With All The GOOD Vehicles Being Made Now In The USA, WHY Do You Still Drive An Import?

I've never owned an import :) Never owned a sedan either for that matter.

... on second thought, I am Canadian so I guess I drive an import because I can't afford either of the road legal cars made by Canadian companies...

I'm not relying on an import. I'm relying on certain brands I've driven for a long time. Every brand has a certain interior layout that is parallel across every model in the lineup. I like getting into a car and let the everything adjust itself if the vehicle is available with memory seating and then be able to reach the correct buttons without looking. I also like doing everything manually: kinda cool when you follow steps to get yourself adjusted - the radio on, the traction control off, etc.

And I'm brand conscious. :P

I will never buy an American car, just like I will never buy an Asian Car. That's just how it goes.

Same reason you would purchase an vehicle that is build by a transplanted company due to cost restraints and savings. Because a BMW is built in the states doesn't mean its core parent company is American. Its still an import by anyones standard. It takes half a brain cell to know this, what is the problem in figuring this out?

I gave my money to the American companies for over a decade in a half. In that time took that money and paid blue collar workers white collar wages boosted bonuses and cheapened their products each and every year.

Due to these poor decisions I was forced to buy an import. Now the problem is that the Americans simply are so far behind to me they are no longer relevant to my needs. Yes they can make a great SUV. But those aren't my nneds.

Now make me a great overall car that can last 10 years and 200,000 miles and we will talk. Right now I simply don't see anything the domestics make out there that interests me.

It is sad but true, we have taught a whole generation that we make crappy cars.

They look and maybe even feel nice, but how are they long term? We shall see in another few years how these products will compare.

Its a little thing called free will!

why? because i've owned american before so i can say never again.

also, the performance is horrible on most affordable american cars, the power is... well let's just say power and performance play a big roll in me not ever getting another domestic vehicle again.

So you want a vehicle that is both affordable and has power/performance to boot? Well... for cheap ponies the GT500 will net you 540 of them with an invoice of $41,805. Not cheap enough? well for almost half the price a base Camaro still has about 305hp.

Ohh wait, you must be talking about true performance cars... well the Z06 still holds it's ring time just over a second faster then the v10 Audi r8... invoicing at $67,228

Arguing that American's can't do performance afford-ably is very hard to do.

Agent001:
Maybe you want to clarify what you mean when you say "American car"..
Is the Chev Camaro built in Oshawa an "merican car" Or the Caddy SRX built in Mexico?
OTOH, German and Asian car companies assemble a number of their vehicles in the U.S.
So are you talking about cars built and/or assembled in the U.S. or cars being sold by domestic automobile manufacturers???

Why is this so hard? This is only a point of contention when its in reference to Domestic vs Imports in reference to the Big 21/2. Have anyone EVER called any BMW an American car? No because the ones needing the image will never allow you to shape that argument. But just down the way, you got a Japanese plant doing the same thing and everyone gets confused if its an American company. WTF? VW makes vehicles in Mexico, do we ever get those confused with being German? Does it matter, because everything VW, Mercedes or BMW is considered an import.

I mean from an American manufacturer...Big 3

001

I wouldnt consider chrysler fully american anymore. Their a mixed breed. Almost whatever FIAT is.

the big 2.5!

I laugh at this post.

Chrysler has been a mixed breed for a long time. How many of them were re-badged mitsubishis or based on mitsubishis. The sebrings and avengers wer built on stretched versions of the Mitsubishi platform Even the interiors were almost identical. Both first generation (built on the Gen 2 eclipse) and second generation (built on the gen 3 eclipse when it got fat and heavy) remember the colt and compact pickup? remember the raider SUV? the Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser/Eclipes (gen 1 and gen 2)

I've never owned or driven an american car, so its not fair for me to judge them, but I must say that I wouldn't give up what I am currently driving for any American car...

There are many great American cars and many that I would own. But and this is purely subjective, I find the designs of the foreign manufacturers to be more appealing, especially in the premium segment. To me, the foreign car makes spend just a little more time thinking about ergonomics and invest more on quality materials especially in the interior. American manufacturers have made great strides in these areas, but I still find their interiors lacking compared to the foreign competition. Cadillac is on the right track and provides a top notch interior in the CTS, but when you are comparing mainstream cars, you generally still find better fit and finish and better plastics on many of the imports. A good example would be the Malibu while it's a great car that I personally like, the interior plastics and IMO 80's looking guages and fonts for the HVAC and radio leave a lot to be desired. The foreign cars just look a little more modern to me. Just my opinion......


Stone

I don't support the UAW so I don't buy American cars.

It's just that simple :-)

People with low wages and no job security have incentive to educate themselves and become useful productive members of society. Rather then just consumers that buy extra stuff from china.

We were just in the period of time with the greatest opportunity ever, and yet the UAW and other unions were still there raping the companies which had to obey them. Seriously, in such an opportunity rich time the UAW allowed people with only a high school education to enter the upper middle class spectrum. They had no incentive to upgrade themselves so now when the opportunities are slowing down, they find themselves skill less and vulnerable. Unions helped destroy the nation by making the USA the most overpaid undereducated country in the world.

Yup!!!!.. Reason, Imports do so much better.. And why I still drive one is because of three little letters: UAW.

Let's see....owned a 1996 Ford Probe GT. Bought it brand new. Great car...loved it. But it was a POS. Built by Ford with UAW help!! Manual trans. had a mind of it's own. Both doors sounded totally different when closing, the front end had this weird loud snapping noise on occassion(dealer never could figure it out), Only about 3 years in, the plastic exterior trim was discolored, and about 4 years in, the plastic window switches started splitting in half for no apparent reason!

At that point, I vowed not to buy a Big 3 product again! Have owned a Honda Accord and Acura TL since and both have been pretty much trouble free.

Next time around, I would consider a car from GM and Ford again pending long term quality/reliability studies. If they show competitive products in terms of quality and reliability over the long-term, there is no reason not to consider a car from GM or Ford.

That being said, I am not a big fan of the UAW. I believe they along with the help of poorly managed General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford(even though they have not gotten a Gov't bailout) have brought on the last 30 years on themselves. That being said, if I had a choice of buying similar products built by UAW labor or built by non-unionized labor, I'll pick the non-unionized built car.

Americans cars are definitely better but when you think about how low they set the bar over the past few decades, what are tremendous improvements to domestics are still run of the mill compared to the foreign competition....

Imports are still better. Period. And it has nothing to do with defect rates.

I would buy American when the following happens:
1. Chevy's Interior fit and finish exceeds the quality of Honda & Toyota.
2. Buick's Interior fit and finish exceeds the quality of Lexus and Jaguar.
3. Cadillac's Interior exceeds the fit and finish quality of Audi, BMW and Mercedes while matching their technology advancement. Cadillac must also ditch the "bargain luxury" branding.

Ford and Chrysler simply don't stand a chance.

the biggest challenge facing the US brands is that those brands were so diluted for so long, that the mojo is in "deficit" mode - with the exception of trucks for Ford and Chevy. When was the last time someone was impressed you bought domestic - as compared with comparable imports. Cadillac got it going with the art and science pitch, but as a whole GM remains in the wilderness, Ford is better off, and Chrysler is hopeless.

There's almost no such thing as a truly American car anymore. Many American car companies have stock owned by non-Americans. Many American cars are not built in the USA. Many foreign cars are built in the USA and have company stock owned by Americans. In a global marketplace, we are trying to make distinctions that largely no longer exist. It comes down to long term quality and reliability and cost of ownership. And the traditional American car companies have done very poorly. It will take years of concerted efforts and right decisions to win back customers. But frankly it really doesn't matter anymore.

WTF is that comment ?

Most of the cars SOLD in the US are MADE in the US. Now if you are talking about import brands, fine. With the crazy unions in Germany, more and more German cars are being "MADE" in other countries such as China and Mexico, Eastern Europe, ie. jetta, X5, 3 Series, Audi TT,A3,Q7, C-Class etc.

Silly question. How about you define what "an import" is. You do realize BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru all manufacture autos in the USA and that GM, Chrysler and Ford all manufacture automobiles abroad. Thus, you tell me, what constitutes an import for purposes of this discussion. Seems to me that other than to inflame jingoistic flag wavers who really do not put a lot of thought into what it means to "buy American," there is no point to this thread.

Why do you find it hard to call GM, Chrysler and Ford American? It's common courtesy to call Audi's and such German and not Chinese. You could have just answered the question.

Even when German cars are imported back to Germany, the Germans calls their own cars German. Honda imports their cars home still Honda's are Japanese. What is so hard I ask again?

I just sold my Corolla I will nevar by a car where I can not put something as simple as a matt on the drivers side. I am glad to see this post, and YES i will buy American when I pick up my Chevy Malibu today. I wish I could change my screen name to never foreign again.

I just like the excitement factor on imports. How often do you hear about an American car accelerating to over 100 mph because "the floormat is defective" I figure every time you get in a Toyota or Lexus you are risking your life and limb.

Frankly, the domestics have only caught up from a product standpoint. Longterm reliability still remains in question. To truly make an impact, the domestics should look for opportunities beyond the product itself. Start with the ownership experience lifecycle.

Hard to answer this question in the spirit in which it was asked. Until recently I had two Jeeps, a Ford F350, a VW Eos, a Honda Ridgeline, and Lexus IS350 in my corral o' cars. The two jeeps went away (one to CFC and one to a friend), so now it is down to one American, one German, and one Japanese auto in my garage.

I don't buy based on 'Import vs. export'. I buy based on "what is needed to get the job done that way I want it done". To tow my toy box, I needed diesel truck, which means American. My wife wanted a RHT coupe, which left a nadir of choices and ended up being VW due to features at a given price point. Admitted, I picked the IS350 for purely selfish reasons. The Ridgeline was purchased as a softroader to do light duty towing, hauling motorcycles to the desert, etc. With the discounts last fall it was priced WELL below the Avalanch (which I was also looking at), so the Honda got the nod. And it is also nice for family trips. I would have preferred the V8 power of the Chevy, but for the difference in price it was worth it.

When I replace the Lexus I may very well pick up an 'American' vehicle, if something stikes my fancy (I liked the G8, and the Camaro SS looks nice), but I'm also looking at the S4/S5. All depends on what I feel like at the time. I have no anti-american or anti-import issues.

"don't fix what isn't broken"

the imports, mainly japanese vehicles, have not caused me issues other than your normal maintenance/high-mileage concerns

owned a Chrysler town and country once, and was nothing but headaches...it's why I ended up buying the Odyssey

only reliable american vehicle i've owned was a 1988 Caprice Classic. beat the living hell out of it and kept ticking day in/out.

i wouldnt mind a suburban z71 tho, very nice truck with a descent interor now!

When America builds an AWD, 4-door, Turbo-Charged, Rally inspired Sedan then I'll think about it. Until then? I'll stick with the STI's and EVO's of the world.

They also need to ax the UAW. The UAW is the main reason why American Car companies are Tanking.

Why do you want a sedan? Let alone an evo box or a mazda 3 inspired subaru? And the only way the UAW can be removed is if they disband themselves. And seeing how they managed to weather the bankruptcy while giving up as little as they did, I doubt they learned a lesson from it all. Look at 1uaw's comments, he is still oblivious.

Why do I want a sedan? Are you serious? I'll answer it anyway. I need four doors.

I said that I wanted a Rally inspired car. How you understood that as wanting a "Mazda 3 inspired Subaru" is beyond me.

I read that you want an STI, and since it looks like a last gen mazda 3 that is how I came to that conclusion. Notice how I said why do you "want" a sedan, and not why do you "need" a sedan. Two entirely different things.

Is there anything wrong with the STI? Personally I prefer the EVO.

What are the American vehicles equilvalent to the STI and EVO?

There is nothing wrong with either of the cars (aside from the evo's abysmal fuel economy), style wise I don't see the appeal of these cars. And the whole wanting of a sedan still doesn't make sense.

— Joe_Limon,

Why does someone wanting a sedan doesn’t make sense to you? What doesn't make sense about it? Should we all have coupes?

Are you seriously having that hard of a time understanding the difference between want and need?

I'm not having a problem between the two words but I think you are. A person doesn't need everything they want. And just because a person doesn't need something, doesn't mean that what they want doesn't have value or purpose.

A person could "want" something for several reasons. Does that mean that they need it for survival? No.

I'll just use a couple examples and then I'm done. I want a 4 door sedan because I do not want my pregnant wife having to lean forward to let passengers (kids) into the rear seats (she also doesn't want to do it either). She could let them in first, but what about picking them up from somewhere? She would have to get out of the car (to prevent from leaning forward), let the kids in, and then get back in the car. With a 4-door sedan she wouldn't have to do a thing. Does she need a four door car in order to survive? No. Would a 4 door make her life easier? Yes.

4 door vehicles usually have more rear seat room than 2-door cars. Could I squeeze people into the back seat of small 2-door? Yes. Would they prefer more room? Probably yes. Do they “need” more room? To be comfortable, yes?

Wants and need depends on the individual (unless you are talking about survival). If a person wants something, who are you to tell them that they do not need it?

There is nothing wrong with either of the cars (aside from the evo's abysmal fuel economy), style wise I don't see the appeal of these cars. And the whole wanting of a sedan still doesn't make sense.

— Joe_Limon

For a road going rally car it has excellent feul economy.

For a 2.0L 4banger getting under 20mpg combined is a terrible number.

And lexsucks, I thought about your argument and I guess it's sound. If you take needs being stuff like food shelter water and air...

I had a wrangler for 150,000 miles and no issues. An F150 for 80,000 miles and no issues. I had a chevy blazer for 90,000 miles and no issues. I would buy american again, but I wanted to try a sports sedan and the past 3 BMW's have been nothing but perfect as well.
If you say you will never buy a certain brand again, the you are just ignorant. do you know that technology advances? oh, you dont! then you should move out of the country or shoot yourself. go cross shop brands. not online, in person! imagine that, test driving multiple vehicles that suit your needs to make the best informative decision for your life.

If someone had a bad experience with a certian brand and chose not to purchase anything else from that brand, I wouldn't call them ignorant. I'd call them smart. The company could have made a turn around but why should that person take another chance? They've already been burned once.

Fwiw I said that i would never by another mitsubishi. 12 years later I ended up getting another one. Things can change in 12 years.

That's weird because any new car short of a rolls will be littered with cheap ass plastics. Porsche is no exception, look at the rear seats of the 911. Hell Audi is claimed by many to have the best interiors in the industry, last time I sat in a r8 I was repulsed by the amount of plastic bits in a car with 420hp and costing that much. Even benzes and lexus's you sit in them an 50% of all touchable surfaces you drag your nails across will give you that unsatisfying hard plastic feel.

I live in Jamaica so every car I've owned is an import! But to answer the question, I have never owned an American car (though the closest I came to it was my 1995 Daewoo Cielo which had GM logos plastered all over the internal bits and pieces) because American cars are rarely available in right-hand drive and with engine sizes that make them affordable here. A 2.4L Malibu, for example, would cost the same as an Accord 3.0 V6 because both engines are between 2000cc and 3000cc and attract the same taxes. As such, the Accord is still available with a 2.0L I4 here, which sneaks in under the 2000cc threshold. Same with Camry, Mazda 6, Legacy, Sonata, and so on. The 3.6L Malibu would go into E-Class or 5-Series territory. This is where those smaller, turbocharged engines come in very handy and why I am all for them.

Isn't this a somewhat irrelevant question? Most "common" foreign makes are produced in N America anyways...Kind of like the question: Which of this is NOT assembled by US workers? Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata or Ford Fusion? (HINT: The Fusion is made in Mexico - at least at the time the question was asked)...GM uses a ton of Chinese produced parts and a Honda Pilot is 90% N American...Their are only US and Foreign companies and half the US shared are owned overseas anyways.

Audi is an overpriced ripoff.