Its all those GM haters buying inferior foreign product, and with the ugly Caliber supposedly flying off the lots means sales elsewhere must be appalling

perception is everything and the big 3 are still paying for the junk they put out in the 80’s and early 90’s. Todays domestics are just as good as the imports, and in some segments better.

But most are brainwashed to believe that import=quality, domestic=inferior.

so according to anonymous:

cobalt as good as civic?
Malibu or impala as good as accord
Ford 500 as good as Camry
g6 as good as passat or jetta
lacrosse as good as avalon
lucerne as good as A4 or A6
Solstice as good as MX5
Corvette as good as 911
xlr as good as SL

I think it is those that believe the domestics are as good as the imports that are brainwashed or at best deluded. The American manufacturers will not make better product until the buying public tell the truth that their products are dire.

cobalt as good as civic? Nope. 4 years old vs brand new…. plus everyone knows that the cobalt is slightly behind the pack.

Malibu or impala as good as accord? impalla, yes. good thing they are both getting ground-up redesigns soon.

Ford 500 as good as Camry? yes. as much power, more room, as good build quality. different driving dynamics: different target in the same audience.

g6 as good as passat or jetta? jetta, yes. passat is a different segment.

lacrosse as good as avalon? differnt segment. vs new camry, yes, as good.

lucerne as good as A4 or A6? Lucerine does not compete in EITHER of these segments. Avalon is a better comparo; and the lucerine is as good there.

Solstice as good as MX5? Absolutely. Better. And Sky. Plus, don’t forget GXP and Redline variants.

Corvette as good as 911
$45k vs 90k. I could have 2 corvettes for the price of one 911. I could have 3 Z06’s for the price of one 911 Turbo.

xlr as good as SL: Covered this one before: absolutely.

I have to agree with Mike. (#3)

solstice = new fiero

it may be just a perception but domestic nameplate products just don’t feel or look like quality items. Maybe i find the styling too gimmicky, AUdis and Volkswagens LOOK really well built in a way GM products don’t. That could purely be down to quality of paint finish, and no-one can beat the look and feel of the slush molded plastics in an audi or Volkswagen Interior. There is also a silkiness to the way all the controls work in a lexus. Cars should never be bought on price alone, i would rather be homeless and not eat and have a 911 than buy a corvette. Having 2 corvettes is an idea that fills me with dread. Price and content dont make a car good. I would rather pay twice as much for a corvette that was as good as a 911

ok, then buy a Corvette, then spend another $50,000 at Lingenfelter and have a ferrari beater….

Bottom line: corvette vs 911 = 300c vs BMW 7 series.

the 300c and BMW7 have 4 doors, are rwd, and have 8 cyls….doesn’t mean they compete head to head though.

The moment I broke 36,000 miles (literally, almost to the mile) on my Focus, an emissions sensor blew, the AC sprung a leak, and what was once a fairly quiet cabin became a veritable orchestra of rattles. 36,000 miles? Awful. Conveniently enough for the Ford Service department, it was then out of warranty. I’ve heard this happen to other Ford owners post-35,000 miles.

Needless to say, my next car will NOT be American made and I think many people share those sentiments.

my 1989 Spirit had fewer rattles and problems than my friends 1999 Civic. Does that mean I am never going to buy Japanese? nope….

JD, you had a bad experience and I can see you not buying another Focus… but locking out all of GM, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, other Fords, and all things american because you had an unfavorable experience with a focus is just stupid.

I had a Probe GT prior to that with even worse problems. 0 for 2 when we’re talking thousands upon thousands of dollars is too risky for me. Sure the foreign car that I get next could very well be a lemon, but I think it would equally ill-advised to buy another American when I’ve had less-than-stellar results with the first two.

I know you’re thinking, “Well, you’ve had two Fords, try something else.” To be frank, nothing else the big three offers even interests me. Or at least not enough to clean the bad taste out of my mouth.

this is the start of another pointless argument. Domestics vs. Imports, snore. Why snore? Well the argument is based on some very false grounds. Does the idea of a “domestic” auto supplier exist in todays global economy? No, GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler produce more cars globally than they do in their home market. If this business scenerio was applied to any other product, we would consider them competing global companies. There are some truths to be admitted. Ford’s US products don’t stack up to the sophistication and refinement to the products it sells in Europe. European Focus? Yes please. Ford also has several brands in its portfolio, jag, volvo, that rank extremely high in quality and user satifaction. GM and Chrysler have similar situations. No one reason can be blamed for this obvious fraud of the american customers, but one does stand out. The customers themselves. It’s seams in the american market, more customers are likely to buy a car based on numbers, price, or performance. This highlights the largly untrue yet very real opinion that americans arent as refined or sophisticated as our european counterparts. Buying a corvette over a 911 because of the marginal performance advantage shows GM that it doesnt need bother making a refined sports car that the world accepts as a benchmark of that segment. A little research would show this scenerio similar in almost all car categories.

“But most are brainwashed to believe that import=quality, domestic=inferior.”

This is the same type person who believes there are ‘Weapons of Mass Distruction’ still to be found in Iraq.

Neither accept reality. it’s the way they want it to be – not how it is. If it wasn’t for fleet buys; your Lutz-looking-backward (like Bushies do..) GM would have been gone already.

j i m

see, saying that the other domestic brands do not offer a product that appeals to you is very different than saying my Focus was crap, therefore ALL american producs are crap.

Mike you are misinterpreting think? s comments to say what you want them to say. By saying that the other domestic brands do not offer a product that appeals to you is making out that the American products are equal in sophistication, engineering, styling build quality to import nameplates and that you just don’t like them. Think? is saying the opposite and that American consumers are defrauding themselves by buying on negligible price, performance and content advantages rather than on how the car actually performs, drives and is built. I have read readers letters in american magazines swearing that the corvette is the best car in the world because it pulls 1.0g on a skidpan, this totally ignores that it is a very rough and ready machine built down to a price and that GM can get away with building it because people will buy it.

SierraPutaMadre: my last comment was directed toward the dialogue I was having with JD in regards to A=B therefore C,D,E,F,G all=B

Mike, I’m not trying to argue with you. My point is this. I’ve had bad luck with American makers and I will choose to buy elsewhere.

Thought the free market was about survival of the fittest, not protecting lame ducks. If the domestic nameplates cant get fit then they wont survive, simple as that. Just don’t ask people to buy inferior products to help keep them alive

Mike, I’m going to come down to your level of thinking and just say…….YOU ARE A RETARD!

#4…..Are you basing this on YOUR opinion? I highly doubt you’ve tested all of these vehicles. I’d like to find a publication of what you just stated. Please read #12 again. Everything is built according to the market. Detroit was relying on “GO USA” mentality to sell vehicles, and it didn’t matter if it was crap, because it was working. Japan saw this window and they jumped right in by making superior vehicles. Well, it worked. “GO USA” isn’t working anymore, becuase first off, there’s no such thing as “USA”. Detroit was well aware they could get away with making crap for the US market, otherwise they would just sell the same thing in Europe, but they do not. Yes, GM/FORD finally figured this out, but they still have a LONG way to go!!!