"American Made" -vs- Foreign

[IHStangFan]

Taken from another thread where we were discussing "American made" vehicles verses foreign. What exactly does "made in America" mean these days anyway? Alot of your Fords are made in Mexico....Chevys..alot are made in Canada. MEANWHILE...Hondas that are sold in America are made in America by Americans, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra, etc. I have owned em all, and I can tell you these "foreign" trucks are (in my opinion) twice the machine/bargain of the Canadian made Chevys or Mexican made Fords.

I have owned a 95 S10, an 01 GMC Sierra, an 04 Nissan Titan, an 04 Tundra, an 02 Dodge Ram (havent actually owned a Ford, but there are about 3 in the family and I have driven them)

the S10 was a decent little truck but right around 95,000 miles it just completely fell apart

The 01 Sierra was got decent mileage and ran pretty hard (after the computer was reprogrammed) but I had to put 2 rear ends in it

the 04 Titan was a torque monster but drank gas, otherwise was a solid truck

the 02 Ram ...POS...period

the 04 Tundra..which I still have...is a great truck. good mileage, decent power, comfortable, quiet, etc. etc. etc. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. Cant wait to see the new 07s!!

your experiences?? thanks for the input!

[Gobbla2001]

Toyota and Hondo etc... have given a lot of Americans good jobs HERE in America... These American companies are cutting jobs here in America and having their stuff built in other places...

They can do what they want, it's their company and their business, but they don't need to blow that "USA" crap up our rears anymore...

[IHStangFan]

exactly!! BUT....by outsourcing to other countries to build their "American made" products.....well....can you see that its starting to backfire? Can THEY see it.....you've heard about the latest merger huh? I think in 2009 I may look into them there Fochevsan (Ford/Chevy/Nissan) pickups!

I couldnt believe that when I read it.

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by IHStangFan
you've heard about the latest merger huh? I think in 2009 I may look into them there Fochevsan (Ford/Chevy/Nissan) pickups!



are you for serious???

[IHStangFan]

Originally posted by Gobbla2001
are you for serious??? as a heartattack. I heard something about it on the news awhile back, and read an article about it. They were talking about a merger between Ford and Chevy, then I heard Nissan thrown in there...then I heard just Ford and Chevy again........not sure how much is rumor mill and whats fact...but it HAS been discussed because their companies are going down the crapper and of course Nissan sees a chance to make some money I'm sure.

[Gobbla2001]

sounds interesting...

[IHStangFan]

heres a few things I found on it....


http://www.clickondetroit.com/automotive/9531269/detail.html

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/UPDATE/609180420

[Gobbla2001]

pretty interesting stuff back there... was unaware they were in a joint effort to develop a 6-speed automatic trans...

[big daddy russ]

'66 Mustang-- Passed down to me when I was 12. Hasn't run since.

'92 Cutlass Ciera-- My first driveable car, got it when I was 16, dogged the poop out of it, was a tank. Dubbed the "Silver Bullet" because of said driver's driving habits, my family finally got rid of it in '00 with 175K miles on it. Great car.

'86 GMC-- My personal favorite, was great for the year I owned it. Got it when I turned 17, had it until I graduated HS. Immaculate truck, was 11 years old and only had 86K miles on it. I took it to the beach a few too many times, but it held up.

'98 Chevy S-10-- If you could pick which town you hated the most, would it be Philly, NYC, or D.C.? This was all three wrapped into one. Horrible truck. The third door broke every six weeks (you could time it by the time my brother's and sister's report cards came out), the reclining mechanisms on the bucket seats were fixed five times up until the warranty went out, then they just broke and never worked for the remainder of the time I owned the thing. Clutch went out at 90K, tranny went out at 110K, and the engine was shuddering by the time I got rid of it at 175K (and I wansn't easy on it, but I definitely wasn't that hard). I'll never buy another GM compact because of this.

'03 GMC Single Cab-- Great truck. I had just moved up to CS, was overqualified for most decent-paying jobs, couldn't get a job comparable to my experience level, had to settle for working at Academy for $6.50 an hour and only about 25 hours a week, was trying to save money for the next semester, and my S-10 was getting ready to crap out on me. My parents went to bat and bought me this thing, but I told them I wouldn't take it unless I made the payments. Too bad I couldn't afford it. I wound up waiting table down in Port A (made an easy $150 on weeknights, $200-$300 on weekends) to make the payments for the year on that thing. Did that for two summers, but I'd leave the truck down in Ingleside during the school year. My dad was using it as his work truck anyways, so this past summer I asked if he wanted it and he cut a check to pay off the note. Has 80K miles on, never been in the shop other than for the 36K miles checkup, and it still hasn't had a tune up. Runs great. I'd recommend those trucks to anyone. We've had four over the years, never had any major problems.

'90 GMC Suburban-- I told you I left the '03 down in Ingleside, but this is what I took with me up here. One of the best vehicles my family's ever owned. Has almost 300K miles on it, the engine still runs great (I'm not scared at all to run it back and forth to Corpus), and we've owned it since it was brand new. I traded that S-10 to my dad for this thing, and couldn't be happier. Between 175K and 220K miles, they put a new tranny and a new rear end in it, but other than that nothing major. In the three-plus years I've owned this 17-year-old vehicle, I've put a new starter in (only the second second starter we've replaced-- about $70), installed new window motors (first-time replacement-- $80 all the way around), and put in a new headliner (first-time replacement-- $150). Instead of a $300+ a month payment, I've payed a grand total of a little over $300 (well, plus maintenance and gas) to own this thing.



Barrett, you know how much I used to hate foreigns, but I've changed my tune quite a bit since then. I'm going to need something else pretty soon, and I'm looking at Buicks, Ford Expeditions, Tahoes, Nissan Altimas and Toyota Tundras. I looked into Camrys and Accords, but they're too big on that "feel the road" crap. I prefer to feel like I'm driving a sofa. That's why I ruled out Fords... extremely rough ride compared to GM's. The only reason the Expedition on there is because of value. You can get a used Expedition for about $3K-$4K cheaper than a Tahoe.

On that note, I'm planning on keeping Bertha, so I may or may not go with another SUV. I love your Tundra and plan on taking one for a test drive this weekend. If not, I may look at some X-Cab long bed GM pickups, or go to a Buick or Nissan. Those Altimas ride nice for a mid-size.

[IHStangFan]

BDR,

I love my Tundra. Doesnt make as much power and torque down low as my Titan did, but up on the highway I think it'd walk off and leave the Titan....and get 16-18mpg doing it verses the 11-13 the Titan got. It's comfortable, smooth, quiet, and I picked it up for 18K!!

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by IHStangFan
BDR,

I love my Tundra. Doesnt make as much power and torque down low as my Titan did, but up on the highway I think it'd walk off and leave the Titan....and get 16-18mpg doing it verses the 11-13 the Titan got. It's comfortable, smooth, quiet, and I picked it up for 18K!!
Yeah, I do so much highway driving that something like that would be perfect for me. Don't work out on the ranch anymore and I only get to go out to the beach about five or six times a year, so I'm looking for something that does well on the open road.

[cats2151]

Ive had a ford ,chevy and honda.The honda is by far the best.The fit and finish is so much better.Go look inside a chevy or ford and then look inside a honda the chevy and ford look so cheap.Now look at a hondas that are 6-7 years old and then look at a ford or chevy thats 6-7 years old.The hondas are better cars.I know there will be people in here that say there chevys better but please my friend has a $35,000 chevy truck and the inside is a bunch of cheap plastic and it rattles.My 6 year old accord has no rattles and i have over 100,000 miles and never a proplem.His truck has been in the shop a few times already and its a 2005!Look at consumer reports.

[bandera7]

I am going to be the first to say that my family has owned fords and dodges...dodges last forever for us, fords are pretty decent as far as lifespan. But our dodge ran perfectly and lasted us for 14 or 15 years, and was still going strong, it was just time for a change.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by cats2151
Ive had a ford ,chevy and honda.The honda is by far the best.The fit and finish is so much better.Go look inside a chevy or ford and then look inside a honda the chevy and ford look so cheap.Now look at a hondas that are 6-7 years old and then look at a ford or chevy thats 6-7 years old.The hondas are better cars.I know there will be people in here that say there chevys better but please my friend has a $35,000 chevy truck and the inside is a bunch of cheap plastic and it rattles.My 6 year old accord has no rattles and i have over 100,000 miles and never a proplem.His truck has been in the shop a few times already and its a 2005!Look at consumer reports.
A lot of it also depends on how long you're keeping the car. I agree that Japanese cars are built ten times better, but if you're planning on running a car into the ground I'd go GM or Ford. Parts are much cheaper, and once you hit the 100K mile mark you're going to have to start making repairs one way or the other. If you only plan on having it until 120K or 150K miles, then by all means go with a Honda or Toyota.

[SintonFan]

We buy alot of Chevy/GM trucks for work and for our little "fleet". We have consistently had 250,000+ miles from our Chevy 1500's and Sierras. The big Chevy 3500, used for all the big jobs is a non-stop workhorse that never quits. Our GMC Top kicks are running like tops with around 180,000 miles for each. For work we have been pleased with the durability and performance of the GM vehicles(I drove a 78' Chevy C60 for 12 years and before it was retired it had about 750,000 miles, with just two engines). Of course we carefully maintain our vehicles with changing oil every 3000 miles and other regular maintenance.
Personally, my favorite car was my 73' Chevelle 4 door(my first true love). Huge back seat for those special county road.... nvm.
85 Dodge Shelby Charger. Fun fun fun. It was like driving a go-cart.... really fast. Fell apart at about 75,000. sucks
89 Isuzu Pup... ehh it was a pos...
73 Dodge 100 P/U. Lots of good memories in that truck, but had constant head gasket troubles(yes it was used).
91 Chevy S10 with the 4.3 "big 6". I still have that truck and with 172,000 miles it still is dependable(alternator, PW's and carrier bearing is all I've have to fix with over 100,000 of personal use). It's my wife's old truck and it is used for the side business.
94 Mercury Tracer SW. I bought it with 45,000 miles and now have over 155,000+ six years later. I've changed two belts, a couple of sensors and had a head job(which cost about $400) done to it. It still makes 33 or miles a gallon on the highway. I think my Kenwood sound system is the only thing holding her together.:D
My wife drives a Ford Explorer 4x4 and she loves it. We had some brake trouble but have solved those problems for about 500 bucks. It came with a weak AC system but we fixed that too.
.
I've never really felt compelled to buy "foreign" as we have had alot of success with all three major domestic producers. :)

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

I have an 05 Sierra z71 and I love it, has the power I need with decent gas mileage and so far has handled everything I've thrown at it.