showing my Nebraska Husker pride in Saskatchewan.
i know Brandon’s dad will say “awesome… but too bad it’s not a Ford.” ; )
Blackshirts
May 26, 2009 | 12 comments | Daily
Comments
There are 12 comments for this post.
jenniferhawke.com
a med school blog
Imports all the way baby! High fiving you from over here in Honda-friendly territory. :)
I’m with Christina. :-)
Agreed. Ford and all US auto makers stink. They could’ve had an electric car in 1994 and beat the pants off the world!! Instead they decided on SUV’s. And market them to families. Disgusting.
Oh, BTW, my RSVP is in the mail ; )
Have to disagree on that one. See that is the mind-set that put the American companies where they are today. Were you aware that you now own 5% of Chrysler. The Canadian government owns that company. I would think about supporting my own country, not to mention the Ford and GM plants in Ontario that are suffering. If people continue to support them they will gradually get better. Also, they are moving away from the SUVs into more fuel efficient cars, but did you know that those fuel efficient cars are not as safe as the car you are probably driving now. I know I will not buy one with specs like the 2009 Yaris from Toyota. They did not even rate the side impact because it is so poor. The only thing tested was front end collision and that only got 4 stars. Don’t beleive me Ford’s are safer, click here: http://www.automotive.com/2009/12/ford/mustang/crash-tests/index.html. Mustang, the car I drive, got a 5 star rating for frontal impact, side impact, and roll-over. I would much rather trust my family to that engineering.
To be fair, a lot of imports, or at least their parts, are being built in North America now and some US car parts were originally designed in Europe so it’s not entirely fair to say that one is better than the other since there are some fuzzy lines.
I totally agree with B regarding the Yaris. I test drove a Yaris in 2007 and didn’t like it at all. No trunk room, no side airbags, awkward lowering of the seats to expand the back area for large item transportation. I ended up buying a Honda Fit. The Fit comes standard with all airbags including side airbags unlike all other sub-compacts. That was a big plus for me.
The Fit sips gas too. Energuide called it 2007′s most fuel efficient … station wagon! The Yaris got the top hono(u)rs for fuel efficient sub-compact.
I haven’t owned a car in 13 years so truthfully I’m not brand loyal to Honda, however it probably was a consideration that my parents own a Honda and my brother does too. And I used to drive a Honda scooter.
My plan is to own this car until it dies, so I better keep on liking Hondas cuz I’m stuck with this one for a while.
Moose Jaw…here I come!!!
Sorry Jen but this is a sore subject with me and I have to rant.
As a disclaimer I have been in the “Import” parts business for more years than I want to count so I have seen some of the stuff that has gone on from the inside. I also own an Explorer and a Hyundai Santa Fe.
I also disagree with the Imports vs. Domestic vehicles and BCWB brings out excellent point.
First off what is an import or domestic vehicle. Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mitsubishi and others have been making cars in the USA for years and the “Detroit Three” have been bringing in “Imports” and selling them under their domestic badges also for years.
Second, Ford, GM and Chrysler have shareholders and are not non-profit companies (Even Obama wants our money back someday). Their stock holders want a return on their $$. Thus when people wanted SUVs they built them, as did Toyota, Honda, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes and others.
Yes, Detroit three screwed up on a lot of things but so did their “import” competitors. The thing is that the imports hid the mistakes better.
Are you aware that one of the press persons for Toyota admitted in an interview that if Toyota had been making cars in the USA as long as Ford, GM and Chrysler have that they would also have the same kind of legacy problems that the “Big Three” are having now.
Are you guys also aware that certain America made Hondas have been exported to Japan for years and that certain model BMWs and Mercedes sold worldwide are only made in the USA.
If the Detroit three can survive this mess and come out the other side they are going to kick some serious butt.
i know that as someone who used to host dinner parties where the ingredients had to be from within 25 miles of home, Christina is very “pro” local.
and does Austria make cars, Brig? or do you guys just root for VW?
; D
not sure how RAEB can bash the North American auto industry when there are folks all around him in southern Ontario losing their jobs.
excellent points, Jay. if i was to buy a brand new car today, it would probably be born and bred and assembled right in America. if we can’t support our own commerce, i’m not sure who will.
and if more companies continue to fail in the USA, i don’t know how Canadians can believe we won’t be affected…
that said, i like the 4Runner and the way it fits my lifestyle right now. we’ll see what happens when it’s time to throw a baby seat or two in the back. ; )
Ah yes, the Hunter Gatherers’ Feasts. Those were fun. I recall a certain pre-med student collecting acorns on the west side and contributing acorn bread to aforementioned feast. To quote a Moxie’s waitress, “Good times.”
As a footnote to RAEB’s comment, Zenn Motor Company(zenncars.com) is producing electric cars right here in Canadia. It’s just a pity that they aren’t legal on the roads from coast to coast yet. Also, this story might be of interest some re. the fastest electric car on the road today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=369h-SEBXd8
Jen, the 4Runner fit my lifestyle too when I had access to it via the former roommate. It’s so fun to drive! Pity what a guzzler it is. You won’t have a problem fitting two car seats in the back of it and a couple of dogs.
:)
Hay! Crazy study time for me too. Miss reading the blog, but what can you do?
I think the Zenn is great! I also think we should’ve spotted them at least a fraction of the $10 billion we’re giving GM.
I’m just surprised they didn’t see this coming, and now that they’re getting what they planned, evem more surprised we’re letting them off the hook. I believe you reward smart thinking, and instead we’re rewarding awful decisions – the losers in all this are of course the workers at the big three. If ONE of them had said “hey, let’s build an emissions-free car” in 1990, I’m fairly sure the situation would be different.
Free 90 minute movie!!!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6437080948273722203
jh, of course I don’t want people to suffer by being laid off. I just want government resources to go toward competent leadership strategies. Nothing predicts future performance like past history. Here’s a brilliant guy who says it way better than me, and I agree with practically all he says here:
David Suzuki: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=94787166590&ref=nf
PS Zenn is now legal in Quebec and some spots in BC!
Baby seat in the back!!!!!!!! I am liking this suggestion. Can Mom and I expect some wonderful news soon??? When Mara-kee Marcis arrives He will ride in style in A FORD Flex complements of GRANDPA and GRANMA. Naturally red and white with that very blackshirts plate on it. I got your witticism even though most of your friends seem to be far to pollitical about it. Better start being brand loyal or bow to the King obama. Love DAD