Buy American!

[Gavin Allan]

A little old, but makes good sense:

The loud "buy American" movement hasn't got anywhere near the strength now that it had a decade ago, and that's a good thing: it means people can once again buy American cars on their own merits, not just in support of some politico-economic cause.



I'll admit that I was fully caught up in the buy-American gusto when you couldn't escape the adverts admonishing you to buy American to support the American auto worker; to keep manufacturing jobs in our country and support our economy. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable attitude, and since the only cars I could afford at the time were those nigh-indestructible Yank tanks of the 1960s and early 1970s, the complaints of modern-day build quality seemed to me unfounded.



It wasn't until I was driving American cars from the late 1980s that I understood why Honda was selling so many cars: middling fit-and-finish, goofy ergonomics, iffy quality, and paint that would neither remain the proper color nor remain adhered to the bodywork. Though I've had a few cars from that era, all of which suffered from the same general ailments, the one that finally broke me of my Buy American attitude was a 1990 Pontiac Grand Am.



The Evil Grand Am, as we called it at home, was a good enough car when it was running right, but it was plagued with maddening intermittent failures that made the car difficult to rely on, and the design of the switchgear was just plain bizarre. When we finally got rid of it, we had no regrets.



But this is not to say that I immediately jumped to imported marques; my next two cars were also Pontiacs, and being newer designs they were far superior cars. The Bonneville probably saved American cars from total banishment in our home, as it went beyond 150,000 miles without the slightest engine trouble and precious few other failures along the way. Interestingly, my Firebird was also my first import: it's sent to us from Canada.



The Firebird symbolizes the problem of a "buy American" ethic in the modern global economy. Many foreign carmakers responded to the cry by investing heavily in the United States even as Detroit automakers started abandoning homegrown assembly lines for cheap foreign labor. The lines are impossibly blurred: Camaros built in Canada using American parts; BMWs built in South Carolina using German parts; Toyotas built in Japan using American engines; Chryslers built in America using Japanese engines; Mercurys designed in America and built in Australia using Japanese engines; Cadillacs that are half-assembled in America, shipped to Italy to be finished, and then shipped back again; Toyota Matrixes that are jointly American/Japanese-designed, assembled in Canada with engines designed in Japan but assembled in West Virginia. So what's American?



If we restrict our list to cars where both chassis and drivetrain are designed and assembled within the borders of the United States, then our options become breathtakingly small. The Mustang makes the cut, as does the Thunderbird; the Mercury Marauder and the ubiquitous cop car Crown Victoria don't. But the Toyota Camry does.



And it's surprisingly difficult to figure out which cars make the list. Manufacturers don't bundle point-of-assembly information for each major component along with the rest of a car's stats. The information is available, but it's not compiled anywhere and it requires painstaking research -- research that would have to be renewed each model year. Worth it? Apparently not -- no such list seems to exist.



The plain fact is, those who care about whether a car is American or not usually just give up on the notion of learning a car's actual origin, and fall back on the "traditional" division: the Big Three are American; everyone else isn't. This completely begs the question of whether a foreign marque owned by the Big Three (such as Mazda) or one of the Big Three owned by a foreign marqu

 

[Chuck Lake]

Innncommminnngggg....

 

[FlipTrac_511]

I wouldn't know if the facts are straight, but it's a good read with an interesting perspective.



I myself decided on the Sport Trac according to the following:



Price and incentives (X-plan, 0% APR)

Appearance and style

Size and functionality

Quality and reliability

Automaker (Ford)

Horsepower and mileage

Features and options

(in that order)



I fell in love with the ST when it first came out; it looked good, hauled people and cargo, and wasn't too small or too big. By 2004, there were incentives and sufficient funds to buy one. Brand loyalty was somewhat of a factor, as from my experience with an 89 Taurus and a 95 Ranger, Ford made solid, rugged vehicles with nice and roomy interiors. The ST did not disappoint. Buying an "American" brand was just a bonus as far patriotism goes but mostly it makes me feel good driving a durable, utilitarian, and nice-looking truck which, I would say, is synonimous with the blue-oval.



The new Frontier and Tacoma hit the sweetspot as far as size goes and are vastly superior to the ST when it comes to power, but neither hold anything else over my Trac. And if I were still in the market, I'd gladly wait for Ford's 07 Sport Trac.

 

[WXMotorSports DecalsPartsAccs]

I chose the ST because the F-150 Supercrew wouldn't fit in my garage...LOL

 

[MARVIN McINTYRE 2]

Just want to pitch a little hay in here.... I bought mine along the same line as Flip Trac-511. Plus I like Ford trucks! I don't think the imports have as much going on as far as styling cues, and that was the main reason I chose the ST to begin with. If it had been an import I might have liked it, but may not have bought one just because it was foriegn job. What are we going to do when the imports take over in sales at every level? Me, I'm going to look for a domestic verhicle to buy! The Big Three just need to listen to the American consumer and do the right thing and bring quality and reliability back to the forefront. Just my humble opinion!

 

[Gerald Pierce]

I chose the ST because the F-150 Supercrew wouldn't fit in my garage...LOL

It wouldn't fit my wallet! They were very proud of the SC when I was looking down in FL.

 

[Travis Munday]

Good read, there.



But alas, people will ALWAYS use the "macroeconmics" excuse as to why it is better to buy 'American', no matter where the vehicle is built, or where the major parts are from, or where many of the suppliers work. "All the money eventually stays here at home, buy American!". That's illogical thinking used to justify a decision based on archaic reasoning. Many 'imports' have a higher parts content then 'American' autos. They use American suppliers, American drivetrain and other major components, and are built in American factories. Not to mention they are sold and serviced by Americans. So where is the majority of the money going when you buy that 'import'?



Also, you have to look as to where the parent company is investing money: here, or overseas? With companies like Hyundai investing millions and millions building a new design studio and manufacturing plant in California, while companies like GM are closing plants down and cutting jobs, while investing millions into Chinese production.



Buy what you want, but don't let the "if you don't buy American, you're an anti-patriot!" crowd get to you, because unless they drive a Mustang, they're supporting foreign business and workers.



BTW, my next vehicle won't be American. It wasn't built in America, it uses no American parts, and wasn't even sold here. Guess I'll have to move since that'll make me evil in the eyes of many.

 

[Mark Grumpy]

Toyota (blasphemy :blink is currently building a new plant right here in San Antonio. To build Tundras. Anyway, last time I was in the area I did not notice 1000 plus Japanese actually constructing the plant. The concrete trucks did not have "Tojo Cement Plant" stenciled on the side and the sheetrock said USG and not Imported from Japan.



What I did see was Hispanics, Blacks, Orientals and Whites operating machinery, driving deliveries and constructing buildings. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of those workers were actually from this wonderfully racially diverse city and were indeed American.



Also, many contracts have been awarded already to provide sheet metals, drive train parts, plastics and even the foams and seat covers - ALL to local merchants in and around San Antonio.



Maybe I'll be buying an all American Tundra in the next couple years - built right here in San Antonio.



grump

 

[Dre L]

I bet they were union labor too.