Yes, I'm a traitor- I bought a foreign auto
 

So I sold my Ford SUV and bought a 08 Volkswagen MKV GTI, due to mostly high gas prices and the lightning fast depreciation on the Ford. It was a pretty tough decision between the VW and a Volvo S40, but since the salesman at VW was better, he got the sale. I gotta say I love this little car. The gas milage is much better, it's a lot faster than anything I've owned so far, and the quality of the car far exceeds the Ford that it's replacing. It sucks too because I had the "Limited" trim, all options and the basic trim VW GTI has better options included with the car. Being born and raised in Detroit I always thought I would buy only American cars, but since most American cars are built in Canada or Mexico, does it really matter?

Yes, it still matters. I'm disappointed in you. :(

Many "foreign" cars are actually made in factories in the US, so I don't feel too guilty. Subaru has a plant in Indiana, Nissan in Tennessee, etc. I would ideally like to buy American, but I've had my Honda Civic for 5 years and had ZERO problems and great gas mileage. If American cars start competing with that, I will consider switching.

And the faster one goes, the faster the gas goes:eek:
And yes, it still does matter.
And the "better the salesperson", generally the better they are in getting into your pocket;)
I personally stay far away from the show room until I have a done deal.

I am begining to think I might have to get something to relieve my old XJ6. That 4.2 L is one thirsty bastard. I figure I'll keep the Jag until hell freezes over but use it a lot more sparingly. Now the trick will be to pick something that won't drink up the national reserves every week and still not be too damn boring.

Welcome to the dark side. Where you rarely have to speak to your mechanic again!!! :D

Ditto. I drove a Toyota Camry for 3 years and now drive a Honda Civic. Between those cars I have only had to go in for service ONCE in five years. The only reason I got rid of the Camry was because my brother got his license and needed a car.

On the flip side, my dad had a Ford Explorer and then a Lincoln Aviator.......lets just say they knew him by name at the dealership. He only kept the Aviator two years before getting fed up and trading in for a Toyota.

So we may be traitors, but at least we're saving money. :)

I've had my Honda Civic since senior year high school (11 years), and I've only had to bring her in once when the A/C kicked the bucket. By that time she was already 9 years old. As long as I make sure her oil's changed when it comes time for that, she stays faithful.

My BF drives a Toyota Matrix, which surprises me because he is from Michigan as well.

My sister drives a Ford Escape, and I've lost count as to how many times she's had to go in in the last 2 years. I won't be surprised if she'll be trading that car in soon.

I probably have a few more years left on the Civic before I'll have to buy a new car. Like Fleur de Lis said though, once American cars start performing better, I may consider them for the next purchase. :)

I'm with OTW and Fleur de Lis. My family used to only buy American and now my parents own a Mini and I'm in an Audi. These two cars have performed amazingly and only go in for routine oil changes, which by the way, are few and far between!

When they start making American cars like that, I'm sure we'll go back!

While I'm Pro-American, I'm also Pro-my-pocket.

I've had my Toyota Camry for 11 years, have dogged it at times, and have had only two 'major' service/maintenance issues - both of which were paid for by the company (they were recalls).

My A/C and heat work great and have never 'given up the ghost.'

I've had Ford cars from my former company and they weren't as good on gas or maintenance.

My next vehicle will more than likely be a hybrid Toyota, Volvo, or BMW.

Where I grew up, GM supported the tax base in our school district.

We always bought GM, but the cars were a piece of crap. I was the first defector in the family....I bought a Honda and drove it 13 years and 180,000 miles with the most expensive repair being $400. (since then, my mother has purchased nothing but Hondas and it's been 20+ years) I have since driven Mercedes (3 of them), BMW (piece of shit) and a Nissan.

Since I now have a Ford factory supporting the tax base where I now live, I wanted to buy a Ford. But, it was too much of a hassle at the dealership. You buy the base model and need to tack on a bazillion extras to roll out with a sticker nearly double what you were expecting. I ended up with a Ford-owned Land Rover. The biggest problems that I have had in the first 8 months were the staff at the dealership that couldn't hook up an XM Radio if their life depeneded on it.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have left the Ford tax-support at the curb and would go back to Mercedes

I've had no problems with Ford. I just recently hit 18,000 miles and only one minor problem that it was shipped with but I haven't the time to have it fixed.

I guess I'm a traitor too. A few months ago I traded my old car in for a Mini Cooper. I love it.:)

I did want to add, I had a Honda for 1 year and three months, and that was in the shop 4 times.

Not to me. How can it be un-American when you're doing that most American of things -- letting the capitalist system work by buying what, for you, is the better product.

But what do I know -- I've got a Ford and a Jeep (both of which have done quite well). I've had VWs though, and really liked them.

GM paid our mortgage, bought my clothes, put the food on the table, paid my sorority dues and partially paid for my degree so I'm pretty loyal. But, I can honestly say that I've had many GM cars, always drove them to at least 150,000 miles with few or no problems. Shoot, my last Cavalier had the titanium spark plugs that I NEVER replaced and I didn't have to replace my brakes until I had 75K on the car. I was impressed. Although many foreign cars are made here now (or have formed alliances with US car companies like the Mazda/Ford deal), ultimately, when you buy foreign, your money is still ending up overseas. I hear people brag about their foreign cars but I've had the same good luck with GM cars. And, I'm not the best about making sure I do regular maintenance (like oil changes) and I drive my cars hard with a long commute to work. My dad told me, the last time I bought a car, that I didn't have to buy GM, but I did anyway. I probably always will. It does help that I get the GMS plan so the prices really can't be beat for me.

OTW: The Toyota Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe are pretty much the exact same car as they are both a GM/Toyota affiliated model.

Hummm-Between SAAB, Audi, Honda, Lexis, Pontiac, Murkur, and Mercury ( Family and my own), take a guess which had the least amount of problems?
Mercury and Pontiac.
All truly depends on so many things and parts.
And reading reports over the past few years, US manufacturers are in many cases doing as well if not even better than imported companies.

However, as I posted in another thread, the US Big Three lost at least two "car buying" cycles. All some people know is what their family and friends bought and what they have been told about the past. And now they have to fight that.

HAHAHA, here here!!!

I've had my Honda Civic for 2 years (it's an '06), and it has never done me wrong. It gets great mileage and has never broken down once. I think the only thing it needs right now is new windshield wipers. I can see myself having this car for another 10-15 years, easy. My mom had a Ford when I was very small, I barely remember it. All I remember is her taking it to the shop every five seconds. That's how I first learned about Enterprise Rent-a-Car. She traded it in for a VW and that was the end of that.

I have a Volvo S40. Love it. Had a Ford for years.

:D

After years of being let down by Chevys, my family turned into a Honda family in 1998. We all have had a Honda at some point, and someone always will.

I have had my '96 Accord since 2000, and the most major thing that's happened is the O2 sensor. Therefore, nothing major, and the car has been reliable as long as I've maintained the little things. She's at 202K miles, and she's gonna ride for a long time...or at least until some kid in the family is dying for their own car sometime around 2016.

Traitor? Nah. Just know a good value of a good automobile. Plus, I can change my own oil literally. :D

I think "being a traitor" when you live near Detroit has a different meaning. By buying from the Big 3, we're supporting a large majority of our friends' and families' jobs. Everyone I know gets some kind of employee plan from one of the 3. Personally, I would feel guilty buying foreign, but that's just me. I'm not gona get on someone because they bought foreign.

Sounds like America's resurging! http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/f...uality-survey/

And hey, at least Ford is most trusted over in the U.K.!! http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/f...d-brand-again/

And for this side of the pond, here is J.D. Power's Auto site:
http://www.jdpower.com/autos

I am a Bimmer girl, always will be. I have had Ford mustang-died at 108,000 miles. I had a Honda prelude-it died at about 140,000. The best car I owned was a VW scirocco-loved that car, great gas milage and never had any problems.

I always had American cars until 2 years ago, when I bought my BMW.
Call me a traitor, I do not care! I love my German engineering. LOVE IT.

Riding in a BMW essentially saved my wife and I when we were hit head-on by a drunk driver. After that, I can't imagine driving anything else.

2 Mazdas, 2 VWs, 2 Toyota Camrys, now on my first Honda - a 2007 Acura TSX, which I love and is a pleasure to drive, but it POs me that it has to have premium gas and the tires don't last but 40K miles.
Also, a Ford custom van and a Dodge Diplomat. The van was fine when the twins were little, but it was a major problem getting in and out of parking lots, and we basically hated the Diplomat's guts.
We've also owned a faithful Chevy truck and DH loves his Dodge Dakota truck. Detroit can do it if they want to.

I agree. That's why I got on Pika... The others, I read them and thought "yeah, but you're not in Detroit so it doesn't count"

My Pontiac was built with all US parts right here in Ohio. That was a big reason why I bought it; I was supporting works in my own state. Since then, I have had to have Fuel injector #4 replaced and my wiper motor replaced this was all before 32,500 which is where I am at now.
I'm not opposed to buying "foreign," I just got the best deal money wise from a US automaker. Both my mother and father drive Mercedes and my fiancé drives a Honda, but between my sister and BIL we actually equal out US and foreign cars (they also drive Pontiacs).

My first car was an '84 Honda Civic hatchback..when I got it it had 104K(in 1992) on it, when I sold it it had 200K(in '99). The only problem I ever had was replacing the clutch once. In '99 I got the Civic EX. I've got 135K on it now, and will drive it until I need a new car. Never had one problem with it. I love my hondas, too bad the new ones just aren't nice looking.

My husband has driven American(Chevy El Camino, and 2 Ford Exploders- yeah yeah, Explorer, but whatever) until his most recent car, a Toyota 4-Runner LTD. I asked him if he would ever buy another American car and he said "No way, German or Japanese engineering from here on out."

My mom also has had ridiculous problems with every American car she has owned (Chevy Citation, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Ford T-bird, Pontiac whatever it is). The only car she ever truly enjoyed and had few problems with was her BMW. She liked her Toyota a ton too...she's had it with American cars.

I bought my '99 Honda Civic new in Dec. 1998 and will be celebrating its 10th birthday this year. It's finally coming up on 100,000 miles and it drives almost like it's brand new. AND even the exterior and interior are in practically the same condition as when I bought it, despite the car spending almost two years in sea-salty Malibu and plenty more uncovered in rainy/blustery/sunny/snowy Seattle. The only work I've had to have done on it is routine maintenence, other than the exhaust manifold cracking at around 65k miles which the dealership covered under the standard warranty! The back brakes still have 60% left on them, and I just replaced the timing belt at 96k miles just because I didn't want to chance it. I will drive that car until it no longer drives, which will likely be another 100k miles. I always took it to the dealership up until the 80k miles mark, because I knew various systems were covered under the Honda warranty up to that point.

By contrast, my boyfriend, who grew up in Michigan, interned at Ford, and got his engineering degree from U. of M., drives a '99 Ford Mustang, which he bought because he had a sentimental attachment to it (it was the first car he ever learned to repair). Though our cars are the same age, you would never know it. His dashboard is coming loose, his driver seat came off the tracks a while ago, and now the knob that controls the back of his seat broke, so his seat reclines flat unpredictably. And it's had all kinds of mechanical problems. It is a pathetic excuse for a vehicle, and it costs a fortune to have the shop do work on it because of how poorly everything is laid out under the hood. He marvels at how clever Honda's engineering is. He is deciding now on whether to buy a Honda or Toyota and has decided he will never again buy an American car, even though he grew up in GM's/Ford's backyard. His first car was a Toyota, but he wanted to give Ford a chance, and they blew it.

We stopped at a Honda dealership the other day because we wanted to check out the new Accord and Pilot, and I looked up where the Pilot was made - 100% assembled in ALABAMA. The salesman told us that almost all Hondas sold in the U.S. now are majority assembled in the U.S.

That's what I am talking about :D

I LOVE my Honda Pilot. I bought my first one three years ago. Last Memorial Day, my husband and I went to the Honda dealership to see what changes had been made to the Pilot, and we ended up driving a new one home. :p

This is my third Honda; we have become loyal customers ever since my MIL survived a horrible roll-over accident where the police officer told us the Accord's construction was what saved her life.

The only American car I've ever owned was such a lemon, I traded it in with only 26,000 miles on it - mostly back and forth from the dealership. I even had a technician come in from Detroit to show him that the transmission was horrible. We drove around in it, of course the car didn't act up, and then we pulled up to the dealers' again, with him saying, "I told you the transmission was in perfect shape!" He put it in park, the car went into reverse and hit four other cars! That was THE day I knew I was trading that car in ASAP!

I went back to Subaru and haven't had trouble since.

When I was growing up, my parents went through a string of Oldsmobiles. There was the Delta 88, the Omega, and then the Ninety-Eight From Hell. We took said Ninety-Eight on a cross-country drive. In Oklahoma City on the way out, the transmission completely crapped out. We finished our planned itinerary, but only after five more pit stops - I swear that car was held together by spit, baling wire, and a whole lot of prayer by the time we limped back into New York. My dad immediately swore off American cars and made a beeline for the nearest Acura dealership.

I inherited my mom's Acura Vigor when she gave up driving. It had nearly 100K miles on it when it finally crapped out. I replaced it with a TL (which was made in a plant in the US). DH drives a Nissan Murano.

Until there are American cars that I feel comfortable driving into the ground (must last at least 100K miles), I'll stick with Japanese cars.

I've had a bunch of American and a bunch of foreign cars, and my experience has been that the foreign ones have been more dependable, lasted longer (more miles) and needed less major services. My dad was a Chevy mechanic most of his career.

At the moment, we have an Olds Alero and a Mitsibushi Eclipse.

Truth is that with all of the cross-ownership between foreign and domestic companies and outsourcing of parts as well as foreign companies opening assembly plants in the US, I'm really not sure how much difference it makes.

The only company I stay away from is Chrysler because I've owned three of their products and have not had good luck with them at all.

It was a little strange when I moved to Detroit some years ago. We had an MGB and a Lincoln Mercury Capri (imported and sold by Ford, but built in England and Germany). While there, we bought a "new" Capri which was by then built in the US. That last Capri came to Denver with us along with a Ford station wagon.

You can bet I wouldn't have parked the MG at Solidarity House -- the headquarters of the UAW.

Here's our list or our cars, as best as I can remember...in close to chronological order...

Austin Healy Sprite (British) in high school.
Triupmh TR3 (British) in College
Chevy Corvair US)
Mercury Capri 4 Cyl. (Anglo German)
Mercury Capri V-6 (Anglo German)
MGB (British)
Mercury Capri (US)
MGB (British)
Ford Station Wagon (US)
Ford Sedan (US)
Dodge Caravan (US)
Dodge Sedan (US)
Mazda Protogee (Japan)
Mazda Miata (Japan)
Saturn Sedan (US)
Olds Alero (US)
Mitsibushi Eclipse (Japan)

Generally speaking, I've driven the smaller (roadster) cars and Mrs. DA has driven the bigger sedans, etc. The two that lasted the longest (mileage), by far were the Triumph (140K) and the Miata (170K).

My mom's first car (which she got when I was 6) was a Corvair convertible..used, with a hole in the floor in the backseat. It was by far the coolest car she ever had (even with the hole).After that she had a Vega (ACK!) then a Chevette (Double ACK!) and she finally put her foot down with my dad and said "no more of this crappy cars!" and she got a Camaro. That elevated my cool factor tenfold when cruising Gratiot in it, but it wasn't quite as cool as that Corvair!

Yeah that!
I drive a Honda Civic
DH got rid of his Grand Am (lemon) and drives a Toyota Tundra
He just got his son a VW Jetta

I understand driving American but I also understand having a dependable ride and not going broke with repairs

Why don't they make Corvairs anymore?