May I ask....Why all the foreign vehicles? (maintenance, living)

[steveindenver]

That is why a Pontiac Vibe have a lower resale value than the Toyota Matrix even though they are built in the same assembly line and is the same vehicle.

Not entirely true. The Vibe sells for less initially, offers fewer options, has a different interior and believe it or not drives differently than the Toyota iteration.

have heard some people saying that their foreign car is more american because it was built in the US.

This is not a totally flawed perspective. Given the global sourcing of components for all makes, "foreign" and "domestic" there is no such thing as an American car built by anyone. There are American (both south and north) assembled cars; which is about as close as you are going to get these days.

A strong American Industry gave us that leadership in the last century

Lack of any competition gave us the dominant position. Overpaying non-educated union workers, focusing on quantity over quality and ignoring the customer wants and desires put the American makers where they are today.

After a year or two these cars are sold by the rental car company with a huge discount hurting the consumer that bought the car brand new.

To say that rental fleets are the reason American cars depreciate faster is to oversimplify the issue. Fleet sales were so large in the first place because no one else would buy the capacity the American makers continued to produce after demand decreased.

Toyota continues to increase fleet sales every year and you don't see their average resale price anywhere near those of the domestics.

As a person who rents every week and has for over a decade, the American makers have come a long way; but they still have much further to go. Sadly given the way they are hobbled by the overpaid UAW workers and understaffed in the design and quality control departments I don't have much faith that they will.

[ryanek9freak]

SUbaru a lower end version of Saturn? Are you high? Subaru's are a precision engineered Japanese work of art that are nearly indestructible.

Saturns are GM's bastard child, sewn together with plastic. They fall apart in exorborant numbers. Not that I care though, it's job security for me.

I miss my old Subaru GL wagon. that thing had REAL 4WD, with high and low range, not that stupid AWD they all have today.

[Ludachris]

I can understand the old way of thinking that "buying American" was so patriotic. But the problem is, it's outdated logic from 20 years ago. We live in a global economy now where automakers are buying from everywhere to build their cars, and they're having their cars assembled in other countries. Japanese cars are built here in the US, the American cars are built in Mexico, and the parts for those cars are built in other countries. The average American car is made up of more non-American made parts than you can imagine.

What constitutes an "American-made" car anymore? The ethnicity of the big wigs who make the huge profits? Seriously people, do some research into what you're preaching. "Foreign" car companies are employing almost as many Americans these days as the American car companies.

It simply comes down to product quality and resale value, and that's why people are buying Toyotas and Hondas. The Big 3 have gotten better in the past decade, but they're still lagging behind in one area or another. I'm not going to throw my money away on a car that is inferior just so that I can say I bought a car from a company whose headquarters are based in the USA. I'll find other ways to be patriotic, thank you. If you want to make a big difference, stop buying foreign oil.

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

What???? Why can't somebody drive what they want it they can afford it? Is energy security bad?

Jealous?

Not at all. Disgusted is more like it.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Ludachris

What constitutes an "American-made" car anymore? The ethnicity of the big wigs who make the huge profits? Seriously people, do some research into what you're preaching. "Foreign" car companies are employing almost as many Americans these days as the American car companies.

Exactly. I have a friend who just got hired with one of the Japanese auto companies whose American operations are headquartered in LA. The real auto industry in the US today is found in places like Torrance, CA, Smyrna, TN, Georgetown, KY, Spartanburg, SC, and northern Mississippi-- not Detroit.

[Get out of my way]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

What???? Why can't somebody drive what they want it they can afford it? Is energy security bad?

Jealous?

Bring back the draft! Hummer drivers will be the first to get their numbers called. Now they can truly fight for their freedom (to drive whatever they want).

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Get out of my way

Bring back the draft! Hummer drivers will be the first to get their numbers called. Now they can truly fight for their freedom (to drive whatever they want).

My point exactly! And get this-I saw an H2 at Whole Foods in Boulder last year with a "No War for Oil" bumper sticker on it. Talk about hypocrisy.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

My point exactly! And get this-I saw an H2 at Whole Foods in Boulder last year with a "No War for Oil" bumper sticker on it. Talk about hypocrisy.

That pretty much sums up Boulder...

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

That pretty much sums up Boulder...

Yes. The local paper, the Daily Camera, once noticed a Beemer (or maybe it was a Mercedes or a Lexus) with the bumper sticker "Live Simply so Others May Simply Live"! Some people don't see their own inconsistency.

[Huckleberry3911948]

product loyalty is the inferior of quality.