From: issa@cwis.unomaha.edu (Issa El-Hazin)
Subject: Re: Before Buying Japanese.
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:23:42 GMT



In rec.autos you write:

>In article <issa.726382641@cwis> issa@cwis.unomaha.edu (Issa El-Hazin) writes:
>>
>>This all depends on how well K-Mart's product competes with the product at
>>Magin's and on how much a margin of difference I'm willing to put up with.
>>If I cared a lot about cars (which I do), I'd most likely would want the
>>most in my car; thus, putting up with a very small margin of difference
>>On the other hand, if I didn't care much about the product (say a glass 
>>cleaner), then, heck, K-Mart's product is better (which, incidentally, 
>>is in this case).
>>
>    Magnins is an upscale local dept. store.  They don't try to
>    compete with the K-mart stores.

Like Tom said (in rainman), K-mart sucks :)
(maybe not)

>    And as you've noted, some people really don't care about cars...
>    and surprisingly a lot of them seem to read this group.  Well,
>    the US manufacturers and several others make little econo
>    shitboxes for these buyers.  More power to both of them.

Agree.

>>In your case, you said, "competes quite well." So, let me remind you,
>>~99% of American will buy the local product over an imported one if 
>>[they believed] it was of equal quality. 

>    I don't believe the per cent is quite that high....although it
>    isn't as low as Lee I. snivels about all the time either.
>    Frankly the only way I can see that Chrysler EVER sold all those
>    K-cars was that Ronnie did his buddy a favor by cutting mental
>    health funding and all those inmates needed cars.   

I don't believe the per cent is quite that high either (higher than
Lee might think thou.) But I really read this in some major survey.
I think it was something like 99.x%. Honest. I don't know what type
of people they questioned. Yea, one can't believe everything they
read, but again if you think about it, it could be true.

Ronnie and the K-cars story is funny. I know about the Fed. loans to
Chrysler in the early 80's. This could explain it.   :)

>>
>>I assume you don't have a VCR, Cam-Corder, CD Player (probably neither
>>a HiFi stereo, Camera, DAT player, a TV (unless it's a mexican built
>>american zenith) etc..).
>>
>   Or a Sony, made in San Diego...

You took the words right out of my mouth. Now, could you kindly give'em back.
:)

I should've included this line.

>>If you are an auto enthusiast [and like imports better], you end up
>>blaming the big 3 for this. 
>>The producers should supply what the consumers want or they aren't going
>>to do very well. [Some] consumers seem to want a Japanese type of car. 
>>(smaller, nibble, efficient, and more reliable). 
   -------
> 
>    Or lots of them also like nice big, fast, luxury cars...also
>    reliable.  Like the Lexi, Infinities, Acuri, etc.    

Smaller in comparison to American cars. The Lexi, Infinities, Acuri, etc. 
are mid-size luxury cars. This is according to C/R. Still a hell of cars.
(esp. the Lexi and Infinities.)

>>The big 3 seem to be waking up to this lately.

>    Yup.  Dunno if it was due to the recent Japan bashing but Taurus
>    just won the sales contest.  If you want an example of a GOOD
>    US-made car, I'd check out the Taurus, Seville STS, Mark VIII
>    and a few others....   These are world-class automobiles. 

Not to take anything away from the STS or the Mark VIII, they are wonderful
cars. But according to C/D (2/93), the Lexus SC400 beat the shit out of the 
STS and the Mark VIII. (the STS & Mark VIII beat the Legend (by one point) 
thou) but, again, the C/D guys are being paid by Toyota to say these things 
(and I guess, Honda/Acura isn't paying enough.) 
 
Yes, both the STS (with northstar V-8) and the Mark VIII have great engines.
But a car is not all engine (and the Lexus 400 don't have that bad of an 
engine either.) So, the margin of difference these engines made [and the
slight mods] were not sufficient to out seat the Lexus. Not even close. 
Nice try thou.

>                                                               The
>    Saturn is just a "nice" car with a billion dollars of
>    advertising but it ain't a world-class car by any stretch.  It
>    ain't BAD, but it is pretty ho-hum.   When you see Saturn's
>    cruising the autobahn, then perhaps its made it.

The big three can't be charged with dumping, can they? 

Issa

(P.S.    I couldn't reply to your message thru e-mail. It said "Host Unknown".)