All I can say is there is too much marketing, politics, criticisms, etc..., otherwise known as bawlsheet, in the auto industry to really make half-descent judgment on the whole scene. That being said, any coupe/sedan/truck/SUV/crossover/wagon/hatchback/SUT/convertible/hybrid whatever that has Fender on it is alright with me, as long as it sounds good

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

My whole life I have always been a General Motors fan through and through. That's not to say I never owned any Fords or Mopars but I've always felt GM was THE American auto company. Never owned any Pontiacs but had several Chevies a Buick, and an Olds. Last year I went shopping for a new vehicle. The only ones that did not exude an aura of pure crap were Toyota and Honda. Everything else was junk. I could tell by the look, the feel, the sounds. It's like the difference between MIM and MIA Fenders. You KNOW when you're playing a better quality instrument. You can see it, feel it hear it.

I ended up buying a Toyota. And it was made in USA. Anybody buy Shell gasoline? It's a Dutch company but is the fuel sourced and refined in the Netherlands and then shipped over here as a final product?

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

That's not accurate at all. I've had several Tundras through the shop and can say with certainty that there are plenty of imported parts on them. Not all Tundras are built in the states either. If the first character of your VIN# is a letter, it was built in Japan. If it is a number it is North American and could be Canadian.

I've always hated the Toyota ads here that sponsor T4. Blatantly subliminal if you get what I'm sayin:

The ad says :

'Aygo by Toyota'

where the narrator pronounces it:

'I go buy Toyota'.

Hate it, and I hate even more that most people don't realise!

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

I own a Volvo (Does Ford still own all or part of them?), a Chevy Tahoe, a Suzuki Reno and a Honda 919 motorcycle. I've owned a Ford, a Nissan and a Buick, and right now we're shopping for a replacement for the Volvo. The question I'll ask is: did those who own foreign cars cross shop American cars at all?

Some guys I work with gripe about the quality but they've never been even arms length from a domestic vehicle.

The outsourcing of EVERYTHING to China concerns me greatly. Some Chinese products concern me more.

When we get rid of the Volvo, there's a strong liklihood that it'll be an American car that rolls into the driveway afterwards, because I've done my research, and after cross shopping, I think I'd rather have a Camaro or Mustang (maybe a Vette: we'll see how this next deployment goes), than a 370Z or Hyundai Genesis coupe.

Give the domestics a chance. I think that's all Patriotism would require. It's also good Capitalism.

i play fender usa gear, i play alvarez china gear, im gonna buy a tacoma and my wife drives a scion. best of the best of the best ever.

toyota trucks and some cars are made in the usa now.

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Guitars: American Standard Strat, American Vintage 52 Tele, Gretsch Power Jet

Amps: Frontman 212R, Hot Rod DeVille 212 w/ Vintage 30's, AC30 w/ Greenbacks

Pedals: Boss Tuner, XOTiC AC-Booster, MXR Phase 90, Line 6 DL4

oh, and im trying to get a yairi thats made in japan.

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Guitars: American Standard Strat, American Vintage 52 Tele, Gretsch Power Jet

Amps: Frontman 212R, Hot Rod DeVille 212 w/ Vintage 30's, AC30 w/ Greenbacks

Pedals: Boss Tuner, XOTiC AC-Booster, MXR Phase 90, Line 6 DL4

As long as you like it, that's all that matters.

I owned both;

Ford truck for 5 years and seven times in the service shop for major problems.

Toyota for 8 years 130,000 miles and absolutely no problems.

As soon as the domestics make something equal or greater, then I'll buy it.

I always find it interesting how people compare quality and repair issues between different makes of vehicles and proclaim winners and losers. The fact is, if you go to any dealership, for any make, you will find a large service center, with several technicians, working on several vehicles at any given time. If one make is so much better than the rest they wouldn't need that, would they?
Any one of us at anytime could end up with a lemon from any manufacturer. If you look at the numbers in reports from any of the rating and reporting services and owner surveys you would see that when picking the number one vehicle it usually comes down to very small, sometimes 1/10th of a percentage point, differences in scores before declaring a car or truck of the year, or a most reliable car or whatever they may happen to be rating.
The point is, if you're happy with your vehicle of choice, and it serves you well, who cares who made it. Drive the wheels off of it and then buy another one.

I have a Toyota Tacoma, and Buick Riviera.. Both are relatively close in miles (about 125k), built the same year (1996). Although I like the design and speed of the Buick V6 Supercharged engine.. But there are parts on it that are trash. The pulleys for one are awful. I've had this car for a year and I've had one shattered pulley, another broke on me, bearings went on another, and I've broken 3 belts in the span of 4-months. One belt requires that you take a motor mount off to replace the belt. So you can imagine my frustration.

My Toyota 4 Cyl. has been hauling around about 600 lbs in the back for the last 8-years, and was hit by a semi.. Still running smooth. All I've ever had to do is get a set of shocks and some rotors (due to the weight it hauls). I've never been without a Toyota mini, and I never will be. I love them. My last one (a 1980) had 260,000 and still ran when I sold it in 2000. My take on it is that Toyota minis are extremely reliable and worth every penny spent.

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HaleAmano- House Of Sharks (Now On iTunes)
http://www.reverbnation.com/haleamano
http://www.haleamano.com

Nice, I don't go by stats, I prefer experience. You're right about one thing, I have chosen Toyota and I'll stick to it. Then again I didn't need the advice and for that reason Zachary I'm out.