Foreign or Domestic?
2009
Mike Alexander
16 February 2009
Position Paper
American or foreign? Which car
should we be buying? This is a question
1. A common thought we may have when
deciding which car to buy. We pit foreign cars
vs. domestic. http://image.automotive.com
that has plagued the minds of American
consumers for quite some time. It begs
experience feelings of anxiety and
us to research which company gives the
indecision. There is so much to choose
best bang for our ever decreasing dollar,
from in the world of cars these days and
are the most reliable, and have the best
the selection of car brands is no
economic value. In the past the
exception. Which car maker would best
domestic car makers have been given a
fit our needs and still meet our desires
bad rap, and for good reason. However,
for comfort, reliability, fuel economy,
in recent years and through increasing
and of course style? In the past as we
competition the American car makers
have discussed with our friends our
have been forced to step up to the plate
decision to buy a new car we have all
and I contend that we ought to be buying
been told by more than one person to
vehicles made in the good old U.S. of A.
buy a Japanese or other foreign car and
As each of us set out to purchase
to stay away from the domestic auto
a new vehicle we feel a sense of
makers. It is true that in the past the
excitement and all at the same time
foreign auto makers have put more effort
into their cars and as a result made
Foreign or Domestic?
2009
higher quality cars, but despite the
to our own economy from buying
financial struggle American auto makers
American made vehicles. Many of the
are facing, they are making vehicles on
so-called American made cars have the
par with foreign cars.
American stamp on them; however, they
One may say that because of
experiences in the past they would never
buy an American made car ever again,
but this is not a valid excuse. As we
look back in our own lives have we ever
messed up or offended anyone else?
Would we want another chance to
redeem ourselves if we had? The
overwhelming answer is yes! Just
because you had a problem with one car
in the past doesn’t mean you should
write that auto maker off completely and
totally give up on it. We can all give our
own American born cars another chance
and in the process help our own
economy.
It is true that we have more of a
global economy now and buying any car
helps the economy, but there are benefits
were not made here in the United States.
This is an argument of people who
would try to say that buying an
American car would not help our
economy but would just help another
country. It may be true that the cars are
not always assembled here in the U.S.
but in order for them to be called
domestic cars 75% or more of the parts
that go into that car must be
manufactured here in the United States.
(money allocator). These manufacturing
plants employ hundreds of thousands of
domestic workers. This would directly
affect the immediate economy and the
jobs within the nation.
Speaking of the American auto
makers Teresa Krug says: “Honestly, I
think of the word “cheap”, and I mean
Foreign or Domestic?
2009
more of the quality, not necessarily the
automakers. Almost all Ford models are
cost.” (popular mechanics). This is a
now average or better […] Ford's
common statement from many people
reliability is now on par with good
who have experience with domestic cars.
Japanese automakers.” (consumer
However, seeing as how many of these
reports). From this we can know and
experiences are in the past we must look
understand that the American car makers
at the cars of today to see what the truth
have stepped up to the plate and risen to
and reality is about cars made in the U.S.
the challenge they have been presented
The latest Consumer Reports findings on
from their foreign competitors. They
reliability of cars now, says differently
may have lagged behind in the past, but
from what Teresa has just stated. About
have recently surged forward and now
General Motors: “Among the bright
make quality products.
spots is the redesigned Chevrolet
Malibu; in its first year, the four-cylinder
version is better than average and the V6
is average. The Buick Lucerne with a V8
and the Pontiac G6 with a four-cylinder
are above average, and the Chevrolet
Avalanche has improved to average.”
They also said about Ford Motor
Company: “Ford's three brands-Ford,
Lincoln, and Mercury-continue to pull
away from the rest of the Detroit
Another incentive to buying
American made cars is the price of
aftermarket auto parts. In comparison
the vast majority of foreign auto parts
are much more expensive than parts for
the domestic vehicles. This is due to the
fact that the parts for the foreign cars are
manufactured in other countries than the
U.S. even though the cars are assembled
here in the United States. This again
references back to how the domestic
Foreign or Domestic?
2009
auto makers have to manufacture at least
allegiance to the United States of
75% of their parts here in the U.S.
America, and I will buy American.
(money allocator).
Year
Vehicle
Water
Pump
Fuel
Filter
2008
Ford
F-150
$64.99
$12.29
2008
Toyota
Tundra
$189.00
$28.49
2008
Nissan
Titan
$81.49
$47.99
2. This clearly shows the vast difference in price
between foreign and domestic aftermarket prices.
www.napa.com
So, American or Foreign? The
real questions we should be asking
ourselves are: Do we want a quality,
economical, and stylish vehicle while
helping our own economy? Or do we
want a quality, economical, and stylish
vehicle while helping everyone in the
world except ourselves? We’ve
established that both sides have their
perks and benefits, that each make good
vehicles that can be relied on, and we
could really go with either. But I pledge
Foreign or Domestic?
2009
Works Cited
Tarlo, David. American Cars vs. Foreign Cars. 20 August 2006
<http://www.moneyallocator.com/articles/american_foreign_cars.asp>
Mokey, Nick. U.S. vs. Foreign Auto Market Showdown: Car Owner Straw Poll. 3 August 2007.
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4220034.html>
Associated Press. Poll: Americans Still Favor Foreign Cars. 8 January 2007
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16524038/>
Consumer Reports. Reliability Findings. December 2008
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/reliability/best-worst-in-carreliability-1005/reliability-findings/reliability-findings.htm Car Parts Prices. 3 February 2009 - www.napa.com
American vs. Foreign picture. http://image.automotive.com/f/opinion/is-it-really-un-americanto-buy-a-foreign-car/6910329+w640+cr1+re0+ar1/foreign-vs-domestic-cars.jpg