What will it take for a JAPANESECARBUYER to buy American again.?

Question

This question is only for the people who only buy Japanese cars.

Answer 1

Another Pearl Harbor

Answer 2

I have never owned an American car and have owned almost only Japanese cars, except for one German and one Swedish car.

I will say that I am closer now to buying American then I ever have been. To answer your question, I would say the American car companies are moving in the right direction. Paying more and more attention to quality and reliability. Building good small cars has always been a problem for America, but now we have the Ford Focus and the new Chevy Cobalt, both of which are some of the best American small cars ever built. They need to continue to keep getting lighter on their feet and quick to respond to new trends. DaimlerChrysler did a great job of this buy coming out with the Caliber.

I seriously considered buying a Ford Focus though and I might have if there were not so many quality/reliabilty issues especially with the earlier models.

One of the biggest things that drives people to Japanese cars is the perception that they are super-reliable and trouble free. The other is that they have high quality and high resale value.

As long as American car companies keep working HARD to get better like they have been they will win Japanese-only buyers over. They need to keep striving for even better reliability and make their new cars reliable on launch, not 3 years after. That and they need to stop with the huge price cutting incentives and sales that kill the resale value of the used cars.

Basically they need to keep doing what they are doing. Copy Japanese quality control methods. Be relentless in focusing on reliability and quality and make sure people know that. Build stuff in the United States and emphasize it in advertising when they do. If Honda can build the Civic profitably in the United States, then Ford can build the Focus here instead of in MEXICO.

Overall I think they are on the right track, but there is more work to do and they are trying to hit a moving target so it is hard.

Answer 3

It depends on the car and its manufacturer. I've had both Japanese and American cars. I've liked each one for various reasons. At the time I bought 2 Toyotas, the were the best built with the best options, at the best price. When I bought American cars after the Toyotas, the same conditions were met by the particular car I was buying at the time.

I don't know anybody who lives by that credo "Be American, Buy American" anymore. While is a good ideal, many American made products lack the quality of their foreign counterparts. I don't make enough money to have money to waste. If it's known that one brand product is better than another, I'll buy the more reliably manufactured one every time!

Answer 4

I would need American automakers to build cars that don't fall apart all the time. Our previous GM cars (3+) were nothing but problems. However, i've had a used Toyota for 4 years now, and have needed no major repairs. None at all.

Answer 5

When Americans can make a reliable car at a reasonable price

Answer 6

Well, if they buy a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry or even a Nissan Altima they are buying American. They are ALL built in the USA.

Answer 7

When Americans learn how to space words properly, and learn the proper usage of the "Caps Lock" key.

Answer 8

when american car manufacturers make cars worth buying (ie also make their cars have better resale value)

Answer 9

throw it in their face," are you AMERICAN then buy American."

Answer 10

FIREFLY said it all