GFerg

When domestic automakers had their backs to the wall 25 years ago, they could count on a "Buy American" sentiment to keep some customers from defecting to fuel-efficient foreign cars.

Today, many loyal domestic vehicle owners say they would be comfortable buying an import.

Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, says the confusion over national origin means consumers are less likely to try to help fellow Americans by buying a domestic vehicle.

"Basically, they throw their hands in the air and just buy what they like," Spinella said.

When CNW surveyed shoppers coming out of Wal-Mart stores, 75 percent said they preferred to buy American, yet an inspection of their purchases found that 90 percent were made in China.

For about one-third of car shoppers, where a vehicle is built may be moot because they don't include domestic brands on their shopping lists, according to CNW's research.

That's undoubtedly due in part to lingering perceptions about quality problems as well as styling issues.

"There's no real American product I want, except maybe the Chrysler 300C," said Chicagoan Curtis Patterson while browsing new models Monday at an Orland Park Acura dealership.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ck=1&cset=true

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

'nuff said...

Faraaz23

So this poses the question to all u people very familiar with automotive economics. What supports our US economy more.... buying a Camry made here in the US with american labor and (at least mostly) american parts. Or, buying a Ford _____ made in Canada or Mexico?

To me, I'd guess that the money spent on the toyota is helping support many US workers and suppliers, even though the net profit is going to Japan. However, with the Ford, the net profit goes to an american company, but the suppliers and laborers may very well not be american.

Lexmex

I like to buy American when I can, but not when it hurts me $$$ or in quality. Some of the Dodge hi-performance models and the Corvette interest me. The Pontiac Solstice is a great design but underpowered.

However, my next vehicle (to go along with my RX) when I get back to the states will be a 1964-68 Ford Mustang. Now that was an American car!

Lil4X

I agree, styling and value are major concerns for me in purchasing another American car - despite the fact the lines are very blurred as to what constitutes a "domestic" anymore. In some areas, American iron still has the upper hand, especially in full-sized trucks, although Toyota in particular is making rapid progress.

Lex, that 64-68 Mustang would be ideal for a project car - no matter what direction you want to go with it. As a restoration there are still plenty around available in a range of prices. Whether you want to build it as a frame-off full restoration, plenty of original and substitute parts are available. If you want to do a modern interpretation of the early 'stang, there are modern crate motors and plenty of suspension and brake upgrades that would let you bring it up to modern standards.

I owned a '67 Mustang V-8 notchback, and loved it dearly. I bought it new just before I went to grad school - and it would serve me through another year and a tour in the Navy. Although it was largely stock, it would go. stop, and corner reasonably well for a Ford Falcon, on which the platform was originally based. There was a tremendous amount of untapped potential in that car - untapped because it was built as a hedge to original tooling. Beautiful as it was, It was burdened with the suspension and running gear of an econobox.

I've always wanted to go back and see what could be done with double wishbones, a four-bar rear end, coilovers, a rack and pinion steering box, and a boatload of urethane bushings to make it handle. With modern discs and calipers, it could also be made to stop, something of an issue when rat-racing the 4-wheel drum set-up. Finally, POWER! Look what can be done with a modern interpretation of the old 289! Yikes! Coupled to a more recent vintage 5-speed through a lightened flywheel and competition clutch, you might have to take out a bank loan to keep it in rubber.

Practical transportation? It could be, but it would be fun to see what that pony could do with the hobbles removed!

duker9mm

Maybe if ford and chevy stop building cars that look like they were made in 1990 they would sell more!

Every chevy and ford looks like a peice of rental car junk, -corvette and gt40.

Example= Lastest and Greatest- chevy impala or ford fusion, PLEASE????

Lexmex

Ford Falcon. My dad had one of those and it always had blow by issues. My uncle (his brother) had several nice Mustangs all decked out and supercharged that they would race up in Ohio. I had a friend in high school with one and friends at my track let me take them down the track during warm-ups. There was just something about those beautiful machines that always intrigued me. I tried to get a Mustang down here, but way too expensive, so a stateside Mustang will be my calling.

Once you have a classic Mustang, you'll always feel in style is what my uncle used to say about them.

diablo1

Economically speaking, I think the most "patriotic" think you can do is buy a car that is a good value and high in quality. Let's say you can get a Japanese or Korean car for $2,000 cheaper than a similar American car. That's $2,000 extra that you can spend on a nicer house, made by American workers employed by an American contractor. Let's say your foreign car requires $300 per year in maintenance while the American car would cost $500. That's $200 extra you can spend on a couple nice dinners at restaurants owned by Americans, where your waiter will be American and you will eat American ingredients grown or raised on American farms.

This is not the best thing for American auto workers. Clearly for them, the best thing would be if you bought an American car, no matter how high the cost and how cheaply it is made. However, if you think about the economy as a whole, rather than just the auto industry, you will see that it's better to buy a cheaper, higher quality car, regardless of where it was built. Then you have more money to put into other parts of the economy.

America is becoming more of a service-oriented rather than manufacturing-oriented economy. This has been happening probably for 50-100 years, and happens gradually in all industrialized countries. I grew up in New England, where there are tons of deserted or remade textile mills in all of the river towns. When textile manufacturing left the area, it was devastating for the local economy. But ultimately the economy realigned itself with better, higher-paying jobs in tourism, finance, and education. The same thing will happen in Detroit. Going out of your way to pay too much money for a low-quality car is not doing a service to anyone in the economy, except for the very small fraction of people who work in the auto industry. For those people the declining American auto sales won't be fun. They may have to move, go back to school, etc. But for the overall health of the economy, it is for the best.

Trexus

Very well written. I would like to add that when we buy for example a Toyota which for the most part is a dependable and reliable car. I can resell it as a used car and it can be sold again and again whereas an American will be purchased brand new, it will last for about 50K miles then you have to most likely throw it away because it takes too much time and costs a significant amount of money to fix, repair and maintain. My point is Toyota cars help the economy by being efficient, dependable, reliable, of high quality and priced reasonable so you can do more things with the money and time saved.

bmgs400

Like paying $100,000 for a new Cadillac sports car...like GM thinks they make a car worth that much $$ is a pipe dream, but I saw in in Car and Driver mag...my thoughts is they are getting really desperate and hope the built in America tag will get suckers to buy very high dollar junk.

plex

iTrader: (11)

A lot of imports are designed and made right here in the US anyway.

mmarshall

The statement that patriotism doesn't sell cars today is incorrect. There are a number of places in the U.S. where it DOES...especially in the upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. Granted, this is less true than in the past, but in states like Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin the mere mention of " foreign" nameplates will get you a dirty look, or worse......this despite the fact that several Japanese companies operate plants in the Midwest and hire American labor. My experience in dealing with this mentality is that much of it is based on ignorance......the idea that we are still fighting World War II, that we are supporting ***** and "Japs" if we buy cars from these countries or the idea that somehow we can shut ourselves off in the Midwest from the rest of the planet and pretend like the auto industry these days is not global. Don't get me wrong.......I like a lot of Midwestern ideas and politics but they DO have a screwy idea of the auto world. In fact, a Midwestern tradition at some " American " auto plants is to take a sledgehammer to a Toyota in an annual ritual act of contempt.

toy4two

Most of the US money gets tied up in ineffcient labor union coffers... hmmm I have an idea, lets just pay these union members to sit around for 8 hours a day and collect a paycheck. I don't care if some Japaneese family benefits from my $$'s, its a global economy now. I don't get warm and fuzzy knowing I helped some overpaid American worker do a half *** job building a car, I'd rather reward the hard work of the Japaneese worker.

For instance, I went to Wal Mart today and guess how much I paid for Roses? 9.99 yet every flowershop and even some tents setup on every corner want twice that. If there is so much more demand today, and supply really is *THAT* bad, how come WalMart can sell a dozen roses for $9.99, I assure you they are not losing money. If they can get fresh roses from China to arrive fresh on Valentines day, well thats efficient, and they deserve to be the biggest corporation in the world.

diablo1

Hey why not, that's what we do with American farmers... Pay them not to produce. You are suggesting a similar approach for the auto industry. hahaha!

That's funny, I was just noticing that there aren't too many CL members from the Midwest. A lot from California, Florida, the South, and Northeast... Not too many from the states you mentioned. It's weird because they are so liberal in many ways - politically, socially, etc. many of those states are very progressive... I grew up in Wisconsin so that's how I know... I guess if you live closer to the source, you see the effects of declining auto sales more, so it's more "real world" for you.

I still don't see any reason to overpay the American auto industry to make low-quality cars. Buying these cars hurts the economy by taking up money that could have been better spent elsewhere. And yes, Toyota and others employ thousands of Americans right here in our country. Not only in factories but also design studios, dealerships, financial services, etc. By writing off foreign cars, Midwesterners are hurting their fellow Americans that work at Lexus dealerships in Wisconsin, Illinois, etc. There's no such thing as "us vs. them" anymore in this global economy.

jaydunn

When you buy a Toyota made in Georgetown, Kentucky you not only support the autoworkers but the workers in the dozens of suppliers that sprang up here locally after Toyota moved in. You also help pay the salaries of the workers at UPS which, believe it or not, is the largest local employer here in Louisville. Toyota is definitely NOT a foreign company to the folks around here.
Same thing with the Subies in Indiana and the Acuras in Ohio etc..