Here is something to chew on.......

[Engineer9860]

The truth about American made vehicles

[Engineer9860]

Vulcaneer wrote:

Water-Bug wrote:
Why is it that the auto industry gets all the "Buy American" rhetoric? Other industries have been quietly moved 100% off shore and nobody gave a rip. I know a lot of American auto workers that bought foriegn made electronics and clothing back in the '70s and didn't care because the American workers in those industries weren't union members.

It's because they are one of the only durable goods manuffacturers left standing. We cared when it happened to big steel. We cared when it happened to Machine Tools, Rail cars, appliances, electronics, etc. And it's happening to aircraft, construction equipment, agriculture equipment, shipbuilding. And we do care. We all care. It's just that now we are good at manufacturing hamburgers, potato chips, frozen foods, and RV's. I care about that too. But what about the durable goods manufacturing? We cannot survive with only service economy.

Oh...We care alright. But those in power don't know how to deal with it.

Just for the record, rail cars used on US freight railroads are nearly 100% US made from US sourced components.

[Vulcaneer]

Water-Bug wrote:
Why is it that the auto industry gets all the "Buy American" rhetoric? Other industries have been quietly moved 100% off shore and nobody gave a rip. I know a lot of American auto workers that bought foriegn made electronics and clothing back in the '70s and didn't care because the American workers in those industries weren't union members.

It's because they are one of the only durable goods manuffacturers left standing. We cared when it happened to big steel. We cared when it happened to Machine Tools, Rail cars, appliances, electronics, etc. And it's happening to aircraft, construction equipment, agriculture equipment, shipbuilding. And we do care. We all care. It's just that now we are good at manufacturing hamburgers, potato chips, frozen foods, and RV's. I care about that too. But what about the durable goods manufacturing? We cannot survive with only service economy.

Oh...We care alright. But those in power don't know how to deal with it.

[Trackrig]

You know, Water-Bug has a point.

It does flow both ways. What if we bought only items made in the US? How many people would be put out of work at all of the major ports like Seattle, Portland, Oakland, LA, Texas, the whole east coast, Chicago and the St Lawrence waterway, etc. How many people would get laid off at FedEx, UPS and the other air carriers? And of course you’d support all of the other countries when they quit importing our manufactured goods and food products like wheat?

And first and foremost, we should quit importing coffee beans and shut down all of the Starbucks…………. It wouldn’t bother me, I don’t drink coffee.

Yes, I would like to see more products made in the USA, but as with most things the answers are someplace closer to the middle of the arguments.

Bill

[Water-Bug]

Why is it that the auto industry gets all the "Buy American" rhetoric? Other industries have been quietly moved 100% off shore and nobody gave a rip. I know a lot of American auto workers that bought foriegn made electronics and clothing back in the '70s and didn't care because the American workers in those industries weren't union members.

[MARK_VANDERBENT]

Very well put burbman! wonder why Toyota cant compete with GM on their fullsize suvs ???? People just don't give a rip about supporting spending the second biggest amount of money next to house, and letting profits go out of country!! They just don't care !! unless it effects their job or family members jobs. Go ahead and slap that American flag on that foreign jobber !! and then complain about the country you live in.

[Trackrig]

And if you're apple, you'll claim you don't belong to any country or that their business units belong to some country that doesn't tax them so that they get to keep it all for themselves. What country doesn't matter at all to them.

Bill

[Vulcaneer]

My brother always buys American vehicles, and is proud to tell everyone. Trouble is he always buys used vehicles. Never buys new. Does't even buy from a dealer. Always private party.

[BurbMan]

My Suburban was made in Silao Mexico....but the $10,000 in profit GM made from it went to Detroit. Face it folks, this is a Global Economy. Toyota has plants here that create blue collar assembly jobs screwing cars together, and the profits go back to Japan.

GM assembles and sells cars in China, and creates fantastic jobs for the Chinese in their plants there....but the profits come home to Detroit, where GM creates more white collar engineering, finance and other non-assembly jobs.

BTW, the Mexican Suburban was assembled using a lot of parts made in the US and elsewhere.

So, does "buy American" mean a product from an American company, regardless of where it is made, or a product made in America regardless of what company made it? What about a product made in America by an American company controlled by foreign investors? Gets silly after a while.....

[Water-Bug]

gmcsmoke wrote:
no.

Engines, electronic equipment and oil are the top 3 exports

And the first two of the three are in demand because of their technology, which will be counterfieted in short order. The third is exported at the expense of all of us at the pump.

[gmcsmoke]

no.

Engines, electronic equipment and oil are the top 3 exports

[CREATO]

Water-Bug wrote:
Why should the consumer worry about the American made content of anything? The manufacturers don't care, the stock market doesn't care, even our government doesn't care. Unfortunately, the consumer cannot induce enough concern to overcome the complacency of business and government. Our greatest export is technology, which we blindly give away. 😞

Agricultural products are the Number 1 export for the U.S.A., thank a Farmer.

[camp-n-family]

I take a lot of flack for owning "foreign" vehicles even though they are more "domestic" than many domestics. I was a GM man for years until inheriting my first Toyota. That's when I realized what a fool I was. I finally had a vehicle that didn't depreciate faster than I could pay it off or need a new exhaust, alternator and head gasket like clockwork at 80,000kms. I'm now on my 5th Toyota and have a local built Honda too.

Here's the way I see it. Yes they are foreign owned companies. They built factories here to get past the foreign stigma and help sell vehicles even though it cost more to build. In doing this they created good jobs here, employing thousands while putting millions (billions?) of dollars back into the local economy. I see that as a good thing.

On the other side you have several domestic companies (some now foreign owned) that are building vehicles too but are outsourcing for parts and sending much needed jobs to other countries because it's cheaper. This takes jobs away and money out of the local economy. On top of that they are so poorly managed that they require billions of tax payers dollars to bail them out regularly.

So what's worse? A company whose revenue goes to a foreign state but creates jobs and invests in the local economy? or a domestic company that outsources jobs to other countries, lays off thousands as a result and requires your hard earned money (tax dollars)to stay afloat?

Pretty easy choice in my mind (no matter how small you may think it is :B) Flame away.

[Lessmore]

Passin Thru wrote:
My Chevy is a POS and I am ready to sell it, buy a MH and a Toyota pickup for a toad. We have owned 7 Toyotas and 1 went in the shop at 72000 miles and Toyota put a new engine in i t for free. I can't even get Chevy to pay $940 for the glowplugs which were under warranty. I wrote to Chevys president and they just blew me off. You buy a $45000 truck and you get crap. The hoses from the transmission to the cooler are potmetal, pressed to rubber back to potmetal and tey all leak, leaving puddles in the driveway. You have to remove the fender to replace the fuel filter. Stupid Engineering. I had a 7.3 Ford but the new ones are just as crappy as Chevy. The Toyota Camry has dethroned the Ford F-150 as the "Most American" car,To add insult to injury, Toyota was ruled the most "American" auto manufacturer, beating out Ford. What does GM mean? Government Manufacturing?

Two worst cars I've had since I began buying vehicles were Toyota's. One a '73 Corolla and a '07 Matrix. Both bought new, both multiple, expensive problems. Best vehicles I've bought over the years, with the exception of a '76 Chevette....GM.

[TPUC]

My Nissan Titan was made in Mississippi and my Camaro was made in Canada. Go Figure.