From: mzimmers@netcom.com (Michael Zimmers)
Subject: Economy:  Was: Re: Whining about buying American cars
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 16:21:14 GMT

In article <uznerk.721888494@mcl> uznerk@mcl.ucsb.edu (Andrew Krenz) writes:

>I really can't believe you're stupid enough to compare the mileage of a '69
>Buick to that of a modern car.  The times have definately changed, bud.  
>American cars are a lot more efficient than you think.  Look at a Chevrolet
>Caprice for crying out loud.  It weighs almost 2 tons yet it still gets
>27mpg on the highway.  Don't even think about flaming Saturn and the mileage
>those cars get.  Also, saying that Japanese cars are more economical in
>general is a bunch of crap.  Go down to the local auto center.  The
>first thing you'll notice is how much more expensive that Camry or Accord
>is over the Taurus or Lumina.  Next thing, assuming you *own* the car, is
>you'll notice how much more expensive it is to repair a Japanese car.
>Our family's Acura Legend needed a new set of $600 fuel injectors because
>it was hard to start after 60,000 easy miles.  Japanese cars are NOT more
>economical than American cars.

Are you looking at the complete picture?  First, remember to deduct the
resale value from the purchase price (minus the cost of money for the
period of ownership).  I think you'll find the Hondas and Acuras stomp
the Fords and Chevys here.

Second, I think you're overplaying the costs of repair.  Much of a 
repair cost is labor.  This still applies if you're a do-it-yourselfer,
since your time is worth something.  I've also never seen a study that
showed item by item that like parts for a Japanese car cost more than
for an equivalent US car.  I *have* seen studies that showed Japanese
cars need less frequent maintenance, though, and this would offset
any higher part price.

For buying, driving for say 5 years, and then selling (which is probably
close to typical in the US), I'll put my money on a Honda being more
economical than virtually any US car.

>Nobody buys American cars? GM alone, even in today's troubled times still
>outsells all of Japan and Europe combined. 

Snapshots can be decieving.  Look at the trends of the past 30 years.
The US carmakers are hurting.  The main reason that FoMoCo did well
for a while in the mid '80s was because they made a very smart decision
to sell *fewer* cars and focus themselves a bit more.  But in the long
run, market share is key, and the US makers are losing.

>Buying an American product
>is obviously going to support our troubled economy the most, so buying
>American is definately an American thiung to do.  If we as Americans support
>our own industry, just as you said the Japanese did in the 60's and 70's,
>then our cars will only get better, right?

Buying American because the product is superior is definitely good for
the economy.  Buying American for its own sake, when better alternatives
exist, is a sugar pill that may help the economy in the very short run
but will send the wrong messages to carmakers, reduce the US makers'
incentive to improve, and ultimately serve to weaken competitiveness.
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

>HAH!  Whatever dude.  Whenever anyone tells me that Japanese cars are better,
>I always ask them, "Which Japanese car is better suited for the hellish
>brutality that law enforcement subjects their units to than mine?"  So far
>nobody's been able to answer that one.

And if the police constituted a bigger market share, the Japanese would
probably be building cars for them too.  This has nothing to do with
whether it's good for America to buy American cars.
-- 
Michael Zimmers                                    |  Home:  408 996 1984
SoftHelp                                           |  Work:  408 996 1965
Software Solutions for Open Systems                |  Data:  408 996 1974
Newsgroups: rec.autos