I was all set to go with a new 4-WD F-150 ...

[newbie]

I have 2 trucks, a 1996 nissan with 275,000 miles that will not die, and a 1998 dodge 2500 turbo diesel. I only own the big one for large towing capacity. I love the cummins diesel, but the truck in all is just ok. As people chimed in , it is not unpatriotic to buy a japanese vehicle. Ask the people who build, sell,work on them,make parts for them etc. In my humble opinion there is a reason the japanese vehicles are so popular, they work ( well and for a long time, mostly problem free). sorry. Is it patriotic to buy an inferior product,then drive it down to walmart and fill lit up with everything chinese to feed our over fed under read families. I dont think so. Have A Good Day

[T.R. Bauer]

[marvin4239]

I think the best vehicle I ever owned as far as maintenance and durability was a 1988 Ford Ranger with the V-6. It had 220,000 miles on it when I traded it with no problems. I think the Mazda trucks are or were made in the same plant. I've got a 96 3/4 ton Ford 4x4 diesel I sometimes tow my 22 with and it's really over kill and rides like a tank. My Jeep Cherokee Hemi tows the 22 well but I've had a lot of maintenace problems with it and it's a gas hog but very comfortable. I think if I was looking for a tow vehicle strickly for the 22 or smaller I'd take a close look at the Ford Rangers. The 2 wheel drive v-6 model with 3.55 gear will tow 5860 lbs and the 4x4 model with the 4.10 gear will tow 5560 lbs. Of course I'd want trailer brakes with this smaller tow vehicle for any long distance towing.

[dotnmarty]

Every answer brings a whole new set of questions. Just where do the parts that make up the badged product come from? How do the trade policies effect the manufacturing base at home?. How do the unions effect management's decisions whether or not to outsource? How do the government's policy on health care effect the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing? And on and on. I met an 80 year old guy at the VA hospital who spent three years in a Japanese prison camp. He just bought a new Toyota Tacoma. When I asked him why, he said "sometimes you just gotta let it go and listen to Consumer Reports. Besides, I'm from Tacoma". As good a reason as any, I suppose.

[Pete in NY]

[marvin4239]

When I was a kid about 20 I showed up at my dad's house with a VW I had just bought. My step mother immediately started giving me a lecture on buying American made products. She worked for Rambler (remember them). My dad was a WW 2 vet with a Bronze Star. Of course all they drove were Ramblers at the time. After Rambler went out of business all they bought were Toyotas. Myself I made a big part of my living building manufacturing plants in the USA hence my loyalty to American Made products. On the other hand my next door neighbor is a Union offshore tugboat captain. He makes his living bringing imported goods into the US so without foreign trade he'd be hurting. I think it all comes down to what affects you directly. In my case I don't even buy foreign made clothing if I can help it and that is a real challenge. It isn't patriotism at all to me it's simply my livelyhood. As someone said before the great thing about America is we have choice's. What does worry me is if everything is made overseas we will loose that choice.

[Sea Wolf]

Marvin brings up another point that I didn't think to mention regarding the auto industry that also applies to many other American manufacturers and their products, viability, and economic health.

When faced with the obvious need to produce smaller, more efficient cars, American auto manufacturers often (maybe usually) just outsourced the manufacturing to another foreign manufacturer.

Why invest the $$$ in the design, tooling, and assembly line construction for a new vehicle when you can simply enter into a contract with an existing foreign manufacturer who makes a product on which you can simply change a few pieces of chrome on, put your own trademarks/logos on, and sell as a Chevy, Ford, or Chrysler product?

Nevermind what it does to the American workforce, but, as Marty adroitly points out, a myriad of factors complicate the decision of whether to import a Mazda with a Dodge badge on it, or have to build a new vehicle here in the USA with all the labor laws and countless other considerations.

Sooner or later, however, most consumers caught on to the scheme and just bought the foreign car itself, instead of the one wearing the "Buy-American" t-shirt on the outside. Remember the auto dealers with rows of American flags waving overhead?

This whole scenario was preceded by just about the same series of events in the electronics industry, as American TV, stereo, and other electronics manufacturers shut down their American factories and had everything built overseas: first in Japan, then Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Mexico, etc.

Some folks on this site have found the discussions we're having about the Stock Market, Oh Oh (economic developments), and the like unnecessarily depressing and a distraction, but I'm convinced that the events that are happening are leading to a major economic reorganization world-wide, that Americans are going to have to look at their position in the world much differently in terms of economics, politics and militarily, and their pocketbooks and lifestyles are going to have to adjust accordingly.

And I don't want to walk into it blindly, or lead by some self-interested businessman telling me to by whatever he happens to have to sell for his profit.

I happen to believe we've got a a very talented group of people in our extended family here, and I'm anxious to hear from and discuss other folks views on just where we're going. And I'd rather talk it over with a group of mutually interested friends than an investment banker, stock broker, security salesman, or anyone else who is out to use my hard worked for and accumulated investments as a tool to earn commissions for his or her own gain. That's why I asked Bill all those questions above for openers. I trust him and his judgement more than anyone else I know on these matters.

I'm going to Eagle Lake today for a week of trout fishing, but will be back next Saturday evening. Enjoy discussing this topic regardless of which thread it comes up or continues under. It's a far better use of our time than trying to convince each other to vote for one or the other Presidential candidate, which mostly just becomes divisive and changes no on else's mind, anyway. And, on the upside, hopefully, Mike won't have to edit out any of the off the wall parts of the discussion, either!

Joe.

[tsargent]

Joe...

I do believe I enjoyed reading (thrice) your last posting more than most I have scanned in months. Just a lot of calm logic there... Thanks.

toms