[DeTomaso] NPC How can this happen in America

Tue May 26 23:26:44 EDT 2009

A year ago I had 27 ford f150's now I have 15.
I cannot understand why anyone would buy a foreign pickup truck.
Ford's are less expensive to buy own and operate.
I have a number of them above 100k miles.
Never had a motor or trans or AC problem.
Brakes, batteries, tires, sometimes fuel pumps, sometimes a ball joint or 
suspension part we drive over curbs a lot.
The anti lock brakes sensors act up with a lot of dust.  At 100k the engines 
need spark plugs and maybe a coil.
That is about it.  I usually try to trade them at100k but with the economy I 
am trying to go longer.
Rich
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jar" <cadhearse60 at verizon.net>
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 8:07 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC How can this happen in America


>I have to say that I never understood this "US vs Them" logic when it
> comes to buying cars (or anything else).
>
> My Dad and my Uncle (both RIP) used to get into this from time to time
> when I was a kid.  My Dad with his Mercedes-Benz and my Uncle with his
> Ford T-Birds.  My Dad was a serious car nut all his life and he always
> ended the argument with authority saying:
>
> "You can't subsidize mediocrity!"
>
> What are the countries of the world?  Sports teams?  We are
> unpatriotic traitors if we buy a foreign product?  Spending multi-
> thousands on something is serious business and smart folks don't base
> their purchasing decisions on a need to root for the home team.
> Somehow Americans deserve to have money and jobs more than foreigners
> do?  Americans are better than everyone else?  This is just xenophobic
> nonsense.   In my family this view died with my Uncle.
>
> My Dad often said American cars were sub-standard compared to Japanese
> or European, but he bought them anyway.  My Dad's American cars:
> 66 Pontiac Bonneville (caught on fire)
> 70 Mercury Cougar convertible (rear window leaked rain)
> 71 Pontiac Firebird (ran perfect for a long time)
> 77 Mercury Monarch (too boring)
> 80 Cadillac Seville (ran perfect for a long time, but the interior
> started falling apart)
> 93 Jeep (wagon/SUV) (ran perfect until the day he died)
>
> Some were crap, some were not.
>
> The ones he owned together or in between were all German, Volkswagon,
> Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi (the Audi was by far the worst car
> he ever owned, an abominable piece of expensive sh*t)
>
> As for me, I have bought 4 new vehicles in my whole life:
>
> 85 Toyota pickup:  Threw a rod at 125K
> 93 Toyota pickup:   Ran like a top, replaced it when my Dad (yep)
> advised me to try one of those new F-150's
> 95 Ford F-150:  Threw a (V6) rod at 75K, new motor = $6,000 (ouch!)
> 2001 Toyota Tundra:  Front brakes trash at 30K ($5K TRD upgrade),
> throttle body trash at 60K (repl. under warranty), $800 bucks to
> replace a starter, nice truck but I couldn't sell this looming money
> pit quick enough.
>
> I cannot honestly say which is better, a Ford F-150 or a Toyota
> Tundra.  Neither one of them made it to 100k in my garage.
>
> These days I do not even own a modern vehicle as I just plain flat-out
> don't like 'em.  They are too complicated for me to fix myself, they
> all look the same (ugly) and I can't treat a new one casually as I
> need to.  I don't want to have to baby a new daily driver because I am
> fiendishly trying to maintain it's resale value so as to get another
> one before said resale value takes a nosedive.
>
> My fun cars are all American beauties, which I happily pamper and
> treasure:
>
> 60 Cadillac hearse
> 65 Buick Riviera
> 73 DeTomaso Pantera (well, half-American)
>
> My daily drivers are simple Japanese mules, which I drive the crap out
> of and fix (most things) myself:
>
> 72 Datsun 510 Wagon
> 78 Datsun 620 Pickup
>
> If American car companies are failing, I suspect it is primarily from
> this simple fact:
>
> Generally speaking, foreign cars have historically performed better in
> the categories of reliability and resale value creating a perception
> in the consumers' mind that foreign cars are a more fiscally prudent
> purchase.
>
> It's a damned shame, in my opinion, because American cars are a hell
> of a lot more fun and look much cooler.
>
>
>
>
> On May 23, 2009, at 12:07 PM, fresnofinches at aol.com wrote:
>
>> <<<<<I felt sorry for her, and asked if there was anything I could
>> do. Ruefully, she said, "buy a car!">>>>>
>>
>> A little late for that.
>>
>> Now, how many of you have import marque cars sitting in your garages?
>>
>> How many of you have shown how patriotic you are and put an American
>> flag on your import?
>>
>> How many of you can come up with "good" reasons why you passed on
>> American cars and bought the import car now in your possession?
>>
>> Now multiply that by a nation of "Proud Americans" and you'll
>> understand why the Big Three are in the situation they now face.
>>
>> We all make choices in life. They are not all based on logic and
>> financial concerns.? Some are based on faith, courage of conviction,
>> and personal taste.
>>
>> If we had all vowed to "Buy American"? decades ago.........
>>
>> Larry
>>
>> 2005 Chevy Equinox
>> 2001 Chevy Astro
>> 1995 Ford F-150
>> 1993 Dodge Spirit
>> 1972 De Tomaso Pantera
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