IMHO, our esteemed congressman are grandstanding and issuing sound bites while our economy goes down the toilet. They ***** about auto CEOs flying on corporate jets while they themselves fly on free junkets courtesy of lobbyists and have free health care, fantastic defined pension plan, and a subsidized cafeteria. Our CinC hides in his office and lets Detroit suffer because the state voted Democrat.

Granted our auto makers pandered to the buyers' demand for overweight, poor gas mileage vehicles. You build what sells. A little intelligence would have forecast gas spiraling out of sight a year ago and the product mix could have shifted, but our fickle buying public would have shifted from Ford F150s to Toyota Tundras.

FYI, the German labor unions are stronger than ours. They get the month of August off and a total of close to 30 days a year. They have a contract with their employers and very strong worker unions that dispute any change in job scope and any outsourcing. Severance packages are set by law. I had a couple German guys work for me in a tier 1 company and they were fantastic, but they made sure I did not violate any of the hourly worker rules because there would be hell to pay. So don't convince yourselves that M-B and Karmann are cheaper labor sites than Motown.

The US makes good quality cars - just slightly behind anyone. But there was no place I could buy an sports sedan with AWD and a manual transmission EXCEPT a CTS, and I don't care for that body style. There are some decent looking American cars, but once they stick in a 6- or 8- cylinder they only offer them with automatic transmissions. Not for me. Compare the looks of the XF roadster with a Saturn or Pontiac -- no comparison in my mind. Well, maybe the Saturn, but even less trunk than a XF and no where as sexy looking.

Rant over.

 

I dare someone to show me statistics for an American car model that has the consistent longevity/reliability that some of the Nissan and Toyota models have.

My wife drives a 1999 Lexus RX300 with over 225K on the odometer. Never a major repair. None of our American vehicles ever came close in longevity or reliability. Despite the same, better than recommended, maintenance.

Listen, I used to be a hard core "American only" vehicle purchaser. I have owned decent Dodge and Chrysler vehicles before. I have owned Fords and GM's. Most went to crap before 100K.

Once you have your American vehicle turn to junk (GM SUV), owe thousands of dollars on it, have faulty dealership repairs and get no backing from the manufacturer, then maybe you'll change your mind. That's what drove us away.

 

Stan, so much of it still comes down to perceptions based on personal experience. I know I sound like I'm beating a dead horse with my comments about the guy with the Toyota that needed 8 warranty repairs in 3 years while my Chrysler products have needed one in 8 years, but that is his reality and my reality. In all honesty, his reality isn't doing a hell of a lot to sway my perceptions.

I used to work for a guy who an S Class Benz. The thing was in the shop every month to have something fixed. A good friend of mine will never buy another Nissan because the Maxima he owned was a pile of crap, and he got no satisfaction from the dealer. Same goes for a BMW owner I know, and Honda owners as well. But that is ALL anecdotal and none of it something one should base a decision on.

I remember as a kid listening to two neighbors debating various car brands, one of whom would never buy a GM product because every one he ever owned was, in his words, junk. Yet the other neighbor would never own anythng but a GM vehicle because he'd always had such great luck with them.

And there's the word - luck. Toyota has recalled literally millions of cars in the past fews years, and they're overall quality rating is slipping. That doesn't make them junk, of course, but it certainly doesn't make them flawless.

Now Hyundai used to be junk, no doubt about it. But what a turnaround they've made. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind owning one at all. Not something I would have said with any degree of seriousness just a few years ago.