If the American car companies built better cars would you buy one?

Question

Or have they lost all their credibility?
By better I mean a combination of dependability, economy, practicality and style.
For a reference, what do you drive now?

Answer 1

My wife and I own three cars, one from each of the big three. Bought them all used and I would buy a better built American car, five years or so after it is built.



If everyone had the same buying habits as myself, our economy would not be so dependent on credit, yet never would have grown as large as it has. An accounting professor I had in college strongly believed that new automobiles are a poor investment, something I agree with. Investing in real estate at least gives you a hedge against inflation, put my money in my home.

Answer 2

I owned Fords, a Chevy, and a Pontiac. Then 17 years ago I bought a Corolla. My next car was a Camry. My next car was(is) an Accord. I love the quality, reliability, and mileage of Toyota and Honda. I prefer Toyota but both are great makes.



If American car companies built a better car than Honda or Toyota, at or below the price, yes I'd buy one. Like many people, I try to get the best value for my money. I want a car that is reliable, stylish, and has good gas mileage.



I know there are a few people who say that American cars are as good as Honda or Toyota but that simply isn't true. I've worked in the quality field for automotive parts. I now the huge differences in the specs between models. Honda and Toyota are very picky about the parts they use on their cars. I like that.



I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars for inferior quality.

Answer 3

Yes, if American car companies built better cars I would buy them. I would also put quality into that. But it will definitely take some time. They will have to shift their focus away from the trucks too. I am really intrigued by GM's Volt. I really hope they don't go under because they really are onto something for once. If GM stays, I can see the Volt being a practical car in the late 10's. Until then i think it'll be pretty expensive for the average consumer. Toyota and Honda are the kings of hybrids because they started early and GM can do it too with plug-in hybrids!

I currently drive a Toyota Hybrid.

Answer 4

I have a 2000 SUV (pathfinder) and a 2000 Hyundai Elantra. I am in desperate need of a new car but refuse to buy one, from anyone. Until i can by a car that does not use oil. I saw these cars when I visited Traverse City, Michigan. They ran on wind and solar power! Sooo cool! The only problem is they only go about 30 mph. I am waiting for this technology to be what I need before I buy. I would prefer to buy American. If the Japanese came out with such a car and I knew the US was coming out with a similar one in a few months I would wait. If the US had nothing on the horizon I would have to buy foreign. I always try to buy EVERYTHING American made (sometimes it is not possible, but when it is).

Answer 5

While I have to admit that one of the best cars I owned was a 1997 Honda CR-V... I have also had 3 Pontiacs, 1 Chevy truck, 1 Chevy car, and now I'm driving my 2nd Jeep.



With the exception to the Chevy car (1976 Malibu Classic) I have found EACH of my vehicles to be excellent buys!



I also owned/ran an auto detailing business for 10 years and I can ASSURE YOU that all that "superior quality" you get from Mercedes and BMW is more "urban legend" than fact. I have had the opportunity to see how MANY makes/models of cars hold up over time and can HONESTLY SAY that the biggest pieces of *#$&# that I ever seen were the high-dollar imports.



TO BE FAIR... the absolute WORST crap that I've ever seen are the Chrysler products. Don't hold up, LOW END materials, paint, etc... Although my Jeeps are "Chrysler" owned, they have been good.

Answer 6

Yes, especially if they could set their designers onto building a small stylish environmentally friendly hybrid ... of course the marketing of such cars would be very important to convince the average American that 'big and gas guzzling' is not a very good idea in the 21st century! If the Japanese and Korean car manufacturers with their well paid workers can make a profit so can we.

I drive a Toyota Corolla which is stylish, dependable, easy and economical to drive and it was relatively inexpensive to buy.

Answer 7

When making large personal purchases, I do so for personal reasons - not altruistic ones. I need something reliable - which is why I drive a Honda.



As for the American Car Makers - until they are commited to transparency with tax payers bail out money and will spend the money as it was intended, I would encourage ALL to stop buying American.



If a business is failing because of poor business practices, the answer is not throwing good money after bad. In a capitalist society, companies are encouraged to push higher and further for survival - and in the end - everyone wins. The theory of supply and demand will dictate who is in the lead - and give indicators to those falling behind what they need to do to gain ground. But if they are more interested in the financial packages of their senior management and shareholders than succeeding in the marketplace - then they should fall by the wayside..

Answer 8

i have always owned american cars they build good products that are reliable. if they do go away i will stay with buying used cars and as the years go buy i will restore them, supporting the american car parts manufacturers would be better than buying imported cars. as far as the big three building large trucks and Suva's they do build smaller cars that are well made, and the full size pickup has been and will be the workhorse of this country for years to come. they are among the best selling vehicles in the country. i am for alternative fuels and improved fuel efficiency how ever i do not wish to give up payload and towing capability that i need to get the job done.

Answer 9

A few years ago, after years of owning foreign cars, I heard about Saturn. The hype appealed to me:



- Cars carefully built with attention to detail. A worker could shut down the line if he saw a problem.

- Labor agreement was altered so that the workers were cooperative with (instead of antagonistic to) management and shared the risk of the venture.

- Quality cars that the dealer would stand behind. I think they had a return policy if you weren't happy for any reason.



Bear in mind, I would have prefered a foreign car at the time, but I thought I owed it to domestic producers to give them a try.



It was all hype. The roof leaked and it took months for them to fix it. Right off the bat, there were mechanical problems with the starter. A couple of years later the union made noise about withdrawing from the "special" agreement.



I was very displeased with the experience and felt I should have simply stuck with the foreign car. I'm very interested in the Volt, but it won't be out for a couple of years and I don't trust domestic auto producers. I believe that the UAW (greed and restrictive work rules) are to blame for the demise of American Car Companies. I might be enticed back, but it would take a lot. I prefer foreign because the foreign companies are hungry for my business and anxious to please...and they show it by producing a quality product that has great value.

Answer 10

I would buy one, but with petrol prices at the moment I couldn't afford to run most of the American cars that are good on performance. (Im from the UK an petrol currently costs around £1.00 a litre and diesel costs about £1.10 a litre)

There are some very stylish ones at the moment but I've heard that they are either lacking in quality or not economical.

At the moment I drive an Audi A3 1.9TDI

In the UK, insurance is also very expensive and road tax is extortionate on any car with an engine bigger than a 2.0L

Answer 11

I do buy American cars, a Chrysler.



I haven't had any problems with it beyond normal repairs you would expect. If people took better care of their cars and wanted them to last they would.If you take the effort and time to perform regular upkeep on your car this is no reason it won't last for years and years.



I will keep my current car for another 2-3 years at which point I will buy another American, as I do prefer them over the cheaper looking foreign cars.

Answer 12

They are building good cars, there are plenty of foreign designed and built cars in the junk yards while American cars are still running around.



The playing field is not even when it comes to building energy saving cars. American companies have to pay for their own research and development to meet government mandates while the foreign owned companies get their research and development paid for by their government.



GM chose to do its early hybrid development on transit buses, where the fuel savings per vehicle are substantial. Since 2003, more than 1,000 buses using the GM-Allison hybrid system have been put in service, and another 1,700 are on order.



GM introduced a Saturn Vue hybrid for the 2007 model year, and one of GM’s first 2-mode hybrid models, the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, was named Green Car of the Year for 2008. GM’s hybrid sales reached 1,975 in September 2008. According to Edmunds, this moves GM into third place in the U.S. hybrid market, just a few vehicles behind Honda.



And the GM hybrid lineup will continue to grow. By the middle of next year, GM will have nine hybrid models for sale in the U.S. GM intends to offer up to 20 hybrid models by 2012.

Answer 13

I drive a Honda Civic. I love foreign cars. They are made so much better than the American ones. I think they have lost credibility. The dodge retro style sucks, Ford can't do a body style worth crap except for the new Escape.

Answer 14

There's nothing wrong with American cars. I work for a japanese company and many of our executives and staff from Japan choose to buy American cars when they come to live in the U.S. I've had my two GM cars one for 12 years the other for 10, one has over 120 thousand miles on it and runs like it's brand new.

The problem for starters is Service, the service is horrible but if you have executive managment making over 500 times what their average employee makes, there's never going to be enough units sold to make that compnay profitable. The profits are going in the front door and right out the back door, throw your insne Union benefits on top of that and you have instant failure.

Answer 15

I might, but I'm leary, after past experience. I drive a Subaru Forester.



I test drove Cherokees when I bought the Forester and for the gas mileage difference and the "luxury feel," as well as standard safety features, the Subaru was a better buy.

Answer 16

Yes. I drive a jeep cherokee with 186.000 miles. It is the second one I have had. The last one made 230,000. Of course, they stopped producing the good old simple cherokee in 2002.



I want a diesel like they drive in Europe. They are made by Ford, VW, Toyota, and many others. They get 50-60MPG.

Answer 17

Of course, I would buy a domestic car, but I doubt they will get better. I drive a Nissan and have for several years now.



Yes they have lost their credibility due to their constant need to be bailed out by the feds.

Answer 18

i have two jeeps,one with 185,000 miles on it,i would say it is reliable.the big 3 builds good vehicles,and has high quality . people that buy foreign hurt our economy,granted obscene wages to some union workers and exec pay out of hand hurts the big 3 too

Answer 19

I support American made products and have always owned American made vehicles. Which, by the way have always been dependable.

Answer 20

If the price reflected the quality along with fuel efficiency I would consider it. But so far they build gas hogs and charge exorbitant prices.

Answer 21

i would, bu they dont, thats why i bought a hyundai accent, brand new for under 9 grand

Answer 22

no, they are already too expensive