As a car guy, this makes me angry....

[BlaqueKatt]

I've always said that you can either have low prices...or high salaries. You can't have both!

Depends on the company, toyota does quite well remaining competivie in pricing and pays roughly the same wages(if you don't count all the UAW demanded perks-GM pays around $70/hour in wages and benefits, Toyota around $48-cash wages are around $30/hour for both companies), also toyota executives don't make exorbitant salaries, the ENTIRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMBINED at Toyota(and Toyota is currently the would's largest auto manufacturer) made less than Ford motor company's CEO. Also while GM was laying off workers(40,000), and taking government bailouts, Toyota was stopping production, but keeping it's employees on full payroll for training, and building homes with habitats for humanity. Toyotas are manufactured in the US, using US workers, GM and Ford, not so much. The Toyota Camry is the number 1 US made car, four years running(actually 4 of the top 5 Most US made cars are "foreign")

[mikoyan29]

Depends on the company, toyota does quite well remaining competivie in pricing and pays roughly the same wages(if you don't count all the UAW demanded perks-GM pays around $70/hour in wages and benefits, Toyota around $48-cash wages are around $30/hour for both companies), also toyota executives don't make exorbitant salaries, the ENTIRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMBINED at Toyota(and Toyota is currently the would's largest auto manufacturer) made less than Ford motor company's CEO. Also while GM was laying off workers(40,000), and taking government bailouts, Toyota was stopping production, but keeping it's employees on full payroll for training, and building homes with habitats for humanity. Toyotas are manufactured in the US, using US workers, GM and Ford, not so much. The Toyota Camry is the number 1 US made car, four years running(actually 4 of the top 5 Most US made cars are "foreign")

I guess it depends on how you define American made. I used to work for a company that makes Air Conditioner Compressors. It is Japanese owned but the parts are assembled here in Michigan. Many of the parts we used are made here but come from Japanese companies. I think in the global economy "American Made" is going to get more and more blurred. The steel mill in Dearborn is owned by the Russians.....

If you start getting down to parts...I don't know....

[Hyena Dandy]

The title totally reminds me of the Robot Devil saying

"You can't just have characters say how they feel! That makes me feel angry!"

Edit: On an unrelated note, I don't understand why... Angry, I guess. I suppose I can understand frustrated, but not angry.

[protege]

Edit: On an unrelated note, I don't understand why... Angry, I guess. I suppose I can understand frustrated, but not angry.

Probably upset that parts for the American car he wants...are made by a foreign company...instead of by GM as per original. I can somewhat understand, since many parts made in China...are shit. They may *look* like the originals, but usually aren't up to the same standards.

Using my MG as an example, I can buy brand new body panels from British Motor Heritage, or by some aftermarket company. Both are pretty similar in price. However, the BMH ones are made on the original tooling in England. I've heard that BMH panels--everything from repair sections, to complete body shells--are quite good. Of the two, I'd go with the BMH product--the steel is slightly thicker, and I don't have to spend hours fettling a panel to get the damn things to line up.

Same with electrical gear. Again, many of the reproduction stuff is shit. For example, I've had to send back brand new horns because of failures. I've had switches fall apart...and they're new! Never had that problem with the original-type Lucas items. Say what you will about Lucas' reliability, but if you clean the contacts and make sure the connections are tight, you won't have problems. I replaced some of those items simply because I had to--the idiots who "worked on" the car...managed to lose a few things

Some of you also know that I'm into model trains. One of my favorite (an an American one at that) brands, Athearn, discontinued their line of kits. For years, they were the company you went to if you wanted a reliable, inexpensive locomotive or freight car. Easy to assemble, and easy to work on. Their locomotives all used similar parts, and were readily available. Then the new company owners decided to concentrate on fully-assembled products...and moved their factory to China. You'd think that would have brought the price down. Did it? Hell no. Why exactly, would I pay multiple times over the cost of a kit? Plus, because there aren't any spare parts now...I couldn't even repair one of those new items if I wanted to! As such, I quit buying equipment from them--if I want a new locomotive, I turn to Atlas. IIRC, their stuff is still made here...except for the electronics. Those come from Kato of Japan.

[BlaqueKatt]

I guess it depends on how you define American made. <snip>If you start getting down to parts...I don't know....

-it cannot be considered "american made" unless at least 75% of the parts are manufactured in the US/Canada-this is BY LAW, AND final assembly is in the US(which is why the Chrysler 300 is not "american made")-one of the links in my previous post gave the breakdown of parts content for the top 20 american made cars.