[dogbone]

Cash for clunkers, an incentive to generate some revenue to the auto industries. The original program was for American cars, but the orientals cried foul....
Now that Japan  has offered this to the Japanese public, they have excluded all American cars.... WW III ?

 

[UncleErnie]

There's a difference between stupid and ignorant.
This post is stupid.

Just my opinion, of course.

[Chasfield]

The UK car scrappage scheme was all round pretty dodgy, as far as I can see.

There aren't really any British producers left but we sunk millions  into it, most of which has gone abroad to bring good cheer to far eastern producers.

Also, the finance available on scrappage scheme cars was always at punitive rates, and list prices rocketed just as it kicked in. I don't think it was really worth bothering with.

Of course, talk to anybody in the pub who paid out and they will tell you at length how they pulled off the deal of the century and that they have got it made, etc., etc.

[Geirskogul]

Japanese.


But yes cash for clunkers was a bust

[The Garbone]

I don't fault them for looking out for their best interests,, its a scam anyway but at least they are implementing it with a bit more common sense..  A rare ting with these government programs...

[GeorgeE]

Well my recollection is that one of the vehicles most traded for was the F100 pickup. If our esteemed representatives( and I use the term veeeeery loosely) really wanted to make it sensible they would have required some rational minimum mileage on the new vehicle.
And there are a number of Japanes manufacturing facilites here which as far as I know employ US citizens. Not sure if the are many US manufacturers with plants in Japan.   

[1Blackwolf1]

  That's kind of what I was thinking.  And I suppose if you do find a new American auto (with plenty of foreign componentry) there the price has to be astronomical.  That is one lesson I learned while working in a Japanese manufacturing facility in Kentucky, they buy into their own success.  Almost a pyramid type operation..they all own stock in each other in some shape or form.  

  Love it or hate right now if it wasn't for Japan, Germany, and few other countries THIS country would be in a lot worse shape.  Heck I can't hate someone that is better, faster, or stronger than me if I refuse to really get in the game.

  Will.

[ERC]

All the frames on the rusted out Tacoma's and Tundra's were made here. We need to get back on track and make something here that lasts for awhile. I must admit I like the check they sent me it's what I paid for it.   ERC

[REpozer]

Lets say you want to do your citizen duty and purchase a good clean GM car and not one of those nasty foreign jobs.

 Many parts are made in Mexico, then shipped to Canada for assembly. Yep its true.

http://www.offshoregroup.com/l-insaltillo.asp

[stipa]

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice,,,,,,,,wh,,,we don't git fooled again.

What a silly thread! 

[Bug_Catcher]

Calling them Japs is rather politically incorrect and offensive  and I hope you wrote it just because you were too lazy to spell out Japanese.

The US is a big pusher in global trade and economy and I say if a foreign country is producing products that Americans want to buy (for whatever reason that may be) using the exact same globalized techniques we Americans use then I say good for them.  Natural resource wise and military wise the Japanese have been completely castrated.  How they found ways around that to still come out as one of the world's biggest economic power houses is impressive IMO.

I spent over a year living in Japan and fell in love with it's people and was awed by the work ethnic and pride in whatever company they worked for, whether they were plunging toilets or building Hondas.  What they are strong in (improvements on existing products and finding more affordable ways to build them), we are weak in.  And what we are strong in (our ingenuity and individuality... we are constantly inventing), they are weak in.  It steams from cultural thinking that I won't even go into.  We invent the TV they improve it, we invent the car, they improve it.

I love my own country and think we have a lot of good here, however, I got nothing but respect and love for Japan as well.

So boo to this thread. 

[1Blackwolf1]

Calling them Japs is rather politically incorrect and offensive  and I hope you wrote it just because you were too lazy to spell out Japanese.

The US is a big pusher in global trade and economy and I say if a foreign country is producing products that Americans want to buy (for whatever reason that may be) using the exact same globalized techniques we Americans use then I say good for them.  Natural resource wise and military wise the Japanese have been completely castrated.  How they found ways around that to still come out as one of the world's biggest economic power houses is impressive IMO.

I spent over a year living in Japan and fell in love with it's people and was awed by the work ethnic and pride in whatever company they worked for, whether they were plunging toilets or building Hondas.  What they are strong in (improvements on existing products and finding more affordable ways to build them), we are weak in.  And what we are strong in (our ingenuity and individuality... we are constantly inventing), they are weak in.  It steams from cultural thinking that I won't even go into.  We invent the TV they improve it, we invent the car, they improve it.

I love my own country and think we have a lot of good here, however, I got nothing but respect and love for Japan as well.

So boo to this thread. 

  This kids' got class..and a rather good eye for details.  Will.

[UncleErnie]

VERY well said.

It seems kind of dumb to try to alienate one of the few foreign countries that actually likes the Unitied States. 

[dogbone]

Do they,,?  what are you thinking. Did you forget the torture in WW II, or the shit they rubbed in our faces copying all the products we designed, then under cut prices,sacrificing quality.
I'm not the intellectual of most of the contributors of these column's, BUT I am an American, and probably a redneck, but primarily don't think that Americans should not support our country. 100 %.
Fair trade is exactly that, Fair 
I know I have lost all respect by expressing MY opinion., that is freedom of speech.

[UncleErnie]

Well, how long is a good time to feed anger?  Is it at all productive or helpful to carry a grudge?  If you're redneck, then you probably go to church.  What would Jesus say?  I have a feeling that black folks, Chinese and Native Inidan Americans would have something to say on this subject.  Most rednecks think black folks should be "over it" by now.  So- it's OK to carry resentment for 60 years, but not 150 years?   Can I assume you feel the same way about Germans and Italians? 
Do you shop at Wal-Mart?

Sorry.  Pleanty of rednecks around here that are pretty well thought out.  I think you just decided to be mad about something to take your mind off what you're really mad at. 

Good luck with that.

[dogbone]

Blind as a bat. This is not racial prejudice, it is political, nuff said, I apologize to anyone I offended, and will sell my Enfield and buy an old Sportster. That way I can mingle with AMERICANS.

[UncleErnie]

Well, internal AMERICAN politics is hurting this country more than the Japanese are.
Just my opinion, of course.  Maybe I'm not smart enough to get it...

I guess you'll be getting an old Sporty to avoid the Japanese parts on new Harleys?       

[dogbone]

XLCH

[REpozer]

Well, how long is a good time to feed anger?  Is it at all productive or helpful to carry a grudge?  If you're redneck, then you probably go to church.  What would Jesus say?  I have a feeling that black folks, Chinese and Native Inidan Americans would have something to say on this subject.  Most rednecks think black folks should be "over it" by now.  So- it's OK to carry resentment for 60 years, but not 150 years?   Can I assume you feel the same way about Germans and Italians? 
Do you shop at Wal-Mart?

Sorry.  Pleanty of rednecks around here that are pretty well thought out.  I think you just decided to be mad about something to take your mind off what you're really mad at. 

Good luck with that.

Uncle Ernie, you re my faverite Euro Redneck.   Dog Bone was merely expressing  his frustration with the current state of affairs, particularly in U.S. trading policies.
Now must of us agree that the system is not working for the benefit of U.S. sovereignty, which even forther exasperates its self in a weak economy.
Remember , keep your stick on the ice, must folks here are one of the good guys.

[1Blackwolf1]

  Probably don't get from much farther back in the woods than me or raised more redneck.  (No running water/indoor plumbing when I was a kid).  But you've got to admit internationally we've screwed us as much as any one country ever has.

  H-D refused to build Harley police specials years ago to Japanese specs because they didn't need to sell to Japan and have to make a speedometer special just for them.  Japan only wanted about 2500 of them back in the 70's.  Just think IF they would have built them that way in '75 we might still be able to have a contract there.  Seemed the Japanese thought thats' what a real police bike looked like.

  It's all economics..make a good product and customers will come.  Sometimes by the droves.  Do I like the unavailability of any item truly American made?  You bet, but we as the consumer have made that decision years ago by wanting everything cheaper and to last longer.  We bypassed mom and pop stores and went to the local supermegacolossal save you center.  We did this as a whole, no one person did it alone.  Look around your home, how much of the stuff/crap do you possess is truly American made?  All of it, some of it, none of it?

  Frustration?  Yes but to speak of starting a war over it?  No been in a couple of those..not for that reason.  As an American of Irish/German/Black/Indian descent I'll defend your right to free speech..not an issue or option.  However I may not agree with you, that's also my responsibility/right as such bieng an AMERICAN.  Will.

[Blltrdr]

I thought Sportster's were made in Japan or at least the parts are then assembled here. If you by one dogbone do your research because you might end up with one of those  American/Japanese collaborative Sportster's that are actually dependable.

 This topic has reminded me to pull out and play one of my favorite Deep Purple albums on my Technics turntable that was of course, Made in Japan.  

[Bug_Catcher]

Do they,,?  what are you thinking. Did you forget the torture in WW II, or the shit they rubbed in our faces copying all the products we designed, then under cut prices,sacrificing quality.
I'm not the intellectual of most of the contributors of these column's, BUT I am an American, and probably a redneck, but primarily don't think that Americans should not support our country. 100 %.
Fair trade is exactly that, Fair 
I know I have lost all respect by expressing MY opinion., that is freedom of speech.

Nearly ever country in the world, including the US is guilty of a pretty wicked history.  what that has to do with our motor industry I'm not sure.  We are all just human.  Japan attacked us and we retaliate by nuking them and then tearing down their entire social and economic system and forcing them to rebuild using our capitalist ways.  This has been good and bad for them.  We are no better nor worse.  What you consider 'moral' is only because you grew up in the states.  What is 'moral' over there is a whole new ballgame. 

Fair trade is not black and white at all, and the Japanese are so successful because instead of rejecting the US way of handling global economic strategy, they mimic us.  You can't damn the Japanese for doing what we taught them, and then turn around and say it's ok for the US to sell overseas (because if we couldn't we would never have become as rich as we are now.)

and what do you mean low quality?  I've gone through half a dozen cars and my little Nissan sedan has never once been taken to a mechanic in 13 years.    I'd like to say the same about the Ford mustang I drove before that.  Japanese have made some lemons, so has the US.  Whoopie doo

P.S  From what I saw the Japanese are quite fond of us.  Many are big fans of American cars, especially older models.  But we don't make many vehicles here that are good for Japanese cities.  Importing a vehicle to Japan is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive.  No matter what country it came from.  Importing your Japanese vehicle from the US costs the same.  Only the most well off guys I knew could afford to have their Cadillacs.  Having an American vehicle is much more of a hobby for them (it was considered very cool!).  I think I was looking at nearly 3.5k to import an Enfield (not including shipping) awhile back.    I'd say that is where the problem is!  the damn import laws and regulations, not the people.

But I agree with Blackwolf.  We screwed ourselves and put ourselves in this hole.  We are going to have to dig ourselves out. 

[stipa]

I have an Enfield and a '74 XLH.  Just bought a starter motor for the Harley.  Guess where that was made?  Buying some new tires next week;  bet those are coming from Japan, but maybe China.  My riding duds are made in Pakistan, but the raw material probably came from a steer in Oklahoma.  We use fishing nets in Alaska that are made in Japan, (nylon), from Mid East oil, and float the nets with corks made in Taiwan, leadline made in Nova Scotia, then export the fish to Japan and China on foreign built (and flagged) ships.  Or, U.S. flagged ships that are foreign built. 

The big wars are over;  globalism is a fact of life. 

This is still a silly thread, though.

[Anon]

This topic has reminded me to pull out and play one of my favorite Deep Purple albums on my Technics turntable that was of course, Made in Japan.  

Excellent choice!  Machine Head was my first LP as a kid... just listened to it a few weeks ago.

Eamon

[single]

A friend of mine will not buy anything manufactured in a country that has been at war with the U.S. at any time in the last 200 years.Even the Brits won't "qualify" for a couple of years.I think this is a pretty good idea,but I am too weak to stay with it.I am also a kind of anglophile.Of course my name is French,but they are ok,under these guidelines.I tend to despise and detest our enemies of the past,but only while we were actually beligerant.I do favor any hostile act ever made against our enemies,while at war with them,as part of an overall strategy to defeat them.Judging from history,it is a mistake to attack the U.S. That is all I see in it.

[rideOn]

My mother came from French and Cherokee ancestory. My father came from Welsh and Scottish ancestory. I married Italian/German blood. My uncle did business in Africa and Egypt with a Saudi prince and I want to visit St Petersburg and Beijing. I have one motorcycle from Japan and one from India. The world is just too damn big and the time is too damn short...and i'm just a spec in it all.

[exiledcarper]

Sadly, this is just the kind of thread that cries out for the reasoned tone of the late Larry Read, rest his soul.  He had a way of bringing us together, even when we disagreed.

[1Blackwolf1]

  Much agreed.