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I've driven both. Having said that, I'll take an American made SUV over a foreign import SUV any day. Why? Well, a couple of reasons actually. One: I live in America and I believe in spending it where you make it. I hate seeing our people out of jobs left and right in all manufacturing areas of our country, and so help me, if I can do a part to keep America working, I will. Granted, a lot of the parts going into American made cars, come from overseas, but the final assembly is done here. Two: While foreign made cars have seriously good motors, the bodies are HORRID. They rust out within a couple years or so, and cost MAJOR money to repair. My 10 year old Ford Explorer, doesn't have one lick of rust on it. My neighbor's Toyota Highlander, is barely three years old, and he was just telling me the other day, that it needs new rear quarter panels, door skins, and tailgate door skin because of rust. Not a cheap repair, for a barely 3 year old vehicle.
Before I bought my Explorer, I test drove a Nissan Pathfinder, a Toyota Four Runner, and one made by Mitsubishi (can't remember model name). The Ford 'felt' nice, sturdy, and the others felt 'tinny' to me. So I bought the Ford, and haven't looked back.
Ten years later, 118K on it, and it runs pretty darn good, and looks as beautiful as the day I bought it. Only trouble we've had, was a band (?) in the tranny went, and had to be repaired.
I'm a firm believer in taking good care of the car. After all, lets face it, cars are a MAJOR investment these days. Sure its one, that you won't have for serious long term, but still, if you buy a full size SUV, at around $35K, shoot, that's an investment! So take care of your wheels, feed em good gas, change that oil and filter, check all those nit picky little things like tires, plugs, wires, air cleaners, and you'll get a nice long life out of your car.
Around here where I am, a lot of people don't trade in very often. Most keep cars 8+ years before trading. My two are 10 and 14 years old, and I don't plan to trade any time soon. Why? I don't want a car payment right now!!!! LOL! But when I do, it will be another American SUV.
What about my import SUV? Yes I have one, a Geo Tracker. Smartest $6K I ever spent. 14 years old, 166K, runs like a new one, but has the rust. It will cost me about $3500 to get it restored, and I'm currently debating that one back and forth, because of the car's age. I have no plans to trade or sell it, as I've always said, that "I'll run it til its wheels fall off". This little SUV, has had no mechanical failures at all. No major breakdowns, and 166K of the most fun miles I've ever driven.
I bought a 96 dodge stratus in 96 and kept that car for 11 years, I just recently sold it to get a 2001 Dodge Caravan. I seem to always end up with a dodge, I just like the looks of them and the ones I have had, have held up very well and given me great service! That stratus only didn't start twice in all the years I had it because it needed a new battery. All I ever did to that one repair wise was new battery, new tires and windshield wipers. Before that one, I had a dodge colt and had that one for many, many years!
I've driven both. Having said that, I'll take an American made SUV over a foreign import SUV any day. Why? Well, a couple of reasons actually. One: I live in America and I believe in spending it where you make it. I hate seeing our people out of jobs left and right in all manufacturing areas of our country, and so help me, if I can do a part to keep America working, I will. Granted, a lot of the parts going into American made cars, come from overseas, but the final assembly is done here.
Couple things to say here, since this so blindly comes up in every one of these conversations: The foreign companies have been the ones building manufacturing plants in America, and the American ones have been closing plants here and building in Mexico. Toyota in particular has built ALOT of plants in the last 10 years, VW is looking for the site of their new US plant right now, and Alfa Romeo has also said they are going to build a plant here, I believe in the NY area.
Also my Mazda, FYI, was built in Michigan by Americans. Interesting thing, the Ford Fusion, based on my Mazda's chassis, is built in Mexico by not Americans. If you want to employ American people, that's awesome. I do too. But here's just one example of many that you better be reading the window sticker a bit more closely. Both part content origins and assembly locations. Foreign car companies employ lots and lots and lots and lots of American people and that is an undisputable fact.
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Two: While foreign made cars have seriously good motors, the bodies are HORRID. They rust out within a couple years or so, and cost MAJOR money to repair. My 10 year old Ford Explorer, doesn't have one lick of rust on it. My neighbor's Toyota Highlander, is barely three years old, and he was just telling me the other day, that it needs new rear quarter panels, door skins, and tailgate door skin because of rust. Not a cheap repair, for a barely 3 year old vehicle.
I don't know if your neighbor has never washed his Highlander, but living here in the salt belt I see clean cars of all makes and origins all the time. Definitely Toyotas. I've had plenty of Japanese cars with no rust. the stigma of 80's Japanese cars is long over.
P.S. I've seen more 200K 4Runners than I can shake a stick at
My problem wasn't just the cars - it was also the dealers and mechanics.
When you know everyone in a shop by their first name, you bought the wrong car...
When a shop manager explains to you that you need to have a lot of work done that is currently under warranty, but will not be the next time you come in, and you have them do the work - Then when you pick up the car two interesting acts emerge - the shop manager has been relocated, and those items were not under warranty and you have to pay to get your car back. The roving "you have to do this now" manager went to his next location to victimize more unsuspecting suckers.
Last Ford product I'll ever own. Screw me once, shame on you. You won't get that second chance.
Same lousy service at Olds (RIP) and Chevy and Cadillac, and.... Finally tried a Nissan. What a difference. 'Course their salesman just blew me off so now I'm going to try Toyota.
I don't car where a car is built, or who builds it. When I invest that much money in a vehicle I expect it run correctly, hold up, and get repaired properly when there is a problem. If you can't do that for me I don't care if you're going broke - It's your own damn fault Detroit (Mexico).
I see some of you hate american cars and would take anything foreign any day over american.
Is there a specific make/model/year you hate? or do you just hate all american cars regardless of who made it and when?
I can agree some of today's foreign cars hold up better than american, but I believe there was once a time 36 years ago when an american car was built to last and foreign car manufacturers were not built very well at all.
Well, I started my driving days with 3 different American cars, and they were all total crap! And my parents would only drive American, and I remember in the '70s/'80s how as soon as they'd pay off a car, they'd have to buy a new one because it was already falling apart. Then I bought a used Isuzu in college and was amazed how nothing ever went wrong with it. After that, I had a Nissan and just traded it in the other day after 9 years of no problems. Now I have a Prius, and they're supposed to be even more reliable than other Toyotas, so I plan on keeping it for 10 years.
It's weird it seems to me at least that people in the U.S are either very pro-American cars or very much anti-American cars, with few who are in between.
I am a car guy, big time . I have been around since MG and Jaguar first came here. I have owned a lot of interesting cars, in fact if I still had them all in a barn ,I would be rich. I have also spent some time on race tracks with some of the better cars.
European cars were designed for higher speed limits and safer handling. The brakes on a 2000 pound British car were bigger than the brakes on a 4000 pound Cadillac. However the Caddy was actually better in overall quality . In, fact the Europeans loved American cars especially the early Mustangs.
In the eighties we could not build a good car and afford to meet the new emission standards. Honda etc. had no problem and had excellent engineering and tooling capabilities. Our own government handed the business to the Japaneese with the environmental regulations. The early Japanese cars were not very good at anything except gas mileage.
Detroit could not make money on small cars, which cost as much to build as big cars. So they kept cranking out Impalas and pick-ups, and built horrible cars like Novas and Vegas and Gremlins. They gave them ugly names ugly looks and ugly colors, hoping to maintain a big market share of full size Town cars and Impalas etc. Chrysler went broke. None of this did much to help the reputation for American cars for those of us who saw all this. Meanwhile the Japanese cars were boring , but they never went back for service in an era when American cars practically had to be completed after delivery to the dealer.
I could write a book but I won't bore you with any more of this history.
Now the economics are such that the Europeans can really only build high end cars and make a profit. We are slowly catching up quality wise. Toyota and Honda are ahead and they are very strong financially. Go sit in a Lexus or an Accord and compare them to others in their price range.
The future is in the emerging Asian countries.
An American car can be a good investment. Warranties are good. Prices are decent and the our trucks are fine.
I am a car guy, big time . I have been around since MG and Jaguar first came here. I have owned a lot of interesting cars, in fact if I still had them all in a barn ,I would be rich. I have also spent some time on race tracks with some of the better cars.
European cars were designed for higher speed limits and safer handling. The brakes on a 2000 pound British car were bigger than the brakes on a 4000 pound Cadillac. However the Caddy was actually better in overall quality . In, fact the Europeans loved American cars especially the early Mustangs.
In the eighties we could not build a good car and afford to meet the new emission standards. Honda etc. had no problem and had excellent engineering and tooling capabilities. Our own government handed the business to the Japaneese with the environmental regulations. The early Japanese cars were not very good at anything except gas mileage.
Detroit could not make money on small cars, which cost as much to build as big cars. So they kept cranking out Impalas and pick-ups, and built horrible cars like Novas and Vegas and Gremlins. They gave them ugly names ugly looks and ugly colors, hoping to maintain a big market share of full size Town cars and Impalas etc. Chrysler went broke. None of this did much to help the reputation for American cars for those of us who saw all this. Meanwhile the Japanese cars were boring , but they never went back for service in an era when American cars practically had to be completed after delivery to the dealer.
I could write a book but I won't bore you with any more of this history.
Now the economics are such that the Europeans can really only build high end cars and make a profit. We are slowly catching up quality wise. Toyota and Honda are ahead and they are very strong financially. Go sit in a Lexus or an Accord and compare them to others in their price range.
The future is in the emerging Asian countries.
An American car can be a good investment. Warranties are good. Prices are decent and the our trucks are fine.
Or perhaps broke?
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