It's not just my opinion, it's the opinions of a whole mess of people. Most of the people I interact with on a daily basis drive Japanese or Korean cars as they seem to think that they offer the best value for the money, and don't even consider anything American made past 1970 (and very few people who aren't hard core gearheads want to be bothered owning something that old.) The few who don't drive Asian cars buy European, usually German, as the reputation is that they are a little more costly to run but are more durable. The only people I know with newer American cars had them provided to them by their employer.
Now whether or not this is actually the state of affairs NOW is debatable, but it certainly has been historically true, and perceptions like that take a LONG time to fade away, we're talking a decade or more, unless something really spectacular happens to change their mind. This is the reality that US mfgrs. need to understand, and quickly, before it's too late.
I can certainly say from personal experience that the way another friend of mine was treated at an Infiniti dealer (when he was driving a cheap used G20) as opposed to the way the friend I mentioned before was treated with his brand new Focus, would certainly make me want to buy Japanese, had I been in the market for a new car at the time.
nate
Mike Hunter wrote: