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i think its tough to generalize both the import market and the domestic markets.  i'll admit to preferring the import brands over the domestics, but i think as a whole the market is fairly balanced.  the imports make some really bad cars along with the domestic makers and visa versa.  so can't we all just get along?  

no!  

SSJGohanMlm:
no!

Could you elaborate a bit more, SSJGohanMlm?  

Wow, there are a lot of ignorant people in this thread....


Honda, Toyota, etc are built here they all have US based suppliers and pay American workers (non unionised) a fair wage and they get great cars for American people to buy.

Chrysler is currently the only one of the Big Three that appear to be going in the right direction with their cars. I will consider them when I get ready to buy my next car

Just a snippit from the news

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060502/bs_nm/autos_sales_dc_2

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T) posted an almost 9 percent gain and Honda Motor Co. (7267.T) notched a 6.5 percent rise in stronger-than-expected sales, while General Motors (NYSE:GM - news) saw sales drop 7 percent and Ford (NYSE:F - news) lost 3 percent.

I drove many American cars and my 2 favorite cars were 1982 Chrysler 5th AVE and my last American car a 1992 Mercury Sable LS

Since then I have bought 2 Honda Accords one in 2001 and one jan this year. The first one a 1994 Accord LX coupe was a salvage titled car and I have driven it 5 years with putting less than $200 in for repairs

1 CV joint
1 rad cap
1 t-stat
1 ball joint

It was salvaged at 60K and rebuilt. It now has 144K on it and still runs strong and every thing works. It has a few rattles but I can live with that.

My newer accord a 1998 LX-V6 coupe has cost me $3100 in repairs (new trans- a known issue with Honda V6 cars) but over all the car is in immaculate shape, has plenty of power, rides very well, and is quiet at excessive HWY speeds.

my 1992 Sable cost me about $600 in repairs

Struts (rear)
radiator (i put it in myself)
subframe bolts (later reimbursed by ford because wrong ones were installed under recall)

The only gripe that I had with that car is it would have to be alligned fairly often. For comparison I have had to allign my 1994 accord once since I have owned it. and I alligned my 1998 accord after I bought it.

I love my Hondas they are reliable, long lasting, and realitively care free. There is a down side regular maint can cost a pretty pennt (timing belt and water pump changes at 105K intervils)

for the 6th gen accords it is funny to note that all of the problems with the car can be traced to american suppliers (car is 97% US content)

1. transmission (Honda had input from GM on this one)
2. Alternator (Delphi unit)
3. Rear suspension links (improper welds)
4. Ignition switch
5. Interlock system
6. SRS unit

If you take the time to compare the reliability of the 1994-97 accords to the 98-02 models, you will see that the newer ones are not up the to the same quality even though Accords have been built here in Marsyville OH since 1982.  

ya. i recently read about the f-150 and i read about some good things about it. my friend has a 97 bmw m3(second generation), and nothing ive ever been in has handled or felt so good. the steering, quality and every aspect is flawless. one thing it has been in the shop about 2 times for electrical problems which did cost him a fortune. but ya i think ford and gm have come up with some neet stuff, but i think that gm should drop some of thier branch companys like saturn, buick, because if you look at the van they came out with, the same model is carried by chevy, pontiac, saturn, another one i think is buick. i think that they need to put out vehicles that not only have good looks  but consider handling, interior. i was in my friends cobalt ss and the strip on the dash that looks like polished aluminum was just literally falling off. its not hooked on, its just stuck on with adhesive. and i love the 300  

In terms of the merits of foreign vs. American cars underlying questions, it's not all that clear anymore which is which. Toyotas are built in Kentucky, Hondas in Ohio, and Mercedes-Benzes in Alabama. Chrysler is owned by Germans, and yourS truly Mercury Grand Marquis was built in Canada. Somebody tell me how that works  

Exactly....go steelers!!!!!!!!!  

All the major overseas-based carmakers have manufacturing plants here now, providing thousands of jobs.  At the same time, the offerings of the "big three" include a high level of foreign made components.  There is no such thing as an American vs. import car anymore.

Buy the car you think give you the best value and best suits your need. That's freedom of choice, and you can't get any more American than that.  For me, it will most likely be a Toyota truck next time around, possibly produced  at the Toyota plant in my Dad's hometown in southern Indiana.      

Go ahead and buy a Ford, GM or Chrysler if you get misty-eyed thinking about the Detroit of yesteryear, but you are kidding yourself.  It no longer exists.  

Hey Robert i have something to say about ur trash talking about American Cars. Im only 17, but i know alot about cars. American cars are better there is no way around that. I see more euro and other import cars broken down on the sice of the road than american cars. INFACT I dont ever see a single AMERICAN car on the side of the road. The car that i drive is a 1967 Pontiac Firebird 326 good ole AMERICAN MUSCLE. In my opinion it handles, rides much better than a BMW. Its comfort is also way better.
At the end of the day my car is better because it is easier to mantian and  more reliable than an import.  

obviously youve never drivin a bmw. and thats the most retarded thing ive ever heard in my life. i dont even want to type this after hearing this. do me a favor. take your dad or mom down to the bmw dealership. ask them if you can test drive the m3 and then you can write me an apology

           -thanks buddy  

Im gonna have to agree with steelertime on this one.  That answer sounded like a came from a seventeen year old kid with a very limited variety of car experiences.  

thank you. i dont give a *** if you have the nicest firebird in the world. it just doesnt compare to the style, performance, handling and overall quality of the m3. sorry man but you need to drive the car before you talk *** about it. but thanks for the laugh. and its funny that you say you never see american cars on the side of the road because on the way out of the city i stopped and helped a guy out with his toyota.  

pghsteelertime08:
thank you. i dont give a *** if you have the nicest firebird in the world. it just doesnt compare to the style, performance, handling and overall quality of the m3. sorry man but you need to drive the car before you talk *** about it. but thanks for the laugh. and its funny that you say you never see american cars on the side of the road because on the way out of the city i stopped and helped a guy out with his toyota.

are you considering a toyota an american car?  

I like GM's, it’s my favorite car company. I think they have made longs strides since the 80's. I can understand their struggle to churn out quality cars due to OPEC and gas situation. You have to remember that American car companies were good at making gas guzzling, heavy bodied, and torque spewing cars. When the gas incident arrived they were all sent tumbling in the dark. They had to change all their designs, learning everything from scratch again. Since then the quality of GM cars have been improving dramatically, just take a look at the Denali line-up. I’m sure that in a few years GM will continue to become more and more reliable.
 
 I dislike people who talk all about stats, especially the ones in Japanese cars because all they have to brag about is their horsepower. Alright I'll give it to them; they have a lot of horsepower! But at 9k rpm! (Sarcasm) Some of them actually use the higher redlines as a reason why Japanese cars are far superior. All that means is that the car has a higher top speed. No responsible driver will even utilize all that HP. And seriously, who is going to drive their car at 4-5 thousand rpm? (That may just be my opinion. I have a 94 Jimmy and I'm used to 1900-2000 rpm going 60mph) And another thing My 4.3L jimmy gets 18 mpg on average usage, and recently I’ve gotten 25mpg driving down to Fresno (highway). That's better mpg than the 3.2 liter Honda passport we used to own. Well that's just my 2 cents on this debacle, but hey maybe I'm just lucky; my experience with American cars hasn't been bad.  

I've owned Buick, Ford, Dodge, and Honda.  Honda is by FAR superior to any of the aforementioned and I can't envision ever buying anything but Hondas again.  Maybe a Toyota, but I think I'll stick with Hondas just like in the 50s one stuck with either Ford or Chevy.  I currently have 2 Hondas (one of which is a 1991 Accord that is and has been just fine) and a Honda ATV.  Eventually I will probably get a Honda mower, though I may get a Toro as I've had good experiences with a couple that have been given to me, including my current one that I've discovered is from 1986.  I really don't know where Toros are made, nor do I care....they work well and that's all I really care about.

It's my money and I'll spend it as I want.  The argument that one should buy American simply because it's made in America is stupid in many ways, not the least of which no vehicle is 100% manufactured and put together in the UNITED STATES anymore.

To put it another way, if I were ill and had to choose between an American doctor or a foreign doctor who was better than the American one, then should I choose the American one just because he's American?  I don't think so.