You know what is a big part of it for me? I can not bring myself into buying an American car made by a union. I feel like I am supporting the enemy knowing that the union will use my money (wages and dues) to support every left wing socialist nut in the next election.
I wish unions would stick to union issues.
Inquiring minds would like to know.
The Toyota is a 1991 Previa and has 230,000+ miles. I will not get rid of it till it hits 300,000. And then it is likely to be difficult to part with, if I do.
I drive a 10 year old Honda Accord, bought new, with over 175,000 miles on it with no major engine or drivetrain repairs that I'll keep until it falls apart. In my long life, I've never owned (or seen anyone else own) a single American car that has the performance and reliability track record of the Accord. And my wife drives a new Toyota Sienna which replaces a Mercury Villager she had for seven years (on which we had to replace the transmission after 80,000 miles) that crapped out with a little over 110,000 miles on it.
Funny thing; we bought the Villager against our better judgment, not wanting to buy an American vehicle because of the quality problems. The Villager line was essentially a Nissan (Japanese) design that Ford made under contract. True to American form, the Villager didn't live much beyond 100,000 miles.
This is the problem for American automakers. As a customer, when I have to pay as much for a new vehicle as I used to pay for a house, it damn well better last nearly as long as a house! American cars just don't cut the mustard anymore, and haven't for a long time!
I really wanted to buy US and did not even consider foreign made until after I had test driven EVERYTHING the Big 3 had to offer.
IMHO all the American cars were nothing more than big boxes. Pickups with the body enclosed, seats added and some things for the gadget freak.
Toyota Sequoia was the same.
Hummer - What an overrated box for the wannabe SEAL! Brinks trucks have bigger windows!
Drove the Nissan Armada and wouldn't let them take it back to the dealer. Sports car ride with plenty of legroom . Back seat actually has more legroom than the front seats. An engine that gives a whole new meaning to the word "zoom." Better gas mileage on its big V-8 than on my Jeep Cherokee with a straight six. 16 around town and 19 on the highway. Average speed from CT to SC last Thanksgiving was 66.9. Gas mileage? MPG for the entire 1900 mile round trip was 19.1.
All of my previous US-made cars were dogs and their services were even worse. The worst was Ford, then Pontiac, then Chrysler.
And a whole slew of attractive South Korean models isn't going to make things any better.
My dad worked at Ford for 30+ years. 99% of the time, he didn't vote for dems. Neither did a lot of the people he worked with.
I had an 85 Cougar that I bought used with 90,000. Lasted me 31/2 years. Got a 93 Explorer bought used with 80,000. Sold it with over 150,000 now and still going strong. I have a 99 Explorer today running just fine.
I remember the late 70's where American autos (not trucks) were getting slaughtered by the Japanese. Japan gave us the Datsun and Ford gave us the Pinto. In the 80's Chrysler got smart and started using Japanese made engines, Mitsubishi. The American cars started getting a little better by the late 80's and into the 90's. American autos made a great financial comeback. Now I have friends that own American cars. They are junky and made like crap once again. No wonder American auto sales are down. Make a good vehicle, get market share. Make a junky vehicle lose market share.
I would look at an American car if it could match up to the quality of a Japanese car.
"killing the goose" ping...
Since the US auto industry's decline continues (despite a rising US population), the best thing for the economy of Michigan is to raise taxes. ;')