WTF is wrong with this country?

[Oerets]

This country has for reason to be argued in the future let other countries take the lead.

Renewable energy will be the industry this century. We could be the leading country in manufacturing, development and implantation if not for politics.

By our hesitation, thus allowing countries to take the ball and run. When you add the willingness of our industries to give the technologies and expertise to other countries for the simple reason of shedding the taxes and labor costs in this country.

Greed!
Shame on them!

Put the blame square on the short sighted politicians funded by the industrialists.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by RickeyM

American manufacturers could have built better cars, they choose not to for bottom line reasons. That's why the imports were cleaning their clocks. The imports didn't have any edge on any secret technology they just gave the public a better product.

It's hard to put a finger on the exact reasons that Japanese cars are so much more reliable than their American counterparts, but they most certainly are (though the gap may be lessening). For example, we pride ourselves on our light trucks, but there simply isn't a more reliable pickup truck than the Toyota Hilux. It may well be the most reliable, bulletproof vehicle ever manufactured. You simply can't kill 'em.

[Rajoo]

Originally Posted by finnbow

It's hard to put a finger on the exact reasons that Japanese cars are so much more reliable than their American counterparts, but they most certainly are (though the gap may be lessening). For example, we pride ourselves on our light trucks, but there simply isn't a more reliable pickup truck than the Toyota Hilux. It may well be the most reliable, bulletproof vehicle ever manufactured. You simply can't kill 'em.

Meticulous quality control on every part that goes into their cars. I started working on my Honda Accord beginning with my first new one in 1980, a Honda Accord. Intimidating initially, but I also bought the Honda shop manual for that car from the dealer. 400k miles, kept it for 12 years and then junked it when the cam shaft seized, easy fix but I just couldn't be bothered because I had just started my business here in CA. Broke my heart when the car was towed away from my company's parking lot.

One of the few cars one can do an engine rebuild without taking the motor out. With the cross member out, the crank shaft is accessible from the bottom of the car.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by Oerets

This country has for reason to be argued in the future let other countries take the lead.

Renewable energy will be the industry this century. We could be the leading country in manufacturing, development and implantation if not for politics.

By our hesitation, thus allowing countries to take the ball and run. When you add the willingness of our industries to give the technologies and expertise to other countries for the simple reason of shedding the taxes and labor costs in this country.

Greed!
Shame on them!

Put the blame square on the short sighted politicians funded by the industrialists.

The US political elite and corporatists underestimated the Chinese.

The US was accustomed to dealing with people from the developing world who were just looking for a job. Not the Chinese...they were consumed with owning their own business and they were prepared to put in the required work. That entails copying, re-engineering, spying, and studying.

The US facilitated every facet. The worst: It sold its best university space to a fierce rival.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

The US political elite and corporatists underestimated the Chinese.

The US was accustomed to dealing with people from the developing world who were just looking for a job. Not the Chinese...they were consumed with owning their own business and they were prepared to put in the required work. That entails copying, re-engineering, spying, and studying.

The US facilitated every facet. The worst: It sold its best university space to a fierce rival.

The theory was, starting with Nixon, that a developing economy would foster democracy. That was largely true elsewhere. Not there, however. Contrast how China adapted adapted its political economy into being a leading industrial power without discarding its authoritarian model compared to how Russia still can't figure out what to do with its moribund industrial economy. Its only meaningful industrial exports are weapons (and they have performed relatively poorly compared to analogous Western systems in Ukraine).

[Dondilion]

How did the Russians get in this mix?
Russia was never a serious commercial challenger.

The US fell asleep while the Chinese were replacing it commercially in Latin America. Worst it woke up late to the fact that the Chinese had also taken the spot light in Africa.

[Mark B]

Originally Posted by finnbow

It is not true in virtually every American urban center and most of their suburbs, but true in virtually all rural areas (even in a deep blue state like Maryland).

That isn't true for the very rural Minnesota Iron Range. A majority of Iron Rangers voted for Joe Biden.

https://www.politico.com/2020-electi...lts/minnesota/

[Human]

Originally Posted by Mark B

That isn't true for the very rural Minnesota Iron Range. A majority of Iron Rangers voted for Joe Biden.

https://www.politico.com/2020-electi...lts/minnesota/

Sure, there are lots of exceptions. There always are. But population density is a pretty good predicator on voter preferences:

https://engaging-data.com/election-population-density/

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Lots of truth there. Back in the days of young kids, we bought a 1995 Ford Windstar, a highly-rated minivan at the time. What an absolute piece of shit. The engine blew at 60k due a faulty head design. They replaced it with a "factory rebuild" under a goodwill warranty due to widespread problems. That engine lasted from suburban Maryland down to the North Carolina line on Spring break (~200 miles). We had that engine replaced again with a "factory rebuild" under the same warranty program in Roanoke Rapids, NC and continued on our vacation in a rental minivan. We picked it up on the way back north and the engine blew again by the time we hit the DC beltway. No shit. That car had 3 engines (original and 2 factory replacements in it within 400 miles of driving).

We traded it in for a song and bought a Toyota Sienna which ended up being absolutely bulletproof - only consumables (fluids, filters, tires and brakes) over 225k miles at which time we traded it for a Mazda CX-5 (I already had a Mazda 6). Since then it has been all Toyota and Mazda for us and our kids and none of us have had any car repair bills whatsoever (other than consumables).

I don't know how old you are finn...I'll be 78 this coming January 1st. I remember my dad's '52 Chevy Bel Air, '56 Chevy Bel Air Convertible, '61 Ford Galaxie Convertible, etc. Back in those days, if you had more than 50,000 miles on your car, it was time for a new car.

We just bought a 2022 Mazda CX-5 Turbo certified used, love it. Our last two were a '99 Lexus RX300 and a 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Both absolutely bulletproof and both retired with 200,000+ miles.

[RickeyM]

In a (domestic) industry where it's sell-sell-sell, more-more-more, bigger and bigger profits, you don't get there without repeat sales. Where would domestic automakers be if the large majority of their customers kept their cars on average ten years or more? Planned obsolescence became a thing.