Wow. Thanks for the breathtaking research CSA. Very very interesting. Explains why some here grumble grumble “I will never own a GM car”.
I was just reacting to the statement to move to America if you want to buy an import, and pointed out that the majority of America is not in a major metro area. This info explains why there would be few GM dealers in NH and many import dealers. Not so in Minnesota at least in the red areas outside of the major metro area. Of course instead of red and blue, a lot of the country is striped depending on what neighborhood you are in.
You are what you drive, or is it you drive what you are?
Fodaddy, I bought a '95 SL, at my wife’s insistence. It was underwhelming, with the typical number of warranty repairs for minor stuff that one would expect from a GM. My ex took it in the divorce (I got my '89 Toyota pickup) and it was a piece of junk (according to my kids) by the time the headgasket blew at 100,000 miles. My ex had that repaired, and it was still a piece of junk… that had operating problems. She got rid of it and got another Saturn (some people don’t learn from experience). Meanwhile, I kept on driving my pickup. Went everywhere with it. Eventually, at about 300,000 miles, I gave it to my daughter, who drove it until it got totaled at 338,000 miles. Never had any internal work done. It was still running great when it got totaled.
Sorry @“Common sense answer”…but your surveys don’t take into the FACT that Asian vehicles outsell domestic vehicles.
Your red state vs blue state comparison is so out of wack…Most of the red states have very low populations. So what a few hundred thousand people in North Dakota buy American vehicles…those numbers are easily discounted by the number of people in NY who buy Asian. More people by Asian vehicles in NY State then almost all the red states buy American COMBINED. You can’t compare by state.
"Blue-staters on each coast, from Los Angeles to Seattle and from Boston to the District, are the most likely to drive foreign cars. Domestic brands have their highest levels of market share in the mostly conservative interior of the country."
And the coasts are where the highest concentration of the US population is. 39% of the US live directly on the shore line.
Again…the red state vs blue state is based on Presidential election…but not necessarily the true demographics of the state. NH for example is very very republican…but we voted for Clinton and Obama. We have a lot of Independents (like myself) who don’t adhere to one party.
The other thing your surveys didn’t take into account were economic status.Here in New England our salaries tend to be higher then the mid west. Thus able to afford the more expensive foreign vehicles.
It is mostly in red states - Republican strongholds - where domestic cars have 74 percent of the market or more."
Your survey also didn’t take into account the availability of foreign vehicles. You yourself won’t consider them because there aren’t any dealers near you. So how many people in the surveys fall into that category. Since the maps clearly showed the Mid-West red states had very few Asian dealers…kinda hard to buy one.
If the red states had as many Asian dealers as American dealers…Currently Asian vehicles account for more then half auto sales in the US…I suspect your numbers would change drastically… I could easily see Asian sales skyrocket to even 70%.
I spent time in California and Washington State, as well as Texas. European cars and Asian ones are extremely popular on the West Coast; the luxury cars are mainly Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura.
On the other hand in Texas luxury vehicles are Cadillac Escalades, Lincoln Navigators, Cadillac and Lincoln sedans, as well as high end pickup trucks. Asian luxury cars there are mainly driven by Asians.
I think my true independent status is upheld. I have both Asian and domestic, although the wife prefers the Acura and I prefer the Pontiac. Civil war indeed, like the war between the states. We just make sure we both vote to cancel each other out.
"NH for example is very very republican"
It used to be, Mike. I wish it still were.
I believe the voter registration rolls are used to identify red vs. blue states. I really don’t think it has any relationship whatsoever to car sales. Conservatives are just as likely to buy ricers (or European makes) as liberals. People spending their own money buy what meets their needs and their budgets. The philosophical difference comes not when spending their own money, but when spending other people’s money…
“On the other hand in Texas luxury vehicles are Cadillac Escalades, Lincoln Navigators, Cadillac and Lincoln sedans, as well as high end pickup trucks. Asian luxury cars there are mainly driven by Asians”
Not in DFW or Houston. Loads of Lexuses/Infinitis/Acuras sold, along with the German ‘big 3’. I’m sure lots more Cadillacs and Lincolns than on the coasts, but no shortage of import luxury cars here, driven by everybody, me included (ES300, until I got the MKZ hybrid). I would have gotten an ES350 hybrid if they sold it without the sunroof.
"Your survey also didn’t take into account the availability of foreign vehicles. You yourself won’t consider them because there aren’t any dealers near you. So how many people in the surveys fall into that category. Since the maps clearly showed the Mid-West red states had very few Asian dealers…kinda hard to buy one.
If the red states had as many Asian dealers as American dealers…Currently Asian vehicles account for more then half auto sales in the US…I suspect your numbers would change drastically… I could easily see Asian sales skyrocket to even 70%."
@MikeIn NH Mike, I get the impression that you don’t want to accept the survey results, right?
I wouldn’t buy a car that’s not a GM or Ford, regardless of dealer proximity. I don’t want my car manufacturer to be headquartered in other than the U.S.
I get such value, comfort and reliability (virtually trouble free and long lasting) from my GM purchases, new and used that I wouldn’t change brands. I would feel un-American driving an Asian car. I feel at home in any of my cars.
It’s not just me. I play golf on 3 leagues and talk with literally hundreds of people from my area that share my enthusiasm for American vehicles. CSA
Liberals play golf too. Obama plays a lot of golf. As did Bill Clinton.
I think it’s great that you’ve found a brand you like. But that has nothing to do with what the world around you is doing.
As regards those you play golf with feeling the same as you do about so-called “American” cars, that only demonstrates that birds of a feather hang together. The people I hang with all prefer rice burners. We’re all technical types. We’re all motivated by reliability and longevity.
As regards any feelings I might have of feeling un-American because I like Toyotas, my grandfather served in WWI, my father in WWII, I served during Vietnam, and my son (still in after 10 years) served on a Special Ops team in the mountains of Afghanistan. My grandfather and my dad are long since gone, but my son and I have discussed it and we are both adamant about standing up to attacks on our country and would both love to hunt down and bring to justice those that attacked our country on 9/11/2012 (Benghazi) and appalled that Obama is releasing all the terrorists from Guantanamo. I absolutely and emphatically do not feel un-American because I like Toyotas. And I would happily stand up face-to-face to anybody who implies that I am un American because I like Toyotas.
This is a car forum, so I’ll turn back to cars; anybody that has to drive a GM to feel patriotic probably has not made the real sacrifices that protect our country, like serving in the military in a time of war.
Mike, I get the impression that you don't want to accept the survey results, right?
Your survey stats may be valid…it’s the conclusions that I disagree with. There are many other factors you completely disregard that will drastically change the meaning of the stats. You’ve made no attempt to account for them… So take the stats and apply a very very narrow view to their conclusion to fit a situation that fits how you feel.
I would feel un-American driving an Asian car. I feel at home in any of my cars.
I feel un-American buying from a company like GM that for years fed us JUNK to buy and was only interested in PROFIT and could care less about the consumer. While all companies do that in some degree…GM has taken to a completely new level. GM screwed their employees. For the first 15 years of my car buying life I was a very loyal GM car buyer. After getting screwed I saw the light and won’t go back until they change. My brother-in-law was a huge Ford fan until about 6 years ago. Now he’s an extremely loyal Honda fan. He’s extremely happy he’s no longer on a first name basis with the car dealer technicians.
My other brother-in-law and I are both Vietnam Veterans. After the Army he went to work for New Process Gear working on the line. Worked his way up and earned a college degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse. Transferred to Michigan and eventually retired as a Plant Manager. Moved back to Syracuse and joined his two sons commercial building business. Within 10 years after retiring he saw his retirement benefits cut in half. At the same time he was seeing how many of his friends and ex co-workers are driving around in far more reliable Asian vehicles that he decided to switch. Hasn’t looked back since.
Agreed on Benson. Benson had sleeze oozing out of every pore. And I worked for the man...........
I know a few people who use to work for Cabletron that use to work for DEC. They were part of the sale of DEC’s network division to Cabletron. One of their lead Consultant Engineers left after 1 month after the sale. He thought it was going to be great since he lived in Exeter. Took a job in MA.
This whole discussion about liberals driving foreign cars and conservatives driving domestic makes takes me back to the late 1940s through the 1950s. I think about the college campus,where my dad taught. His more liberal colleagues drove the independent nameplates–Nash and Studebaker–while the more conservative faculty drove Dodge and Chrysler. Back in those days foreign nameplates hadn’t made the scene in any great numbers.
My neighbor (very liberal) was very proud of his Saab and used to make fun of our Lincoln. He called it a pimpmobile. I could have fit his little Saab in my trunk. I only paid $850 for it but needed a safe car for the wife’s out of town commute to school. It was during another fuel shortage and all of the small car prices were out of sight. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone else in the neighborhood back in the late 70’s had a foreign car except him.
Not that any of this makes any difference but it is interesting.
My closest car dealer is Asian (30 + miles ) I think the ignorant commercials helped kill Saturn ,Saturn wasnt an affordable Brand around here and mostly older people drove them ,now most switched to Kias and are happy .
I used to bleed for Ford ,but the dealers and wares sent Me packing ,the two Fords I would consider now are the Mustang and 150(want a zippy 30 mpg car ?look no farther then a V6 Mustang ) .
I test drove Saabs once, a coupe and a convertible. The coupe felt okay on the road, the convertible clearly hadn’t properly compensated for the missing structural pieces (the roof and pillars)… it was wobbly. Both were absolutely totally devoid of any compelling reason to want one. They were totally bland.
While I think Lincoln has lost its way these past years, the older Lincs had compelling reasons to buy one. They were smooth, roomy, plush, and bathed you in luxury. Especially the old “slabside” Lincs. There were and still are cool cars.
