So my own neighbor hood research got me thinking more.
What is the general populations ownership history?
Obviously being a Honda oriented boar will provide a skewed data set but it will provide some interesting insight I believe.

 

I've had Datsun (1970 510), six Hondas, and a Toyota. I have never bought an American car after seeing the trouble my parents always had with them as I was growing up.

 

On the other hand, my 1998 Odyssey WAS built in the U.S.A. so that makes it US built.

 

My first S2000 is the first non-American car I've ever owned. We still own a mustang (daughter drives it), Jeep, Mountaineer and corvette. The Honda is the only non-American car in our fleet.

 

My last American car was a 1973 Olds 442, what a piece of crap. I traded it within 6 months and purchased a 1973 Volvo 1800ES. Than I owned a 1980 Volvo 242GT. That was the last car that I personally owned for 20 years, I was provided a company car. 2 Peugeots, a Citroen, and 4 Volvo's. In 2000 I purchased an Accord, and finally in 2003, I bought the S.

 

I have had one for years and still do. Haven't had any problems with it and it will turn 50,000 miles sometime this month.

 

'91 Chevy Blazer bought used; junk.

 

I had a NUMMI*-built Geo Prizm that I bought used as my first car. Does that count as American? Aside from that General Toyota, I've only owned Hondas (Honda-Acura-Honda.)

My wife had three Jeeps in a row, but traded her most recent one for a Jetta under my watch.




*NUMMI = Joint venture between Toyota and GM; they used to built the Toyota Corolla/Geo Prizm, and now I believe build the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix.

 

I've only owned Hondas. My father only buys American. He likes his last car (Mercury Sable wagon) only because it's LESS unreliable than previous cars.

On the other hand, they were having a discussion of US content in cars on the radio the other day. According to (IIRC) MSN Atos, 3 or 4 of the top 10 cars in American content were 'imports' - I think the Honda Odyssey was #4 or #5 on the list. The lowest American content car was a Chevy (the Aveo) at 4%.

It's getting hard to 'buy American' even if you want to.

JonasM

 

I'll assume when you said car, you would also accept votes based upon all the other things made by US companies such as pickups, vans, suvs...

Last one was a brand new '94 top of the line Chevy S-10 Extended Cab, 4x4, V6. Biggest piece of crap I have ever owned, and let me just say, the cars I drove in high school were nothing special, but they were not as bad as that crappy Chevy.

I dumped it before it had 32,000 miles on it, because if it had gotten to 36,000 and no warranty, it would have taken me to the poor house. Keep in mind, the vehicle before that was an 86.5 Nissan SE-V6, 4x4, King Cab that I drove until 188,000 miles- it was on a flatbed once. The vehicle after the Chevy was a '95 Nissan XE-V6, 4x4, King Cab that I drove until 135,000 miles- it was on a flatbed once. The Chevy in just 32,000 miles was on a flatbed 4-times; I was so sick and tired of paying for a new truck and always wondering where I would get stranded. Never again GM, never, ever again!!!