Is where a car made a deciding factor for you at purchase?

[quatre_temps]

We all know Japanese cars aren't solely made in Japan and American cars aren't all made in the United States. There are assembly plants of various car companies in North America, Europe, Asia...basically Worldwide. Now the question isn't whether a nationality of the car is the deciding factor. The question is whether or not where the vehicle is assembled or 'made' a deciding factor when buying. Even if it's a slight factor then please explain why. For me it is because 1) I like to assure jobs are given to certain countrymen 2) I assume the work and craftsmanship of the assembly in certain countries are better then that of others 3) I believe the materials used in certain parts of the World are simply sub-par to that of other parts of the World. Now, I'm not starting a bashing thread where countries are insulted. Therefore if you can please explain as to how you feel without naming countries then I believe we'll all be better off.

[Seth]

Yes. Even my Tacoma was built in CA and my BMW in SC. I haven't owned a car not built on American soil since 1993. And that's 10 cars bought new. That doesn't count the 6 or 7 used project cars... also all american with the sole exception of a single Land Rover Discovery bought for business.

[userfriendly]

No it does not matter to me. I think that most companies now have figured out how to build cars in other countries and still provide excellent quality control, but Toyota is still the master at this. I always thought my old 2004 Camry was made in the US, but didn't find out that it was made in Japan until after I sold it. I don't look at the place of origin because most of the cars supplied to the US are built in either Canada, Mexico, or US. Some luxury nameplates are still made in Germany or Japan, but more of them are being built stateside as well. Major factors for me are looks, drive, seating position, and how the car feels when I am sitting in it.

[hazmatman]

I believe a good portion of my Jeep Cherokee was assembled in Canada which might explain why I keep thinking I smell bacon and Labatts when I drive it. I also found a hockey puck inside one of the door panels.

[WatchNoob]

Yes, Only buy American made vehicles here. I need to support the industry that has treated me well for 22 years now. Being in the industry ad having worked with virtually almost all OEM's it amuses me that some people have the perception that brand X is better than brand Y solely because of the marketing and media influence. I'm working with another major OEM at the moment doing major components for them for the first time and I'm seriously amazed these guys can get a vehicle on the road.

Kia has a 10 year warranty, it must be the best out there!

[Justice]

All things being equal, I prefer to buy Canadian/North American products when ever I have a choice. But...
1. I'm not going to pay a big premium for the privilege.
2. I won't put up with inferior workmanship/engineering.

I still have a lot of relatives in Germany, so I'm partial to German cars. Also having a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I can appreciate fine German design.

Our Dodge minivan was built in Ontario, Canada.

- Jake

[jimyritz]

Nope--it's all about looks, quality and service...

My wife drives a Lexus RX330 and the service from Lexus has been
nothing short of spectacular...Don't get me wrong, looks and price are
extremely important, but when you have two small kids and work 20
miles from home--service is critical...

Lexus has a policy where they give you a Lexus if they are servicing your car
for a full day. They will also drive to your house (within 25 miles), drop off a rental
and pick your car up---return it when it is done.

Last year--the wife smashed the rear view window on a Wed. We called Lexus
and they had it fixed by Thursday---Important because we were heading to Montreal on vacation. The service guys know who you are and are available
for questions, etc...

I don't really care where the car is made as the parts could come from all over the world and put together somewhere else...It's about looks, reliability, and customer service...Sounds like the criteria for buying a watch....

Mike

[SCM64]

Nope--it's all about looks, quality and service...<snip>

+1

[hazmatman]

Where it's made does not really seem to mean too much...I'll admit I have scads of stories from buddies who bought this or that American car (Pontiac, Chevy, Ford, Chrysler), and they are constantly having problems, OR if you review Consumer reports you see non-American brands like VW, Volvo and Mercedes Benz getting abysmal ratings from their owners on reliability. For me, when you look at the entire ownership experience, unless you got a lemon right off the assembly line, it's the local service department that can turn almost any car into a nightmare.

My Jeep Cherokee, which is pretty much a mediocre vehicle - definitely not spectacular, was a very good ownership experience once I changed where I had my service done. When under warranty, the first dealer (in NJ) was just an *ss clown factory whose service dept was staffed with complete idiots...when I got down to MD, the service dept at the Jeep dealer there (suburban MD near DC) was great...the one here in Annapolis is kinda poor.

My Mini was an awesome vehicle, but all the service both under warranty and anything I was stupid enough to let them touch outside of warranty has been a GD nightmare. So while I loved the car itself, I would not recommend it because the dealer service I had locally in Annapolis was a f$&king goat rope from hell.

I have heard stories about American-built Hondas/Subarus being better than those built in Japan, but who knows...I never owned them, so I got no basis to say there is any real truth to there being a difference.

[Seth]

I guess part of the reason I keep buying American is pride, and part is consistently good cars.

Considering the beatings I've laid down on my cars, they have needed little to make 100k plus. My wife's 04 Grand Cherokee was bought new in 04 and now has about 80k miles on it. Its NEVER gone back to the dealer. No squeaks, no rattles, nothing... I did the oil changes and basic upkeep, but its never failed.

Hard to argue with that. MY South Carolina- built BMW Z3 wasn't nearly that good. Of course the Grand was $35k so for that kind of $$$ it should be about perfect. That's 3 series money....