now that the automakers have gotten their bailout, will you buy an american car? (health care, death)
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I have no need of another vehicle but 4 or 5 years from now I will look at what the big 3 are selling.
Currently I drive:
2006 Toyota Solara
2008 Toyota Tacoma Extend cab TRD Sport4 wheel drive.
If any of the big 3 made a truck that fit my taste in trucks I might have bought one. None did.
I like the Pontiac G6 it looks as good as the Solara. But does it get 35mpg highway like the Solara? 30 mpg city like my Solara? That is the MPG that I am actually getting...
Levi Strauss has closed all of its Texas manufacturing facilities and moved them to Mexico. Many companied who do that bring the fabric back across the border and assemble them in the USA. That is probably as close as you will get to Made in the USA.
In many cases it is hard to justify the premium prices attached to some of the foreign brands seeing as they all wear down and eventually end up in the recycle center. I'd much rather buy a comparably equipped Dodge minivan for $8,000 to $10,000 less than a Toyota Sienna and spend a little more on preventive maintenance than shell out the extra cash. There are not many Toyotas being used for commercial use yet you see many businesses and tradesmen regularly using Dodge minivans.
I bought a Plymouth Voyager in 1992 adnd drove it 140,000 miles. I liked it so much that I bought a Dodge Caravan in 1999. The Caravan was not as good as the Plymouth. At @ 90,000 miles it was worn out - suspension, engine, and a sliding door that was worked on at least a dozen times to try to keep it from jumping out of the track when the door was opened with no success.
Two years ago we went to replace the Dodge and looked at Honda, Dodge, and Toyota. Ford was concenrtrating on SUVs and pickups and didn't have anything to offer. The Dodge was considerably cheaper, looked it, and drove like it. The Honda was the most expensive of the three and was not at all comfortable to me to drive.
We ended up with the Sienna, and so far it has been one of the best vehicles I have ever been privileged to own. The fuel economy is superior at 26 mpg round trip (SC-NY & back) compared to the 20-22 we used to get on the Chrysler products. We originally started driving minivans when the kids were at home so we could take road trips, and the Chrysler products took us to 41 states. I really can't complain about them, but I am really in love with the Toyota.
Next time we look, we'll look at all of the options again. If any one of the Big 3 has a contender, we will certainly give it a shot. But from what I saw two years ago, they have a long way to go to catch up.
Noi bailout has been approved;there is onyl a agreement as to where the money will come from between the president and the house leader;peosi;if approved by both houses. In fact there is no written bill as of friday. No republican leader was at the meeting and it will take their suuport just like the financial bailout.There is alot of opposition as as of friday most law makers felt that there was not enough support to pass a bailout.That is why friday they lower the amount that the supporters wanted to less than even 25 billion.But that really has little to do with will or why people haven't or will buy a american made car. They haven't sold in the past for reasons other than their financial state.
I went shopping with a friend of mine for a new SUV. We drove everything. Chevrolet was the absolute worst. The salespeople were terrible and the vehicle's design was embarrassingly bad. All the foreign made vehicles were better, all of them. My friend ended up buying a Ford and saw half the value fall off as they drove it off the lot. She would have done better with the Kia Sorento or Honda Pilot, both of which I wished she'd chosen.
I will buy American when it's as good as Japanese. I drove 2 Acura's from 1989 to 2008 with no major problems or defects. 203,000 miles on the last one with 26mpg in city and up to 40mpg on the highway. I cried when I traded it in for a Japanese-manufactured Mazda but I'm now happy about the move up to a car with airbags and more amenities. I did not consider any American vehicle because none met my needs. Is it just me or are they all ugly?
I feel the pain of the autoworkers but I won't buy a big ticket item that's inferior just to save an industry that didn't care for its nearest consumers for decades. Like most, I'd LOVE to buy American, but...
Love my two month-old Ford F150! And as soon as we pay it off, we'll be buying the Mrs. a new Expedition, thank you very much!!!
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