Angry Ford dealer in SC calls imports "rice ready...not road ready"

I looked at the cars you have listed and it looks like you pay a lot more money overseas for gas than the people that have Toyota's.Keep up the good work,I think you are one of the few on this site that believes in what you are saying.
when you are asked If you have anything on your lot that will compete with a Prius and you say not yet I think you will be saying that for a long time.They have always told me seeing is believing, they are right i have seen and owned and believe. Show me......Toyota did.

 

Fair enough, so let's look at the Camry Hybrid vs Malibu Hybrid:

City/Hwy:Combined - Make and model
33/34:34 - Toyota Camry Hybrid
26/34:29 - Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

Fuel Economy

27/25:26 - Toyota Highlander Hybrid (1,800 lbs capacity, seats 7)
19/29:23 - Chevrolet HHR automatic 2.4 L engine (1,000 lbs capacity, seats 5)

Fuel Economy

What we're pointing out is this is a "Prius" forum with a strong hybrid bias. If you want to argue "gas-to-gas," you're in the wrong place. We don't care because we're not those kind of customers.

Now if Toyota goes out and decides to compete in the 'high profit' market of big gas cars and trucks, well that doesn't bother me. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care for that teat.

That Toyota sells a hybrid doesn't send me to their sales lots to buy a gas vehicle. I go there to buy a hybrid vehicle. They can have all the dancing sales critters they want, I'm not going there to buy a gas vehicle:


Now think about it, reflect upon it. Have you found anyone here who seemed even the littlest bit interested in buying a gas vehicle? Anyone?

Now I did buy a 1994 GMC G30, Coachman conversion this year for my wife so she will no longer tell me she wants an "RV":

I've put about 900 miles on the Coachman: 850 to pick it up and 50 to the repair shop. Since then, it has sat in the driveway waiting the day she actually wants to use it. That is perfectly fine by me. But does that make me even the slightest bit a likely buyer for another "gas vehicle?"

Take a deep breath and ask yourself, "Do I really want to sell refrigerators to Eskimos?" Look at the facts:

• We are not stupid, mush, headed "green freaks" - the image CNW Marketing, Top Gear, and others have tried to sell.
• We are not high performance, eye candy buyers - the image Car and Driver and Motor Trend tries to sell.
• We are nothing like the nonsense, wrong headed opinions Robert Lutz and Rick Wagner have tried to sell - and no takers.

Go out to your used car lot and count how many hybrids were traded-in, not bought from a wholesaler, but traded-in for some GM vehicle.

I have no problem with you asking and learning about hybrids and what makes hybrid owner's tick. I'm just wondering if you'll ever realize we don't care about your claims. Except for the rare exception where there is no hybrid filling a nitch, we don't really care about the "gas only" vehicles choking the lots of the less "Big 3."

This isn't a Toyota brand bias, I like the Ford Escape too. The Honda hybrid 'doesn't s*ck' nor does it inspire. But when I want 5,000 lbs of metal to stay parked in the driveway and never move except to wipe the rust from the brakes, well I know where to find them. Just I won't pay new price since the used ones are all but free.

Bob Wilson

 

You're absolutely right, Bob. How in the world the so-called corporate-minded Republicans managed to wreck the economy with reckless spending and deregulation is beyond me. Maybe the answer is they have gone off the deep end--reactionary and obstructionist.

Look at the "patriotic" conservative southern Republican senators--who want to see the American car industry die. I'm waiting for the media to expose those Alabama senators whose state subsidizes four foreign car plants. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but that's no excuse to bury the American car industry. What a bunch of hypocrites.

 

So unless I read the thread totally wrong, Patsparks wasn't talking about a Prius, he mentioned a Toyota Corolla. What have you got that ticks that box ?

 

This was the thought process I went through:

Knowing that someday energy prices would spike again, I waited for a good 'ole American bubba made fuel efficient car to come out. God bless them, I know they'll come through. Buy American! :usa2: There's no way I'm buying a friggin rice burner. Hmmm... let's see what they've got this year, my Dodge is getting ready to be replaced. Nope, nothing yet, but they'll come through - I know they will. Next year comes around. Nothing, but boy, the foreigners are coming out with a lot of nice stuff. That's okay, I'll just hold out, US manufacturers aren't stupid, I'm sure they've got something in the works.. Next year comes around. Nope. So the next year gas is up to 4 bucks a gallon, I'm pumping thousands of dollars into my truck in repairs (and I'm doing the labor). It's time, what's out there? Hmmm... they still have the same old line of gas guzzling tanks, and they've got more in the queue. What are they thinking? Wait! What's that on the road! Salvation! That little Aveo looks pretty nice, I think I'll go drive one. Geez what a POS! Research, reasearch, research... it's nothing but a Daewoo Kalos, made in Korea. Damn it, even the American Auto makers have betrayed me.

All right, I'll tell 'ya what, I give up. Everything else I buy is made overseas (there is no choice any more). I'm not gonna drive a rebranded Daewoo, or any other foreign built car with an American car company badge on it. If I'm going to drive a foreign car, I'm going to be honest about it. Screw them. Research, research, research... my next car is a Prius. That's it.

So, here I am.

Cut and paste that posting and email it back to your GM suppliers Malorn.

In spite of their piss poor product diversification and lack of foresight, I support a bailout for US automakers. The (hopefully) new management team will learn from their past mistakes, and the US will benefit from not letting yet another manufacturing sector disappear. The bailout debt will force a VAT in the US and level out the international trade playing field for American made products.

 

Sorry Malorn, you may have missed my question, I was after an American made car that is the same class as a Toyota Corolla.
See the question here: - http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/56513-angry-ford-dealer-in-sc-calls-imports-rice-ready-not-road-ready-6.html#post759076
Please don't take this as an attack on you, I'd be looking to a Ford dealer for an answer or more specifically the ford dealer that is the subject of this thread to tell me what he has to offer me that is made by real bud drinkin', grits eatin, McCain votin, red neck car workers in the good old US of A, but unfortunately we don't have any here (on PC). Please feel free to pick up the loose ball and run with it.

If you want to cross the floor and name a competitor's product please feel free.

 

I bought a new Dodge pickup back in 96, what a POS that thing has left me stranded twice and I've spent over $3K keeping it road worthy. I even had to repaint it cause all it all fell off. It has 65K miles on it.

I have a 4X4 Toyota Hilux I bought new in 84, I change the oil and replace the battery every few years. Let see, I remember changing a water pump and an clutch hydraulic cylinder. This truck has 140K miles on it and it runs like a champ.

So stupid me, when I needed a commuter, I bought a Prius.

 

I personally love rice. Gimme some broccoli, water chestnuts, some chicken and some baby corn with it and I'm perfect!

I don't mind the dealers comment at all

 

The last sentence says it all, " IF only the UAW would allow it"

 

When you don't have a good argument you turn to racism. He does not represent America.

 

Although anecdotal, your evidence does appear to be a likely example of reality.

According to consumer reports, the Aveo has one of the lowest owner satisfaction rates. I can't find the 2008 number but in 2007 it was under 50% (compared to the best at 90+%).

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if that chump shops at wal-mart.
.
_H*

 

Well, he might not represent your "PC" America, but I can see how he perfectly represents mine. Asian cars that have been modified, for awhile, have been called "Ricers". Other than the supra, most toyotas are too boring to modify, so it's mainly hondas that get called ricers, and nissans.

Calling them "rice-ready" just plays off the idea that they're ready to be turned into "ricers", which is something that has become very popular with this generation. There's a strong adversion by most "good 'ole boys" against ricers, and I can see why he'd build off of that.

I think you all have taken his statement out of context

And why would it be a big deal if he shops at walmart? Nevermind questionable business ethics, if it's the only store around, you're gonna shop there whether you like it or not. Would you drive 50 miles to buy food if that meant not shopping at walmart?

 

GM will fix everything. Especially blame. It blamess everything else except their self for its problems. Take it from a GM dealer, who knows. Now that GM has their problems fixed squarly on others, eh, what is the sollution again?

Oh, that's right tarriffs. Historically, those have always been such a raging success. And since tarriffs work so great, how about slapping tarriffs between each state? Oh wait, that was another miserable failure.

When a new model of ANYthing first comes out, it's not a sound rational to say, "I can't buy it because it's only 2% of the market" (or 5% etc). Every good thing has a start ... its first 1/2 % ... its first 1% ... 2% ... 4% ... etc. Similarly, if we begin changing over to EV's hopefully we won't pooh pooh it away because at first, "the EV makes up only 2%". That's how we begin. And it's how we get away from throwing away such a huge part of our money at the terrorist countrys that want to do us in.

Malorn fails to ask the BIGGEST question: How schizophrenic is it to pay the enemy, then go fight the enemy. His "keep the money in the U.S.A. via tarriffs" fails to account for the trillions of the budget that gets burned up every second via THAT method. Wasted military expense is so huge that it makes car import/exports and GM's chapter 11 a non-issue.

 

Living in Canada, we look at Gm, Ford and Chrysler the same way the US does, our car companies.

Now, I have always had Japanese cars, and always will. I think this thing with the "big 3" goes back to before my time (I'm 27). My parents both had Fords as their first cars. And, to no one here's surprise, nothing but problems. By the time I was born, they had one car, a 79 Jeep. In 91 my dad, who said he'd never buy a foreign car, bought a Honda Accord.
No problems, while friends of theirs bought American cars, and problems, and as time went on these people also switched to Japanese cars.

Why? because they were much better built. Now, fast forward to today. I've been in a few new Ford and Chrysler cars, no GM however. I'm not a guy to impress, but I will say they have stepped up the quaility in their cars. Although with me, the damage is done, I won't switch to them.

The other way I look at it, the guy I bought my Subaru from, works and lives in.... Canada.... the guy I bought the Prius from....again, lives and works in Canada. Same goes with all the sales people for any of the cars that you all have bought and will buy.

Also:

He mentioned shopping at walmart in his ad, that's why it was brought up on here.
If he is going to criticise people who shop at walmart, then the idea is he wouldn't shop there.

 

Anyone seen Malorn?
I just want someone to tell me what American made car fits my needs.

 

And my point was that maybe he doesn't have many other options as to where to shop.

Just because you patronize a place doesn't mean you share their same values or think the same way

 

I think you're confusing economic nationalism with racism. It should be pointed out that some of the most economically nationalist cultures in the world are located in Asia. If Americans are economically nationalist (especially those of European descent), they're marginalized as isolationists and racists.

I understand the Angry Ford Dealer's frustration, but like I said in my previous posting... If I'm going to drive a foreign vehicle, I'm going to be honest about it. I'm not driving a Daewoo, or any other kind of foreign car with an American auto manufacturer's badge on it and believe I'm "buying American". It is the American auto manufacturer that has betrayed us, not we that have betrayed them. If there were a comparable American made product to the Prius, I would certainly have bought it.

For the lack of an American "Prius", the choice is only whether you want to send money to Asia or the Middle East.

 

Anyone?

 

Then he shouldn't of mentioned it in his ad