Do you prefer to buy Foreign or Domestic? (pickup trucks, Ford, Honda)

[American Luxury]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

I will not buy European because the cost of maintenance and repair scares me away.

I will not buy a vehicle that supports the UAW.

I laugh when I see people refuse to support foreign brands because they say it keeps jobs here. What about all the "American" cars made in Mexico or Canada? "Oh but the profits go back to Japan/Korea..." argument doesn't sit well with me, either. I'd rather see non-UAW Americans at work for Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda than to cut my nose off and see American CEO's get fat off of Canadian and Mexican labor building "American" cars.

Yes, act like all foreign cars are built here while saying most American cars are built in Mexico. Excellent.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Midwesterners tend to prefer domestics because they are the ones that provide the auto jobs there, understandably.

In the South, "import" brands are gaining numbers quickly because they are the ones that provide the auto jobs here. You'd be surprised to see the number of Elantras and Sonatas on the roads here in Alabama.

This ^

Currently living in Mississippi. HUGE number of foreign cars here, southerners are no more loyal to domestics than any other part of the country, I would easily say it's half and half here. The only thing different about the south and rural areas is the number of trucks, and the domestic brands still hold a decisive edge on the number of trucks on the road.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

I will not buy European because the cost of maintenance and repair scares me away.

I will not buy a vehicle that supports the UAW.

I laugh when I see people refuse to support foreign brands because they say it keeps jobs here. What about all the "American" cars made in Mexico or Canada? "Oh but the profits go back to Japan/Korea..." argument doesn't sit well with me, either. I'd rather see non-UAW Americans at work for Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda than to cut my nose off and see American CEO's get fat off of Canadian and Mexican labor building "American" cars.

I wonder, since your name is Army guy I will presume you are or were in the service. Say for instance the United States went to war with Japan or Korea, hypothetically speaking, would you still buy their cars then? Would you still support a foreign company that advocates the enemy?

Here is an index that shows just how "American" today's cars are. Hmm, and wouldn't you know it, our domestic cars are still more "American" than ANY foreign car company.

Kogod Made in America Auto Index | Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington, DC

[mclarlm]

I disagree with the Kogod Index in that it gives far too much weight on Profit Margin; on the level of Labor, and R&D. It reeks of the flawed "but profits go overseas" argument.

Looking at GM's 10-K for 2012:
General Motors | Investors - SEC Filings | GM.com

(Dollars in Millions)
Automotive sales & revenue $150,293
Cost of sales $140,223
Selling, general, & admin: $13,593
Other expense: $438
Goodwill impairment: $27,145
Operating income: $(31,106)
Net income $5,569

Cost of sales includes R&D, materials, assembly. Those all provide jobs. Net income is a small fraction of that and goes to investors who may reside anywhere. Yet the Kogod index would assign GM a '6' for Profit Margin; equal to Labor and R&D.

GM's operating income was a LOSS in 2012 of $31.1 billion yet it still receives a '6' for Profit Margin?

I could exclude the goodwill impairment, and they'd still be at a loss. Net income is only positive due to Income Tax Benefit.

Research and Development year ending December 31, 2012: $7,368

Again R&D is greater than net income.

IMO a huge error in determining Foreign v Domestic.

Personally, I don't care about such things for the most part (unless the car comes from NK, Syria, or something like that). I buy the best car I can afford. My first three have been Japanese. The next three are unknown.

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by rh71

I think the only American cars I would trust are the ones near the top of the JD Power list. Prefer to buy - definitely not American brands for cars.

I have heard that a lot of those lists and reviews are biased. I think only Consumer Reports can be trusted and sometimes they don't have a big enough sampling to form an opinion.

[ccm123]

I bought American cars when I first started driving. But, the poor experiences (quality control, frequency of repair) I had with American cars told me to look elsewhere. I had a Ford Mustang GT that just had so many problems the moment I took it off the dealer lot (strange noises, engine burning motor oil, etc)

I buy nothing but Honda and Toyota nowadays and have never had the problems I had with these cars as I did with American made cars.

[American Luxury]

Originally Posted by ccm123

I bought American cars when I first started driving. But, the poor experiences (quality control, frequency of repair) I had with American cars told me to look elsewhere. I had a Ford Mustang GT that just had so many problems the moment I took it off the dealer lot (strange noises, engine burning motor oil, etc)

I buy nothing but Honda and Toyota nowadays and have never had the problems I had with these cars as I did with American made cars.

With your logic I guess I'll never buy a foreign car.

[MetropolitanTN]

Japanese only for me please.

[Nomadicus]

We own one Japanese and one American. The much older Japanese is the better car. Next may be German.

[outafocus]

I have owned cars from Detroit, Germany, England, France, and Japan. I now have two Japanese makes (Toyota and Nissan) that were built in the US. The US built Toyota and Nissan have taken the mantle away from the Japanese built cars for being the best. Only the English car was worse than any of the Detroit cars I have owned. My only regret is that I bought so many Detroit cars, thinking that the problems that always cropped up was normal. My final Detroit car (a new 1990 Plymouth Acclaim LX) literally had problems from day one! The Acclaim had more problems in the first year than my 1993 Nissan truck has given me in twenty years!

Although Toyota seems to be the top dog when it comes to reliability, and dependability, I am watching Hyundai closely. They are approaching Toyota quality very quickly. There may be a Korean make in my garage one of these days!