Since MI is the home for the big domestic three Chrysler, GM, and Ford, is it frowned in Michigan if you bought an import there like BMW, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan? Just wondered. I dated a girl once who lived in MI and said that her folks have only bought domestic cars since they wanted to promote buy American.

 

Buying American is all good when the products are of equal quality, but when the imports just do a better job of making cars, I don't see anything wrong with getting one of those.

Plus, many "imports" are now actually manufactured or assembled in the US. Honda Accord, TL, BMW Z and X, MB ML-series, Toyota Camry, etc.

 

the tsx is 100% Japanese

 

I have never been "frowned upon" for driving imports. There's no question that there are alot of domestic owners in MI, partly due to all of the Big 3 employees who get massive discounts when they buy their own brand. But even so, I see a lot of imports like Accords, Camry's, etc. A lot of BMW's as well. I heard that if you wrk at GM and drive an import to work, your car will be tore up by the time you leave work. lol

 

[QUOTE=04EuroAccordTsx]Since MI is the home for the big domestic three Chrysler, GM, and Ford, is it frowned in Michigan if you bought an import there like BMW, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan? Just wondered. I dated a girl once who lived in MI and said that her folks have only bought domestic cars since they wanted to promote buy American.[/QUOTE
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Ask your girlfriend's parents if it's OK to buy SAAB or Volvo. They're both owned by GM and Ford respectively. If they say "no" then ask them whyinell does GM and Ford buy foreign?

As your girlfriend's parents where their computer was made? Where their CD/ROM is made (90% made in Taiwan). Hey, maybe ask where Barbie Doll is made (I wouldn't be surprised if it is made in some third world country)

There's no excuse for ignorance. I love inflating closed minds.

 

This is my first import...my Dad works for Chrysler heh, he freaked out at first but then got over it...

One friend came up from Ohio in his Accord and said some guys pulled up next to him, yelling "buy American, you live in America..." blah blah...its like DUH our cars were built in Ohio you fools :P

But every now and then, you get a idiot telling you how you're putting Americans outta jobs cuz you bought that foreign car...and all I say to them is...

 

Most countries try to protect their industry through tariffs or taxes. Given globalization, I'm not against Nissan, Honda, BMW setting up assembly plants in the U.S., so long as they hire Americans and so long as the U.S. imposes a "minimum (U.S. made) content" requirement on parts that go into those cars.

 

Wow. I never had that happen to me.

It's nice to live in a cultural melting pot like California. People are slightly more open-minded.

 

I disagree. These are private companies. The gov't should not get involved into "minimum content" rules. And it would never work under current globalization standards. To be competitive, car manufacturers have to use foreign parts; which are usually much cheaper.

 

The real cheap stuff is labor. Labor in the United States is expensive and many companies outsource their parts to other companies who have lower costs. Even GM doesn't manufacture every single piece used in one of its cars and probably can't guarantee that everything is made in the US. Plus, with the new global economy, there is no way the US government, or any government, for that matter, would step in an try to stop people from buying foreign products or instituting a minimum content requirement. That would kill the US in the international market.

 

at least your dad still loves you even if you betrayed him :P , j/k.

 

i live about 30 minutes from downtown detroit. and 10 minutes from Chrysler headquarters. 20, 30 mins from Ford. I sure do see a lot of domestics, especially if they are new and not yet for sale (meaning manufacturers plates). for example, i saw, and still see, a lot of 300C rolling around, even when they weren't on sale. I see dodge magnums a lot too. and im beginning to see 05 vettes. (2 hardtop and 1 vert so far). there are A LOT of imports. especially the germans. then toyota/lex. lotsa 3.2 TL's, etc. no one "frowns upon" anyone. people around here like cars, and they seem to respect others' cars.

 

Yes this is true...but when I tell him I want an Acura now, he rolls his eyes


I guess that depends on where you live too!! Cuz I've known people to get hated on for having imports

 

well, there's a biiiiiig difference between imports and riced out imports. i frown upon those all the time. i also shake my head no :shakehd: , point and laugh, etc.

on a side note, i hate those ignorant americans who say things like "you're in america, by american." well, let's see how U.S.'s economy does if all europeans and asians boycott american products in favor of their own goods.

accordexgirl - i see you're in sterling heights. im only 15 minutes or so away. i'm in bloomfield.

 

I was very curious about this, too, as I'm right now debating between ordering a 2005 Grand Cherokee (new body) or trying something entirely different and going for a TSX! I'm pursuing an auto-industry job in the near(ish) future and that'll likely send me to Detroit. (No bad thing- GO WINGS!)

I can see where it would be an issue if I worked for one of the big 3, but Toyota and VW/Audi both have a lot of offices in the Detroit area. In fact, VW/Audi's US office is based in Auburn Hills.

And the Big 3 own or have major stakes in virtually every car company but Honda, Toyota, and BMW.

 

Nay not really, especially now days given that nothing is clear cut any more. Plus things are stable and they aren't bleeding jobs like in the 80s. Lived in Michigan for a number of years up until the early 80s. We always had at least one import and never got any crap. However, closer to the big plants it may have been a different story. Also, our imports were all European. They admittedly did not look favorably on brands from Japan in the early 80s. I sure wouldn't want to be driving one at that time near the factory towns.