Dodge Stratus- sub $12k cars

[JLemonjello]

Does anybody here own a Dodge Stratus Sedan or coupe? If so, what year, and do you like it? Is it reliable.

I am thinking about getting an 03 R/T coupe for med school but I don't know...

thoughts?

(I can only spend about 12k and I need something young and that I can put lots and lots of miles on (I drive all over the state to hospitals), suggestions are welcome)

[tupacboy]

camry....

[bachviet]

Accord

[speedracer120]

You realize you're talking about a Dodge. Dodge and reliable don't really go together. I was at the Chrysler dealership once just carousing and I spoke with an old lady who hardly drove 1000 miles in one year and her timing belt went out and killed the whole car.

[DJjeff1080]

I was driving a rental Chevy Trailblazer with 107 miles on it and the tranny wouldn't shift out of 2nd gear. I called the rental company and they said to just drive it back to them to swap cars and if it broke they would pick me up. So I drove it back almost red lining it for the entire 20 minute drive. I later found out that it had close to $4,000 worth of work done on it and then it was sold at auction.

Buy American!! :thumbup:

Seriously, if you are looking for something to get through school without breaking, go toyota or honda. They are not too original, but they will last and get better fuel efficiency.

[DarkFury]

You realize you're talking about a Dodge. Dodge and reliable don't really go together. I was at the Chrysler dealership once just carousing and I spoke with an old lady who hardly drove 1000 miles in one year and her timing belt went out and killed the whole car.
I'll just have to get back with you on how reliable the HEMI turns out to be. :heh:

One year... no problems to report. :thumb:

[attgig]

I've owned a few chrysler cars in my life, and they have all been very reliable with the exception of the tranny...the tranny would start to jerk when shifting after a year and half or so of driving it. What I ended up doing was replacing the transmission fluid more often than what was suggested, and I've had no problems with the tranny.

the lady with the timing belt seems like she could've used some lemon lawas to get recouped for that car. the trailblazer rental....it's a stinkin rental. what do u expect? with the abuse that rentals get, who knows what the first person did during the first 107 miles?

Accord/Camry...blah. they're definitely not "young". just keep your car well maintained, whatever brand it is, and whatever country it originates from, and you'll most likely be ok.

[Svyn]

You realize you're talking about a Dodge. Dodge and reliable don't really go together. I was at the Chrysler dealership once just carousing and I spoke with an old lady who hardly drove 1000 miles in one year and her timing belt went out and killed the whole car.

1999 Dodge Durango 5.9- 62k mi. on the clock, nothing but regular maintenance. Pulled a 25ft boat in 102 degree heat with the ac blasting from MD to NY – Adirondacks. Not the best on gas, but that’s not the reason I got it! Can’t complain as of yet. It surely isn't driven lightly! It sees 5grand almost every trip! :D

[rasetsu]

Accord/Camry...blah. they're definitely not "young". just keep your car well maintained, whatever brand it is, and whatever country it originates from, and you'll most likely be ok.


Accords and Camrys have been made in the USA for roughly the last 10 years now. They still have a better reliability record than most low end GM/Chrysler/Ford products.

[DarkFury]

Accords and Camrys have been made in the USA for roughly the last 10 years now. They still have a better reliability record than most low end GM/Chrysler/Ford products.

They cost more too (to buy and sometimes in maintenance)... So whatever fits your wallet I guess. :shrug:

[Bires]

Honestly the Hyundai Elantra is the most popular car in my neck of the woods, and they are not bad cars. A friend has one. Lots of power and features, at a bargain price.

Check out www.edmunds.com for reviews.

[bachviet]

They cost more too (to buy and sometimes in maintenance)... So whatever fits your wallet I guess. :shrug:
How does it cost more in maintenance???

[kimchicowboy]

i was gonna suggest a hyundai as well. :)

[Bires]

How does it cost more in maintenance???

Honda parts are $$$$pendy.

[bachviet]

Honda parts are $$$$pendy.
I don't think so. Honda parts are manufactured here in the States and they cost about the same as others. :shrug:

[DarkFury]

How does it cost more in maintenance???
Depending on where it is originally built, parts can cost more for foriegns plus the "per hour" labor charges in the shop are generally more as well.

Yes.. this has changed a little with more and more foreign cars being built in the USA, but they still cost a bit more to be maintained.

Just ask my friend... who just took his Acura in for a routine service and the + $400 bill they gave him. :eek:

[Eugene]

I'll just have to get back with you on how reliable the HEMI turns out to be. :heh:

One year... no problems to report. :thumb:

1999 Dodge Durango 5.9- 62k mi. on the clock, nothing but regular maintenance. Pulled a 25ft boat in 102 degree heat with the ac blasting from MD to NY – Adirondacks. Not the best on gas, but that’s not the reason I got it! Can’t complain as of yet. It surely isn't driven lightly! It sees 5grand almost every trip!
Maybe it's just me, but I would trust Dodge on their trucks, but not on their sedans... they just come off as a truck company to me, so the sedans seem like an afterthought for them to get more marketshare.

Anyway, everyone is talking about accords and camrys... what about mazda3? civic? corolla? or perhaps a scion? base model lancer? Or perhaps check out edmund's best cars under 15k article (http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/104546/article.html?tid=edmunds.h..recedmunds.topten.3.*) and use that as a starting point as what cars you can find on the used market.

[bbrian]

I don't think so. Honda parts are manufactured here in the States and they cost about the same as others. :shrug: :stupid: I used to say all the pro-domestic car comments others are saying, until I bought a honda. I won't buy another domestic again unless they make some serious changes. I have a Jeep GC in the driveway that has a dozen or so problems that will easily cost well over $1K to fix. It has less miles than my Honda, but I've spent considerably more on getting problems on the Jeep fixed + maintenance. I've spent less than $500 total on the Honda in the last 3 years in maint and that's with me driving it 25K miles a year.

[rasetsu]

Depending on where it is originally built, parts can cost more for foriegns plus the "per hour" labor charges in the shop are generally more as well.

Yes.. this has changed a little with more and more foreign cars being built in the USA, but they still cost a bit more to be maintained.

Just ask my friend... who just took his Acura in for a routine service and the + $400 bill they gave him. :eek:


Your friend probably got ripped off. That's what stealerships do. My sister-in-law took her Sentra in to the dealer for an oil change and they told her she needed to have the timing belt replaced and that it was leaking oil badly. She wisely left to get a second opinion. There was no oil leak and the car uses a timing chain.

And I don't know where you live, but where I am, "'dem foreign cars" are common enough that every mechanic knows how to work on them and charge the same hourly rate as they would for GM/Ford/Chrysler products (~$40-$50/hour for independent mechanics and $75/hour at dealerships).

Even if "foreign" parts cost more, I'd rather pay more for a part once than multiple times for a cheaper part on a GM/Ford/Chrysler product. Many Chrysler products are sharing parts with their MB cousins now so you could end up paying for a MB part at MB prices for your Chrysler/Dodge.

[Airencracken]

Toyota.

[DarkFury]

Your friend probably got ripped off. That's what stealerships do. My sister-in-law took her Sentra in to the dealer for an oil change and they told her she needed to have the timing belt replaced and that it was leaking oil badly. She wisely left to get a second opinion. There was no oil leak and the car uses a timing chain.

And I don't know where you live, but where I am, "'dem foreign cars" are common enough that every mechanic knows how to work on them and charge the same hourly rate as they would for GM/Ford/Chrysler products (~$40-$50/hour for independent mechanics and $75/hour at dealerships).

Even if "foreign" parts cost more, I'd rather pay more for a part once than multiple times for a cheaper part on a GM/Ford/Chrysler product. Many Chrysler products are sharing parts with their MB cousins now so you could end up paying for a MB part at MB prices for your Chrysler/Dodge.

So far so good... and no, the parts I've needed so far on my previous Dodge (1999 Dakota) didn't cost any more than what normal American vehicle parts cost.

BTW.. the per hour labor charge at my dealer is like $60 per hour... So pretty much that is less than the $75 you quoted. But in the end... to each his own.

I've owned 5 American vehicles which for 3 of them I had for 6+ years... only one of them had "major" problems that had to be corrected (which was fixed right the first time... so no 2nd time part replacements there).

Right now, my 1996 Ford Thunderbird is sitting in my garage and runs like a top... completely paid for with no major problems. More or less... if you do the routine maintenance and take care of the vehicle... they will take care of you. People are so hung up on the "Foriegn cars are better" line... geez... that just ain't always the case.

Honestly, I didn't buy my car for resale value... I bought it for comfort level, capacity, and style. I feel that I've gotten 100% of my money's worth with it.. and it continues to give me value. Either way... to me the whole foriegn/domestic thing is a bunch of hype. Just buy whatever car makes you feel comfortable I say...

[InfiniteNothing]

Either way... to me the whole foriegn/domestic thing is a bunch of hype. Just buy whatever car makes you feel comfortable I say...
:stupid:
It's all about priorities.

Toyota.Zelot ;)

[Eugene]

...I've owned 5 American vehicles which for 3 of them I had for 6+ years... only one of them had "major" problems that had to be corrected (which was fixed right the first time... so no 2nd time part replacements there).
...
Honestly, I didn't buy my car for resale value... I bought it for comfort level, capacity, and style. I feel that I've gotten 100% of my money's worth with it.. and it continues to give me value. Either way... to me the whole foriegn/domestic thing is a bunch of hype. Just buy whatever car makes you feel comfortable I say...
I suppose....but I still think there are major differences between most foreign and domestic vehicles. Consumer Reports must base their ratings and research off something, and I think that in general, domestic vehicles have a greater tendency for something to go wrong or just be of lower quality in general. It would be hard to generalize your experience to that of the entire American public.... in short, yes, some American cars can hold up well, but I think more foreign cars would do better.

[blueindian]

Toyota.

:stupid:

[LegendKiller]

Steph has a 2001 Accord. Here are the major issues she has had.


fuel pump died at 22k

Winshield washer motor died at 31k

Transmission ate itself at 34k

New Rack and Pinion at 61k

Shifter knob blew up because of 2 non-locking screws fell out at 64k. It was an easy fix for me but not something that shoulda happened.

Not to mention crappy pin stripes that you have to baby else they fall off or peel.



I think, at one time, foreign cars were much better but I think that time has passed.


LK

[bbrian]

I find that most pro-domestic comments come from someone that has never owned a 'foreign' car. The funny thing is that the 'foreign' car is usually more American than the domestic car. Honda is even exporting cars from their Ohio plant to Japan. Many domestic cars are assembled in Mexico or Canada.

I always thought the foreign/domestic debate was hype, until I bought one. I went looking for a new car because my chrysler cirrus (aka dodge stratus) was having problems and was consistently costing me $1K/month in repairs. After several fuel pumps (1st one installed wrong, 2nd one died on the way home), towings from breaking down on the road, a timing belt, intake cleanings, O2 sensors it was time to get rid of it. It had all of 60K miles on it and had all the 'routine maintenance' people think makes a car reliable. Up until about 55K miles, that car never had a single problem. The last 5K miles took me about 6 months to drive because of all the time it spent in the shop. Good thing we owned 3 cars at the time or the rental costs would have killed me.


So far so good... and no, the parts I've needed so far on my previous Dodge (1999 Dakota) didn't cost any more than what normal American vehicle parts cost. A 1999 Dakota didn't share any MB parts and neither does your new Ram. However, many of the new Dodge and Chrylser sedans share parts with MB and so does the new Jeep GC. I believe the RAM is assembled in Canada. Good thing you don't have a 2000-03 Dakota, they have problems with wheels falling off because of cheap parts. The feds have been trying to get Dodge to issue a recall.. I'm not sure if Dodge ever did it though.

[attgig]

just to qualify:"japanese" = the companies that are headquartered in japan and "american" = companies that are headquartered in US.

haven't had to put down any major money on my jeep GC. and not trying to be pro "domestic", but I don't think it's fair to make any generalizations that "japanese" cars are more reliable than "american" cars.

I've had a few american cars and one japanese car. I had a horrible experience with one of my american cars, ok experience with another, and good experiences with two. the japanese car, i had a good experience with. however, i have a friend who has the same exact make/model of my japanese car, and he hates it cuz it costs him too much to maintain.

I don't want to generalize in terms of reliability across countries of origin. I'll trust chrysler engines, but won't trust their trannies. haven't owned a ford yet. I'll trust GM engine/tranny, but won't trust their workmanship on other parts of their cars.

etc etc.

[guiseppewv]

To each their own. My family was a staunch domestics only type. My uncle and cousins have worked for Ford for years (25+) and my family grew up around Detroit (not many foreign cars there) but once we got our first foreign car for my sister to use occasionaly in hs we have predomintly bought Hondas. I still have the first new honda that we bought ('94 Accord, 155k+ miles) and I use it as a daily driver/winter vehicle. I did a head gasket replacement ($150 for the whole gasket kit from honda) at 140k mi and every dealership that I took it to quoted me $1200 to do the job but every dealership also said that they had never seen a head gasket leak on the 2.2l VTEC. I did the job myself and it cost me $300. $150 for the gasket kit, $125 for the valve job (which would not have been done if I took it to the dealer), and $25 for misc parts, coolant, and oil. My honda runs great and I expect to put another 70-100k miles on it.


BTW.. the per hour labor charge at my dealer is like $60 per hour... So pretty much that is less than the $75 you quoted. But in the end... to each his own.


FYI: Labor charges around DC are $90/hr at some dealerships but in WV labor was $45 to $55/hr. So you are comparing apples and oranges.

[LegendKiller]

I find that most pro-domestic comments come from someone that has never owned a 'foreign' car. The funny thing is that the 'foreign' car is usually more American than the domestic car. Honda is even exporting cars from their Ohio plant to Japan. Many domestic cars are assembled in Mexico or Canada.

I always thought the foreign/domestic debate was hype, until I bought one. I went looking for a new car because my chrysler cirrus (aka dodge stratus) was having problems and was consistently costing me $1K/month in repairs. After several fuel pumps (1st one installed wrong, 2nd one died on the way home), towings from breaking down on the road, a timing belt, intake cleanings, O2 sensors it was time to get rid of it. It had all of 60K miles on it and had all the 'routine maintenance' people think makes a car reliable. Up until about 55K miles, that car never had a single problem. The last 5K miles took me about 6 months to drive because of all the time it spent in the shop. Good thing we owned 3 cars at the time or the rental costs would have killed me.

A 1999 Dakota didn't share any MB parts and neither does your new Ram. However, many of the new Dodge and Chrylser sedans share parts with MB and so does the new Jeep GC. I believe the RAM is assembled in Canada. Good thing you don't have a 2000-03 Dakota, they have problems with wheels falling off because of cheap parts. The feds have been trying to get Dodge to issue a recall.. I'm not sure if Dodge ever did it though.



They are still foreign in my books. Most of the profits still go to Japan/Korea/whereever. Meanwhile, US companies still face super high roadblocks in getting the same treatment in those countries.

[DaFunkyUnit]

bimmer bimmer bimmer bimmer bimmer bimmer

bimmer

(sorry, just had to.) :P

[Jeffbx]

Foreign... domestic - it really doesn't matter anymore. All the comments about Dodge - you realize that's a German company now, right? The locals here in Detroit still have a hard time with that.

Here are some good, unbiased sources for car reviews:

http://www.autoweek.com
http://www.caranddriver.com
http://www.roadandtrack.com
http://automobilemag.com/

Stay away from fanboi forums, and throw that Consumer Reports in the garbage.

Have a look at the 2004 results of the JD Power IQS:
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4020143&src=windowshopping

Looks like a pretty even split between 'foreign' & 'domestic' names.

Bottom line is buy what you like that you can afford. Take care of it & it'll be fine. I've ALWAYS owned domestic products (I get a discount), and never had any major problems with any of them. Would I be happier with a Japanese or German car? I don't know. I'm happy enough that I don't need to pay more to find out.

[SmokeyDP]

Both American and foreign makers have 'good cars' and 'pos cars'. That being said I find that Honda's are the most reliable of the bunch. Nissans are good too. In 2002 I wanted a preowned SUV, but all the American ones were expensive to maintain after 50K miles. I ended up with a 2001 Pathfinder LE w/ 45K on it. It now has 68K on it and the only issue was the sunroof, which was taken care of under warranty.

[DarkFury]

I suppose....but I still think there are major differences between most foreign and domestic vehicles. Consumer Reports must base their ratings and research off something, and I think that in general, domestic vehicles have a greater tendency for something to go wrong or just be of lower quality in general. It would be hard to generalize your experience to that of the entire American public.... in short, yes, some American cars can hold up well, but I think more foreign cars would do better.
I put the same validity to the folks at Consumer Reports as I do the people who vote the awards for best music and movies...

They OBVIOUSLY ain't having the same experience that I am... :shrug: :2far:

[DarkFury]

I find that most pro-domestic comments come from someone that has never owned a 'foreign' car. The funny thing is that the 'foreign' car is usually more American than the domestic car. Honda is even exporting cars from their Ohio plant to Japan. Many domestic cars are assembled in Mexico or Canada.
Well my brother has owned a '84 Nissan Maxima, a Mazda 929, another 2002 Nissan Maxima, and other foreigns... and yet and still, both of us manage to keep our cars alive well past 6 years old with no major maintenance problems.

Go figure... :hmm: Sometimes I think people wanna bitch about domestic/foriegn just like everything else (Intel/AMD, Nvidia/ATI, Coke/Pepsi)... for the most part, if you take care of it... it will take care of you. Let your wallet and your comfort level rule here.

I could buy a Foriegn car if I wanted to... but so far, my "hook ups" have been with the domestics (pretty nice having a friend that owns dealerships of various manufactuers :D Not that I bought my last few vehicles from him.)

Bottom line.. if you take care of it... generally it will take care of you.



FYI: Labor charges around DC are $90/hr at some dealerships but in WV labor was $45 to $55/hr. So you are comparing apples and oranges.
Honda, Nissan, and Toyota do charge about $75 here .. so my oranges are oranges.

But thanks for trying. :D



Bottom line is buy what you like that you can afford. Take care of it & it'll be fine. I've ALWAYS owned domestic products (I get a discount), and never had any major problems with any of them. Would I be happier with a Japanese or German car? I don't know. I'm happy enough that I don't need to pay more to find out.
AMEN Brotha... PREACH!!! :heh: :D

[bbrian]

They are still foreign in my books. Most of the profits still go to Japan/Korea/whereever. Meanwhile, US companies still face super high roadblocks in getting the same treatment in those countries.Valid points, but if you want to call a company/car 'foreign' because of profits going to a foreign country, then you should consider any $$ going to a foreign country. I wonder how much GM sends to Mexico for assembly labor and to China and Mexico for parts? I think if you look at the Accord more of the $25K purchase price stays in the US, versus a GM or Chrysler vehicle that is assembled outside of the US.

As for the roadblocks the US does the same thing in other industries, such as steel.

[LegendKiller]

Valid points, but if you want to call a company/car 'foreign' because of profits going to a foreign country, then you should consider any $$ going to a foreign country. I wonder how much GM sends to Mexico for assembly labor and to China and Mexico for parts? I think if you look at the Accord more of the $25K purchase price stays in the US, versus a GM or Chrysler vehicle that is assembled outside of the US.

As for the roadblocks the US does the same thing in other industries, such as steel.


I would hardly say "more of the 25k", considering that the parts are still usually manufacturered overseas. Furthermore, all profit is repatriated to Japan/Korea. Lastly, all corporate overhead is incurred there. I'd have to look at gross profits to find out how much is incurred here, but I doubt it is as much as you think.


LK

[bbrian]

I would hardly say "more of the 25k", considering that the parts are still usually manufacturered overseas.Honda has publicly stated many times that cars sold in america are assembled in america and all parts are from america and canada suppliers. Magazines have written articles on it:
Several of our owners also felt the Accord beats all American cars in terms of quality, reliability, economy, value, resale and so forth. What these people don't realize is that every Accord sold in America gets built in America. Nothing comes from Japan anymore: not the engine, not the transaxle, not even a sun visor. Honda uses 400 U.S. and Canadian suppliers who funnel Honda-quality parts to the Marysville, Ohio, assembly plant. Marysville even makes Accords for Japan and other countries.Sounds like a lot of US jobs and money to me.
Forgot to link to the article:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/owners_reports/1271006.html?page=2&c=y

[InfiniteNothing]

Valid points, but if you want to call a company/car 'foreign' because of profits going to a foreign country, then you should consider any $$ going to a foreign country. I wonder how much GM sends to Mexico for assembly labor and to China and Mexico for parts? I think if you look at the Accord more of the $25K purchase price stays in the US, versus a GM or Chrysler vehicle that is assembled outside of the US.

As for the roadblocks the US does the same thing in other industries, such as steel.

First, we don't have a trade deficit to Mexico. Second, assembly costs very little. I bet the amount of profit sent over is very minimal.


Honda has publicly stated many times that cars sold in america are assembled in america and all parts are from america and canada suppliers. Magazines have written articles on it:Sounds like a lot of US jobs and money to me.
Forgot to link to the article:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/owners_reports/1271006.html?page=2&c=y

Jobs are good but follow the profit.

[SmokeyDP]

We seem to have veered off the topic here. He is trying to find a SUB $12K car. Now im my opinion you can get a decent midrange $25K+ American car and have it last. Most of the low end American cars are the ones that have all the issues. Look at the Dodge Neon for example. I know 3 people who have ones 98-2000 years and they all turned to crap after 60K miles while properly maintained. If I had to find a car for under 12K I would seriously look at a foreign car.

[bbrian]

First, we don't have a trade deficit to Mexico. Second, assembly costs very little. I bet the amount of profit sent over is very minimal. Who cares if we have a trade deficit with a particular country? It's jobs leaving the US whether or not we have a trade deficit with them. American companies are moving the jobs to Canada and Mexico because they don't have to pay healthcare premiums, which GM claims is the single largest cost in building a car. Since the assembly plants contain the majority of the workers it makes sense for GM to move the assembly plants. Does that mean it is good for the US? I don't think so.

Jobs are good but follow the profit. I still think the amount of $$ leaving the US to build/assemble a domestic car is more than the $$ leaving in profit for 'foreign' cars built/assembled in the US. Profit margins aren't that big and the majority of the cost of making a car is in parts and assembly and the labor/benefits associated with those processes.

We seem to have veered off the topic hereYup.. I've owned a Chrysler Cirrus (Dodge Stratus), it was a POS, despite being well maintained since day 1. There is not a single sub $12K domestic car (new or used) that I would recommend, especially when considering JLemonjello specifically he was planning on putting a lot of miles on it. Inexpensive domestic cars are not designed to last a long time or handle high mileage.

[LegendKiller]

Who cares if we have a trade deficit with a particular country? It's jobs leaving the US whether or not we have a trade deficit with them. American companies are moving the jobs to Canada and Mexico because they don't have to pay healthcare premiums, which GM claims is the single largest cost in building a car. Since the assembly plants contain the majority of the workers it makes sense for GM to move the assembly plants. Does that mean it is good for the US? I don't think so.
I still think the amount of $$ leaving the US to build/assemble a domestic car is more than the $$ leaving in profit for 'foreign' cars built/assembled in the US. Profit margins aren't that big and the majority of the cost of making a car is in parts and assembly and the labor/benefits associated with those processes.
Yup.. I've owned a Chrysler Cirrus (Dodge Stratus), it was a POS, despite being well maintained since day 1. There is not a single sub $12K domestic car (new or used) that I would recommend, especially when considering JLemonjello specifically he was planning on putting a lot of miles on it. Inexpensive domestic cars are not designed to last a long time or handle high mileage.



We could be at 100% employment in this country for 100 years and *STILL* run a trade deficit. How? The amount of foreign goods bought by people outweighs the cost and amount of domestic goods purchased.

[bbrian]

We could be at 100% employment in this country for 100 years and *STILL* run a trade deficit. How? The amount of foreign goods bought by people outweighs the cost and amount of domestic goods purchased.agreed.. and when you buy a domestic car you are purchasing more imported/foreign goods than when buying most foreign cars, so the point is?

[LegendKiller]

agreed.. and when you buy a domestic car you are purchasing more imported/foreign goods than when buying most foreign cars, so the point is?


I'd disagree with that. Furthermore, the countries we may manufacture in are not in a trade deficit against us. Mostly we export more to them than we import, which turns out to be good for us anyway. However, Japan, Korea, and China do not trade fairly.

[kimchicowboy]

yeah. korea doesn't. it's full of korea-only made products. bastids. in fact, the iRiver brand is going on a nationalistic front to combat apple's strong sales in mp3-happy korea, calling it the westernization of mp3s. hahaha. how silly.

[yippiekiyeh]

I don't know if you're looking for an american or import... but for something around the $12k mark you should check out Scion(Toyota) tC. That should be around your bugdet level...

[bbrian]

Ok.. so a 'foreign' car (Civic as an example) is being manufactured and assembled in the US and nothing is being imported/exported from Japan, Korea, or China, only some parts from Canada. Lets compare that to a Chevy Aveo which most the all parts come from Mexico/China/Korea and is assembled in Korea. So how is buying the civic bad and buying the cavalier good?
The same comparisons can be made across several GM/Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles and some Ford. Fortunately, many of the newly redesigned cars by GM and Ford this year are assembled in the US. Unforunately, many parts are coming from Japan especially on Ford and GMs upcoming hybrids.

[Airencracken]

I don't know if you're looking for an american or import... but for something around the $12k mark you should check out Scion(Toyota) tC. That should be around your bugdet level...


Very good car! But I believe it's around 16k...

[rasetsu]

They are still foreign in my books. Most of the profits still go to Japan/Korea/whereever. Meanwhile, US companies still face super high roadblocks in getting the same treatment in those countries.


GM has been building cars in Mexico and Canada for years. So I guess all the jobs Toyota and Honda creates when they open up plants here mean nothing? :rolleyes:

[rasetsu]

I just read this whole thread and realized how irrational people are being. He asked for a good recommendation on a sub $12K car and people are making suggestions based on personal biases. I doubt he intends to make a statement with his car. He just wants something that's cheap and reliable. For you people who buy cars because of your own personal/political beliefs, go on ahead, but don't try to "convert" someone who's just looking for an appliance. There's no need to over think the question. If you truly believe that "domestics" are the way to go then recommend one that fits his criteria, which after two pages, is something I have yet to read.

My tip: Corolla - okay power, roomy for what it is, and you can beat the hell out of it for cheap