Hello

[dannyboy]

If it were not for the foreign invasion, most of what we would be driving today in this country would suck. Just like the postal service. Were it not for UPS, fedex, dhl,etc, they would be a showcase of what can happen when you have a monopoly on a product and you dont really care what people buy, because they have to buy something, and you are the only game in town.

I have had many different vehicles, both domestic and imported. Many of the domestics really lacked quality. Something to be said for two different cars that both cost 20 grand. One had 14 grand of labor to build and only 6 grand in quality parts. The other had 8 grand in labor and 12 grand in quality parts.

In the first, quality was cut to keep the costs below 20 grand, because of the higher labor costs. In the second, there was a remarkable difference in the quality of the vehicle because of the extra money spend on quality parts instead of labor.

Now part of this labor savings are due to automation, and maybe some lower wages. But the detail to the little things makes a big difference.

kinda like UPS used to be and the way they seem to be going now. REmember the day when no one left until all the packages were dispatched, and now we have piles left in the building on a regular basis? Quality has gone down, but the labor costs are still high.

Show me value for my money, and that is where I will spend it.

For all that ramble, my most favorite truck I have ever bought was a 72 Chevy 3/4 ton. Best value for $ though was an Isuzu pup.

Whe our union brothers make something of greater value than the imports, they will have my sale.

d

 

[reydluap]

I will still stick behind my 2005 Toyota Tundra. It was made in America,with North American parts and distributors, and with UNION LABOR.

 

[DS]

Hi ctoch...I`d take a subaru over a cavalier anyday,or a mazda or corolla or a hyundai or like rushfan says...a kia.Because every mechanic I ever talked to said ...the lower end gmc vehicles are built like crap.In my life ...in order...I`ve owned a 1965 rambler american a 1960 ford falcon a 1967 ford van 2 VW beetles a 1972 malibou a 1983 cutless supreme a 1976 grand prix a 1990 caprice and now have a 1998 protege...in case you wanted to know. The ford van was the only one that really sucked.

 

[trickpony1]

Danny,
"when our union brothers make something of greater value......".

I am truly shocked to hear you say something like that.

Are our union brothers to blame? Do our union brothers do the design, research and development on the new models each year? That would be like me telling my dispatcher what feeder run I'll be making each day when I clock in.

If I had to guess, I'd say the "union brothers" that you referred to have to work as instructed just like we do.

What were you thinking?

 

[scratch]

Trickpony1

Agree with your last post. My brother works for GM. My '84 Pickup got 180,000 miles on it before it wouldn't pass emissions test anymore, cost more to fix than what it was worth, so I got a new one. I drove a "69 Vette for 25 years and 250,000 miles, of course I had to rebuild the engine myself twice.My other brother's Honda Civic threw three rods through the block, my mother's Toyota Corolla's transmission went out a week after the warranty expired. She then got a BMW 735 that had thousand dollar brake jobs, had to sell because repairs cost so much. It doesn't matter where a car comes from, you just have to care for it to make it last. Personally, I perfer to buy American products, I like for people I know to have a job.

 

[CTOTH]

Pretty much all the Japanese cars in the US are made in the US anyhow. They're just engineered in Japan and some of the parts are manufactured in Japan. The majority of the parts are made right here and all of the assembly is done here. It's all preference and I prefer all wheel drive because I live in New England.

 

[trickpony1]

I live in one of the cities that has a GM plant scheduled to shut down. Pretty grim outlook.

Regardless of where the Japanese car was built, if you follow the money I think you'll find it ends up in Japan.

It's my understanding that China is about to market a car in the U.S. which is exactly what we don't need.

Joseph Stalin supposedly said "....don't worry about America, America will take care of herself". By this, I think he meant that given enough time America will self-destruct....it looks like we are on our way.

 

[CTOTH]

History repeats itself. All empires must fall. The Romans were on top for about 500 years. We're approaching 250.
Grim outlook indeed.

 

[opie]

Chinese made cars are coming next year it seems. I have heard even American carmarkers planning to build cars in China, and then exporting them into the U.S.A.

http://www.vvcars.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10779158

 

[DS]

History repeats itself. All empires must fall. The Romans were on top for about 500 years. We're approaching 250.
Grim outlook indeed.

The Romans Dominated the world as they knew it back then,they conquered the British empire.The USA is one large overpopulated county.Are you saying that you (Americans)are an empire?I dont think so.

 

[trickpony1]

When was the last time Canada lost thousands upon thousands of it's military personnel liberating another country such as France or Vietnam or Iraq?
When was the last time Canada went into severe debt to the extent that it neglected it's own people in order to fund/aid other countries in dire need?
In my 53 year old memory the only significant thing I can ever remember Canada doing, besides harboring Vietnam draft dodgers, was sneaking some Americans that were being held, or close to being held, hostage by another hostile country through Canada's "underground" to safety.
Care to amend your definition of "empire"?

 

[wornoutupser]

Opie,

Take a look at the new downsized Chevy Blazer ( What is the name)?
The tranny is made in China and the motor is made in Japan, yet it is sold as an American vehicle. People need to read the sticker more.
Even the old Ford Crown Victoria should have been considered an import. 70% of the sub assemblies were made outside of the U.S., mostly in Mexico.

 

[tieguy]

Danny,
"when our union brothers make something of greater value......".

I am truly shocked to hear you say something like that.

Are our union brothers to blame? Do our union brothers do the design, research and development on the new models each year? That would be like me telling my dispatcher what feeder run I'll be making each day when I clock in.

If I had to guess, I'd say the "union brothers" that you referred to have to work as instructed just like we do.

So you don't think your union brothers have any responsibility in the quality of their work? How about your work? If you run a red light in your feeder is it management or you that are responsible for the quality of that union work? You can't put it all in managements lap, pride in workmanship is an important contributing factor.

 

[DS]

All I was trying to say trickpony,was that the USA is not an empire.It was not my intent to belittle Americans in any way.All in all over 42,000 Canadians were killed in WW2.My father served as a sapper in Belgium,France and Holland,and my mother worked as a welder at DeHavilland aircraft here welding canopies onto spitfires.Our government does not always agree with yours as to when its time to jump in and liberate far off countries when they are being oppressed. I do know we just sent over 2000 troops to Afghanistan to try to help weed out some of the remaining Al qaida members hiding in the hills and capture or kill them.`
`nuff said~

 

[opie]

Opie,

Take a look at the new downsized Chevy Blazer ( What is the name)?
The tranny is made in China and the motor is made in Japan, yet it is sold as an American vehicle. People need to read the sticker more.
Even the old Ford Crown Victoria should have been considered an import. 70% of the sub assemblies were made outside of the U.S., mostly in Mexico.

It not just American, European carmakers are building cars in Mexico etc. Chinese auto assembly workers earn $2 an hour --vs. $22 in Korea and nearly $60 in the U.S. for wages and benefits. Almost everything in my house is from a foreign country, mostly from China. At least our jobs are safe, unless UPS plans on bringing in Chinese workers to replace us for $2 an hour.

 

[scratch]

At least our jobs are safe, unless UPS plans on bringing in Chinese workers to replace us for $2 an hour.

They probably are going to replace us with Chinese workers. What do you think PAS/EDD is about?