Looking for a mid-size domestic car recommendation

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complicated)...look

If you are looking for domestic, don't forget Honda, Toyota, Mercedes and other people who make cars in the US.

The car companies are not really US companies any more; they are world companies.

After all, Ford has plants in Germany, England, owns Vovlo, Jaguar and other companies; GM has plants in Germany, England and other countries; it owns Saab and other companies.

Jeff

Chrysler 300.

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If you like the looks I don't think that you can go wrong with the Monte Carlo. I have some friends that have the standard offerings and some have SS models. They range from 2001 to 2004 in year and none of them have had a serious problem with them. They lack a little in the rear leg and head room in my opinion but if that isn't an issue then you may like them.

GM lets you do the 24 hear test drive. But that's for those that have a good credit rating. I know because I did the 24 hour test drive with a 2004 Silverado Z71. Glad I did because I saw no reason to get rid of my 1999 K1500. It's just as good a truck if not better.

Brian

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Actually you are right Jeff, we live in a world economy now. The saying of buy made is USA is getting to be less and less heard. I personally think a world economy is healthy and will eventually help to keep the US from supporting other countries.

Just think some day we'll be saying "Buy Made On Earth". Oh well back to the Star Trek movie marathon....

Brian

My late father-in-law vowed he would never buy a foreign car, but when we took over his '81 Dodge Mirada we found that it had been made in Canada -- as was our '02 300M.

MB

On 08/15/04 08:07 pm Jeff put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace:

My 1968 Pontiac GTO was made (assembled) in Canada. That's right a good old American muscle car made in Canada. But hey that's OK. Everyone has to work and eat.

Brian

Daimler Chrysler products are still considered DOMESTIC, whether built in the USA, Mexico, or Canada. The ownership, whether German or not, is shared worldwide by the stockholders of the company - and there are more american stockholders than German, I'd venture to bet.

Better yet, just find another good low mileage later model Dynasty or New Yorker (up to 1992) and keep on trucking!!!!

I just bought a Mercury Mystique to replace my 88 New Yorker. So far I like it. It is smaller than the Dynasty/New Yorker, but has a better body than the Cirrus/Breeze.(virtually all I looked at had perforated hood leading edges at 6 years of age. Some even sooner)

A mid-size GM with a 3.8 (previous to the Gen II) is also worth looking for, but I've found the bodies do not stand up well in our salt/ice conditions. Rockers and door bottoms disintegrate. My 95 Trans Sport does not have that issue (the"corvette station wagon" or "plastic vantastic" has about 320,000KM on it and looks like new)

>

That is correct. And Canadian plants have consistently produced some of both the best "american" and "japanese" cars in the world.

The Cambridge built Corollas (and Matrix and Solara, among others) and the Alliston built Honda products are every bit as good as anything that comes off the boat. In my experience they (Canadian built "american" cars) are better than the Mexican built vehicles (contourr/mystique, Neon, and Crown Vic among others) and every bit as good as ANYTHING that comes out of Detroit, Kansas City, or wherever.

The "windsor" engine was one of Ford Canada's major contributions to Ford World, and now many of the Mod series engines that find their way into "American built" fords are produced in Windsor, which, although SOUTH of Detroit, across the Detroit river, is in, you guessed it - CANADA.

Perhaps not by you, but you are not "most".

Cars built in North America of primarily North American parts are considered "domestic" for legal purposes, regardless of whether the nameplate says "Dodge" or "Nissan" or whatever.

Thats why they are German owned now. After the merger the high up major stock holders in America sold all their stock and retired. The majority of stock is now owned by high up executives in Germany so that is why they are no longer considered an American company.

Nissan, Honda, and Toyota are still considered a Japaneses car even if they do assemble some of them here. The final assembly of a car is a very small part of the whole product when you add in all the parts such as design, testing, project management, etc. Companies like then are still majority owned by Japanese banks with the majority of profit and jobs going back into the Japanese economy. They ship most of the parts here and do the final assembly so they can market them as American to fool consumers.

Actually, the US gov't considers cars made in Canada and Mexico as domestic.

Jeff

In article , wrote: (snip)

That's interesting. My 1995 Crown Vic's Canadian-built. When did they move production to Mexico?

-- Mark

Visit Topic URL to contact author (reg. req'd). Report abuse: Try looking at the Ford 500. You might also like some of the Volvo, Saab, Jaguar and Mercedes offerings. These are all owned by American companies (although Mercedes is owned by Diamler-Chyrsler, which is more German now).

Jeff

However, the cars made by GM and Ford for the US market are all built in North America, except for the Aveo, that's built in Korea. I think the OP and person replying were implying US-market Chevy, Buick, Caddy, Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury. Honda and Toyota are still foreign companies, despite the US-market vehicles being built in the US. The comment about Chrysler is a good point, it's now owned by a German company, so it COULD be considered a German car company. Heck, the Crossfire is a C320 I believe...

>

Well, actually based on SLK 320 (previous version), to be slightly picky.

DAS

Some statistics about distribution of shareholding:

Germany 55.4% Europe, without Germany 20.7% USA 16.2% Others 7.7%

Shareholders exceeding 5 % total 17.6% Deutsche Bank AG 10.4% Emirate of Kuwait 7.2%

Free Float 82.4% Institutional Investors 54.4% Private Investors (1.8 million) 28.0%

I don't think there are a lot of "high up executives" as shareholders, though it is correct to state that only a minority of the shares are held in the USA. I don't know who holds the 17.6% of shares not quoted.

It won't surprise you to know that the Kuwaiti government shareholding sometimes gets controversial...

More info:

DAS

Take a look at a Mercury Grand Marquis GS. My one son just purchased a brand new 2004 for under $19,000! Six passenger car with room in the trunk for their luggage. High tech 25 MPG V8, loaded, leather the works.

mike hunt

steve wrote:

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