Runaway Prius Clocked At Over 90Mph.

[Bman]

No, but I don't know of any American reels that are on a par with Shimano, and I don't have any neighbors that I'll put out of work when I buy Shimano.

Have you heard of Ardent reels?

http://www.ardentoutdoors.com/default.asp?File=company

[eric1978]

Have you heard of Ardent reels?

http://www.ardentout...sp?File=company

Didn't know about them, but I will certainly check them out.

[Gatorjet]

Not to completely hijack the thread, but along the vein of made in America vs elsewhere...

I'm due for a new vehicle in the near future, and have been researching my options. Which is better for the American economy: buying a Honda built in the US, or buying a Ford built in Mexico?

Are they all made in Mexico?

I have a Dodge Ram 1500 Quadcab ( built in Fenton Mo.) now, but it's a lease which is up in a year.

I won't buy a Fiat

I won't buy a Government Motors.

What's left but Ford?

With the 9 Fords I have owned I found quality was acceptable to very good in most cases, BUT, if you do have a problem customer service has been poor at best.

I'll either buy out my lease if the price is reasonable, or try Ford again. Just buy off the lot and make sure where it was made.

[jdmidwest]

Does anyone remember how the foreign cars gained a foothold in the US in the first place. It happened in the Carter Admin when we had fuel shortages and gas skyrocketed to over a dollar a gallon. American cars were getting 12-15 mpg, foreign jobs 30. And the American Car Manufacturers helped them out. Ford imported Mazda 4 cylinder engines, Chrysler had Mitsubishi, and Chevrolet had Izuzu to gain them gas mileage so they could sell US cars. American car manufacturers took the lighter engines and started making cars that competed with the rivals. Eventually, most foreign makes began to be made in the USA and American cars began to be made out of outsourced parts and assembly to plants in Mexico and Canada. So who's American made anymore? I have owned a Chevy truck assenbled in Canada with parts from Mexico.

I really try to buy American Made Products if there are any offered when I need to purchase. Trouble is, they are few and far between.

[jdmidwest]

TADA! A story from the Un-Associated Press on the matter. 8 complaints in 08, 84 in 09, 272 in first 10 weeks of 2010, for speed control problems after the news made it a big public deal. The MEDIA plays a big role in how the public reacts!

Spike in Prius Complaints may not be that big of a deal!

[jdmidwest]

1. It was a loan (with extreme limitations and a good return to the taxpayer) that GM and Chrysler have paid back already, not a BAILOUT.

2. Statistically speaking it has been almost 10 years since Toyota's quality has been on par with the general publics perception of their quality.

You might consider checking the facts on these things, you make yourself look pretty silly..

Silly me, I almost missed this one but someone did point out that it was a bailout, followed by another bailout, then bankruptcy and government takeover with the help of the unions. We own a part of the Chevrolet and Chrysler companies now. The old companies and their stocks are gone. They wrote off most of the debt from the bailout in the bankruptcy that will never be repaid to the US taxpayers. If they repay the government part in the allotted time frame, they will become private companies again.

No offense, but the quality part is my opinion based on a year of ownership of their product compared to other products I have owned. My cost of ownership on the 4 runner is considerably less than what it was on my Chevy Blazers.

[ness]

A few weeks ago I wheeled my Toyota into a convenience store and stopped. I leaned over to the right to reach something that had slid off the passenger seat and I heard my engine rev and the car lurched forward a couple inches, but fortunately I had the brake on. It stopped revving when .... I took my foot off the gas. My foot had slid to the right and caught the edge of the gas pedal when I was reaching over.

Now, if I had run it forward into the corner of the building, and had been of a mind, I'd have been a prime candidate for a little face time on TV, and maybe even some compensation -- especially if my bionic neck had been jerked in the collision. The thought actually crossed my mind. No, not that I considered doing that -- but that there are a lot of folks that would have looked at that as an opportunity.

[fozzie.]

Are they all made in Mexico?

I honestly don't know which Ford models are made in the US and which are made elsewhere. It's a moot point (not all "foreign" cars are made overseas, and not all "domestic" cars are made here in the US), and your question doesn't answer my question.

If the idea is that I should be invested in my community, that I should want to see my neighbors employed, how can I justify buying a Ford brand car built in Mexico over a Honda brand car built in Indiana?

If the idea is buying a car made in the USA stimulates jobs and the economy..why should I buy a Ford product built overseas instead of a Honda product built here?

If the idea is I shouldn't be paying Japanese businessmen instead of American businessmen...why should I be paying Mexican assembly plant workers over American assembly plant workers?

IMO Ford isn't any sacred cow- they use the same business model as many other American (and international) corporations- outsource jobs to the cheapest labor pools, thereby maximizing profit.

[KCRIVERRAT]

The Claycomo plant here in KC makes the F-150, Escape, and Escape Hybrid.

[Al Agnew]

I've now owned three Toyota products, after buying exclusively "American"--Ford and GM--autos since 1970 or so. I've been lucky enough never to have had a problem with ANY of them, other than normal wear and tear. I was perfectly happy with every Ford and Chevy and GMC car, van, and truck I ever owned. The reason I first bought a Toyota Highlander Hybrid was because at the time it had more cargo room that the Ford Escape Hybrid, gas mileage was comparable, and there were statistically more mechanical problems with the Fords. The reason I bought the Prius was simply because of the gas mileage--no, not necessarily because I wanted to save money, just philosophically wanted to use as little gas as possible. The reason I just bought an new non-hybrid Highlander to replace the hybrid was because I'd had a good experience with the old one and knew that right now was a good time to beat up the Toyota dealership on the price! But I have to admit I wasn't as excited about buying it as I had been the old one, because in the meantime Toyota had gone a bit more toward the "American" route of making the vehicle bigger and heavier...meaning that now the hybrid's highway mileage is only about 1-2 mpg better than the non-hybrid.

So, buying American didn't enter into any of those decisions. If it had, I still wouldn't have had a problem with buying the Toyota because of the fact that, like the "American" car companies, Toyota is a multinational corporation which also furnishes lots of very good jobs to American workers. As others have pointed out, maybe they aren't quite as good jobs as the American auto companies have traditionally furnished their employees, but those "legacy costs" are part of where the American companies have gotten into trouble.

Give me a product that fits my needs, and I'll buy it happily from an American company...and be willing to pay a little more for it. But I will not settle for a product that is less than what I want or need.