Question to everyone, Japanese cars and the global economy... Options

[1900WattCelica]

I have a general question to everyone on the boards who has a celica or any other japanese car (that narrows it down huh!!!)

I was talking to my friend yesterday who has owned fords all his life and he wants to get a commuter car instead of his not-so-gas-friendly ranger. He was asking me about toyotas and hondas and what I could recommend for under 2000. I told him you could get a decent corolla or geo prizm for that much money. And he said yea thats what I figured and he said he was just starting to look into getting the 2nd car and wanted my input. My girlfriend and I said we prefer the japanese cars because of the high standards for reliablilty and their much more easy to maintain for the home mechanic. He then went on to say he may look into some american cars like a monte carlo or a stratus and said he was hoping to get one of those over a typical japanese car because..... here comes the all too common objection: He would rather have his money stay in our economy than a foreign economy.

How do you guys usually respond to people who say those kind of things? It just seems like a really close minded argument to say.

[shid]

I have a general question to everyone on the boards who has a celica or any other japanese car (that narrows it down huh!!!)

I was talking to my friend yesterday who has owned fords all his life and he wants to get a commuter car instead of his not-so-gas-friendly ranger.  He was asking me about toyotas and hondas and what I could recommend for under 2000.  I told him you could get a decent corolla or geo prizm for that much money.  And he said yea thats what I figured and he said he was just starting to look into getting the 2nd car and wanted my input. My girlfriend and I said we prefer the japanese cars because of the high standards for reliablilty and their much more easy to maintain for the home mechanic.  He then went on to say he may look into some american cars like a monte carlo or a stratus and said he was hoping to get one of those over a typical japanese car because..... here comes the all too common objection: He would rather have his money stay in our economy than a foreign economy. 

How do you guys usually respond to people who say those kind of things? It just seems like a really close minded argument to say.
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it's also an argument that doesn't hold weight anymore.

4 years ago, the japanese economy was doing much worse than ours- money we spent on their products just ended up back here anyway

Now, our economy has sunk so low that we're about equal with them- money spent on japanese products usually does come back here- but it has an equal chance of going elsewhere..

It's still a dumb argument.

[saleeka]

he's buying the car USED, first off... secondly, if your buying forigen products, did you fly to japan to buy them? Or did you go to a dealership/store who has employees who live here in the states, with reasearch and design centers here in the us, factories that actually produce that camry, accord, civic, BMW, Mercedes, ect, here in the US... So lets say he did buy a new ford or chevy- guess what? THEY are a global corporation too! whos to say his money wont end up helping GM's Opel or Ford Europe? people who say stuff like that bother me personally, we live in a global society where Chrysler is owned by Daimler (german corp)... if people spend money in the economy it will help regardless of what country "will end up with it"...

EDIT- and be careful of what you buy at the grocery store- most produce dosent come from the US, especially fruit... we dont want to hurt the economy rememebr

This post has been edited by saleeka: Dec 10, 2004 - 1:42 PM

[1900WattCelica]

he's buying the car USED, first off...
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The argument can actually stop right there. There buying a car used from an american citizen or business where the money will go into their pocket regardless. I dont even know why I didnt think about that. Great points! Also about who sells the new cars and makes commision off of them...american citizens do.

[Supersprynt]

Most american cars have foreign parts to begin with, and there are a few factories for japanese, the Germans really keep their stuff domesticated tho. I think the Z series Bimmers are North Carolina assembled but parts are flown in from Germany. Everything else is made & assempled over there, most likely the same with Mercedes. Toyota I think has a plant in Ohio?

Its just a crappy argument nowadays since there are so many Americans involved with foreign cars anyways. Even if they are assembled in japan they have to be transported to the dealer, the dealer probably is american and they have american workers. THe price is divided up so many ways that you cant say oh it goes straight to japan.

[Uppitycracker]

My dad has an 03 Avalon and my mom has a 03 Matrix, both built in America by Japanese standards. My area has Nissans out the ass because the of the nissan plants around here. Also the parts for these cars a produced for a good part in America, every factory Ive worked at has made Toyota and Honda parts, and funny thing is the factories have different standards for different car makers, and the Japanese standards are always the highest by far.

It was funny hearing stories about the people in my department that had to deal with the Toyota guys from Japan, getting calls in the middle of the night from angry Japanese dudes and what not.

[coustoe]

it's also an argument that doesn't hold weight anymore.

4 years ago, the japanese economy was doing much worse than ours- money we spent on their products just ended up back here anyway

Now, our economy has sunk so low that we're about equal with them- money spent on  japanese products usually does come back here- but it has an equal chance of going elsewhere..

It's still a dumb argument.
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GDP Growth rates 2004:

US 3.2%
Japan 2.7%
China 9.1%
Germany -.01%
France .5%
UK 2.2%
Canada 1.7%
South Korea 3.1%
Russia 7.3%

[Uppitycracker]

Im not sure what the above is supposed to mean but I am loving the current state of things. My Canadian savings are almost equal with US currency, so Im not losing so much of it when I convert it over.

[FallenHero]

Tell him to buy a Pontiac GTO. Aren't they made in Australia and shipped over??? or did they make a new US factory for them?

[saleeka]

their aussies