Assembled in MEXICO??

[Rodeo]

Maybe it's just me but Mexican is one food that I just can't tolerate. OK and Vietnamese cuisine too. (Although I do love Chinese - American Chinese anyway.)

 

What's this have to do with Union? Nothing! But I will say that I am employed by a very large Fortune 300 Company with plants worldwide and of all our US Plants, it is the few Unionized ones that we purchased that are the worst producing and with the worst quality. The attitude is poor at best and excuses abundant. Suffice it to say I am not pro-union.

 

I must also admit that I live in an area where illegal (and legal) Mexicans are prevelant and they are among some of the hardest working people I have ever seen. Often abused and underpaid and did I mention they eat the worlds worst food? Better them then me... LOL

Edited December 23, 2009 by Rodeo

[Grey]

Manufacturing companies make the decision to assemble out of the U.S. for several reasons - labor being just one of them. Direct labor for auto companies accounts for about 15% of the cost of the vehicle whereas embedded taxes account for just over 20%. Manufacturing will tend to go where the labor cost per hour and the tax component is less.

 

What suprises me is that many people think corporations pay taxes, they don't. They collect them from the retail consumer and pass them through to the Government. All they do is jack up the cost of everything we buy.

 

At some point the UAW is going to see the enormous benefit from the adoption of the "Fair Tax". With 0 tax embedded in an automobile built in the U.S., Ford and GM can export domestically made vehicles around the world at very competitive prices. Manufacturing jobs would flow back to the States in enormous numbers. More union members, more dues and more power for the leaders. When you shift the total tax burden to the retail sale then everybody pays their "Fair Share" - crooks, tax evaders, pimps, illigals, visitors, trust fund manipulators, etc. So instead of just under half of us paying income taxes, everybody that consumes pays for the cost of government. All legal households get a monthly deposit to their account for the presumed taxes on the necessities, depending on the size of their family.

[acdii]

Sounds like Utopia, of course our bureaucraps wont ever go for that.

[tonifan]

Previously to owning my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (made in Hermosillo, Mexico), I leased a 2009 Lincoln MKS (made in Chicago, Illinois, USA). The Ford Fusion is, believe it or not, superior in every way in regards to build quality, reliability, and overall fit and finish. After 6 months of ownership (and no less than 12 trips to the LM Service Dept.), I can honestly say that nothing had prepared me for the disappointments I had with the Lincoln. To put it simply, the MKS was too much technology and not enough Lincoln. My grandad's old, beatup Ford pickup had a smoother ride than the MKS, hands down. The MKS rode as though the shocks were missing, as I felt that the only shock absorbers in the car were my passengers and myself. It was noisy, too, as the front end felt like it was close to coming apart on any kind of uneven concrete pavement. The ride quality difference between the MKS and the FFH was night and day. How could a $54K Lincoln be so poorly constructed and conceived, and the $31K FFH be so much more well built than the MKS? So much for the theory about the Hermosillo, Mexico Ford, Lincoln and Mercury plant having questionable quality in construction of its products simply because it's in Mexico. I gave the MKS every chance... I had previously owned a Lincoln LS and a Lincoln Zephyr, both of which had better repair records (and quality construction) than the Lincoln MKS. Glad I leased the MKS instead of buying it. I'm buying the Ford Fusion Hybrid simply because it's a better, smoother car, and will more than likely have better resale value. On its most recent publication, the J.D. Power Owner Satisfaction Survey (for 3 years, not just the first 30 or 60 days of ownership) has rated the Lincoln higher than Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, etc. in overall owner satisfaction. That's everything about the car... not just the engine, the build quality, the ride, dependability... but everything. The only Lincoln I would currently consider owning is the MKZ. But, until Lincoln comes around to putting the hybrid powertrain in it, I'll stick with my Ford Fusion Hybrid.

 

40 mpg city and highway COMBINED! And, the Ford's ride is as quiet as a church pew on Wednesday night.

[acdii]

My mom has a 2007 Town Car, it is a well built solid car, but the electronics in it have problems. The oil change reminder keeps coming on, even though it has only been driven about 1/3rd the amount of miles before the oil is due to be changed. All in all it is a very nice car, but when I compare what the Fusion has to what is in the Lincoln, I prefer the Fusion too.

 

The Town Car fits a purpose, she likes the big cars, her other car is a 1995 Grand Marquis, which last year I did some body work and repainted for her, now she is afraid to drive it, she doesn't want it damaged. I still have some engine work to do on it, it isn't running right, hesitates, and lacks power in the upper range, might be a bad cat, but mechanically the car is sound, I replaced the steering gear box, brake lines and hoses, and a few years ago the front steering and suspension. It took a lot of abuse in 130K miles on Illinois ruts, er I mean roads. The car was built in Canada, and has been very reliable, other than batteries going dead, it has never not run. Age and wear and tear has taken its toll, parking it outside has taken its toll, but after a few hours work and some new parts, I can't see this car not lasting another 10 years. Since the TC is built on the same platform, I don't see a reason why it can't last just as long, provided the electronics hold up. Time will tell.

 

When I compared the Camry to the Fusion when I was considering the purchase of the Fusion, the Camry looked mediocre, plain, cheap. The one thing I can say about the Camry was it had a decent sound system, it was the JBL system, had good bass response, and sounded better than the Sony system, but That is it, not enough to warrant keeping the car, and even putting lowering springs, larger rims and shorter tires would not have been enough to improve its handling. It would still be a soft mushy old folks rowboat. The only thing that kept me from signing for the Fusion was the price, and when Ford announced 0% for 60, I was at the dealer the next day and said goodbye for good to Toyota. I have not been dissapointed.