Did you ever stop to think about the large number of Japanese cars sold
both here AND in Japan?  While as you say not many American cars are
sold outside North America?  And you call this "so what"?  Did you
perhaps think this might possibly be related to why companies like
Ford aren't doing so well?  Naaahhhh!!!

Clearly, if American companies are being blocked from overseas markets
we need to retaliate against those markets by closing our markets to
those countries.  Tariffs are certainly one of the tools used to do
this.  But
it is very important to hold tariffs in reserve as punative actions,
not to
instigate them.

For countries that don't close their markets to the US, it is stupid
and
foolish to tariff their products, or they are going to retaliate
against us in
kind.  And for countries that are willing to open their markets in
exchange
for us opening our markets, once again, it's stupid to tariff against
them.

Unfortunately what I see too much of is efforts by the US government to
give favored trading status to countries like China which have a
history
of not only not purchasing our manufacturers products, but outright
stealing them by making forgeries of them.  In short, the US government
tariffs countries that it shouldn't, and doesen't tariff products from
countries
that really are not in any way friendly to us.

Ted

And there are plenty of 'American' cars outside the US.  It's just that they
are usually not made in USA.  Plus cars like the Mercedes M-Class.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

[...]

Superior vehicles according to whom?

Rags like Consumer Reports and Car and Driver focus on ownership costs
during the first 5 years or so, to them any vehicle older than 10 years old
is
used up and worthless.  But there are lots of people who buy cars and run
them for
10-15 years, and there's lots of 3rd generation owners buying used vehicles
out there that are 7-8 year old vehicles.  The Ragazines don't pay attention
to
those people since they aren'y buying the Rag's advertisers products.

So, if your in that market which would you buy, a 9 year old Japanese car
with 125Kmiles on an engine that will bend all the valves when the timing
belt breaks, or a 9 year old domestic non-interference engine with 125k?
Remember - you just have enough money for the car, not for dumping $300 into
a
timing belt change right after you buy it.

Now maybe your attitude is f.ck all the poor 3rd generation owners, we don't
give a sh.t about them, but what about the owners who buy new cars and don't
feel like being indebted to a car payment for the rest of their natural
lives by
continual "trading in" every 5 years?

We all know which is more expensive to buy replacement parts for when they
get long in the tooth and start needing things.

Ted