<p>One thing about cars is that peace of mind is worth a lot to me. I hate driving worrying about the car breaking down or having a safety issue. And not being able to get it serviced in a timely manner. My previous car could drive me nuts sometimes. It was great to drive but the repairs were killing me. The Toyota has been the most trouble-free car that I’ve owned.</p>
<p>ellenmope is right if you were happy enough with the deal then its a good deal. Its a tought break for parts of America and many American workers, though. Many people here in U.S. work at the “big 3” or work a plants that supply the big 3, many prefer the profits from cars stay here in the U.S.</p>
<p>^^ You’ll be happy to know that Toyota will start to build the Prius in the USA in Mississipi. Also keep in mind that Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, and a number of other foreign brands manufacture a lot of (but not all) vehicles in the USA. Toyota alone manufactures over a million vehicles and over a million engines per year in North America.</p>
<p>On top of that, a lot of the vehicles produced by the ‘big 3’ are not produced in the USA but rather, Mexico, Canada, Japan, or elsewhere. The old paradigm of buying from the big 3 to keep the jobs in the USA isn’t valid anymore. If one wants to support the jobs in the USA they need to do more research on the exact vehicle they’re purchasing to see if it’s really made in the USA or not.</p>
<p>I visited the Lexington, KY plant where my car was made and took the tour. What I saw was happy workers that weren’t under a lot of pressure doing their jobs, room for advancement, tuition benefits and company spirit. The US content in the car was around 92 or 93 percent. They started with rolled steel and other components and made a car out of it. It’s a pretty remarkable process to watch.</p>
<p>Its certainly true no American car is wholly American, no foreign car is wholly foreign. Many foreign owned cars are assembled here in the U.S. by American workers. I’d prefer more people bought GM(one example) than Honda(another example) though. If gm sales jumped and honda fell, then I would expect more Gm jobs to stay, more suppliers of GM to stay busy and perhaps expand. Yes, in that scenario some Honda USA jobs would be lost, but far less American workers work for Honda than for GM. Plus, many displaced Honda workers would be picked up by expanding gm(in that example.)
I have friends who work at a nearby foreign car parts supplier who are working, and thats a good thing. I don’t wish for them to lose their job. But I’d prefer they worked at a parts supplier for GM, likely they’d be earning more.
I also believe Japanese cars earned a reputation of building cars far superior to U.S. cars in the 80’s, though I think the 80’s have come and gone but for a few that hang on to their mullets(!) and now American cars are nearly caught up to the Japanese. I think they’re still slightly behind, but now are very close.
Some prefer foreign, some prefer domestic, some don’t care, all those are choices we all make. My choice is to buy as American as I can when I can.
As for the Prius specifically, I think soon the price will come down enough to be worth it to the average driver. At the moment at 15k miles a yr, it takes a long time to get the extra cost back.</p>
<p>^^ But when you buy the GM vehicle you’re no more assured that all of the components are USA made than if you buy certain foreign brands/makes. Some engines and other major components in GM vehicles are produced in other countries like Japan, Mexico, and Australia. In some cases the Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai have a higher content produced in the USA than the GM, Ford, or Chrysler product. My point is that without a lot of research, buying from GM versus Toyota or Honda might not achieve what you’re trying to accomplish in supporting USA jobs.</p>
<p>btw - I currently have a Dodge and had a Ford before that and a Jeep before that so I’m not opposed to USA brands although at least one of these was really assembled in Canada. My Dodge Durango has 154K miles on it and has been fairly reliable. The Ford ‘Exploder’ was the least reliable vehicle I ever had and the Jeep Cherokee was fairly reliable as well. Mostly though, I drive a >40 year old Mustang with hundreds of Ks of miles on it and it’s quite reliable. </p>
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This will really depend on whether Toyota’s actually making money on the vehicle or not. Since they’re so popular now, I’d expect to see Toyota raise the price rather than lower it unless they get some real cost reductions due to economy of scale.</p>
<p>I’m not sure, but you probably paid a little too much for it.</p>
<p>Big deal.</p>
<p>The important thing is that you bought a Toyota. I bought my 94 Toyota Camry 14 years ago this month and it’s still going strong 176,000 miles later.
When it reached 100,000 I told people “I think I’ve got it broken in now.”</p>
<p>Sell it? Hell no. </p>
<p>Look after it and it will look after you. You paid a little too much–big deal.</p>
<p>I am happy to have a 73 dodge dart sport over 200k, still starts up great, runs fine, orig engine, orig tranny, will still even squeal the tires pretty good too. Also have a 75 dart sport just over 100 k, its even better, but the body on it has been restored, so its not fair to compare that part.
Also have '03 dodge pickup as everyday driver.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, be happy with your new car. You can always second guess yourself, that won’t change anything. Enjoy the new car features, smell and everything about it. I’m looking forward to a few years from now when I can justify getting a new one (anyone remember the old days when some people traded in their cars every two years?).</p>
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<p>Three years, max! That’s why American car makers didn’t have to worry as much about dependability issues…and why the Japanese were able to sneak in and steal so much of the market away from them.</p>
<p>When we bought our Odyssey, it was shortly after the new model came out and there were lots of folks paying MORE than sticker price. Insanity. One dealer told us we could get one on the spot if we paid $3k over sticker. We walked out the door.</p>
<p>At that point, part of the shortage was due to its immediate popularity and that Honda was still building the plant in Alabama where Odysseys were to be built. Once the factory was finished, supply and demand equalized, and we bought ours. Also helped that we went for a less popular color. Got a good deal, too. Our 2000 model now has 147k on it, and it had better be good for at least another 100k, because we have eight years of tuition in the next six years!</p>
<p>You can get a brand new 2008 Hyundai Sonata for $16K, plus tax and title.<br>
It competes very well with the Camry and has the best warranty of any new car. Check out the reviews.</p>
<p>You did well with the Toyota since you didn’t pay sticker price. I read that Corollas are really in demand and not much discounted.</p>
<p>I am partial to Corollas. My first car was a Toyota Corolla coupe that I kept for ten years and only sold it because at the time I had my second baby and needed a 4 door car. Last year, I bought my daughter a new Toyota Corolla that I negotiated the price over the phone with a dealer over 3000 miles away and paid with a credit card. Since I bought the car in August last year, many dealers didn’t have much stock in hand and I doubt I received a rock bottom price. The only feature I insisted was side curtain air bags.</p>
<p>My D loves her Corolla and I know you will too.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your purchase.
Don’t dwell on the whole “did I get an okay deal” and just enjoy your new car :)</p>
<p>According to the dealership my friend spoke to last month, Corollas and Yarii are rarely discounted cars because they’re selling very well.</p>
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<p>Instead, you can play the “How much more did I pay for my seat on this airplane than the guy sitting next to me?” game.</p>
<p>^^ Ha! I like that game.</p>
<p>To the OP: I’ve owned three Toyotas (four if you count the Chevy Nova that was really a Corolla). We’ve loved every one of them–all hassle-free, long-lasting cars, including a Corolla that we bought used. Our most recent is a 2007 Prius. Enjoy your Corolla!</p>