If you had the money, who would you rather buy a car from ?

[ColbertWatcher]

You have to pick one from the selections below.

[marketcrazy1]

1. I would buy

the car that represented the best value TO ME, based on price, performance,comfort, reliability and utility..... if that means not a U.S. made car so be it!

[ContinentalOp]

2. That's what I tend to do but I'd be willing to put that all aside...

and support an employee-owned American auto manufacturer. All they would have to do is show a tiny bit of convincing concern for the environment and I would be on board. It's the Big 3's blatant, unabashed hostility toward environmental concerns that sends me fleeing to foreign alternatives.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. Yup. nt

[silverojo]

30. We had a Japanese car once

It sucked so bad, we've bought American ever since.

The seats in those foreign cars are like torture devices. I can see why the drivers inside those cars drive like idiots...they're in a mad dash to get home and put Ben-Gay on their backs. :rofl:

Seriously, Buicks in particular are very comfortable. If you'll notice, a high percentage of cars parked in handicapped parking spots are Buicks, because the drivers need that comfort. You don't find a helluva lot of Toyotas or Hyundais with handicapped license plates. ;)

[ContinentalOp]

34. Uh... yeah sure.

Or it could be that Buicks are for old people. :shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. Nice broad brush

I have driven nothing but Hondas or Toyotas for many years now. All have been very comfortable. Yet you call me an idiot.

I have a long sad history with American made cars but I wouldn't be so stupid as to make an assumption that all who drive them are idiots.

[LeftyMom]

3. The one that's least likely to leave me stuck on the side of the road. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Great response.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[LeftyMom]

11. I'm not in an economic position to think about much else.

I suppose that's true of a lot of people.

[JVS]

12. Same here.

[terryg11]

24. second that

nt

[blondeatlast]

32. Word. nt

[ogneopasno]

4. I'd buy from the one that has a collective bargaining contract with its workers, because that's what

I always do.

ETA: Actually, I have a whole hierarchy on what I think is OK for me to buy. An American-made American car would trump a Japanese-union-made car made in Japan. Because yes, I'm like that.

[Critters2]

5. Me, too. I support unions. nt

[michreject]

6. an American employee-owned, -operated company

I'll never drive anything else.

[Historic NY]

7. I hope something comes up in the next 2 yrs I will want a new car by then.

[pipoman]

9. Forgot one

An American Company who has greedily exported massive numbers of jobs in favor of cheap foriegn labor and continued to try to shame their target demographic into buying "American cars".

[Donnachaidh]

10. I'd buy from whomever made the GREENEST vehicle with the most mileage

and the most REASONABLE prices. Now if the employee-owned American company did that, they'd get my business.

[ContinentalOp]

19. Yep, there you go.

This "America first. Rah Rah Rah! U..S..A.." nonsense ignores the fact that we're all in this environmental crisis together and the Big 3 have consistently and blatantly laughed at any environmental concerns.

[sandnsea]

13. Chrylser Sebring Convertible

That's my dream car. Find me one that looks that classy and is energy efficient and is made by union labor, and I don't care what company made it.

[thunder rising]

14. I'll buy the best car my money will buy, based on research of quality of product ... that's it.

[Amonester]

16. Easy answer (if moi = lotto-winner...)

Tesla Roadster

too bad no monees (yet)

[flvegan]

17. Koenigsegg...or Bugatti?

Not only do I get a fantastic car, but if I have that kind of money, I'm very, very wealthy.

[LWolf]

18. The company that produces

the most reliable, efficient, economical, and green vehicle that will handle what I need a vehicle to do, and is produced in the greenest way possible, as well.

Why?

[ColbertWatcher]

25. "Why?"

Well, there seems to be this meme being pushed by the GOP-controlled media that no one would buy a car from a company in bankruptcy.

[anigbrowl]

28. Bankruptcy wouldn't bug me

Unless I was hearing that the auditors had uncovered a catastrophic pattern of mismanagement, eg they had $10 billion more in liabilities than they had admitted, or had been covering up the fact that their cars were chronically unreliable death traps or something. But I'm talking about 'OMFG are you serious' kind of revelations.

[ColbertWatcher]

29. I think what the GOP-controlled media is trying to do is ...

... make people believe that corporate bankruptcy is the same as personal bankruptcy.

And, of course, scare the shit out of everyone.

[LWolf]

39. I'm outside the norm.

I buy my car based on the car's merits, not the company that makes or markets it.

Just like I cast my votes based on the candidates' merits, not the political party that nominates or markets them.

I didn't make that connection until I read your reply, but it's true.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

20. Jeep

These have always been quality vehicles. I love mine. And if this brand goes away, I'm going to be sad. I just bought my first one last year, and if I can't buy another when the time comes, then I'm going to mourn.
Duckie

[wartrace]

21. I don't care about ownership. It must be built in the U.S. & green.n/t

[RB TexLa]

22. I'd rather not buy a car and keep the money.

[Stinky The Clown]

23. What kind of car does Richard Shelby drive?

[Breeze54]

26. Other: My sister....

She makes really good deals and has nice cars to unload and well, we're family! ;)

[aquart]

27. What about my dream of a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud?

And a chauffeur with good buns?

[On the Road]

31. Why Is

an American corporation in banktuptcy in opposition to an employee-owned and -operated company?

If one of the big three is bought out by the employees, it's no guarantee they can meet their financial obligations. That means Chapter 11 or Chapter 7.

[Telly Savalas]

33. I'd buy it from somebody on Craigslist.

New car smell isn't worth several thousand dollars to me.

Even if I had the money to buy whatever new car I wanted, I'd probably still choose to upgrade my current vehicle with something a bit newer (i.e. something built this decade) and then use the leftover cash to buy a kick-ass electric guitar set-up or do renovations on my house.

[mondo joe]

35. *ALL* things being equal, no contest - American employee-owned. But quality

and eco-friendliness matter, as well as that.

[Jack_DeLeon]

36. The Japanese make some good vehicles....

I am willing to pay more for quality products. I try not to buy stuff that is made in China because for atleast the past two decades or so they have been selling us cheap POS trinkets and for some reason many Americans buy them. I prefer to buy American products if they are of good quality.

When I'm going to plunk down $20k or so for a vehicle I want to get my money's worth and as of right now most Japanese cars > American cars.

The Japanese actually build quality products unlike the Chinese.

[20score]

37. That was an easy one.

The majority is right.

[raventattoo]

38. I saved my pennies...

and last May I was able to pay cash with my trade in for my new BMW. I drove my previous car long after it was paid off and long after the suspension made creaking noises to the point it was embarassing at times to be seen in it. I traded that car in and wrote a $42,000+ check.

There is not a comparable car that is made in the United States, either by a US or Japanese manufacturer.

All I ever hear are that US car companies are in trouble because people buy foreign cars and not US made cars.

IF EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE US ALWAYS BOUGHT AMERICAN, THESE COMPANIES WOULD STILL BE IN THE SAME SITUATION!!!

I believe there are several reasons why they are in the mess they are in.

The first is that they are simply not managed well. They have insisted on pushing the gas guzzling SUV. I understand that was partly consumer driven, but at the same time, no one had a vision to look to the future. The American Way is immediate gratification and few seem to understand the value in long term goals and delayed gratification, including the Big Three.

Secondly, the cars they make are ugly, uncomfortable and cheaply DESIGNED! Yes. You can say that is just my opinion, but 2 years ago I went out car shopping with my mom as her husband was buying her a new car. She really wanted to buy American and had narrowed her choice down to a Buick LeSabre or LaCrosse. However, in keeping her options open, we also decided to see a Camry and Accord.

We first drove the Buicks. They were I guess you could say...OK. Large platform bench seats that looked like the one in our 1970s-brown-2dr-ultralong-whitevinyltop-FordLtd! And they...felt like a wooden bench with some scraps of foam from Michael's crafts store wrapped around them! Large blank flat ultracheap plastic dashboard. Gas guzzling and very underpowered V6. Super heavy. Super soft "WHOOSH" suspension with very unresponsive steering. Then we drove two Accords.

I could see the guilt in her face and hear it in her voice. I actually remained very neutral in assisting her. I asked questions like "How did the seat feel and compare?" "How was the responsiveness" "How was braking between the two" "How was the noise level" "How was the accelaration" "Which car made you feel the best as a driver" "Which car did you feel safer in" There was no question and we did not even move on to test a Camry. She loved the Accord and for good reason.

Folks. WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO WAKE UP TO IS THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO CARS WAS NOT WHO BUILT THEM, BUT THE VISION, PLANNING, ENGINEERING, ETC THAT WENT INTO THEIR DESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not know where the Accord is built. It does not matter. American workers can put that car together as well or better than anyone else on this planet!!!

But American car companies do not have management that has a vision, that looks for the best engineers, that can put out good design. They apparently do not have the same quality assurance and testing that goes in to something like making sure the dashboard is handsome, that controls are in reach, that the buttons on the radio or steering wheel have a high quality feel and response. They are building something that looks like it rolled off the assembly line 30 or 40 years ago!

And as people have migrated to foreign brands, what is there to get them to give a GM or Ford another look in the future?

THEY HAVE WATERED DOWN THEIR BRAND IMAGE!!!

One of the many reasons I enjoy my BMW is the way I feel about the brand I'm driving. In other words, there is a certain prestige that comes with it that I would not get driving a Chevy Malibu or Ford Taurus. Hell folks, you can't even get that driving a Cadillac anymore! And that does not come because someone pulled it out of their ass!

It is because the engineering that went into the design of my 135 is SUPERIOR! The attention to detail flawless! That is why I am willing to pay such a high price. And that is what BMW has been doing for years. Yet, I have no doubt, you could take that assembly plant in Germany and transport it to Little Rock, AK, train their workers, give them the same incentives and working hours and pay and equally awesome products would roll out the door.

The Big Three must first develop a vision for the future. A vision for their vehicles. For most of their cars, that will mean finding a path of engineering and design to compete with Honda and Toyota. Hopefully for GMs Cadillac Brand they can move to compete with Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes and BMW.

At the same time, they must streamline their management, be more efficient and like ANY OTHER BUSINESS that wants to keep its doors open, learn to make money on the products they sell.