Buying American and a thought experiment

[PetroleumJunkie412]

As of late, I've been looking for American made options with everything I buy.

Tired of feeding the Chinese machine. Bring it home.





Of course, difficult to do, most of this stuff is slave labor made. Americans love cheap crap, and to complain about it.

I'm guilty of it.






Then the thought occurred to me.


What would it cost to produce a 100% made in USA basic car?

 

[Dirtman]

It would probably be easier to just make China part of America...

 

[Eddo Rogue]

As of late, I've been looking for American made options with everything I buy.

Tired of feeding the Chinese machine. Bring it home.





Of course, difficult to do, most of this stuff is slave labor made. Americans love cheap crap, and to complain about it.

I'm guilty of it.






Then the thought occurred to me.


What would it cost to produce a 100% made in USA basic car?

Ill keep it short for now...I present them the scenario of what if they couldn't just go out and buy it (or stay in and order it online), and had to actually make or find someone that could? how valuable would it be then?

Yep labor cost. or the cost of technology to replace the labor...everywhere else you can get cheap labor. Its not Americans fault, they have a much higher cost of living to keep up with.

Also I dont think the word or concept of consumer exists in other countries or languages, except maybe a translated form reserved for the wealthy and lavish.

Im having a harder time finding good rather than cheap....Like a decent alternator....

Then again I bought $98 Stiletto finish hammer, which I consider a bargain for how much better it works than a HF hammer...and thats just a dang hammer!

Check out Japanese ratchets like KTC, they are expensive and awesome...Now I see how they can work in those crammed engine bays.


If the other 1st world countries can pull it off, we should be able to

Oddly, 'Murica is one of the few countries will allow non citizens to buy/own property/land. We sold the Pontiac Silverdome to Canada. Nothings sacred around here, except money.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

It would probably be easier to just make China part of America...

Dirtman for President 2020 (er '24)

 

[Bgunner]

As of late, I've been looking for American made options with everything I buy.

Tired of feeding the Chinese machine. Bring it home.





Of course, difficult to do, most of this stuff is slave labor made. Americans love cheap crap, and to complain about it.

I'm guilty of it.






Then the thought occurred to me.


What would it cost to produce a 100% made in USA basic car?

What would it realistically cost to produce a 100% U.S.A produced vehicle? OK I'm not an economist but as close as I can figure, lets take an F150y and make all in the U.S., You are taking a $40,000 base model vehicle and adding at least $20,000 to the price because we be greedy americans that don't give a rip about the U.S. economy and want every thing handed to us,,,


I'm sorry... not really... that this is what my and your generation has turned this "we're the best" nation into, a bunch of racist a-holes that don't care about whether we kill the population or not and a lets mark up the cost of parts country into what it is today... not giving a rip about the people country...

I admit I seem to be a distant but I have good reason to be with the state of things.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

What would it realistically cost to produce a 100% U.S.A produced vehicle? OK I'm not an economist but as close as I can figure, lets take an F150y and make all in the U.S., You are taking a $40,000 base model vehicle and adding at least $20,000 to the price because we be greedy americans that don't give a rip about the U.S. economy and want every thing handed to us,,,


I'm sorry... not really... that this is what my and your generation has turned this "we're the best" nation into, a bunch of racist a-holes that don't care about whether we kill the population or not and a lets mark up the cost of parts country into what it is today... not giving a rip about the people country...

I admit I seem to be a distant but I have good reason to be with the state of things.

There is an entitlement and greed factor...My parents escaped a country that used to be awesome, but their own greed led to their demise, when false promises misled the idiot majority to let islam take over, to raise me here. And thanks to their encouragement, I turned out relatively "Americanized". And growing up in Los Angeles, one upside is made I friends of visitors from all over.

Some of my very "white American" friends, there is a sort of idk "rich redneck" mentality, where they think resources are unlimited, and any kind of warning is a democrat tree hugger scare tactic. Even when if its something like "hey fossil fuel wont last forever", to which they will reply "BS we got tons of it go 'murica #1!"

They will kill any animal on their property, whether its not even food or nuisance, just nothing but a rare bird they enjoyed looking at. Then killed it

I myself, despite trying to be a positive contribution of a person, have been jaded into a bleak world view (maybe another L.A. side effect), and despite being loved for the most part when among my fellow humans, I for the most part stay home and lay low. I gave up trying to talk sense or logic or change anybodys mind or heart.

I think its a cost of living thing. I would pay an extra $20k for an a US made f150, especially if my job paid enough for me to afford that (as long I wasn't stupid with my money). Most people dump more than that in repairs, mods, maintenance etc...But if you tried explaining the cost offset of that by having paying more for a quality us made truck, they would call you a shady trickster...Meanwhile the slick used car salesman, shady repair shops, and cheap outsourced parts providers is taking them to the cleaners.

Greed, corruption, human nature etc... may be why both communism and capitalism are highly flawed, despite both contrasts sounding perfect on paper.

I was once interning sitting in on a real estate meeting, with businessmen and women of various backgrounds, when one of them, in a moment of frustration, gave a perhaps offensive, but interesting statement "the way these Americans think and do business, their brains are like their trucks, 4x4 squares"

Its all a crap shoot...we managed to become a world superpower, despite being only a few hundred years old, which is relatively young (compared to Germany, Italy,France, Japan, China, etc... )...and now we are effin that up slowly but surely....

And really its just as messed up or worse most everywhere else...Can u name a nation/country/empire or whatever that is not corrupt? And had leaders actually trying to build a utopian society? most fair and just rulers taht really were about their people, were eaten alive by them, or otherwise overtaken and murdered by their competition.

Anyways I get what your saying ,even tho its kind of a crappy way of saying it lol...but hell l could have been more eloquent as well. Language is limited by articulation.

I have a very love/hate relationship w/ Earth Humans

I heard a saying "those that should be in charge, dont want to be"

and my outro quote to this rant:

"Aliens landed, and said our planet wasn't worth invading, because all our natural resources are fading" -Del tha funkee homosapien.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The biggest cost drivers of an american built vehicle are union wages and (for any vehicle) government mandates.

The latter is also why it makes it impossible to find a vehicle we truely enjoy.

If it wasnt for the government doing everything to keep idiots from hurting themselves and the big 3 having to pay the guy scrapeing chew from the urinals 30/hr+full benifits i bet 20-25k would buy a NICE ride.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I cleaned up some language issues in an above post... I ask PLEASE keep the profanity out of the general forums. If there are any questions about what is inappropriate.... refer to the Terms and Rules tab at the bottom of every page.

Thanks!

 

[RobbieD]

In the first place, I don't know if it would even be possible to have a "USA basic car" designed anymore. You would probably have to bring some old engineers out of retirement, and supply them with drafting tables and slide rules.

And then to build them, you'd need people that can actually work with their hands, which in itself is a dying art these days.

 

[Uncle Gump]

This is probably an example of what something like that would cost... Gateway Bronco is building new first Gen Broncos. Not sure how much of the component parts are made here state side... but I will bet the starting price for one would probably be comparative to any "truck" Made in the USA.

Edit.... for the link

Brand-new classic Ford Broncos now on sale

Forget those barn finds.

www.foxnews.com

 

[rusty ol ranger]

This is probably an example of what something like that would cost... Gateway Bronco is building new first Gen Broncos. Not sure how much of the component parts are made here state side... but I will bet the starting price for one would probably be comparative to any "truck" Made in the USA.

Edit.... for the link

Brand-new classic Ford Broncos now on sale

Forget those barn finds.

www.foxnews.com

90-200k+....

Ill pass.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Really I don't think it would be terribly hard to do aside from the electronics and plastics.

For like the F-150 most of the powertrain stuff is made in NA already. Where the steel/aluminum is mined is another thing too.

It is neat on my first gen, if you start paying attention to parts quite a few of them have stampings from little shops that Ford contracted to build parts. Like the front sway bar brackets were made by these guys across the river from Detroit:

Welcome to Titan Tool & Die Limited, World Class Manufacturing

A privately held woman-owned world class manufacturing supplier Established in 1956 by the late Joseph Szecsei. Owned & Operated by the Szecsei Family since 1956.

titantool.ca

I have seen what looks like an anvil on interior trim parts, I haven't deciphered who that was yet. My overhead map clock was made in Pennsylvania... stuff like that.

Aside from modern made in china replacement parts the only big part of my truck not made in US is the Mazda transmission and probably the Alpine radio.

This is probably an example of what something like that would cost... Gateway Bronco is building new first Gen Broncos. Not sure how much of the component parts are made here state side... but I will bet the starting price for one would probably be comparative to any "truck" Made in the USA.

Edit.... for the link

Brand-new classic Ford Broncos now on sale

Forget those barn finds.

www.foxnews.com

Can't forget the volume discount. One off or nearly one off stuff is going to cost much more. Gateway will probably be hard pressed to sell a couple hundred Broncos built lovingly one at a time in a year (they are limited to 325), Ford has sold 20k+ Rangers so far in this screwed up year.

 

[Ranger850]

There is an entitlement and greed factor...My parents escaped a country that used to be awesome, but their own greed led to their demise, when false promises misled the idiot majority to let islam take over, to raise me here. And thanks to their encouragement, I turned out relatively "Americanized". And growing up in Los Angeles, one upside is made I friends of visitors from all over.

Some of my very "white American" friends, there is a sort of idk "rich redneck" mentality, where they think resources are unlimited, and any kind of warning is a democrat tree hugger scare tactic. Even when if its something like "hey fossil fuel wont last forever", to which they will reply "BS we got tons of it go 'murica #1!"

They will kill any animal on their property, whether its not even food or nuisance, just nothing but a rare bird they enjoyed looking at. Then killed it

I myself, despite trying to be a positive contribution of a person, have been jaded into a bleak world view (maybe another L.A. side effect), and despite being loved for the most part when among my fellow humans, I for the most part stay home and lay low. I gave up trying to talk sense or logic or change anybodys mind or heart.

I think its a cost of living thing. I would pay an extra $20k for an a US made f150, especially if my job paid enough for me to afford that (as long I wasn't stupid with my money). Most people dump more than that in repairs, mods, maintenance etc...But if you tried explaining the cost offset of that by having paying more for a quality us made truck, they would call you a shady trickster...Meanwhile the slick used car salesman, shady repair shops, and cheap outsourced parts providers is taking them to the cleaners.

Greed, corruption, human nature etc... may be why both communism and capitalism are highly flawed, despite both contrasts sounding perfect on paper.

I was once interning sitting in on a real estate meeting, with businessmen and women of various backgrounds, when one of them, in a moment of frustration, gave a perhaps offensive, but interesting statement "the way these Americans think and do business, their brains are like their trucks, 4x4 squares"

Its all a crap shoot...we managed to become a world superpower, despite being only a few hundred years old, which is relatively young (compared to Germany, Italy,France, Japan, China, etc... )...and now we are effin that up slowly but surely....

And really its just as messed up or worse most everywhere else...Can u name a nation/country/empire or whatever that is not corrupt? And had leaders actually trying to build a utopian society? most fair and just rulers taht really were about their people, were eaten alive by them, or otherwise overtaken and murdered by their competition.

Anyways I get what your saying ,even tho its kind of a crappy way of saying it lol...but hell l could have been more eloquent as well. Language is limited by articulation.

I have a very love/hate relationship w/ Earth Humans

I heard a saying "those that should be in charge, dont want to be"

and my outro quote to this rant:

"Aliens landed, and said our planet wasn't worth invading, because all our natural resources are fading" -Del tha funkee homosapien.

Anybody who quotes DEL the punky homosapien, is automatically my friend

 

[Uncle Gump]

90-200k+....

Ill pass.

If you truly want American Made... you should probably get use to paying up.

I believe the price would come down as volume goes up... but it won't/can't be like flipping a switch. It will take time for American Made products to become the norm... or you can just keep buying the worlds junk and be prepared to throw it away and buy more junk.

 

[19Walt93]

I don't think the higher cost of labor in the US and Canada should be blamed on greed, everyone wants to earn a good living. Included in manufacturing costs are expenses for pensions, sick pay, social security( employer has to match the employee contribution), liability insurance, workman's comp, compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations, and whatever benefits the employees get that I failed to mention. I used to but cars and parts at dealer cost and labor at a discount, for example. When we buy Chinese stuff we're voting with our dollars for unsafe working conditions and industrial pollution. In the mid teens, we had a recall on Mexican built door latches in several models. I started working in garages in 1972 and had never seen a door latch fail before. The Takata air bags that have been killing people at least since the first documented case in Hondas in 2001 are another example of "superior quality" foreign products. During my career-both as a mechanic and as a service manager- I always tried to do the best job I could and I think that's true of most people. The lazy, greedy, sloppy American worker is a stereotype with no basis in fact, it's just fashionable to bash America and Americans while giving foreigners and their products a pass.