.... and the sad reality of the matter is.... How long till that trickles down from "entry level Aveos" to cars like Cobalt... then Malibu... then Impala.... then pretty much everything.

I sure don't see anything stopping that from happening over the long haul the way things are going.

 

DCX is still American owned ???

Someone makes a post about a Lexus and people freak out in here. Too funny!

 

I don't think that is what happened at all.

This thread was posted about a Lexus (nothing wrong with that)... a lot of people find it boring looking (nothing wrong with that either)... you know, just like how a lot of the very same people have called the new GTO, Impala and/or Malibu boring looking .... but because these people dare to call the import boring looking... everyone is biased.

 

Nope, I am not commenting about people not liking the car which is fine, but more on how certain people freak out about foreign cars in general. I guess it keeps the entertainment value here though.

 

I'd be very surprised if it wasn't real wood. There is not a single Lexus model on the market right now that has even an ounce of fake wood in it. Even the entry-level ES330.

I've had a couple people tell me the wood in my car is fake, but I've seen the back side of it (at least on the center console) and seen pictures of the back side of it on the doors from others on the CL.com message board, and it's definitely real wood. Yamaha (the piano division) actually makes the wood trim used in the center console of my car.

Yeah... I thought about that when RedPlanet mentioned it but didn't want to take even more of a tangent.

Even more ironic is that earlier somebody mentioned the Japanese government helping out its car companies financially. Anyone recall not too awfully many years ago when the government did the same for Chrysler? Now look what good it has done us.

 

Everybody who likes GM and Toyota should go buy one of these used:

http://www.autovida.com/archives/toyotacavi.jpg
http://www.autovida.com/archives/morecavi.jpg

 

Those big Chrysler LX cars wouldn't handle as well though.

Looks like a sweet engine stuck in a painfully boring wrapper. I'd rather have the old IS300 than the new one, and turbo it.

 

Do you REALLY believe that boldfaced LIE you just spewed? I will go back tonight, and I will do a search of your posts from the last 6 months. I will PROVE to you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you DEFINITELY wrote that very phrase. You claimed you bought your beloved XRS because "American cars suck, dealers suck and the cars fall apart." I will find it...I will quote you. Guaranteed.

I don't make it a point to pick on people on this board, but if you're going to go so blatantly "George W." on me, I will annihilate that lie. You and I argued over that very subject in a thread you started not over 6 months ago.

Red,
I'm with you 150%. My mother bought her first non-GM car ever 2 years ago...an '03 Explorer Limited. A lot of the reason my parents went for it was solely because they already owned an '02 TrailBlazer LS (now own an '05 TB LT), and didn't want two of the same car. I was p!ssed, but like she said, "at least its American." And she's right. Now, if I can't convince a friend or co-worker to buy GM, I at least try to get them to buy Ford. DCX is still a bitter pill for me to swallow because of the German ownership.

I found a website online that will produce any bumper sticker you want. I'm having 4 printed that will say "Buy American: The Job You Save May Be Your Own." I know those were popular years ago, but I can't find them anymore. One will go on my Grand Prix, one on our Grand Am, and the 2 others on my parent's cars. As a collective group, every year we get more and more pissed off. There is no nationalistic pride in supporting your own product anymore. Like someone else said...even with no tarriffs, the Japanese still would buy their own.

Collectively, as a nation we're too stupid to see what we're doing. But hey, enjoy your new Lexus, Threxx

 

Yeah, of course you'd find it funny...you're one of those that don't get it, and find it funny others do. Go figure.

 

Threxx, you'll notice I never put down the new IS. Heck, it surely looks like a winner. I think it's wrong to jump down people's throats for finding the styling to be a little bland. That's all. I'm certainly hoping this forces Cadillac to further pump up the power in the HF 3.6 for the new CTS.

Now, I'm not going to get into the continuous erosion of American pride in this thread, like Jason did in a previous post because I think there are political forces at play as well as social attitudes...it pretty much disgusts me...but I do laugh at this comment. I mean, I guess I can't expect much less than 1 out of every 5 parts on a Honda to be made in Japan. It is, after all, a Japanese company....

 

The current generation Accord/TL was primarily engineered in the US, primarily part-sourced in the US, built in the US, marketed in the US, sold in the US, maintained in the US, etc, etc. That's more than you can say about a whole lot of "domestic" vehicles.

Yet, if somebody buys any car witha GM badge on it (even those built, sourced, and some even styled and engineered in other countries) primarily outside the US, they are almost always applauded as being "American". Then somebody buys a TL and a bunch of idiots seem about ready to get out the pitchforks.

I'm just giving an example that it's no longer a black and white issue. With the IS350 it is because it's engineered, designed, engineered, and sourced entirely in Japan as far as I know... but that's not always the case, either.

 

A fair point...

I suppose it is possible that there is an import branded car out there that is more "american" in parts and engineering and marketing, etc etc etc... than a particular domestic branded car.... not sure if there is or not, but I'll concede that point for the sake of arguement.

However, those models are few and far between in the overall picture of things.

So.......... even if you buy that "more American than he" import car... you are still funding a company that, overall, does less for the U.S. economy than a domestic manufacturer....

 

So how about the Toyota Cavalier that was sold in other markets? Were those sales benefiting Toyota or GM more? Or how about the current Chevy Forester being sold in India?

-B

 

I love it.

One major gripe: the lack of 6spd manual on the IS350. The paddle shifted 6spd auto is a decent alternative though.

 

I agree that the lack of the 6MT on the IS350 is disappointing. Like how much harder could it have been? I'd assume they could have used the same trans since the two motors are identical in layout... although maybe require an upgraded clutch and such. I dunno.

I guess the only way it might make some sense to me is if they come out with the IS500. I guess in that case they can assume that most of the people who would have insisted on a 6MT in the IS350 would be willing to move up to the IS500 anyway for the added performance and whatnot?