet For Toyota and a few others the number is much lower, usually 5-15% come from outside of the US.
Anymore it is more of American pride in the roots of the big 3, regardless of how or where the modern vehicle and its parts is produced.

One major startup I am keeping an eye on is Tesla. they are one of the few that also use a large percentage of American made parts aside from some computer or electronic parts. I believe a good majority of the parts in the Chevy Volt will also be manufactured stateside but as it is released and demand increases, some parts may end up being made overseas.

Welcome to the new millennium and our shifting global economy.

Do not know where you got your #'s but I will site my source and you can evaluate it's accuracy from there.
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story....ts&subject=ami

these are the facts I have seen:
"it's hard to deny that among the most popular U.S.-built cars and trucks, the models with the highest domestic content ratings come from Detroit automakers. Of the 35 most popular U.S.-built 2008 and 2009 models — based on sales through May 31, 2008 — 43 percent of GM, Ford and Chrysler contenders had domestic content ratings of 75 percent or higher. In comparison, just 25 percent of the Nissan, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota models on the list achieved that."

[screwballl]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Do not know where you got your #'s ....

The numbers vary greatly depending on manufacturer and model as they stated in that same Article.

"By most measures, Detroit automakers come out ahead. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration measures domestic-parts content ratings across the industry. Among the 58 models with ratings of 75 percent or higher, foreign-based automakers produce just eight (7.25%). Conversely, Detroit automakers produce just 24 of the 140 models with domestic content ratings of 10 percent or less (5.83%)."

Toyota Sienna (85 percent domestic content) and Tundra (80 percent)
Ford Escape fell from 90 percent for '07 to 65 percent for '08, while the Edge dropped from 95 percent for '07 to 70 percent for '08.
Chevrolet Aveo is built by Korean automaker Daewoo which makes it "essentially a zero-parts content" car for GM. In contrast, the Michigan-built Buick Enclave is mostly domestic.
* Ford F-150: 80% domestic content, down from 90% for '07
* Chevrolet Silverado 1500: 85% for '08, down from 90% for '07
* Toyota Camry/Solara: 68% for '08, down from 78% for '07
* Honda Accord: 60% for '08, down from 65% for '07
* Toyota Corolla: 50% for '09, down from 65% for '08
* Toyota Matrix: 65% for '09, down from 75% for '08
* Dodge Ram: 68% for '08, down from 72% for '07
* Honda Pilot: 70% for '09, same as '08
* Honda Civic: 70% for '08, up from 55% for '07

So I guess my numbers should have said 15-45% foreign made parts in the big 3 vehicles??

My point was that as the big 3 has been reducing the American made content for their vehicles, most of the non-big 3 that manufacture here in the US have kept it close to the same (slight drops) or have increased their American based content. If you notice, the more popular and longer running a model is for the big 3, the more likely they will contain more foreign based content as the model continues. The Ford Edge and Escape are still fairly new models so the early models will contain more US based content... yet the long running Dodge RAM in cooperation with Mitsubishi, has less US-based content...

[special-K]

Yes!

[see ten]

I've got three 72 chevy pickups, custody of an 80 Z28, a 54 Chevy 210 and a 2006 Nissan 350Z. I caught some flack from guys around here when I first mentioned bringing a Nissan in to the fold. But I'll repeat what I told em then. Nissan (as well as lots of "foreign" auto companies) provides thousands of jobs for US citizens. We looked at and drove a LOT of cars before bringing home the 350Z. If there had been a US made option that made the same kind of power AND got the same kind of mileage combined with the fact that it was a good looking car....I would have bought it instead. You can't say I hurt the US market when it didn't have anything that compared to what we brought home.

[panhandler62]

A G6 GTP would be a similar performer .. but its looks take some getting used to.

Then there is ...
http://www.pontiac.com/solstice/?seo...tch_|_solstice

http://www.pontiac.com/compare-vehic...25705%5EA24138

But the 350z is cool..

[boatpuller]

i buy american made if i can.i know there are lots of stuff on them thats made in mexico or canada.but,i feel the trickle down and related effect jobs help americans more than a japanese company building in the u.s.the jobs they create for american's are great,but i can't help but beleve the bigger profit portion benifits the japanese.why else would they do it? the goodness of their hearts? i don't think so.and yes i own 3 gm's and have owned over 30 vehicles in my life time and only one foreign a 74 mazda pickup during the gas crunch in the late 70's.

[see ten]

The solstice was only available in a convertible and she wanted a coupe. 300hp in a car that's the size of a go kart makes the Nissan a monster. It also gets 27mpg while driving it like you stole it. Dollar for dollar I couldn't find anything close.

Dooley is also correct. They build em here so that they don't have to pay import tarriffs. Even so Thousands of people in the US have jobs because of them. And as previously stated not all US badged cars are built here. Call Bull Hockey all you want but competition is good for the industry! How boring would it be if all we had to choose from were GM, Ford and Dodge??

[67ChevyRedneck]

Interesting read:

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story....ts&subject=ami

[byrd]

Here is a good read and the REAL reason why the big 3 are having problems.

http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/02/17/ma...acturing-jobs/



Please read the full article linked from that site in a PDF file.
You will see it is really not totally the big 3 and most importantly is IS NOT THE UNIONS fault.
The union does not design and enginerr the vehicles that the big 3 produce. They just put together what they are told to build.

Why is it when the big banks and wall street needed money( BTW we bailed the banks out in 88' as well, anybody remember that?) the government gave them a free handout with no stipulations, meanwhile the same idiots that ran them into the ground are STILL RUNNING THEM!!!
When the GM and Chrysler asked for money they are putting all kind of rules and regulations on them and trying to force the UAW worker to take reductions in the their pay and benefits? WTF??? Now it is fully known that the production workers only build what the desingers and engineers want to produce why is it the production worker that has to take a cut in pay when the fault of the company is not in their control?

PS Thank god for unions,
You know the people that brought you the weekend, 40 hr work week, 8 hr work days and overtime pay so that we may enjoy this life that we have been blessed with and not have to spend every waking minute at work to support our families.

Btw I have 3 GM and 1 Chrysler and will never, I repeat never by a foriegn car, built here or not.

98 chrysler cirrus, 162,000 mile, 24 MPG daily driver, no problems to speak of
05 Cobalt, couple of recalls that GM fixed(first year production model, happens to all manufactors, not just GM)
41,000 and not trouble, 32 MPG
69 truck
67 truck, well sorta