From: issa@cwis.unomaha.edu (Issa El-Hazin)
Subject: Re: Before Buying Japanese.
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 04:57:21 GMT

rvkl60@aus18a25.sps.mot.com (Tom Mathes) writes:

>In article <184797@pyramid.pyramid.com> lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell) writes:
>>In article <64590106@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com> knotts@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com (Tom Knotts) writes:
>>>
>>>This is your own opinion. The Saturn is not a cheap car; it is extremely
>>>well-engineered.  I'll put my Saturn SL up against any import in the
>>>same price range (I paid $9200 out-the-door for a '92).
>>>
>>  What?  I can't hear you over the racket from that !@#$! engine!
>>
>>  Its a "nice" car, but none of the most rabid pro-American auto
>>  press attempts to pretend it can compete for "look and feel" with
>>  the better Japanese and European imports in its price range.

>Rabid press like "Consumer Reports" I guess.  Last I saw, most
>magazines like "Automobile", "Car and DRiver" and the like seem
>to prefer imports.  Just check out their best-of lists.  Same goes
>for C/R.
     ----
I didn't know that consumer Reports "C/R" had ads in it. I thought they
made their money from people buying their magazines. Now, if they said
good things about american cars (esp. at these times), wouldn't they
make more people happy; therefore, leading to more people buying their
magazines. You know, people want to buy American cars, but some give up
that to get [what they think is] the better car. 

>>  But then some people LIKE K-Mart and don't understand why others
>>  shop at Magnin's.    
>>
>>  It's not as "cheap" as the Vega GT, Cosworth Vega, etc. but it
>>  ain't an Accord either.

>Thank goodness it's not another Accord.  What an overpriced, overhyped
>car.  A car in that price class should have more power, and a better
>suspension (too soft in my book).  Looks boring to boot.  The LH and
>Taurus are better examples of decent cars.

Ha?
The Taurus is a Greek goddess now? and I thought it was one of the most
boring looking cars there is. Go figure  :)
I guess, it takes all kinds.
 
>As for engine noise, I prefer the aggressive growl of my 92 SC over
>the whine out of a Honda engine.

Good 4u
nothing sounds as good as my car to me. (and it's neither a honda nor an sc)

>I don't know what Magin's is (I guess a rather expensive department 
>store), but if a product is available at K-Mart that competes quite
>well against the product available at Magin's, and you pay more at 
>Magin's, then it's your loss (and stupidity).  

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).

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 beleived] it was of equal quality. 

so, possibly, compete very well is not the case here.

>I guess I can't 
>understand why someone would prefer the import over a good domestic;
>I guess their jobs means little to them.
 ---------------------------------------

This has nothing to do with which car is better, just biassism.

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..).

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, nible, efficient, and more reliable). 
The big 3 seem to be waking up to this lately.

Just my 1/50 of a dollar

issa