Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars

SVTCOBRA · **Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

I dont know about all of you guys but when I buy a product I make sure that when ever I can I buy American, even with cars. I know a lot of people say it doesnt matter if it is a American car or a Foreign car. So if your one of these people I found this website that is very interesting and eye opening. If your not one of these people then spread the word.

The Level Field Institute

http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/f...d_v_Toyota.pdf

upton7 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

sonicpony03 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

Yeah I can just see the arguments that will start with this thread, but anyways...I try buy "American" made products as much as I can also.
I will always buy an "American car" before a foreign car, and when I say that I mean Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. Some german, european, and italian cars are amazing, let's face it...the engineering is sweeeet!

Luckily, many of the car mods and cleaning products out there are made in the USA.

ThaWill · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

Level Field was founded
by retirees of Ford, GM,
Chrysler, and the companies
that supply them.

lol

wiarumas · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

...don't buy foreign says the man on the foreign made computer, sitting in his living room full of foreign made furniture in his foreign made clothes. guess what else, most of the food in your kitchen didn't come from america either.

the point is, it doesn't matter what you buy, as long as you buy - we are a country of consumers, not manufacturers. we gave up that title a LONG time ago.

**SpectorV** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

yea, if you only purchased what is made 100% in America by American owned companies... then well you wouldnt be alble to buy very much. hell the most American made car today i sa Toyota lol.

I would rather most of the profit go to Ford or GM etc than Toyota just saying~

sonicpony03 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by wiarumas ...don't buy foreign says the man on the foreign made computer, sitting in his living room full of foreign made furniture in his foreign made clothes. guess what else, most of the food in your kitchen didn't come from america either. the point is, it doesn't matter what you buy, as long as you buy - we are a country of consumers, not manufacturers. we gave up that title a LONG time ago.

This is pretty much true, and I don't see it turning around any time soon.

ThaWill · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

Not that there is any reason for it to. I understand pride and patriotism, but a true global economy is what we are eventually going to end up with anyway. If foreign manufacturers made shitty cars, no one would buy them. If no one competed with the big 3 here, they'd get complacent and you'd get shittier cars from them. Not that they'd make bad cars, they'd just be less pressured to get that extra horsepower to compete with the german coupe, or the extra doodads to compete with the big european luxury sedans etc etc. Think about every car commercial there ever was, they all say "even more better and cool than *other car manufacturer*"

I don't really understand the import hate anyways. Those companies started out making cars for their own people. But Japan is a tiny ass island. If they wanted to survive and grow and make money, like all of you do, they had to expand their market, and the US is a huge automotive market. It just makes business sense to sell your product here. The fact that these foreign companies invest over half as much as the domestic automakers (going by that graph) just shows how dedicated they are to the US market. Especially when you consider how much cheaper it would probably be for them to build all their plants in mexico and just ship across the border.

**SpectorV** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

I think the hate is stereotyping. Its ingrained into peoples head that import cars are superior in every aspect when compared to American cars. The quality is not there or they are not as reliable... when this is simply BS (back in the day sure the US automakers decided to sit on their ass and thought they were untouchable... we still pay the price for that today). Its hard to overcome past issues with shitty cars that were made.

I have a Nissan as my wife's car... not because I hate the US companies... because after looking at all the offerings that what she wanted.

ThaWill · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

I have a nissan too, but i bought it used from an american used car dealer, is that ok :P

wiarumas · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

Buy the best car thats appropriate for you regardless of brand is the true American way. Buying American just because it's American could be argued that it's unamerican. In capitalism, the victor is the one with the superior product. Competitors are forced to innovate, improve and compete or fail. The only reason ford is a top selling American brand is because it had to bust it's ass for last few decades while taking a beating from it's competitors. It paid off. The only reason hy ford is in a good position today is because of people buying foriegn.

fast64 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

My American truck was built in Mexico....just sayin'...

upton7 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by wiarumas ...don't buy foreign says the man on the foreign made computer, sitting in his living room full of foreign made furniture in his foreign made clothes. guess what else, most of the food in your kitchen didn't come from america either. the point is, it doesn't matter what you buy, as long as you buy - we are a country of consumers, not manufacturers. we gave up that title a LONG time ago.

I don't ever worry about where my clothes or food or computer that kinda stuff is made from. I buy all of my contruction tools that are american. And alot of construction materials are made in usa actually and those are way better than the foreign ones no discussion. I realize some of my car is made in some other place but I can't help that. But my engine the most important part of the car was made in Michigan.

wiarumas · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by upton7 I don't ever worry about where my clothes or food or computer that kinda stuff is made from. I buy all of my contruction tools that are american. And alot of construction materials are made in usa actually and those are way better than the foreign ones no discussion. I realize some of my car is made in some other place but I can't help that. But my engine the most important part of the car was made in Michigan.

nearly all power tools are made in china and mexico - when it has a made in USA sticker, it means its just assembled here... a marketing ploy just like green/organic products nowadays.

whats the brand of the tools you buy?

wiarumas · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by upton7 I don't ever worry about where my clothes or food or computer that kinda stuff is made from. I buy all of my contruction tools that are american. And alot of construction materials are made in usa actually and those are way better than the foreign ones no discussion. I realize some of my car is made in some other place but I can't help that. But my engine the most important part of the car was made in Michigan.

nearly all power tools are made in china and mexico - when it has a made in USA sticker, it means its just assembled here... a marketing ploy just like green/organic products nowadays.

whats the brand of the tools you buy? just out of curiosity.

fast64 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by wiarumas when it has a made in USA sticker, it means its just assembled here.

Sears got sued over that a few years ago by putting the label on Craftsman power tools, most of the time stuff that is made overseas and assembled here now says "Assembled in the USA". Craftsman and SK hand tools are still made in the USA though.

**bbunt302** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

SK is the way to go.

DarkShadow · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

lawl

a lot of the parts I work with...for the Military...are made in foreign countries...

upton7 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

dewalt milwaukee bosch stanley estwing a couple craftsman b4 u go look up something on some site they say they are american and if say only half of them are or just the sticker or metal is regardless those ones that say they are have the best quality hands down

**SpectorV** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

maybe made in America is the sticker not the product the sticker is attached to hmm

ThaWill · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

so the argument has gone from "foreign cars aren't the best quality cars like everyone thinks" to "my tools might not be american but they are the best quality"

indeed

**rickf73** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

The trade deficit is what bothers me, Products from the US are taxed heavily when sent overseas by other govts. We don't seem to do as much to items imported. I am not that up on things but China can pay people low wages because that is the going rate. US companies can't compete with the price so we buy foreign products because of price.

SVTCOBRA · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

sad isnt it. That is why it is so hard to get a job in our country, it is cheaper over seas.

upton7 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by ThaWill so the argument has gone from "foreign cars aren't the best quality cars like everyone thinks" to "my tools might not be american but they are the best quality" indeed

I'm sure they are made here.

wiarumas · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by rickf73 The trade deficit is what bothers me, Products from the US are taxed heavily when sent overseas by other govts. We don't seem to do as much to items imported. I am not that up on things but China can pay people low wages because that is the going rate. US companies can't compete with the price so we buy foreign products because of price.

true. but we sell the product for 500 times the manufacturing price.

like a keyboard for example... made by chinese children for pennies a day. you can buy one for 30+ in america. 29.999 of that is staying in america and now, the best buy worker, the truck driver who drive it there, the dock worker who unloaded it, etc have a better wage than if it was american made. i would guess that it would probably cost that 30 alone to make it - leaving little room for increasing wages across the board.

thats what our economy boils down to. selling dirt cheap stuff for inflated costs so we can all profit from it. that, and selling services to one another (insurance, accounting, consulting, etc).

99 SVT Cobra · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

Regardless of whether or not you want to buy 100% American made products or not, it is almost impossible to find. I can't think of any car out there that has 100% American made products in them. Including our Mustangs!

upton7 · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**

all of edelbrock is made in the usa and you can get nearly every part from them.

SVTCOBRA · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by 99 SVT Cobra Regardless of whether or not you want to buy 100% American made products or not, it is almost impossible to find. I can't think of any car out there that has 100% American made products in them. Including our Mustangs!

Yeah I know but I think most mustangs have 87% domestic parts.

**SaleenFiend** · **Re: Domestic Vs. Foreign Cars**


Quote: Originally Posted by rickf73 The trade deficit is what bothers me, Products from the US are taxed heavily when sent overseas by other govts. We don't seem to do as much to items imported. I am not that up on things but China can pay people low wages because that is the going rate. US companies can't compete with the price so we buy foreign products because of price.

Smartest person in this thread. 'Buy American' is alot deeper then most of you throw at it. You can't forget everytime you buy a sweatshop product from a Communist nation you are only help fuel their govt not their people. They tax and tariff our exports but we allow their imports free trade? If we as much as talk about enforcing taxes, tariffs that our own companies pay to sell in America then they threaten to ban our products or penalize us in different ways. As far as cars go... (Say a Toyota P/U truck) the quality of that truck is extremely different then the build of our vehicles. We use higher grade metals in things as simple as nuts and bolts. Also, the truck may be assembled here, but the product is purely Japanese/Korean/Etc.... American vehicles may be partially Mexican/Canadian but a great portion still is fed back into the American Economy. Oh.. FYI Domestic cars are slowly suprassing the imports when it comes to vehicle lifespan expectancy and reliability...


Quote: Originally Posted by wiarumas true. but we sell the product for 500 times the manufacturing price. like a keyboard for example... made by chinese children for pennies a day. you can buy one for 30+ in america. 29.999 of that is staying in america and now, the best buy worker, the truck driver who drive it there, the dock worker who unloaded it, etc have a better wage than if it was american made. i would guess that it would probably cost that 30 alone to make it - leaving little room for increasing wages across the board. thats what our economy boils down to. selling dirt cheap stuff for inflated costs so we can all profit from it.

And Foreign manufactures don't? They do exactly the same... Their product may be cheaper in the end run, but its becuase they paid the sweatshop child, delivery guy, and salesman pennies for a day of work in most cases they use cheaper products as far as plastics and metals are concerned. Thus making the production cost cheaper, allowing a even greater markup to 'match' American prices.