Foreign cars

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Thrashard340 said:
It's not about pestering politicians. It never was. It's about what personal choices YOU make. Not just in cars, but in everything you do.
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I am not sure what you mean by choices. I chose to get on here and rant about buying American. Feels pretty dang good.

It also feels good to see other people who have similar passion for this concept. I choose to buy as much American products as I can humanly afford. I do the same in our business. It appears lots of people here do similar and feel similarly.

A lot of people could choose to buy American and that may be enough but I say what is also needed is alot of people exert energy towards politicians. Its called lobbyists. Also, its called sending 100000 letters and emails to your local frigging politicians.

Anyone know a lobbyist that cares about pro USA production?

I met one who spends his energy lobbying for the Association of California Car Clubs. Nice fellow. He has spent tons of energy in the last 5 - 7 years helping convince the politicians to allow older cars in CA to remain smog exempt. Seems to work pretty darn well sir. I went to the DMV and every one of my cars is smog exempt. I live in CA.

My point is, that those links I posted were an option that easily tells a person soooo much information about American production and productivity. It also has lists of politicians in every area of this country that we could all make effort to contact.


Effort. Action. Anyone want to get on board?

I frigging know damd well its is about politics and it is about stirring up some political attention in the right direction.

You get a half million or several million people emailing and snail mailing politicians on a daily basis with a unified message and you get some friggin attention. You keep that up for 5 years and you have a United States of God Bless American movement.

The problem with this country is people are so freaking disjointed disassociated and apethetic... and what ever the word that is the opposite of unified.

Me included. Here is what I feel like: I will send an email and a snail mail to several polititians and no one else will and nothing will happen. But if everyone who gave a rats *** did this tomorrow though, something would happen. Hell it would make the news, probably the national news.


Anyone here want to email some politicians?

Anyone here want to write a letter?

I will if one other person will.
 
I work in a massive fleet facility with about 200 other mechanics. They came from everywhere and I have heard countless horror stories about every kind of car ever made.
They ALL have their moments.
 
Rice Nuker said:
I am not sure what you mean by choices. I chose to get on here and rant about buying American. Feels pretty dang good.

It also feels good to see other people who have similar passion for this concept. I choose to buy as much American products as I can humanly afford. I do the same in our business. It appears lots of people here do similar and feel similarly.

A lot of people could choose to buy American and that may be enough but I say what is also needed is alot of people exert energy towards politicians. Its called lobbyists. Also, its called sending 100000 letters and emails to your local frigging politicians.

Anyone know a lobbyist that cares about pro USA production?

I met one who spends his energy lobbying for the Association of California Car Clubs. Nice fellow. He has spent tons of energy in the last 5 - 7 years helping convince the politicians to allow older cars in CA to remain smog exempt. Seems to work pretty darn well sir. I went to the DMV and every one of my cars is smog exempt. I live in CA.

My point is, that those links I posted were an option that easily tells a person soooo much information about American production and productivity. It also has lists of politicians in every area of this country that we could all make effort to contact.


Effort. Action. Anyone want to get on board?

I frigging know damd well its is about politics and it is about stirring up some political attention in the right direction.

You get a half million or several million people emailing and snail mailing politicians on a daily basis with a unified message and you get some friggin attention. You keep that up for 5 years and you have a United States of God Bless American movement.

The problem with this country is people are so freaking disjointed disassociated and apethetic... and what ever the word that is the opposite of unified.

Me included. Here is what I feel like: I will send an email and a snail mail to several polititians and no one else will and nothing will happen. But if everyone who gave a rats *** did this tomorrow though, something would happen. Hell it would make the news, probably the national news.


Anyone here want to email some politicians?

Anyone here want to write a letter?

I will if one other person will.
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Just by reading this email I know that you are not just buying American. The computer you are using is either manufactured in China or utilizes components that were manufactured there. So this is the point I was trying to make is that you are not buying American, and just because you choose to buy an American car doesn't exempt you from this. Also, by limiting yourself to a pre-smog era car, you're not helping American manufacturing workers because you're not buying a newer product that keeps them working.

I'll be frank here. I've desensitized myself to politics because I don't believe that there are any clear cut lines that define separate parties. Therefore, politicians say what people want to hear, but do not deliver. This is a very broad statement. I don't want to get into my political views on this forum (or anywhere). I'm not anti-government, but would like to see drastic changes to the system...changes that would never be implemented in my lifetime.

I tell you what though. If YOU write the letter, I will endorse it. I will add my name to the petition. I will do that for a fellow member, Californian, American. No problem. However, I won't write this letter. Because this thread is not my rant. If you are serious about what you say, put the time in. I'll sign the petition. My issue is that people want to blame politics. People think it's as simple as complaining to your local politicians. I saying that it takes more than complaining. It takes a lifestyle change to make things happen. Are you willing to sacrifice some of you daily conveniences to prove a point? Because that's what it will take...on a far larger scale though, with many more Americans.
 
I will work on the letter this evening.

"It takes a lifestyle change to make things happen. Are you willing to sacrifice some of you daily conveniences to prove a point? Because that's what it will take...on a far larger scale though, with many more Americans."


True. The demand for cheap electronics and home products is what got us on this outsourced track. Rather than the demand for Made In the USA electronics and products.
 
64X2 said:
We as Americans have allowed to politians make the decsions that affect our economy, why do we let them get away with this. What happened to pride in our manufacturing, education and community. <snip>When we started cut chopping down the trees of the middle class, we create a economic erosion....
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We as American middle class have in fact made the decisions that affect our economy.....NOT just the government.

You are right, what has happened to our pride in country?

When we want to make lots of cash for doing minimal work and then when we go to spend that money we want more for less, THAT is what causes what we have here.

We are all guilty of it.

Owning an old vehicle, as someone else said, is actually contributing to the problem. All of the repop parts for old vehicles pretty much come from china now......At least when you buy a new car from an american based company that is SOMETHING going to an american company at theend of the day.

But we would rather have extra money for 200 cable tv channels, iphones for 12 year olds and all sorts of things that USED to be luxuries for most decades ago. So we demand that our "necessities" be cheaply priced yet of great quality.

Back when the term "middle class american" was coined, people had a solid house, maybe a car in the driveway, a radio or TV and a few sets of decent clothes. Dad worked an 8-10 hr day and mom worked the house and raised the kids.

That was considered pretty damned successful.

Now, that would be considered lower class....LOL

These days, people cant live within the means that that lifestyle provides.

Americans have grown fat both in body and appetite for luxury. No one saves anymore, and everyone wants cheap everything.

We did this.

We have to fix this.

We have to pay more at the store, pay more in taxes and accept less pay for our work. That means we have to scale back our excessive lifestyles.

Otherwise this house of cards is bound to fall sooner or later.
 
The car hauling company that I work for has Toyota and Lexus as our main customers and Mercedes and BMW as our secondaries.

72.3% of the Toyotas and about 20% of the Lexus we haul are made in the US and Canada.

100% of the Mercedes SUVs made in Vance,Al that get exported out of Savanah and Jacksonville we haul. And that is a bunch!
We also haul a large amount of BMWs out of the plant in Greer, SC.
We also haul imported Mercedes and BMWs to dealers in the southeast and all the way to Texas and Oklahoma.

We have roughly 300 car carriers (at $250k apiece), over 400 employees, burn a huge amount of fuel @ $4.00/gal everyday.

I just drove to Laredo, Tx and back last week. 2482 miles total and got 24.4mpg in the company's 268hp Sienna van (that was made in the US) and I had the cruise set at 82mph.

Think of all the Americans (and Canadians) that get their livelyhoods from these so-called imports, both in the maufacturing as well as parts, transportation and everything after the sale of these cars, for years down the road.

I can buy any Toyota at dealer cost but what do I drive?

A 2004 Mustang GT now with 129k miles on it. Bought it used in 2007 with 21k miles on it and have run 4 sets of tires and 1 set of pads thru it. That is all except for fluid changes. I tow bikes and boats with it and it has been bullet-proof AND fun to drive. It does everything I ask it to do.

When the Tacoma V6 6 speed SRunner 1st came out, one of the Toyota people (after seeing my Dakota R/T) asked me why I didn't buy one.
I thought for a second and replied that my Dak was made in 1998 and the SRunner was not out yet and where the SRunner has a 3.4 liter V6 with 190hp and 220#ft of torque, my Dakota has 245hp and 345#ft of torque and it will out run and out tow the Tacoma all over the place.
A couple of days later, we had a little drag race and guess who got their *** handed to them. End of discussion.
Take a tour of at any of the Toyota plants in the US or Canada and ask them how they feel working for an "import car" company.

All three of my vehicles were made here but all 4 of my bikes are Japanese. Why??
Ever see a stock 1972 Harley run mid 12s and pull wheelies by just wicking the throttle?
Did HD ever produce a 6 cyl. bike that was the fastest thing you could buy in 1979?
Did HD ever produce a 750 turbo in 1984 that ran high 10s stock?
Did HD ever produce an 1100 that was quiet as a church mouse and ran low, low 10s and cruise all day at 180?
That is why I have Japanese bikes. They build what I want.
 
So true we have had a hand in our own demise, we are the ones who elected those individuals. As far as life style, I try to live as simple as I can an incourage others to do the same.
shadango said:
We as American middle class have in fact made the decisions that affect our economy.....NOT just the government.

You are right, what has happened to our pride in country?

When we want to make lots of cash for doing minimal work and then when we go to spend that money we want more for less, THAT is what causes what we have here.

We are all guilty of it.

Owning an old vehicle, as someone else said, is actually contributing to the problem. All of the repop parts for old vehicles pretty much come from china now......At least when you buy a new car from an american based company that is SOMETHING going to an american company at theend of the day.

But we would rather have extra money for 200 cable tv channels, iphones for 12 year olds and all sorts of things that USED to be luxuries for most decades ago. So we demand that our "necessities" be cheaply priced yet of great quality.

Back when the term "middle class american" was coined, people had a solid house, maybe a car in the driveway, a radio or TV and a few sets of decent clothes. Dad worked an 8-10 hr day and mom worked the house and raised the kids.

That was considered pretty damned successful.

Now, that would be considered lower class....LOL

These days, people cant live within the means that that lifestyle provides.

Americans have grown fat both in body and appetite for luxury. No one saves anymore, and everyone wants cheap everything.

We did this.

We have to fix this.

We have to pay more at the store, pay more in taxes and accept less pay for our work. That means we have to scale back our excessive lifestyles.

Otherwise this house of cards is bound to fall sooner or later.
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Thrashard340 said:
What a ridiculous thread. Just another foreign bashing rant. Buying an American car over a foreign one won't change anything. What needs to change is the mentality of the average American.

Hemitheus, by saying that you buy your imported computer products and iPhone while buying an American car over a foreign one is just a plain cop out. You don't need to buy a computer. You can always go to the library and use one. OR...you can go to an internet cafe or rent-a-center here in the US and give your money to someone in the U.S. But this would be too much of an inconvenience for you and your family, so you need to use this as an excuse to buy a computer with imported parts.

These anti-foreign threads epitomize ignorance..and this type of displayed ignorance is very un-American.
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I am not anti-foreign. I am pro-american and unless youre walking around with blinders on, this country is sinking fast and if we dont do something to correct it, because god knows our elected officials wont, we are done for. and i didnt say what you are quoting me as saying. I said everything i buy is american unless i have no option to buy a product that is american. your statement that buying foreign over domestic "won't change anything" just goes to show where the ignorance truly lies. Although, your statments wasnt completely off. I do agree with "What needs to change is the mentality of the average American." And finally, my thread and statement is un-american. Interesting. the only thing more American I have ever done than going out of my way to buy things that keep money in this country to try and save us from ruining ourselves is voluntarilly walking into a Marine Corps recruiting office and giving myself and my service to my country. But go ahead and call me ignorant. it doesnt make you right. just.... what's the word. Ignorant. Thanks though.
 
shadango said:
Funny that no one is mentioning the other critical key issue here....the greedy american worker/consumer.

People love to demonize the big faceless corporations for wanting to make maximum profit for their investment.

But what about the typical American worker who wants to make the most money and benefits for the least amount of work? Ya know, the folks who want to be "middle class" with a house in the burbs, 2.5 cars in the driveway and a comfy nest egg while doing labor or grunt jobs 37 hours a week.

You cannot make an "American product" that the thrifty American consumer will buy as long as the American worker is looking for maximum money for least work.

Illegal immigrants can find work so easily because no American wants to do the real grunt work for the low pay it can afford. Again, we are giving away work.

As Americans, we all want the MOST/BEST product for our money and want to spend less and less to get that. But we want the MOST money and BEST benefits for the least amount of work.

If its OK to tell corporations that they should make less profit then it should be Ok to tell the American worker to stop expecting to make $60k/yr with full benefits for grunt work.

$15/hr plus full benefits isn't a bad wage for inserting part A onto part B and attaching bolts 1,2,3,4 and 5 and sending it down the line.

Back in the day, assembly line work made sense to companies like Ford because it was CHEAP.

Unions have taken that benefit away.

Christ almighty....the local grocery store here had the BAGGERS trying to unionize! Who the hell ever heard of someone making a CAREER outr of baggiung groceries? That is supposed to be a kid's job or a job one takes to make extra money or as a stop gap when they find themselves out of a real job. But these baggers want full benefits!

SERIOUSLY!?!?

We will ALL have to bite the bullet some.....corporations as well as the consumer and employee...if we are to ever reverse the mess we are in.

American workers will have to give up some pay and/or benefits, the American consumer will have to pay a little more for everything and American comopanies will have to make a little less profit.....in that way, there will be more of everything to go around.

Until then, foreign companies and workers will be glad to do the work for the low pay that we wont accept and sell us products for less money and American companies will continue to find ways to stay in business while using other countries as production hubs for their products. .
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WELL PUT!, however you cannot forget outsourcing, moving manufacturing plants over the borders and bringing in foreign workers like Intel and Motorola do with engineers from India.
 
OneOfMany said:
Don't pick on us Canadians.. we are in the same boat as you. In fact, our local economies are being taken over by the same large greedy American corporations that promote the sale of cheap, crappy imported goods. At least when your companies such as Walmart decide to crush OUR companies, do it by bringing in quality products, not the same cheap Chinese crap that we get enough of..

Of course, I'm tongue in cheek. I (and many here) look at our economy as contingent on the success of yours. Our standard of living certainly is not providing cheap labour like the country to your south.

And for all of you owning 70 Swinger 340s, please send them back to us. We will gladly refund your original purchase price (less depreciation of course).

:)

Grant
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Great point, The US and Canada, im my twisted head, I thing we are really the same people. Dont know why I think that way.

Congrats on getting your Jets back.
 
tractorfix said:
I work in a massive fleet facility with about 200 other mechanics. They came from everywhere and I have heard countless horror stories about every kind of car ever made.
They ALL have their moments.
Click to expand...


Very good point. We are forgetting that imports arent made of pixie dust and gold. Theyre just as flawed as our cars.
 
shadango said:
We as American middle class have in fact made the decisions that affect our economy.....NOT just the government.

You are right, what has happened to our pride in country?

When we want to make lots of cash for doing minimal work and then when we go to spend that money we want more for less, THAT is what causes what we have here.

We are all guilty of it.

Owning an old vehicle, as someone else said, is actually contributing to the problem. All of the repop parts for old vehicles pretty much come from china now......At least when you buy a new car from an american based company that is SOMETHING going to an american company at theend of the day.

But we would rather have extra money for 200 cable tv channels, iphones for 12 year olds and all sorts of things that USED to be luxuries for most decades ago. So we demand that our "necessities" be cheaply priced yet of great quality.

Back when the term "middle class american" was coined, people had a solid house, maybe a car in the driveway, a radio or TV and a few sets of decent clothes. Dad worked an 8-10 hr day and mom worked the house and raised the kids.

That was considered pretty damned successful.

Now, that would be considered lower class....LOL

These days, people cant live within the means that that lifestyle provides.

Americans have grown fat both in body and appetite for luxury. No one saves anymore, and everyone wants cheap everything.

We did this.

We have to fix this.

We have to pay more at the store, pay more in taxes and accept less pay for our work. That means we have to scale back our excessive lifestyles.

Otherwise this house of cards is bound to fall sooner or later.
Click to expand...

the one thing i dont like about this post is.... nothing
 
I was smart enough to buy a 2010 Chrysler T&C during the breif time Chrysler was American again
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oh brother. its just as german as the 08 ones where. your excuse is a lame technicality .
 
hemitheus said:
Mopar minivans are the best made vans..
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yea they are if you want to kill your kids..

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeVsPMvaAa4&feature=player_embedded"]&#x202a;Infant Deaths From Chrysler Minivan Dodge Caravan Seatback Defect&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube[/ame]
 
That particular version of the van was the one preceeding the 08+

and lets be honest. if youre in an accident you always run the risk of death. hell i remember crawling up on the rear shelf of my grandmothers 71 lincoln. SAFE :)
 
hemitheus said:
I am not anti-foreign. I am pro-american and unless youre walking around with blinders on, this country is sinking fast and if we dont do something to correct it, because god knows our elected officials wont, we are done for. and i didnt say what you are quoting me as saying. I said everything i buy is american unless i have no option to buy a product that is american. your statement that buying foreign over domestic "won't change anything" just goes to show where the ignorance truly lies. Although, your statments wasnt completely off. I do agree with "What needs to change is the mentality of the average American." And finally, my thread and statement is un-american. Interesting. the only thing more American I have ever done than going out of my way to buy things that keep money in this country to try and save us from ruining ourselves is voluntarilly walking into a Marine Corps recruiting office and giving myself and my service to my country. But go ahead and call me ignorant. it doesnt make you right. just.... what's the word. Ignorant. Thanks though.
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I have great respect for our military. However, just because you served, it isn't the only thing that makes you an American. Let's keep these two issues separate.

Then YOU need to take the blinders off. I believe A-bodyJoe and YellowDartDave explained it clearly. These foreign car companies support their families when the American ones do not. These were clear examples and you chose to ignore them. Hence, ignorance.

My choice of words may have been strong and if they were offensive, then I apologize. I really have no issues with you, but I read through 3 1/2 pages on this thread where nothing was said about what needed to be done to fix the economy. Just a bunch of senseless foreign bashing. I do not believe the answer lies in the foreign car companies alone. Which is why I truly believe it won't make a difference, and technically, yes that even makes me ignorant to a degree. Again, it is the mentality of the average American that needs to change.

So here is my challenge to you. What are you going to do to change this? What action will you take?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tractorfix
I work in a massive fleet facility with about 200 other mechanics. They came from everywhere and I have heard countless horror stories about every kind of car ever made.
They ALL have their moments.

Very good point. We are forgetting that imports arent made of pixie dust and gold. Theyre just as flawed as our cars.


However, the overall point is being missed. The imports have a lower failure rate.
 
Thrashard340 said:
I have great respect for our military. However, just because you served, it isn't the only thing that makes you an American. Let's keep these two issues separate.

Then YOU need to take the blinders off. I believe A-bodyJoe and YellowDartDave explained it clearly. These foreign car companies support their families when the American ones do not. These were clear examples and you chose to ignore them. Hence, ignorance.

My choice of words may have been strong and if they were offensive, then I apologize. I really have no issues with you, but I read through 3 1/2 pages on this thread where nothing was said about what needed to be done to fix the economy. Just a bunch of senseless foreign bashing. I do not believe the answer lies in the foreign car companies alone. Which is why I truly believe it won't make a difference, and technically, yes that even makes me ignorant to a degree. Again, it is the mentality of the average American that needs to change.

So here is my challenge to you. What are you going to do to change this? What action will you take?
Click to expand...

I appreciate your support of those in service. My point wasnt that my service is what makes me American. just that it is the most American thing I have done.


No, I follow the point you guys are making about foreign makes building cars here. My point is that even though they are built here the vast majority of the monies earned from the purchase of foreign cars goes overseas and negatively impacts our economy. I make no excuses for American makes and the UAW and moving plants off of US soil. So I am not ignorant to the points made. I just disagree.

I was a Marine, offended isnt an emotion i have felt since i was a teenager. And i agree with you. this is only one small piece of the puzzle. And as with all things, there is no easy 1 step solution that is going to make everyone happy. Fact is change like we need is painful and invasive, yet necessary. Being from Detroit I have a deep rooted love for american cars. Must be a motor city thing.
 
Thrashard340 said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tractorfix
I work in a massive fleet facility with about 200 other mechanics. They came from everywhere and I have heard countless horror stories about every kind of car ever made.
They ALL have their moments.

Very good point. We are forgetting that imports arent made of pixie dust and gold. Theyre just as flawed as our cars.


However, the overall point is being missed. The imports have a lower failure rate.
Click to expand...


In the pre-daimler days my cousins delivery business had over a dozen caravans which all had routine oil changes and standard maintenance done on them. While the occasional alternator or water pump went out he was able to get an average of 300,000 miles on the entire van with the exception of the 150,000mi on the transmissions.
 
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