Buying a American made truck

[tonkapat]

To be perfectly honest with you, if the tariff's weren't so high, you can bet your bottom dollar that every foreign brand would be building their vehicles in their own country, including Toyota.

It has a lot to do with the weak dollar, non union labor prices, and shipping. The foreign companies are using cheap non union labor here to build there vehicles. Hard for the big three to compete when the labor cost for imports made here are less than half. Even yamaha is building there atv's here because the overall costs are cheaper.

[tonkapat]

Lep 07 gm truck with a 5.3 by chance with the multiple displacement engine? The dealer should have repaired or replaced that engine and notified you that you need to run sae oil only. Bad product yes, Bad dealer definately. Well known issue for that motor.

[Jim Almquist]

Toyota's are about as American as sushi and the only reason threads like this exist is guilt, otherwise why always trying to justify them?? Heck, now the steel comes from Minnesota! LOL!!! I suppose if it makes you sleep better at night, believe what you will....

I sleep just fine at night.

What I do get sick and tired of is buy American. So I buy a Dodge Ram and ONLY 53% of the parts are from the USA. So I decide on a Chevy/GMC or a Ford F-150 and they were built with 75% of the parts made in the USA. What about that great American Suburban coming in at a whopping 65% of the parts made in the USA.

The POS Toyota Tundra and its 80% of the parts made in the USA is just something made up by the Federal Government so we feel better when we eat our sushi

When Chrysler finally pays back their loan from the bailout, Fiat will up their stake in the company to 51%. What a great American Company

[Dave S]

Lep 07 gm truck with a 5.3 by chance with the multiple displacement engine? The dealer should have repaired or replaced that engine and notified you that you need to run sae oil only. Bad product yes, Bad dealer definately. Well known issue for that motor.

It was an '08 Silverado with the 5.3L. Dealer has always done the service and has always put in SAE oil.

Not my problem anymore.

[Jeremy airjer W]

you're right, I should have said wear items.

Unfortunately they have become routine maintenance items on the explorer, f series, escape, Taurus, everything GM, the older dodge pickups, Durangos, pt cruisers, caravans, etc.

Occasionally the other manufacturers will sneak one in but not that often. Nissan would have to be the worst of the imports.

[CJH]

Thank you for Understanding why I started this Thread

This was started ONLY to point out that Toyota Tundra is built with more AMERICAN parts then the Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge in the 1/2 ton lineup.

Gonna take out an ad next???

[delcecchi]

Bingo.

Toyota's are about as American as sushi and the only reason threads like this exist is guilt, otherwise why always trying to justify them?? Heck, now the steel comes from Minnesota! LOL!!! I suppose if it makes you sleep better at night, believe what you will....

I can buy sushi at target and crave. sounds pretty american to me. At least as american as spaghetti or frankfurters. Not as american as mahnomen or maple syrup.

[caseymcq]

I will still contend they all burn some sort of hydro carbo and by that fact alone every last one of them is a POS...

... and I would drive any one of them, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, Cub Cadet...

I had a '01 Ford Ranger built right here in Minnesota. I noticed the paint was cracking within two months of getting the truck. Took it back to the dealer and they told me it was from hitting bugs! The bugs would go splat and their guts would eat into the paint... So wait, you're telling me you would build a truck in Minnesota and sell it in Minnesota and the paint won't hold up to bugs... .... not to mention I had one of the wonderful Firestone tires let loose on me. Luckily for me I was slowing down at the time.

I have an '04 GMC Sierra... I had to pay to get an updated intermediate steering shaft so I could drive it with out getting the same feeling as every tire rod end being bad. The spedo was an intresting story, but GM took care of that. Replacing two O2 sensors. Having to pay $400 bucks to fix a solenoid and gas cap so I could pump a full tank of gas without spending 30 minutes at the pump...

But what the heck... I like having a truck

[mechanico]

You can say what you want, but the American pickup truck is what everyone else is copying. It is the best conceived solution for the need. Everything else no matter how well engineered is just a copy. No one that buys a japaneese auto should have anything to say about the state of the economy, or how much less we make than we used to, or how hard it is going to be to save any mony towards our retirement. You all who are sleeping just fine after buying foreign can explain to your children why you don't have a legacy to leave them because the trade defacit was so high that the dollar tanked and the unions wouldn't yield to the economy, and how so many factories closed because of bull headed stubborness and greede. And then explain how they can never make more than fifteen dollars an hour when you used to make twenty eight to put a door knob on. And be sure you give them the union doctrine, so they can make sense of it.

[delcecchi]

If a Honda is made in Nebraska, is it a Japanese car? If a Ford is made in Canada is it an import?

[mechanico]

If you grew up working on your father's farm and expected to own it one day, but he sold it to someone else, would you continue to work the ground? Would that be like eating the crumbs from the new owner's table?

The foreign car plants do not pay as much, but the cars sell for about the same as American cars, don't they. Where's the money going? Do ya know?

[croixflats]

If you grew up working on your father's farm and expected to own it one day, but he sold it to someone else, would you continue to work the ground? Would that be like eating the crumbs from the new owner's table?

The foreign car plants do not pay as much, but the cars sell for about the same as American cars, don't they. Where's the money going? Do ya know?

I think that money keeps the company from going bankrupt or massively in debt.

[mechanico]

What company? Do you miss the point?

[caseymcq]

... Do you miss the point?

Maybe I am missing the point.

I look at the initial post and would think that buying a Tundra rather than a Ram would result in purchasing a vehicle with %50 more of its components being "American made." That purchase would potentially be employing more Americans. I don't know what Toyota pays its American employees vs what Dodge pays its American employees but I am willing to bet it is relatively close, if not the same.

[LMITOUT]

With over 15 million recalled vehicles in just the past year alone, maybe Toyota should backing off the number of made-in-America parts to regain some of that quality they used to be known for.

[Jeremy airjer W]

You can say what you want, but the American pickup truck is what everyone else is copying.

[tonkapat]

Yup, union labor made this country great. Pay a guy $28 to hang a door knob and then tell me why other countries think we are greedy pigs. Shame on a union thinking it was acceptable to pay someone that much to carry out that task and more shame to the person who accepted that pay and snickered all the way to the bank while driving his "domestic" truck. Buying foreign cars won't be the demise of the U.S., the citizens are doing a pretty good job all by themselves.

Without unions a lot of people would be making less money right now whether they are union or not including you.

[Dave S]

So you're saying unions are at fault for high labor costs?

[Jeremy airjer W]

What I am saying is unions have there place. What I don't agree with is paying a guy $28 an hour to hang door knobs or protecting workers who take advantage of the union (you know exactly the people I am talking about). If you want to pay skilled hard working people $28 an hour to do skilled work, fantastic.

How well did the union work out for northwest? You know what, I would much rather have a job than to hold out and not have a job at all. Unions want it all and that doesn't work anymore. It's time to face the reality and accept the fact that if you want it all there won't be anything for you to have. I drive by the facility at the airport occasionally. There are still planes in the hanger and people working on them.

I'm glad I'm not in a union. In there prime they had there place. Do they still?

[Dave S]

I agree airjer. I hope you didn't misinterpret my post. I was looking for more clarification from tonakpat. I don't care for the unions and never have.

[tonkapat]

I'm not a union fan either, but there is a reason they were started. And they do help some people who aren't in a union.

[TruthWalleyes]

Every time i see the title "Buying an american made Truck" i just laugh...No such thing, but since the first post covered that fact - I figured no point in tuning in to this thread....It seems that after 5 pages people are still arguing about YOU who bought a foreign car

They're All Foreign!

Fact is, anything that wasn't foreign before, will be shortly!

We're all riding on a sled, going down the economy hill - Half way to the bottom and picking up speed!

[mechanico]

Looks like we agree Airjer...I was startin' to think you don't like me. I was in Steam Fitters, and Communication Contractors of America, and I can't say they helped me much when I got laid off out of turn. I don't much care for Unions in general, but I do believe they could become viable again if they were to take the economic realities of today into account.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Looks like we agree Airjer...I was startin' to think you don't like me. I was in Steam Fitters, and Communication Contractors of America, and I can't say they helped me much when I got laid off out of turn. I don't much care for Unions in general, but I do believe they could become viable again if they were to take the economic realities of today into account.

well said mechanico!

[Jeremy airjer W]

You know what the sadest thing I have run into.

When my boys where about 1 or so I decided it was time to get them a Radio Flyer wagon. Who didn't have one as a kid? Guess what, MADE IN CHINA! Cars, not a big deal. Electronics, I can live with. McDonalds toys, as long as there lead free. Radio Flyer wagon, thouroghly disaponted!