Truer words were never spoken. The American car manufacturers have nobody but themselves to blame.

And I think I speak for many here in San Antonio when I say, "Please buy a Toyota Tundra!"

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

See, that's what I mean. A GM worker will think "toyota = foreign enemy". But that toyota tundra is built in the USA, baby. By YOUR neighbors. It's putting food on their tables, helping their kids have a good life, how can you NOT support those American families like that? And, at the same time, push someone to buy a "domestic" car that does no good to any American family except some execs that are already making 300,000+ a year, but no working families?

I say it's the automakers that have become unpatriotic by outsourcing and looking for cheaper labor WHILE keeping the "American" badge on the car. They have the best of both worlds. They get to get cheap labor, and make you feel guilty by buying anything other than their "American" car. It's BS.

The myth that imports are better than domestics is wrong and just overplayed, Our family is large with many cars - Both imported and domestic.

Our imports have much more issues than our domestic vehicles, Just yesterday the handle came off our 07 camry on the drivers door which is minor compared to all the other problems.

P.S. I like the way the Aztek looks.

Honda= Anna, Ohio (the Anna Engine Plant)
Marysville, Ohio (Honda Auto Plant)
Marysville, Ohio (Honda Motorcycle Plant)
East Lberty, Ohio ( East Liberty Auto Plant)
Russel Point, Ohio (Honda Transmision Plant)

Honda puts over 20 Billion into the Ohio Economy alone through use of the States suppliers in 2005 they had impact on over 130,000 jobs in Ohio alone.
They also have a R&D center in Ohio for the Americas and they must be doing something right. I have not heard anything about the tax payers bailing them out like GM.
That said I will tell you I love American branded Trucks be it Dodge, Ford, Gm because they do build trucks that are tough and do what they are supposed to do. Now Cars you have to go with Honda, Toyota, even Hyndai are getting better ratings then the American brands. The foreign name brand Cars built in the U.S. are just better designed Cars then the U.S. brand Cars built in the U.S. The foreign brands are Managed better and they are not going down the drain trying to abide by poor employee contracts that are just sucking there resources away and Managment taking there cut off the top first.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Yes they do put money into the local economy,
But they are foreign owned and they siphon off the profits back to the parent companies homeland.
They also don't have the huge retirement fund requirements (yet) that the older local companies have. If they don't provide them, somewhere in the future you will end up with huge groups of old retired people to support.
That they are better managed is a myth, they are heading down the same road to disaster, Toyota just posted their first bad year.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/22/toyota-cuts-profit-forecast-again-declines-to-discuss-next-year/

BTW: Both front doors in the same month on my wife's Hundai came off their hinges.
Opened the door and bump it was on the ground. Then the bicycle cable they used for the throttle linkage went bad, the gas pedal fell to the floor and the engine tried to jump out of the car. Can't blame it. foreign crap.

I've never had a problem with my current Jeep or old GMC truck, it was 16 years old when we sold it off to a farm a few years ago, it's still working there.

It is not just cars,
try going through any stores and check the made in labels on just about anything there.
Try to find ones that actually say "Made in your own homeland". Not easy to do, next to impossible if you are standing in something like a Walmart.

But that is the new reality.
Everyone wants cheap prices and businesses want max profits so everything goes to the lowest cost solution.
Last paid worker standing please turn out the lights.

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Keep on Truckin, Going full speed ahead down the highway to hades.

True American Company my arse!

Fender has gone to offshore production just like any other Corporate giant where profit has become the all consuming goal. I'll bet more shares of FMIC are owned by foreign investors than by US investors.

Great guitars yes (and pretty darned nice amps too). But once Leo sold Fender to CBS the paradigm changed forever.


On a gentler note it could be "Fender and Toyota" because both are "rugged and reliable".

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Wonder if either of these companies own a piece of each other also.

I'm interested, where did you hear this?
The Squires are Asian made, but Strats are supposedly either Mexican made or USA made.
Mine has "Made in USA" stamped on it.
Doing that and actually making it somewhere else is not exactly legal I believe.

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Keep on Truckin, Going full speed ahead down the highway to hades.

No all Fender production has moved out of the US, the American made instruments are made in Corona CA and say "made in USA" on the headstock.

I consider Made in Mexico instruments "Offshore" since they are made outside of the USA.

All Fender amp cabinets are made in the Mexico plant.

Fender also has Made in Korea, Made in China, and Crafted in Indonesia instruments.

If the trend continues, pretty soon we might see the only USA Fenders being outrageously priced Custom Shop offerings.

There's very little of the "Great American" company in it's product line.

I'm not saying Fender is bad, It's just not "The Great American Company" as stated in the inital post. It's just another bunch of business men trying to make a pile of money as fast as they can, any way they can.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Despite your door handle woes, it's not a myth. Honda and Toyota make better cars than GM, Ford or Chrysler. Check the used values if you don't believe me. The quickest way to get upside down in a car loan is to Buy American.

As to the Aztek... so you're the one.

An american using correct english. wonders will never cease.

It must be the worcestershire genetics.

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No no and no

Tundra was made 100% in the US to include the parts! Care to name another car that is? Check Ford for instance. GM anyone? LOL

It is called Capitalism. Capitalism doesn't mean the same thing as patriotism.

We live in an age of global economy. There's no going back. We're on the path towards one planet, one giant economic engine. Country borders are not really that significant any more.

My company exports product INTO China (and other parts of the world), so .. this is not a one way street.

Ok, I'll throw my hat in the ring...What is the most popular selling brand of car in the US...Toyota...there you go...that said..I am a j
Jeep guy...I grew up and will retire in an area of NY(Adirondack mountains) where you have to have 4 wheel drive....Plus it is incredible rural...7 people per square mile...so you need a tough reliable 4 wheel drive. To get a Toyota to meet the needs I have I would have to pay well over $35K...I can get that all in a Jeep for less than $25K...so aside from the Patriotism...it is simple economics to me..but it is a US product so I am happy..