Tractor News Kubota - Made in the USA

[varmint]

Ah, the Chevy Vega... long forgotten by most of us. My little bro. worked for GM, and my mom wanted a small, cheap car for local driving, so they got her a... Vega. What a POS. What matter now is pretty much any country's auto makers can build good cars. Some better than others, for varying reasons. Sometimes it's handling and driving "feel", sometimes simple bullet-proof reliability, or just great mileage. Everybody makes something that satisfies, from Korea to Kentucky. I know a very wealthy guy who owns a Bentley Continental, a couple of Mercedes, a Lexus and Porsche, but his daily driver, for several reasons, is a Toyota Tundra. Corporate ownership, as in "American" or foreign is muddled these days. And, I stick by my statement that working folks are getting ever less of the "pie" while those at the top are getting more and more. Unions worked, in one sense, to leverage fair pay. Sure, they had issues- who doesn't? Nothing is simple is about the only thing I know for sure. Death and taxes, too, but they're given and not subject to much change.

 

[Fluid]

I find it odd that nobody can come up with anything good to say about the US auto's, just bad stuff that happened in the 60s, 70s, 80s,. The Germans or the Japanese have never produced a bad nothing, all their auto's have been good.

 

[houstonscott]

I find it odd that nobody can come up with anything good to say about the US auto's, just bad stuff that happened in the 60s, 70s, 80s,. The Germans or the Japanese have never produced a bad nothing, all their auto's have been good.

If I could only own one vehicle it would be the suburban. US makes good trucks, but US cars suck compared to Germans, Italians, or Japanese. I like my suburban but I don't pretend to expect the quality in my BMW or MB it shares the stable with. In some ways the US vehicles age differently than foreign cars, and how they age maybe better. Here is what I mean, American trucks have no issue making 100k, when something goes bad it's major, engine, transmission, big stuff, but the little stuff continues to be reliable. Foreign car are exact reverse. Engines transmissions are bullet proof but electrical interior stuff fails. Sometimes I think I'd rather a new engine at 150k and move on, than chase all the little stuff forever because the BMW engine still runs like new at 180k. As for tractors I think Kubota clearly has the quality over others, and their engines are superior. HS

 

[TravisD]

All I know is that when Motor Trend named the '71 Chevy Vega "CAR OF THE YEAR", I stupidly recommended of of those lemons to my mom as she needed a new car. Not sure if I every figured out how to apologize enough to her for that. What an abomination of a car the US automakers were willing to foist on the American public. Someone at MT must have had some sort of cozy relationship for that one!

MTCoTY has always been more about who wants to buy a real nice chunk of advertising from them, than an actual objective measure of quality. Look how often CoTY is the first year of a new model - you know, the one that traditionally is still working some of the bugs out? It doesn't seem to be the last year of a model, which is usually the one where they finally got everything right

 

[houstonscott]

MTCoTY has always been more about who wants to buy a real nice chunk of advertising from them, than an actual objective measure of quality. Look how often CoTY is the first year of a new model - you know, the one that traditionally is still working some of the bugs out? It doesn't seem to be the last year of a model, which is usually the one where they finally got everything right

To bad they couldn't get the all aluminum block right on the Vega, GM always gives up on a great idea, straight six all aluminum engine was years ahead of its time for America, and just right for new 4 valve twin cam heads to come after. HS

 

[TravisD]

Guess they spent the R&D money on the fancy shipping arrangements instead:

Vert-A-Pac train cars kept your Chevy Vega's price in check - Autoblog

 

[Garandman]

I find it odd that nobody can come up with anything good to say about the US auto's, just bad stuff that happened in the 60s, 70s, 80s,. The Germans or the Japanese have never produced a bad nothing, all their auto's have been good.

We've purchased two Chevrolet Cruze turbodiesels and a Cruze Eco this year at work. Everybody loves them one of our salespeople just traded in his Subaru for an Impala. The impala was named sedan of the year by Consumer Reports, first domestic choice in 20 years.

 

[riptides]

Vega, Gremlins, Pinto's, all cars in my formulative years of learning about cars. My first car that I actually bought? A 1982 Firebird, right off the lot. My last American car that I bought, that 1982 Firebird. Wow.. hard to write that...wow...

 

[Baby Grand]

So what you are saying is that you and others can never go back to an American car because of poor quality from the 60s, 70s & 80s. How long should the US companies be abandoned before you and others think they should be given a chance? The same companies that you and others say are no good are the same companies that built the planes, tanks, bombs, guns, and other war material that saved the world from the Germans and Japanese. The US payed to rebuild all their cities, factories, ports,etc.

Using you thinking, build some bad cars/trucks and you are no good for life, let they go under they deserve it! Kill over 50 million people, lay waste to their homeland and everything, but boy do they make a good car, can't wait to help they out.

Never is a long time - I never said that; you did.
Oh, just for the record, my dad really wanted to buy American and tried one more time after he bought the new Beetle and the Pontiac died - he bought a Vega. That capped it.

Personally, I will give American made a close look next time I'm shopping for a car. I think the build quality and design is looking pretty good.

As for holding a country, and it's people, eternally responsible for the poor choices that its politicians made, I understand the thinking, but that's not how I roll.