The new CEO of Ford drives a Lexus LS430.............

[Texas Proud]

TxP (couldn't use TP), I think the problem was that it was a Cougar, not that it was a Ford. Those things were always junk.

I think with the domestics, you really have to be more picky about which model you buy and pay attention to reliability ratings. I wouldn't worry much about a Crown Vic or a 500, but there are other Fords I wouldn't touch (like their minivan). Same goes for GM and Chrysler. Toyota is starting to get that way (no Avalons for me, thanks), but I am noyt aware of a Honda or Subaru model with any real reliability issues.

Thanks... but this was thier 'new' Cougar that was supposed to be built well..

My sister had various Lincolns and she had a lot of problems.. they just lived with a number of them... but they keep buying Fords.. they now own 'new' Explorer and Crown Vic.. they are not even two years old and so far I do not think they have had any problems.. but I see the records on Consumer's Report and I do not see them at the top of the list.. and GM had been better than Ford for a number of years..

Honda did have problems with their 5 speed auto... I know three people at work that have had replacements.. one has had three replacements... all paid for by Honda, but still... but I still think Honda and Toyota is better than the domestics...

I have never really liked the Suburu... I don't know what caused me to have them in my mind negatively, but they are..

I liked my Mazda GLC way back when.... but Mazda is nowFord.. so they are off the list...

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks... but this was thier 'new' Cougar that was supposed to be built well..

The new Cougar was a piece of crap, too.

 

[Texas Proud]

The new Cougar was a piece of crap, too.

Yep... I know... I owned one... but this was not the small Cougar.. it was an '85...

but unless Ford is shown to build the best car made in the world... they burned me and I will not give them any profit if I can help it.. so, they can improve to 'catch up'.. but that is not enough.. at least for me... I will give my money to another company that has not burned me and makes a product that is currently betterr or at least the same..

 

[AltaRed]

It took me 3 Fords in a row (my first cars) before the 2x4 hit me between the eyes and ask why I was such a slow learner. Granted these were late 60's and mid-70's vehicles and they truly were crap, and an awful lot (most) other vehicles were crap then too. But Ford never got any further business from me and never will.

CR and JD Power provide the most telling story regardless of our individual experiences, biases and loyalties. Somehow vehicles sometimes become as emotionally attached as our first borns. Let the accumulated data speak for itself.

I think GM deserves a new chance. The new GM warranty puts the money where the mouth is and latest CR and JD Power data show that many of the GM products have had remarkable improvements in quality. Impala is one that comes to mind. It can be done...just like Hyundai has done it.

For the record, I have also owned 2 Toyotas, 2 GMs, 2 Nissans, 1 Infiniti and 1 Chrysler (minivan) before DW and I bought our current vehicles ('06 Toyota RAV4 Limited V6 and '07 Inifiniti M35X) as retirement gifts to ourselves.

 

[bpp]

I only buy domestic.

 

[justin]

I only buy domestic.

Me too now that Hondas are "made in America".

 

[Nords]

I only buy domestic.

Pretty subtle!

 

[lets-retire]

Texas--I know where you're coming fom I would walk before I buy another GM. Not mainly because mine were normally in the garage, but because of the customer service I received form the company. The constatnly needing to fixed thing is important, but not the primary reason for me not to buy GM.

 

[Doctordec]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company. When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies. I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

 

[justin]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company. When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies. I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

Sounds like you don't like capitalism. I consider anyone who doesn't like capitalism to be downright Un-American.

Does your protectionist attitude re consumer goods extend to other consumer items - food, drink, household goods, electronics, etc? What if a consumer good is "tainted" with imported parts (all domestic vehicles) or foreign labor (many "domestic" vehicles)?

Do you think I'm un-American because I transact business with those companies giving me the best value for my money, regardless of nationality?

Do you think GM, Ford, or Dodge puts out vehicles superior to those produced by Honda or Toyota? Assuming you did agree that Honda/Toyota made better cars than GM/Ford, would you still buy the inferior product?

I guess you don't own many international mutual funds?

 

[Khan]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company. When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies. I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

A Honda built in Ohio?

or

A Ford built in Mexico?

 

[brewer12345]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company. When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies. I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

I wouldn't go as far as to call buyers of cars that don't have a US brand name "un-Merkin", but I will admit that if all else were equal, I would buy a US-made car.  Unfortunately, this isn't a simple matter any more.  Is Chrysler a US company?  What do you make of the Mercedes-Benz manufactued in Alabama?  Heck, my old Ford Escort had a Japanese-made transmission, and my Subaru was built in Indiana.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company.

There is no way for you to know!

 

[lets-retire]

There is no way for you to know! 

There is, but it takes a LOT of digging to figure out which cars built by American manufacturers are actually imports.

 

[brewer12345]

There is, but it takes a LOT of digging to figure out which cars built by American manufacturers are actually imports.

Yeah, but even then, enough components are likely made "elsewhere" such that you really can't ever be sure where most of a car is made.

 

[jclarksnakes]

...Wrap yourself in the flag if you want but you do not impress this real patriot. America did not become strong because of blind self imposed protectionism. I happen to think that it is very un American to support and protect companies that make no serious effort to provide good products and service. In the long run your support for those companies allows them to continue providing inferior products and service and ultimately dooms them to total failure. Stop buying their inferior crap. Make them fire their CEOs and boards of directors and trim the inflated pay and waste and they will have to do better and perhaps then they will survive.
jc

 

[astromeria]

I refuse to buy a vehicle that's not made in America by an American company. When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies. I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

Do you also buy clothing made in America of American-made cloth? How about your electronics--any of them American? How about your food--is it harvested by American citizens on American farms? Do you know that a lot of inventions, pharmaceuticals, etc were created by foreign companies and Nobel prizes won by foreign scientists and economists--do you prefer not to profit by their work? What about all the non-Americans employed in America?

The problem with American auto manufacturers isn't that people like me buy Japanese cars. It's American auto management: they make bad decisions about what cars to build, at what level of quality, at what level of service, at wehat level of profit--and the executives take egregiously high pay and reneg on the deals they made with their unions (foolish as many of the deals were). I don't like to reward deliberate stupidity, even though I would love to Buy American.

 

[HFWR]

http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/jrmia/goods/season3.html

Wilson sporting goods, Mack trucks, Samuel Adams... Made in the USA!!

 

[justin]

http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/jrmia/goods/season3.html

Wilson sporting goods, Mack trucks, Samuel Adams... Made in the USA!!

Sorry, Mack Trucks are Swedish.

From their website:

"Mack is a member of the Volvo Group, a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden"

Sam Adams - Made by Boston Beer Co., Inc. - SAM on the NYSE - At least 16% foreign owned by Credit Suisse (Switzerland) and Barclay's UK (the largest single shareholder) -
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/mh?s=SAM

Better put the Sam Adams down unless you like supporting them damn foreigners and killing the true red white and blue American businesses : .

Wilson - a division of the Amer Sports Corporation listed on the Helsinki (Finland) Stock Exchange. Another good ole American Company... :

Darn near impossible to buy anything truly 100% made in the USA.

 

[HFWR]

Made in...

 

[justin]

Made in...

I know, I know...

I'm pretty sure I've bought Wilson stuff that was Made in China. Never bought any Mack Trucks before. A better label for them would be Assembled in the US, since they undoubtedly have parts originating outside the US.

Point is, it is hard to buy anything these days that is made in the US of 100% US components (said components also 100% made w/ US labor, parts and tools/machines), with US Citizen labor, by a wholly owned US corporation.

 

[Khan]

I wouldn't go as far as to call buyers of cars that don't have a US brand name "un-Merkin", but I will admit that if all else were equal, I would buy a US-made car. Unfortunately, this isn't a simple matter any more. Is Chrysler a US company? What do you make of the Mercedes-Benz manufactued in Alabama? Heck, my old Ford Escort had a Japanese-made transmission, and my Subaru was built in Indiana.

My '89 Ford Festiva is a Mazda built in Korea.

 

[Texas Proud]

There is, but it takes a LOT of digging to figure out which cars built by American manufacturers are actually imports.

Actually they are supposed to list US content on the sticker.... like 60% US or 90%... don't know what the percent represents since some of the components are assembled in Mexico with US made parts... but there is a number there...

 

[Zathras]

When you buy a car from a foreign company even though it might be made in the United States you are doing nothing to insure the long term survival of American companies.

I don't consider it my responsibility to insure the long term survival of American companines.
That is the responsibility of the company itself. If they make the most reliable car with innovative features, or even a car that has the same reliability, innovation and fuel efficiency I will certainly buy that car.

I consider anyone driving a Lexus (or Honda or Saab or Toyota, etc.) to be downright Un-American.

I believe companies relying on the government subsidies and trade protections to the point of ignoring what the public wants is un-American.

 

[FinanceDude]

I've driven Fords daily for the last 10 years and liked every one of them. Been very reliable and good in snow.

I'd rather walk with crutches than drive a Japanese car.

Well, Ford is bound to get lucky once in a while...............I wouldn't drive a Ford if it was given to me..........

Chrysler is almost as bad.

I drove GM cars for 20 years, but I guess all my friends and aquaintences driving imports that never break down has finally gotten to me..................

As soon as the Big Three design cars that are reliable, I'll be back on board.............