[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by eiram21

Hi All,

We will be relocating to MI (AA suburbs, most likely) from NJ.

My husband thinks it might be wise to buy a US-make car given the area we will be living in. The problem is that my Toyota is paid off and there is nothing wrong with it, so I'm not really excited about getting a different car...

Opinions, anyone?

In Ann Arbor, it should not be an issue. Where I am from originally (The "Downriver" area - Taylor, Southgate, Lincoln Park, Allen Park), a lot of people work on the line for GM, Chrysler, and Ford, and there tends to be about 80% Domestic cars in that area. I was just home all weekend, and I think I saw about 10 cars driving on the road that weren't an off-shoot of one of those three brands.

You will be fine in Ann Arbor.

[topshop]

Originally Posted by eiram21

Hi All,

We will be relocating to MI (AA suburbs, most likely) from NJ.

My husband thinks it might be wise to buy a US-make car given the area we will be living in. The problem is that my Toyota is paid off and there is nothing wrong with it, so I'm not really excited about getting a different car...

Opinions, anyone?

A Toyota in Ann Arbor?

Yes, you will need to sell that and get a Volvo.

You get bonus points if it is a station wagon.

[grhtex]

My Subaru was made in Indiana.
My Ford Fusion was made in Mexico.
My Suburban was made who knows where but it will be the first one to make it to the Junkyard. POS.
Toyota has a major Technical Center in Ann Arbor.
It's a crazy mixed up world. Drive what suits your needs the best!

[chance2jump]

The Chevy Prism was a Toyota Corolla in disguise! (the engine even says Toyota on it)

You're in good company with a Toyota in AA. While as MI resident I had more Hondas and Toyotas under my ownership than Big 3 brands. Of all the cars we had (9 so far), the foreigns always were resold with super high miles while the domestic always ended up getting parted out or straight to the junkyard with less than 150k. What a shame...

[scolls]

Originally Posted by don'tbestupid

American cars are garbage. Is that the consumer's fault? Many ignorant people in Michigan have been propping up the Big 3 for years. What was the result? For the buyer low quality and low resale value. For the American worker the buyer was supposedly supporting? A pink slip. Most intelligent people know that and have driven foreign cars for years. Will a stupid person give you a hard time about a foreign car? Maybe if you hang around with opinionated factory workers you might get a little bit of verbal harassment (even those guys seem to hassle you only on principle as they know which way the wind blows) but that is a small segment of the population especially as i imagine you to be upper middle class. Tell your husband if it were wise to buy an American car that GM execs would not be dumping their stock and the company would not be heading for bankruptcy.

Ford has more vehicles rated by JD Power in the top 3 than any other auto maker. Mercury is second only to Lexus in the lowest rate of warranty claims over a 3 year span, with Ford and Lincoln in the top 10. GM has also ranked in the top half of this ranking as well. Is it wiser to buy from Toyota when they lost over 7 billion and had to receive loans from a Japanese Government run bank? Take your dated beliefs about the Big 3 elsewhere. Ford has surpassed Toyota and Honda in quality ratings and GM has been coming on in this department as well. This isn't 1995 anymore. The Big 3 has caught up with the foreign competition in quality. Consumer Guide has even been passing out good ratings to American vehicles. The Malibu was highly rated by Consumer Guide, and Motor Trend gave the Cadillac CTS car of the year last year.

[Bydand]

While I have disagreed with Scolls in the past, this last post is spot on target. You don't have to look back very many years to find a time when the imports WERE better made vehicles than any of the "big 3" but you have to look back, not at the present day. Ford has made huge strides in quality and GM is also gaining. Right now Ford is one of the strongest car companies out there domestic OR import in both quality and stability. Sure they are not as rock solid financially as decades ago, but neither are any of the imports.

[Peter B]

I live near Traverse City after moving from Long Island 5 years ago. We still have the 2 BMW's we brought with us. Those cars love the winter. Many GM retirees up here are conductors on the "buy American train" but I'd only drive an American car if it was given to me. You'll be fine, keep your Toyota

Originally Posted by eiram21

Hi All,

We will be relocating to MI (AA suburbs, most likely) from NJ.

My husband thinks it might be wise to buy a US-make car given the area we will be living in. The problem is that my Toyota is paid off and there is nothing wrong with it, so I'm not really excited about getting a different car...

Opinions, anyone?

[malamute]

Drive a foreign car, wear foreign clothes, buy everything foreign but never complain when you lose your job.

[ferndc]

You might see more domestic vehicles on the road in Michigan, but don't worry about driving a Toyota in Michigan...especially in Ann Arbor.

[Wulf67]

I have seen these signs at a few UAW office parking lots. No further comment...

Does this mean I could park my Nissan Altima but not my Chevy Impala?