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usmc4669
04-03-04, 08:50 PM
For years I said that I would only buy products that was made in the United States unless it was a product that I couldn't find that was made here. Then I went shopping for a small pickup truck and checked out all of the ones that were made here in the United States, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-10 and Dodge Dakota. What I found was a over priced small truck that when I checked out the dependability of them it wasn't very encouraging. So I checked out the Toyota and Nissan small pickups, the Toyota was way out of my budget so I checked out the Nissan and found it had the equipment that I wanted at a far less price than the Toyota and was also priced lower than the Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. I settled on the Nissan XE V-6 King Cab. That was in 1995 and to this day all that I have had to do to this pickup besides oil changes is put in a battery.

Now I was buying American Flags from Sams Club that were made of all places China, so I decided to stop buying China made flags and buy Flags made in the United States. I went to AAFES here at the Dyess Air Force Base and purchased three Flags that were made in the United States, I put one up Friday at about 1300 and took it down at 1730. When I checked it, I found that it was already beginning to fray at the edges and that one of the metal eyes had pulled out of the cloth. Seems as if our made in the USA products are inferior to the ones that we import from China. Could that be why a lot of our companies are moving out of the USA, better quality at a lower price? Workers used to be proud of the products that they made here in the USA, now it seems all that they worry about is how much will they get paid an hour.

MillRatUSMC
04-03-04, 09:56 PM
I could tell you something about "Made in the USA".
If you check some of the parts in that car/truck that was made in the USA.
Most likely you will find parts from a lot different countries.
On the other hand cars/trucks made by a company like Nissan or Toyota, they are required to have most parts made here before they can sell that product.
Before I retired, I was a welder/fitter for my company, in a department that made everything for that company.
From the size of a toy to something over 80 tons of steel.
We used to made everything we had to use to build those fabrications.
Than someone got the idea to have the Japanese come here and advice us how to cut down on the cost of producing steel.
First thing they told our management, "Why do all of you made the same products, you should "specialize", so we got out of structural products such a "I" beams and flat plates.
So we had to buy, I remember seeing plates from every country on this planet but the USA.
Now the steel companies are crying about "imports", hades they were the ones that started buying imported steel.
Once we went to Japan for 8" and 4" stainless pipe to the tune of over a million bucks.
We made something to check if some pipes out in the mills had bowed.
They used that once and than the scarped it, like it was nothing.
So what the moral to all this?
All isn't what it seems like, best check to see if it was really made with all American parts or is just using the label of an American company.

Semper Fidelis
Ricardo

MillRatUSMC
04-03-04, 10:06 PM
Talking about "Made in the USA"...times I catch myself thinking about what I did after the Marine Corps.
When I see men in construction doing some welding on this great building that they're in the process of building.
It also applys when I see some Marines in Dress Blues, the thought come to mind;
"Oh! to be young again and in the ranks with these young men."
But it's too late for these old bones, the knees are bad after three surgeries.
The eyes can't see too far without my glasses.
Take more pills as I age.
The mind is willing but I don't believe that body could take the punishment it once took.
Oh we can dream and ponder what could be...

Semper Fidelis
Ricardo

vision836
04-04-04, 11:40 AM
Made in U.S.A. Of all small trucks the Toyota is still the best. ( My opinion) I own a 99 Ranger bought brand new and with only 2000 miles needed a new clutch and with only 24400 miles a new transmission. I hardly drive it since I'm in my semi allday. You can't find any toys made in America and for that hardly any clothes. Finding someone to take pride in their work is few and far between. I've seen it in the steel mills from Pa to Chicago and Detroit. The waiting times to load is crazy because standing around and shooting the --it is more important so when their job is gone why do they have to wonder why?

usmc4669
04-04-04, 03:22 PM
vision836, I agree the Toyota is one of the best small pickups made, my son owns one. His cost him $24,000 it's a 4X4.

I don't like to knock Americans, we are a proud people or used to be, we took pride in what we made. I remember working in Cincinnati, OH in the 50's. I worked for Trailmobile they made trailer for Semi drivers like yourself. We were controlled by the Union, can't remember which one I was in, really doesn't matter they are all the same. We could only do one thing, if the assembly line stop moving because someone got behind we couldn't help him to get the line moving again. If one of the Union members got drunk on lunch break and was fired, the Union would call a walkout until he was reinstated, they paid him but we lost our wages until we went back to work, drunks had priority over the rest of us. We went out on strike for 7 cents an hour raise, the company offered 5 cents an hour, the Union turn them down, we were out for almost 2 months and when they went back to work they accepted the 5 cents an hour. I had to leave Ohio as I couldn't survive without a job and when they went back to work I was late getting back to Cincinnati and lost my job, the Union didn't go to bat for me, just said sorry nothing that we can do for you. It's like the Unions were blackmailing the company. Now most manufacturing companies have to cut back on quality due to labor rates in order to complete with the foreign markets. Most just move their operation to another country. The Heinz Company was one of them.

Here's a picture of one of the type of trailers that I help build. My job was to hang the doors. At one time I helped put on the cap.

greybeard
04-04-04, 04:19 PM
Don't get me started on "Made" in America. It's next to impossible to find anything truly mae in the USA.
my West Bend coffee maker is "asembled in the USA with imported & domestic parts".

my Philips Magnvox TV is made in ROC (Taiwan)

my computer was asembled here at home, with a MB made in S. Korea, ram from Taiiwan, drives from God knows where.

My Sharp stereo is made in Japan

The CNC machines I use at work are made in Germany, and Italy. (Morbidelli & Holzma)

We use particle board, hrd wood, and mdf from Mexico & Canada. We get our Baltic Birch from Russia. When I 1st went to work there, the USSR was still intact, and I got in some trouble because I refused to cut or machine the stuff. After I explained in no uncertain terms, the connection between the Baltic Birch-Russia-and the AK47 rounds sent my way, they let someone else handle that part of it.

All 3 of my vehicles are 1984 models. 2 84SE Fieros, and one 84 Jeep Cherokee. Almost all parts were made in America. Jeep was owned by American Motors at that ttime, and it currently has 270,000 miles on it, and neither the valve cover or the oil pan has ever been off of it. I'll keep it till the wheels fall off of it. The Fieros were made in Detroit, with some body panels made in Canada, but the engines and driive trains were made in the USA. This was before everything started going overseas, and all the big mergers. The combined mileage on the 3 vehicles is over 1/2 million. Made in America.
Now, Ford and Mazda are same same.
Chrysler and Mitsubishi are same same-with a smathering of Mercedes. Hell, here's the whole bunch:

GM
Buick
Cadillac
GMC
Hummer
Oldsmobile
Pontiac
Saab
GM Certified Used
GM Fleet
GM Defense
GM Modility
Holden
Opel
Vauxhall
GM Network (Partners) Fiat, Subaru, Fuji, Isuzu and Suzuki

Ford
Lincoln
Mercury
Volvo
Mazda (Ford owns control)
Jaguar(Ford owns it outright)
Land Rover
Aston Martin

Daimler/Chrysler (Daimler owns Chrysler-not the other way around)
Maybach
Mercedes-Benz
Smart
Dodge
Chrysler
Jeep
Setra (Trucks)
Freightliner
Sterling Trucks
Western Star Trucks
Partners with: Fuso, Mitsubishi and Hyundai

Osotogary
04-04-04, 05:14 PM
When I was growing up there was a rumor that "Made in USA" really meant "Made in USA ( Usa being a city in Japan)". I never really found out if there is actually a city in Japan named Usa.
In the late sixties I was visiting in Alaska. I was on the dock where there was a Japanese Freighter loading tons of logs. I asked a Japanese Merchant Seaman what they were going to do with the logs? He said that they were shipping them to Japan, to be processed into plywood and then to be sold back to the United States. Business looked like it was good.

Tom D
04-04-04, 06:30 PM
Bottom line is, it's all about money. It can be made cheaper overseas,so it usually is.