I guess I used a poor choice of words. I have not found a US manufactured car that meets my requirements. There are several US cars that I like such as a Corvete, Viper, 300 series, Sky/Solarius (I may have that last name wrong) but they do not meet all my needs. I want a rear wheel drive car, nicely equipped, limited electronics, fuel efficient, safe, more than likely used, decent resale value. My wife just bought a E300 Diesel. It had 61k on the ODO. Bought it for $12k from a dealer. Care is clean as a whistle and makes well over 30mpg on day to day driving. From what I saw, there was nothing on the market that could come to it. Most people do not take care of cars in general. MB/BWM/Audi … tend to be better taken care of do to their cost. Since her car is 12 years old, the only electronics on it are ABS brakes. The AC is push button instead of the older dials but I guess it's the cost of progress. It’s a full size sedan that will hold 5 people. It is pretty easy to do most maintenance on it my self, no need to worry about tunes ups, the engine should last 300k or more. Yes maintenance is a bit more costly but it is a car we will be able to keep for another 10, 15 or more years. My MB is 20 years old and still going strong.
I simply do not see that kind of longevity in US cars, at least not yet.
You drew the comparison between a Saturn and VW. I am a car lover. My car is an extension of who I am to a degree. It is not merely transportation from A to B. I would chose the VW over the Saturn in a heart beat due to the fact that the VW will out perform the Saturn and the VW just looks and feels better IMO. If I was looking for basic transportation from A to B, and was looking for a throw away car after a few years, I'd go with the Saturn. It's going to have lower resale, and while it may cost more to maintain the VW, my hunch is the Saturn will not be worth fixing due to depreciation.
My dad had a 1989 BMW 750IL. The car was a beast. We bought it at an auction. 12 cylinders of raw power. Kept it for 10 years with out any problems. Great mileage on the hwy to, about 23 or 24 at cruising speed. There was not a US car made that could touch it in terms of fit/finish or capability. Cadillac and Lincoln are the only luxury US manufactures and they did not have sh1t in 89 that could even come close.
I am partial to German cars. They have been building cars that are meant to be driven for decades and they are very very good at it. That's why they are the bench mark that everyone else strives for. My wifes 300 will do 120 130 all day long if asked to and it won't over heat, won't float all over the road at speed. It will do what it is designed to do. The US is starting to design cars to be driven. Corvett can finally be in the same sentence as a Porch 911 with people laughing.
The bottom line seems to be that while US cars are getting better, they have a way to go to break away from their history. They still don’t make cars that compete on the styling and mileage level of Japan and Europe. It's like we are a step behind and a dollar short. The big 3 are still hanging their fortunes on trucks and SUV's while everyone else see the writing on the wall about fuel prices. Does any US manufacture even have a clean diesel on the block for 2008? MB and VW do. I thought I heard the Honda will as well. Chrysler has a diesel 300 in Europe? Why not here. The engine is MB engine which is being sold here in the US in MB's, why not the 300?
