4 months ago I was in the market for a new sedan. I was originally very interested in the Pontiac G8 GT, as I like the styling, the power and the price. I also liked the fact that I’d be able to support the “Buy American” movement.
So I visited a Pontiac dealership but was disappointed to find that the G8 lacks the one feature that I really wanted, navigation, which was available in most other sedans in the price range. On-Star is good for emergencies but can’t replace the convenience of nav for everyday driving.
I then also learned that G8 is built in Australia. Now I have nothing against the Aussies and don’t have a clue on the workmanship there, but my intention was to support American manufacturing, not Aussie’s.
So I ended up buying a Honda Accord, with nav, which was built in Marysville Ohio. Soon after I bought the car the decision of canning Pontiac was made by GM, which is probably no big loss anyway since its best car is made in Australia, not USA. But I’m glad I didn’t get the G8 or I’d have service issues in the future and probably very poor resale value.
The lesson I learned from this car-shopping experience; don’t buy American based on brand…buy American based on actual site of manufacturing. So what if components may not all be sourced in the US. I seriously doubt if there is a 100% made in USA car out there, with all components sourced from within this country.. and that all suppliers of these components sourced their raw materials (steel, plastic, etc.) from within this country.
