from bikernewsonline.com
QuoteOne comment I will add here, is that for Harley lovers (Which I am one of them) to state put down a so-called metric bike and their argument is that you should own an American Bike, is rather contradictory, when most parts for HD are being outsourced and manuctured in Japan, Chile, Germany, China, Mexico and etcetera...while being shipped into the USA and assembled! Where as several of the Japanese made bikes are actually being manufactured and assembled both in the USA! So for HD owners to put down a so-called metric crusier and make the claim it's "just a rice grinder" and not a truly American made bike, is an oximoronic statement to say the least!
Yeah, same thing goes with cars.
Which is more American, an American car designed in Canada and built in Mexico (a la Chevy Suburban and others), or a Japanese car designed in California and built in Ohio?
Think about where the money used to buy these things ultimately goes...
That same website has an article about a diesel suzuki..... a GS cousin no less.
150+mpg :o I have a new project. :icon_lol:
Quote from: scratch on April 20, 2006, 07:58:42 AM
Think about where the money used to buy these things ultimately goes...
The thing is, when you buy an American car that was built by children in China being paid 3 cents an hour, the profit still goes to the American GDP. Same goes for the Japanese car or motorcycle that is built in the US, the profit all goes to the Japanese GDP.
Personally, I don't care where my crap is made as long as the quality it good, but I do prefer to support my own economy.
Quote from: scratch on April 20, 2006, 07:58:42 AM
Think about where the money used to buy these things ultimately goes...
Well, considering a lot of that money is going to American workers building and designing the cars, yeah, I'd say it's good for the economy. At least the Japanese aren't having massive lay-offs like the American companies (Ford, specifically).
Plus, Japanese cars (specifically Honda and Toyota) are popular for a reason. Reliability is one of the main ones, too.
Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 20, 2006, 08:24:52 AM
Plus, Japanese cars (specifically Honda and Toyota) are popular for a reason. Reliability is one of the main ones, too.
BINGO!!!!
I'm greatly dissappointed by American cars. I like GM a lot, but they just don't have the technology or the fit and finish for the price you can get anywhere else. For example, the Corvette still uses a 16v push rod V8 with some ungodly displacement, just like they did back in 1950's. Go to a Chevy dealer and a VW dealer and sit in their cars. You will see how much more you get from a VW for your buck then you do a Chevy. It really depresses me. On a lighter note, GM is doing some great things for alternate energy sources like E85!
Oh and Ford's quality is so low it's a disgrace to 'Made in the USA' IMHO
I'm impressed by Toyotas a lot. Talk about a bang for the buck! The fit and finish and engineering alone on those things, plus the low price compared to other cars in their class is a value like none other.
Interesting fact, according to the latest issues of Consumer Reports, European cars are typically LESS reliable than American cars now for the first time in, like, forever. Japanese is still the most reliable, though.
I don't buy into Consumer Reports, their ratings are all jugdemental and I get the feeling are influenced by $$. It drives me nuts they constantly bash German cars, and I almost always disagree with their points after driving the car myself. Having been around Audi/VWs and Fords and GM, there is no comparison in reliability, and for them to say that is total BS. Sure, you'll never come close to the reliabitily of a Honda or Toyota, but you don't buy a VW/Audi/BMW/Porsche for reliability reasons
Quote from: LimaXray on April 20, 2006, 09:03:53 AM
I don't buy into Consumer Reports, their ratings are all jugdemental and I get the feeling are influenced by $$. It drives me nuts they constantly bash German cars, and I almost always disagree with their points after driving the car myself. Having been around Audi/VWs and Fords and GM, there is no comparison in reliability, and for them to say that is total BS. Sure, you'll never come close to the reliabitily of a Honda or Toyota, but you don't buy a VW/Audi/BMW/Porsche for reliability reasons
Considering they are an independant company, I highly doubt they are influenced by money. They don't necessarily bash German cars, either. Hell, the Passat TDI (I think it was the TDI) was their top rated sedan for a while before Honda redesigned the Accord.
And their reliability comparing Euro to American is based off people like you and me. Consumers. Plus, it was only a slight difference between the two.
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 07:13:00 AM
from bikernewsonline.com
QuoteOne comment I will add here, is that for Harley lovers (Which I am one of them) to state put down a so-called metric bike
What does "state put down" mean? Am I just not firing on all cylinders this morning, or is that an error? :dunno_white:
Dave :cheers:
i think its a saying that doesn't tranlate to text very well.
To state, is used when your "saying" something in parenthesis.
verbally I'd say "its used, to state, when your "saying" something in parenthesis.
----
**well it make sense to me.
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 09:46:56 AM
i think its a saying that doesn't tranlate to text very well.
To state, is used when your "saying" something in parenthesis.
verbally I'd say "its used, to state, when your "saying" something in parenthesis.
----
**well it make sense to me.
I know, I majored in English in elementary school. Wink. That's why I got confused.
I think he was unsure if he wanted to say "...for harley lovers to state that metrics are..." or "...for harley lovers to put down metrics...". He started one, changed his mind, and didn't fix the sentence. It doesn't matter though, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't bordering on stupidity this morning.
Oh, I bought a 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo 2 years ago and it was the worst thing I've ever done. And I've done some stupid shaZam!, so that's saying a lot. I can't go a month without something coming up. As soon as I sell it, my mom's giving me her '98 Volvo as a gift for getting into grad school (assuming I get accepted). I cannot f%$king wait...
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 11:15:23 AM
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Thw who in the what now? Please, do go on...
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 07:13:00 AM
from bikernewsonline.com
Quotewhen most parts for HD are being outsourced and manuctured in Japan, Chile, Germany, China, Mexico and etcetera...while being shipped into the USA and assembled!
In case anyone is wondering, the above is nonsense. Some parts: brakes, forks, shocks, and some miscellaneous electrical components are imported.
The author is just another Harley hater. My GMC was "assembled" in Canada so it's almost American.
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:25:58 AM
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 11:15:23 AM
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Thw who in the what now? Please, do go on...
Volvos are known to be safe cars and are stereotypically owned by overly safe people... and motorcycles are um not very safe at all
Quote from: LimaXray on April 20, 2006, 11:33:23 AM
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:25:58 AM
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 11:15:23 AM
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Thw who in the what now? Please, do go on...
Volvos are known to be safe cars and are stereotypically owned by overly safe people... and motorcycles are um not very safe at all
I'm the safest guy around, I even wear my leathers when I drive. Because you never know...
Wink.
Dave
LX.......one of the bright crayons. :thumb:
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:37:56 AM
Quote from: LimaXray on April 20, 2006, 11:33:23 AM
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:25:58 AM
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 11:15:23 AM
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Thw who in the what now? Please, do go on...
Volvos are known to be safe cars and are stereotypically owned by overly safe people... and motorcycles are um not very safe at all
I'm the safest guy around, I even wear my leathers when I drive. Because you never know...
Wink.
Dave
thats a good idea i fall out of my car all the time when i drive
Quote from: LimaXray on April 20, 2006, 12:14:27 PM
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:37:56 AM
Quote from: LimaXray on April 20, 2006, 11:33:23 AM
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 20, 2006, 11:25:58 AM
Quote from: 3imo on April 20, 2006, 11:15:23 AM
volvo and motorcycle.... who'd a thunk it.
your gonna be a black sheep on the volvo forum.
Thw who in the what now? Please, do go on...
Volvos are known to be safe cars and are stereotypically owned by overly safe people... and motorcycles are um not very safe at all
I'm the safest guy around, I even wear my leathers when I drive. Because you never know...
Wink.
Dave
thats a good idea i fall out of my car all the time when i drive
I haven't fallen out yet, but I've come close a few times.
I think our good friend roguegeek needs to check out this thread...He's got more experience with a variety of cars than anyone here.
(at least from a fit and finish/total build quality standpoint, not necessarily reliability)
h6
Well Said Wrecent.
I definetly Agree :thumb:
:2guns: :2guns: :2guns: Cheap Money Grabbin Ba$tard$
all i know is that I have personally driven two chevys and two fords until they keeled over... and my current toyota truck currently older and higher-mileage that any those others. It still runs today... the thing is INDESTRUCTIBLE.... buahahahaha!!!!
I wont buy another american car until I am convinced that something has changed.
As for the Harley issue... I won't ride one until they offer a product that is worth its ticket price. They may be great, but the sure as heck aren't three times as great as their japanese counterparts. I'll buy the bike that gets the job done for the right price and let the law of economics sort out the rest.
I think it's funny how a lot of these middle Americans wont buy anything but "All American Cars" which are basically anything from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Too bad they don't know most of those vehicles are assembled in Canada, Mexico and sometimes Europe. And if they are assembled here, most parts are out sourced from other countries. In fact, from how they most likely define "All American Cars", Honda and Toyota should be more likely to fall under this category since most of those vehicles are assembled here. That's only because the vehicles they offered in America aren't very applicable in other countries. Different standards for driving all together. Our standard is much different that the majority of countries in the world. :dunno_white:
The reality is that ALL AMERICAN Products damn near don't exist.
take walmart for instance. They are strong pushers of "Made in America" products and damn proud of it.
but....... research the companies that make their products. Technically, MAde in America is correct, the sticker should say "assembled in AMerica".
By no means I don't mean all, but alot do purchase the textile stock from overseas, usually taiwan. research taiwans main
"industrial" products. and their major customer (US).
WHY? well cause its cheaper... is that bad? Yes and NO. America looses factories, which means JOBS. so YES for USA
but poor countries gain jobs. so NO for poorer countries.
If the companies would lower prices to reflect their production costs savings, AMerica wouldn't suffer. but that doesn't happen. They continue to reap the profits and NOT lower the cost to the consumer.
Its Greed and its the Capitolist way. No way around it.
It may seem losing jobs to cheap labor over seas is bad, but in the long run it has its good points. The money industry saved by using the cheaper labor will prevent raising costs in the future as well as provide more money for future investments. Future investments mean even more higher paying jobs in the future
It may also seem to many that we don't make anything in the US anymore, but guess what, we are still by far the top producing country in the world. Yeah sure, China is catching up, but they still have a long way to go, and I don't think they will ever surpass us. (not to sound cocky or anything, I just think they are growing too fast for their own good and will eventually become unstable)
The fact of the matter is the US is a service economy, everyone is getting an education these days and there is so much skilled labor that running our own textile plants would be a waste of our resources.
Quote from: LimaXray on April 21, 2006, 09:56:53 AM
there is so much skilled labor that running our own textile plants would be a waste of our resources.
I agree with ya, but man there are some dumbass's running shaZam! around here, that i wish were stuck pickin oranges or sewing t-shirts in a sweatshop.