<p>Right before we moved states last year I traded in my good old Sienna (12 years old and 100K miles) for a leased Toyota Rav. The first car lease we ever did. Why? Well, it was a “nothing down” thing and a grand total of $176 per month for three years, all maintenance paid for. What was not to like? I have JBL speakers, blue tooth, navigations, leather. Honestly, can’t imagine what more I could want in a car. </p>
<p>DH drives a 10-year-old Acura. It’s a cream puff. Feels new. Kids drive a camry given to them by their grandma when she lost her vision and couldn’t drive anymore.</p>
<p>I may buy this silly Rav when the lease expires. Or shop another lease. It is just so darn cheap and fun.</p>
<p>Audi, Mercedes, Beemer? I dunno. I never had car pride. I’m just immune to it.</p>
<p>We just never understood why people spend so much on cars.</p>
<p>^My Audi cost me exactly the same as Toyota Avalon that I was looking for. The dealer happened not to have what I was looking for in Toyota, soI ended up with Audi. I will never go back to Toyota. The difference is the way Audi (and most likely all German cars) drive. I am not a direver who knows much and I actually do not like driving at all. But tehre is someting in the way Audi drives that I cannot pinpoint that makes me stick to them from now on and make me understand my son (who knows lots about cars) who does not buy anything but Audi. We always pay off our cars in about 10 - 12 months, I do not want to be stuck with payments for 3+ years, I actually cannot afford it because of our cash flow.</p>
<p>I drove Audis for 18 years and then got an Avalon. The handling, balance, performance and steering of the Audis are wonderful but the quality, reliability, availability of mechanics, dealer network, etc. of the major Japanese vendors override that - at least for me. It is nice to get a car that’s actually made in the US too.</p>
<p>^Do you know that VW has buit a plant in Chattannooga (not sure about spelling), TN and also has facility for spare parts that is ordering from many USA manufacturers including my current employer?</p>
<p>I know that BMW and Mercedes have plants in the US.</p>
<p>I don’t recall Audi having any US plants.</p>
<p>I took a two-hour tour of the plant where my Toyota was built. It was amazing to see them turned rolled steel into cars. The US content percentage was around 94%.</p>
<p>…not even mentionning that parts can come form any place on Earth. Our biggest market is Europe, name any car, any buildiong company and many other, most likely than not it will be one of our cusotmers. Audi is one of them for sure, BMW is another, Jaguar, Volvo, Toyota, Honda. Going thru manufactuerer’s facility does not result in knowing where all parts are comiong from.</p>
<p>As I wrote earlier, I drove Audis for 18 years. I bought the shop manuals for my cars. There were VW stamps on car parts that I bought. So yes, I do know that VW owns Audi.</p>
<p>But to my knowledge, VW doesn’t build Audis in the US.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Yes, the manufacturer provides the percentage content from the US.</p>
<p>But a good amount of the car is in the frame, doors and other steel components, engine, and the engine and drivetrain. Toyota (as are other foreign companies with US plants) does enough volume to have plants making components in the US (or they can buy them from domestic producers).</p>
<hr>
<p>The domestic content labels were mandated after the U.S. Congress, at the urging of the United Auto Workers union and Detroit’s Big Three, passed the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) of 1992.</p>
<p>It required automakers to formulate and post on every new model the origin of the vehicle’s parts and the vehicle’s assembly site.</p>
<p>The AALA took effect with vehicles manufactured after Oct. 1, 1994. </p>
<p>I think I’ve heard that Audi has just built a plant in the US or is in the process of doing so. I believe it will be primarily used for manufacturing the “Q’s”, which are the Audi SUV models…which are more popular here in the US than in Europe.</p>
<p>ETA: guess it’s still in the planning stages:</p>
<p>“But to my knowledge, VW doesn’t build Audis in the US.”
-Correct for now (and I do not know everything, it might be built here or partially so). However, it does not mean that parts are not coming from USA and international manufacturer (international usually has huge uS component) it also does not mean that some processes (not necessarily on manufacturing floor) are not performed in the USA. It gets more complicated, knowing that some computer server might be actually in Europe with sahred access/usage all over the globe. You are isolating too much, you cannot disconnect any more, global is true global any more. My team, fo instance is half in USA (Americans) and half in Germany (German people) and my employer as I have mentioned supply all over the world from all over the world including parts in Europe made here on American soil. All this “built in America” slogan is nothing but political correctness any more, in true sence it is practically does not exist.</p>
<p>I was doing that in the 1980s. I had support teams around the world
back then.</p>
<p>If you see rolled steel getting stamped and turned into a car, engines
and transmissions made in the US and a high percentage of parts being
manufactured in the US, then it’s a US-made car. The top ten are about
half-Japanese and half-domestics. I don’t think that the European
manufacturers even bother trying to play that game.</p>
<p>We do have an employment problem here and I’d prefer to see the
manufacturing jobs here. That’s a purely practical matter.</p>
<p>I am not sure what game you refer. I am stating current way, the way my current employer operates and many many other companies. And in regard to steel, my H’s company has built many steel and other furnaces also all over the globe. then how you call that? As I said it is all political talk that should not be basis in choosing the car in any shape or form.</p>
<p>We just bought a 2009 Mercedes E350 this weekend. Now we always buy luxury cars used from the dealer after they come off their initial leases and keep them for years. This car had only 21,000 miles. My husband just got rid of his 1996 BMW 740il. For myself I have a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer which I bought new. I’m not in love with it but we get a lot of use out of the size and I plan to keep it as long as I can.</p>
<p>Two physician family here (but one wage earner many years, now both retired)- can relate to OP. H a car lover- reads Car and Driver, knows a fair amount about cars. He has had Audis, Acura, an MB SUV as well as nonluxury cars. I used to own American brands then a Volvo but too many faults/problems with them. He got a Lexus LS400 in 1992, finally donated it last year (son learned to drive with it- cheaper than buying a lesser brand). Chose the Lexus ES350 eventually as the primary “good” car (LS became bigger and so much more expensive). I traded in my almost 8 year old RX330 for a Lexus ES350 this year- the newer version is great. We have had excellent experiences with the Lexus brand- for luxury and reliability as well as cost/benefits. Car and Driver has always disliked the lack of “road feel” of the brand but has praise in matters that count for us. I like the navigation system as well (didn’t have it on the SUV). I checked Acura and Audi seriously as well as Lexus and Toyota hybrids when I shopped for this car as well as doing the online research- I was thorough.</p>
<p>My vote- Lexus- best comfort, costs, reliability, whistles and bells for the high income practical driver.</p>
<p>^Means nothing as cars built in Italy as an example are using parts from US companies.</p>
<p>The OP question was Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes. OP has the reasons for either, our personal reasons for buying outside of Audi/BMW/Mercedes are irrelevant to OP. we are free to express our opinions, but trying to convince OP to buy Toyota instead seems to be a futile attempt that has entertaining value nonetheless. whatever is referred to marketing, it is for people who listen to commercials, most do not, that is why we have remote controls to flip out and in. Nobody will convince me to buy toyota after I driven Audi, unless Audi become junk. then I will burn on a first junky one, learn my lesson and probably will move to …BMW, I do not want toyota, no commercial will make me. My H. likes his Lexus though, it looks great also, he switched for no reason, just because it was there and he did not want to go back to Acura dealer. he has been very satisfied Acura customer for awhile. Next one for him will definitely not depend on any commercial/marketing attempts.</p>
<p>You really should read the article. They may use parts from US
companies but the methodologies in computing US content percentages
try to take that into account.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Why do you think that I am trying to convince the OP to buy a Toyota?
That’s bizarre.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Marketing drives the world.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Audi used to be a performance car company but they ran into the
unintended acceleration mess in the 1980s and had to reinvent
themselves. They turned their back on the enthusiast market and went
upscale - that was the right financial move.</p>
<p>What turned me off was reliability, maintenance and the lack of
qualified mechanics to work on the vehicles.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I used to be a German car snob too.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>The problem with predicting the future is that it hasn’t happened
yet.</p>
