Yes, you CAN get a good U.S.-brand car! Lovin' the new Vibe!

[LuckyTheDog]

My wife just got a new Pontiac Vibe, which is made in California by UAW workers.

--It's rated at 26 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway (combined 28 MPG).
--It has five-star frontal crash ratings and a five-star side-crash rating for the front seat.
--For rear-seat side crashed and rollovers, it's rated at 4 stars.
--It came pretty well loaded for under $20,000.
--ABS was standard, as were front, side and head curtain airbags.

I'm lovin' it!

[Jackpine Radical]

1. So my Subaru was made in Indiana. Does that count?

Isn't the Vibe a rebranded Toyota something-or-other?

[LuckyTheDog]

7. That kind of counts

But your Subaru was not made by unionized workers.

And yes, the Vibe is made by a GM/Toyota joint venture. It also is sold as the Toyota Matrix.

[AndyTiedye]

25. Why Can't the UAW Unionize an Auto Plant in Indiana?

They don't have "right to work" laws there.
Why isn't that plant unionized?

[LuckyTheDog]

27. Here is one reason

The "transplants" keep wages comparable to union rates in order to keep the unions out. It gives workers less incentive to organize. But if the UAW ever went away, wages would fall industry-wide.

That's not to say the UAW is good at organizing. It isn't.

[itsrobert]

2. Uh oh, get ready for the American car bashers

who will remember their 1988 Chevrolet Corsica and tell you that American cars suck.

[ogneopasno]

5. Or the ones that sniff at caring about where a car is made, or who it's made by.

[LuckyTheDog]

16. And those who think...

...UAW members are over-paid because they know someone with a master's degree in art who can't get a job that pays more than an assembly line worker gets.

[Jackpine Radical]

34. '76 Pinto, in my case.

I used to have a bumper sticker for it: "Danger, Unexploded Pinto"

[AndyTiedye]

39. The Pinto Fiasco Put a Whole Generation Off of Fords

GM drove away countless potential customers when it sent all the EV1s to the crusher.

The Detroit automakers are often their own worst enemies.

[ogneopasno]

3. Awesome!

We're loving our Fords -- I've got a 2008 Taurus, and Mr. Ogneopasno bought a 2008 Focus for a commuter car. I get about 27 mpg and he can get 35. They are solid cars, fun to drive, and I lurve them. Woot!

[LuckyTheDog]

13. The new Fords are really good

I was encouraging my wife to look at a Focus. But her 2005 Vibe was totaled in an accident and she really wanted another one. The 2009 version is a big improvement over the already-good model she was driving.

[notadmblnd]

4. My sister had one when they first came out.

I like the design but there was a noise problem. Has that been resolved?

[LuckyTheDog]

6. The new one is great (nt)

[DoctorMyEyes]

8. I have a 2005

and still love it! It's economical and more practical than you can probably even imagine at this point. When I lay down the back seat and the front passenger seat I can haul 8' lengths of lumber in it - with the hatchback closed! LOL

[here_is_to_hope]

9. Congrats, let me know when it has

300,000 miles on the odometer like my 1986 Volvo, with nary a major repair yet.
Thats the sign of a good car, not one that just drove off the lot but a car that is still going 20 years later.
I keep all of my money in American made stuff, just not the cars yet.
Oh, the Volvo gets 31 mpg on the highway, still.

[Diclotican]

15. here_is_to_hope

here_is_to_hope

If you have a Volvo, from 1986 then you have more or less a car who would exist for a lifetime... It is a amazing piece of machinery... Volvo was doing some right then. Pitty they haven't follow up on that with the new cars after Ford get Volvo..

Diclotican

[michreject]

21. Let me know when you can get a new Volvo

for under 20,000.

[here_is_to_hope]

31. Don't hold your breath...

I have never purchased a new car, something about depreciation...
And since we drive only Volvo's, we will not likely own anything newer than 1993-the last year of the good Volvo's.
As to American made cars, I have not seen one go 300k yet. Look at for sale ads on American cars from the 1990's..."New transmission" at 100K, heck my Aunts GMC got a new transmission (2300.00!) at 77k.
Thats not longevity, thats disposable.

[pleah]

10. MPG is to low for me.

:)

[michreject]

24. I only get 10

:banghead:

[pleah]

29. We get 23mpg with ours. Can't afford to buy another car.

This one is better than the last one we had. We have had this one since 02.

[michreject]

30. Mine's a 07

Chevy Silverado LT HD 3/4 ton 4X4.

[pleah]

32. Buick rendezvous.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. My Japanese car gets 30mpg in town and 37 on the highway

I want even better mileage than that when I buy another car. Hopefully the US automakers will rise to the challenge :)

[LuckyTheDog]

14. Is yours a hybrid or a mini car like the Fit?

We don't buy cars based on mileage alone. But the Vibe gets a lot of MPGs for a car in its class.

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. Unfortunately I drive so much I need to make mileage a priority

No I don't have a hybrid.

[AndyTiedye]

33. Ford Builds the Escape Hybrid in Kansas City

We have had one since shortly after they came out in 2004. We are quite happy with it. Union-made and all that too.
Ford did a fine job on the Escape Hybrid. It demonstrates what they can do if they really put an effort into building a cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle.
Upwards of 30 mpg despite having the aerodynamics of a brick.

So why has it taken them 6 years to get that hybrid powerplant into a CAR?
Our other car is a Prius, but we might have bought a Fusion Hybrid if they had been available.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. I am looking at that Fusion Hybrid

If it is a reliable car I might buy one.

[Lost in CT]

12. There are no American Cars where I live....

:(

[Catshrink]

17. It's basically a Toyota Matrix

And not to rain on your parade, it's a cute little car and I'm glad you're loving it!

Here is more info about "twinning." I found this concept interesting and eye opening (but I've never been that into cars so no wonder I'm amazed!).

It's called badge engineering or twinned vehicles. Here is a list of "twinned vehicles" and another of "badge engineered vehicles"

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/46969/article.html#chart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_badge_engineered_vehicles

and more about it:

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/46969/article.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badge_engineering

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/

[LuckyTheDog]

18. And? So?

It's made by a GM/Toyota joint venture. So what?

It is made in the U.S. by union workers. I care about that. The profits help keep afloat GM (which is a major employer in my home town). I care about that, too.

Maybe it's because I live in Detroit, but... I didn't realize "twinning" was a mystery to anyone.

[Catshrink]

20. Sorry... I didn't mean to be critical at all.

And I agree that UAW-made is a good thing. I just thought the whole idea of twinned cars was interesting and that was my point.

[blue_onyx]

22. Or maybe the Matrix is basically a Pontiac Vibe

;)

[LeftyMom]

19. I wouldn't buy a car made at the Fremont plant. There's a long history of QC issues with them

probably because of the high rate of drug use among the employees.

[flvegan]

23. Congrats, and for the record, I think that there are a number of good US brand cars

out there. I don't drive one simply because they didn't make one that suited my needs/wants when I bought the one I did.

Congrats on the good choice. I love my 4 door hatch, too.

[JanMichael]

26. Give us update in 10 or 20 years, so the people that buy

Japanese cars with 200,000 miles on them will know how it stacks up!

Us:

Nissan, 1987-2003. 200,000 miles. Original clutch intact.

Nissan, 1996-present. No problems yet!

Subaru 1998-present. regular maintenance!

Keep up posted!

[kwassa]

36. all cars last longer now.

Nothing unique to Japanese cars.

and when I did my research in 2004, I didn't buy a Subaru because of its inconsistent quality, from a variety of sources on the Web. Some have great Subarus, other people don't.

My 88 Chevy Nova, one of those Fremont GM/Toyota cars, died at about 80,000 miles, the Toyota engine seized.

[RedstDem]

37. Oh it was you

Your why the stock market went up...

[Ilsa]

38. That's awesome! and a good price, too. I've looked them over

while getting an oil change. It's a nice little car, and I'd love to have one for driving around town.

Thanks for the details about it.