What would it take for you foreign car owners to buy an AMERICAN CAR Again ?

FORD: Fix Or Repair Daily

I would only consider buying an American car again if they would start producing quality hybrids or electric cars. Gas isn't going to get any cheaper. Why not start developing cars that use less fuel and are less expensive to operate?

If you want lower total operating costs, don't buy a $20k hybrid. Get the $12k car and you'll never, ever use up the $8k difference in gas.

Brain damage

To the original OP: I own a mid-90s compact built in the US but with a foreign nameplate. I'm the original owner. I have been pleased with it for many reasons and I notice that it still runs smoother and feels more polished than the current Cobalts out there.

I doubt I will buy a new car again, foreign or domestic, because it does not make economic sense for me.

When I go to replace my current car, long term reliability, price and fuel economy (35+ highway) will be most important factors in my choice, just as they were 15 years ago. Thirdly, I like the car to have spacious trunk space where I can stow my kids bikes. Little wagons like the Ford Focus come close to meeting all these criteria, as does the Pontiac Vibe (get rid of the fuel wasting trunk rack). I like Subaru wagons but I don't need AWD and their fuel economy and price are usually less favorable.

Honda Owner for the last 15yrs wrote:

I would buy American if they could come out with an AWD minivan that got more than 30 mpg.

Which car company makes a minivan with AWD and gets 30 mpg?

Running Bear wrote:

Honda Owner for the last 15yrs wrote:

I would buy American if they could come out with an AWD minivan that got more than 30 mpg.

Which car company makes a minivan with AWD and gets 30 mpg?

I don't think he intended sarcasm. I think his point is that no one is currently meeting his need but if an American car company could meet his need, then he would buy from them.

Some of these American nameplate cars have a very substantial Canadian and Mexican component. In fact, whenever they try to get protectionist legislation, they specify NORTH American content, since they want to wrap themselves in the flag while exporting jobs north and south of the border.

I would consider getting a used Ford Focus wagon or hatchback with standard transmission.

My wife has one of those, the hatch with four doors, and we like it. But the gas mileage, while ok, could be better. I wish Ford would have an option with the Focus of getting it with the smaller engine, 1.6 I think, that they sell outside the US.

I like wagons wrote:

Running Bear wrote:

Which car company makes a minivan with AWD and gets 30 mpg?

I don't think he intended sarcasm. I think his point is that no one is currently meeting his need but if an American car company could meet his need, then he would buy from them.

My question was part sarcasm, part honest. I just bought a Honda Odyssey 2wd and best stickered mileage is 23mpg. We also have a Subaru Forester AWD (love it) but the best posted mpg is (I think) 26mpg.

If theres an AWD vehicle out there that gets good mileage (30), I'd like to know about it.

You do realize that every other car on that list was japanese or korean. And there aren't many other options for a full size truck, Tundra, maybe that Nissan thing... That's really about it.

And the Yaris is the cheapest toyota you can buy. It's not made to be a luxury car, just cheap, RELIABLE, transportation, which if you read your links, is exactly what it says it is.

I was a mechanic during high school and college, and there were a lot more problems with american branded cars than the asain competition. If reliability is what you are looking for, then Honda and Toyota need to be at the top of the list. Not saying that there aren't people out there putting 300k on an olds, but it's a lot more rare.

what not to buy wrote:

So you'll be skipping these foreign gems:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0802/gallery.2008_cr_worst_cars/7.html

^ Yaris one of 11 worst CR cars

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0802/gallery.2008_cr_worst_cars/6.html

^ FJ Cruiser one of 11 worst CR cars

And looking at a domestic?

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2007/04/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htm

^ Silverado on the 2008 Top Picks list

Detroit,

Think fuel efficient and fun to drive. Just added a KIA Spectra 5 to the family fleet. The Ford pickups , and GM vans are just too thirsty @ $4 gas.

GM Tech Ctr wrote:

What would it take for you foreign car owners to buy an AMERICAN CAR Again ?

I feel that WEJO would need to tell me to do it.

My next car is going to be a plug in hybrid. My future car will plug it in to my standard outlet at home to recharge overnight. The engine will get 40-50 miles of travel on electricity alone before a gas electric engine takes over for longer commutes. Why would anyone looking to produce a car in the future NOT pay attention to what GM is doing with their production of the Chevy Volt? There are plenty of electric car conversion companies popping up around the USA. Why doesn't Ford create an electric car division to keep up with the much needed demand for alternative vehicles?

Diesel and Turbo Diesel. @#$% those California commies. Let me buy a frigging diesel Jeep, like the Europeans and Nipponese can purchase!!!

I believe the new VW diesels now meet CA emission requirements. I have a 2005 Passat wagon with a diesel, and love it. Now up aroung 55,000, no problems with it, 38-40 mpg on the highway if I stick to 70 mph, and room for the 2 big dogs and my kid. Sort of sucks that diesel is up in price now, but the 30% better mileage over the gas version more than makes up for the 10-15% price difference right now.

As far as american cares- I had a chevette for my first care- nice cheap little thing that was more than I could have asked for for the 300 bucks. Had a celebrity later that needed repairs all the time, an then it basically rusted out from under me. I see the same familiar brown lines showing up on the door of my friends cavalier, so my guess is that's still a problem. Our other car is a honda civic, older than the friends cavalier, not a bit of rust on it, even though both are driven in MN where salt/snow are brutal.

Since we've had the combo of the passat and civic- never had to take either one for an unscheduled repair. Not able to say that in the past, so I see no reason to change to another brand, other than perhaps going to one car since I bike to work most days.

Interesting. I mistakenly thought that VW's only diesel on the US market was the Jetta TDI. The last time I was in the market for a new car was when the Pius and Insight just came out and I never understood why anybody would buy one of those silly looking things when the TDI was available and got better mileage (on what was at the time cheaper fuel) and didn't have the massive built-in cost for future battery pack replacements.

What does your civic get wrt gallon mileage? When mine is tuned and running well, I still get > 40 highway. Which again makes me wonder why anybody would buy a silly Pius or Insight.

it would actually have to be made in the US and not simply be an "american - multinational" car company.

right now, i have more allegiance to toyota because they build many in the u.s.

I'd seriously consider buying an American-made car that was 0% union-manufactured.