This family has two cars: average vintage 1999, average mileage 96,000. Faced with this reality, we're reluctantly in the market for a new car. As soon as that tax refund check gets here, we'll be able to begin serious dealer negotiations. Or let my son handle this chore-- he's a shark among guppies in this fish bowl. Either way, until the government returns some of my cash, we're in the exploratory stage just trying to see what's out there.
The new Jetta is nice looking but VW's reliability ratings are abysmal. The sales person embodied this sense of futility by seemingly not being very interested in talking about VW cars. Ford's new Fiesta was a fun car to drive but patently geared for the younger generation. The Fiesta brochure reads as if you're buying a laptop/ipod combo with wheels. The Hyundai Sonata was very comfortable, even in the back seat. Gas mileage is good, but not good enough for us. The smaller Elantra seemed to have just enough room and great gas mileage estimates.
My intent was to try to "buy American" but what does that mean given globalization. Car and Driver magazine reports the Ford Fiesta is assembled in Mexico with 10% North American parts. The Toyota Camry is built in Indiana with 80% North American parts. The new Chevy Cruze is made in Ohio with 45% North American parts. So how do you best help an American get a job? Buy a Jetta and give a mechanic a job?
One of our present cars is a Pontiac Vibe and I admit being miffed that GM buried the Pontiac division. My Dad had a big Pontiac Catalina that was very sharp. Yesterday GM reported February sales were up 49% though some question profitability given the big incentives offered. Another gotcha is that GM's share price is now trading below it's November initial public offering price.
Without question, the funniest post I ever ran across on the web was an ad for Congressional Motors written by Iowahawk, an unrepentant car loving conservative blogger. I won't say more-- read it for yourself and have a good laugh.
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