Even if the Big Three do go Chapter 11, I think they will still make parts for their older cars, because that's where the money really is. If they go Chapter 7 (unlikely), then someone(s) will pick up the slack on making parts, as it's a huge market. There are already many aftermarket parts manufacturers - expect more to open shop if that happens.

Shaq has the same question:

[twitter.com]

I don't expect Ford to go under, and besides, will the market for parts for defunct car lines really go away that fast? They may cost a bit more, but (and I know that this is an old and maybe not valid comparison) I just upgraded my seven-year-old Mac laptop, I expect that there will still be Corvette parts or whatever seven years from now. Probably long enough to make buying a new American car now in terms of getting my money's worth from it.

That said, if I were in the market for a new car now, I'd get a Subaru.

Transportation is one area in which you want the lowest cost possible. Buy an American car; their quality has gone way up in recent years, and if you're concerned about warranty issues/repair costs, buy an extended warranty through a third-party underwriter (like GE or Assurant) that will allow you to go to repair shops other than the dealer. If you beat up the dealer for the warranty (as you should - the cost shouldn't be more than $1000) you'll still come out ahead.

I'm broke, but would pick up a new car if I had the money. Anyone wanna give me a loan?

The only gamble to it is if a) you get a complete lemon and b) your manufacturer goes completely down the tubes.

It's generally accepted that most (certainly not all) cars do fine for at least their warranty period. So even if your manufacturer does blink out of existence, all you're going to lose is free service on stuff that probably won't break for 3 or 4 years anyway.

As for replacement parts in general, there won't be a problem. Walk into an Autozone/Advance/Pep Boys/Whatever and you can get almost any part ever made and probably within a day or two. That won't change. It just won't be free if your warranty is kaput.

@Urgleglurk: the problem is that a lot of the part manufacturing is outsourced to small family-owned machine shops (<50 employees). these are the big 3's biggest creditors right now & many of them will be wiped out with a bankruptcy filing.

You might have to be a little more careful in your definition of American made cars.

I don't have the reference to hand but I believe it is well known that a Honda is one of the cars with the most American made parts. Yes, some of those Japanese brands are the most American built cars with the likes of GM, Ford etc more likely to use imported part or just have the thing built in Canada or Mexico.

After all of this, I won't buy from the "big" 3 ever. I'll ensure my children and theirs do the same.

It's not a "risk" if you really need a car, somebody will be around to fix it if it breaks.

Just because they may declare bankruptcy doesn't automatically mean that any of the big 3 car companies will close shop. Conversely, going bankrupt may save GM from the massive overhead of pension funds, health insurance etc. They can basically start from scratch with the unions.

My latest car purchase was American (a Dodge Magnum to replace a Volvo S70SE) and I couldn't (so far) be happier with a car. Not having to worry about all of the front end issues that come with FWD cars and not having to change a timing belt (it has a chain) is just another reason I'm not worried about the future with this car.

@winstonthorne: The best way to get the lowest cost possible is to pay a bit extra to buy a high quality car at the beginning so that you get more life out of it.

The cost per mile for the Honda I kept running for nineteen years was rock bottom.

"American doesn't mean inferior"

I beg to differ. Quality is, and has always been, the problem. I, and many consumers, would be willing to take a slight hit in the gas mileage category, as long as I knew I could trust the quality.

It depends what you're looking for. There are definitely some segments where the American manufacturers are the clear market leaders. If I were looking for a pickup truck I would find my nearest Ford dealer. If I wanted a muscle car I'd buy American.

Unfortunately that's not what I was looking for when I purchased my new vehicle 3 months ago. I wanted a utilitarian, practical car that is also fun to drive. Ended up with a VW GTI and I love it!

@Radoman: If you want to take an overtly macroscopic perspective, I guess you could say that. But when you say "american car" you're talking everything from a hummer to a saturn. A lot of american cars may be crap, but certainly not all. they just need to axe the turds and keep the gems, which is what it sounds like is their plan.

i would gladly commit to an American made car if there were such a thing.

but buying japanese currently will support just as many american workers, be more reliable, be around in 5 years, and get better gas mileage.

My car isn't an American one, but it was made from a plant here in America.

Sorry, but I'm really not a fan of the American car brands.

The Big 3 may cost less up front but you'll be hit hard by depreciation. Quality may have improved but they're still a generation or two behind the competition and their recent past (Ford's fire-starting cruise control modules, Chevy's premature-wearing tie rods) don't inspire confidence.

The best car I've ever owned out of a VW, Buick, Chevy, and Infiniti is the latter. Bought it used eight years ago and nary a problem to this day. The Chevy had a leak from the day it was driven off the lot and the dealer could never fix it. When it rained, the trunk and rear seat floor area filled with water. The Buick's transmission went out, then the A/C compressor, then the heater core in the space of less than two years.

It's a folly to base the rationale for a purchase on patriotism. And, I would rather buy a Nissan built in TN than, say, a Chevy Equinox whose engine is built in China, among other parts.

@factotum: Yeah I don't understand how some people get so down on "foreign" cars. I believe almost every brand has something being manufactured in the states...unlike the "american" cars where some things are being manufactured in China and Mexico.

@sir_eccles: I think they mean the American auto companies.

@factotum: Though I doubt it would've caused my car to spontaneously combust, I will admit my Hyundai Elantra had two very serious recalls within the first year I owned it. One dealt with steering linkages and the other was the airbags. The dealership informed me and fixed both free of charge, but no car is "perfect"

@sir_eccles: I think it's pretty apparent to everyone what the article is about.

Thanks for being pedantic though. It gives me that warm holiday glow.

I have a 2001 VW golf that has never had a problem since I bought it used in 03.

When it dies, I'll buy myself a used mk4 GTI and be happy with the upgrade. Buying a new car has never, and will never, make any financial sense at all.

I think my car (VW Passat TDI) was made in Mexico. No US made car had what I wanted (reliability, fuel economy, mid size, power, high resale value, no worries about batteries in 10 years).

Besides, I live close to one of the most reknown foreign service shops in the US (Gene's), so I don't have to worry about getting raped like I used to by the Ford Stealerships to fix my Explorer.

Bought a 2008 Avalanche Sat, >25% off window. Someone will always make parts, NAPA and the rest, but I agree GM will be a smaller company than it is today. Worth the risk to me.

@halloweenjack: I am quite happy with my Ford Focus. It's a 2000, the first model year, which still had a few kinks in it, and I've STILL never had any major problems with it (knock on wood). Most expensive thing I've done is replace the tires, and it gets 30+ mpg. I'd definitely buy it again (in fact, we did -- my husband drives an 02 Focus), and I definitely recommend it to other people. (And besides its reliability, it's the only car we've found that my 6'4" husband and 5'2" me can both adjust to a comfortable driving position.)

That said, when this car poops out on me, I'll be looking at a hybrid, or whatever comes along to replace hybrids (fuel cell? electric?), which today would mean Honda or Toyota (part of me secretly wants a Smart-for-2, but you can't legally put a carseat in one of those in my state). However, if Ford comes up with some environmentally-friendly small cars, I'd definitely consider another Ford.

Ford seems to be in the best position to stick around longer term, and I don't actually have any fear that there won't be parts available -- there are plenty of non-manufacturer parts on the market for all kinds of cars. You can still keep a Studebaker running if you really want to. I'm also not terribly concerned about resale value because I want a car that I'll drive at least 10 years. If it has basically zero resale at that point, I'm okay with that.

Even if there weren't economic upheaval, I still wouldn't buy a US made car. Japanese and many European model cars offer low price, reliability and fuel economy that US car makers can't match - correction, they won't match.

Remember the old joke, "Quality, price, service - select any two"? With US car makers, it's true, but not with Japanese and Europeans.

No option for 'buying one of the uncommonly good american-made cars to prevent Detroit from turning into a Robocop-esque postapocalyptic wasteland'? Looking for a little love for my hometown.

Still, I agree that all American cars aren't made equal, and neither are all foreign cars - a Kia isn't as good as a Hyundai, and so on. Consumerist folks like to do research before they buy, so take a look at the American competition while you're doing your comparisons - you might be pleasantly suprised. I was really attracted to the Toyota Matrix, and found out that it is basically the same car as the Pontiac Vibe - a product of one of those funky joint-partnerships, and the Vibe (both used and new) is substantially cheaper than its japanese brother.

My father and grandfather always bought American cars. I will always buy American cars. And I will ensure that my children and grandchildren always buy American cars.

To my knowledge, we've never had any problems with any of our Ford or GM cars.

@lpranal and the magic holiday taco dip: I think that's the problem. There are only a few American gems, the majority are of poor, or perhaps, questionable, quality. Meanwhile, even the Japanese entry level cars have a certain basic quality to them. Go Civic/Corolla/Sentra or above and you're miles ahead of most American cars. The Big 3 have been surviving on Trucks/SUV's and our latent patriotism to "Buy American" and not any improvements in their model lineup, quality, etc.

With more and more foreign cars made in the US and and a general economic downturn more will put money above this principle.

@huntsterUNC: I'm honestly curious--does your family's Buy American philosophy extend to other manufacturing as well, or is it just the auto industry? How do you decide which American industries you'll support and which you won't? It seems a tough thing to do across the board, but it also would seem a hard thing to single industries out for.

@winstonthorne: All your points are true, but the american companies don't make what I want. Where is their Eclipse, Tiburon (soon to be Genesis Coupe) Accord Coupe, Civic Si, Vw GTI, Mini Cooper, Nissan Altima Coupe?

1) have uninspiring interiors
2) are just ugly, or are styled to look like a car from 40 years ago
3) are larger than they should be
4) are heavy and feel heavy as well.

I'd love to buy American, but they have to make what I want. I think that is their main problem. Not just in the "pocket rocket" segment I've described above, but in general as well.

@Eric1285: I agree 100% with you on this one, the "pocket rocket" segment gets no love from the Americans (see my comment above I go into a bit of detail)

I'd NEVER buy a foreign truck, ever. Why? The americans make them so damn well. I had a friend that had a old 78 Bronco sit in 4 feel of water for 3 months. When he finally pulled it out, all it took was a tap on the piston heads and a new battery to get it running again.

@huntsterUNC: I didn't know Ford or GM's were American made cars? I mean sure, they are American Auto companies but that's like saying Walmart is an all American retailer. Sure the corporate offices might be here in the states, but that hardly qualifies. If that is the criteria then Toyota is also an American made car. blind loyalty I guess

@huntsterUNC:

Are you sure your Ford and GM vehicles are "American"? There's a possibility it was made in Canada or Mexico. Also, there are many American cars that have parts sourced from foreign countries.

[www.usatoday.com]

What deals are there for cars? I go to the dealership, wanting to buy a car, and they tack on all these miscellaneous fees. Some of the American car dealerships don't even seem interested in selling me a car.

@huntsterUNC: Hrm. After further thought, maybe I should further clarify. We don't have a Toyota or Honda dealership in our town/county. We will buy locally which means Ford or GM. (Well only GM now)

I would buy American, but they have to build something I want. It seems up until recently my market segment was completely forgotten. I want a good all around sports car for about 30k.

In 02 I looked and ended with a Subaru Impreza WRX, I ended up lemon lawing that car; test drove everything under the sun and bought an 03 WRX.

In 05 I looked again and wound up with an Subaru Impreza WRX STi. When I got the STi I drove everything I could get my hands on and nothing compared for the $$.

I was thinking about trading the 05 STi in, but nothing out there really catches my interest. The closest thing is the yet to be released Pontiac Solstice Coupe - which may never see the light of day.

If they would get over their insane obsession with piggy muscle cars it would do wonders for my market segment. (That being said the new Cobolt is particularly impressive.)

(BTW, one interesting metric for what cars are good all around sports cars is how the SCCA classifies them for autocross. [www.moutons.org] )

@huntsterUNC: I'm thinking you might loose the GM dealer after the current crisis plays out. Then you'll have to buy outside your town/county and this will open up your selection to include Toyota, Honda and others.

If you have the money to spend

AND

You like at least one of their products

AND

You were intending to void the important parts of the warranty anyway (Hmm...that Corvette could really use two turbos)

Then yes, it makes perfect sense regardless of what happens.

I still would only drive European - and to me BMW stands for bull**it motor works; I don't count it as "european".

I like VW, and Volvo (my two favourites). I don't think I would ever drive an American car (might drive American before I do a BMW though!).

The way I see it, the big three owe me a car because of all the bailouts over the years. I will never buy an American car again, especially with Nissan converting over to electric vehicles here in Oregon.

the ironic thing is that the American hybrids can actually get the same or slightly worse mileage of a honda or toyota GAS car and they thing they are doing well.
another point is that the value of American cars drop a LOT after you drive it off the lot. Not to mention that their operating costs are higher. who hasn't heard the phrases "Fix Or Repair Daily" or a "Found On Road Dead."

I would like to see the US car companies stay around and be viable but when you compare them to the foreighn cars they don't hold up ....

then you have the unions which run the cost of US cars up a lot more than they need to so people that are laid off get paid 95% of their regular pay

@Ayanami: i agree, but i have to admit - japan's designs have also been quite uninspiring lately. i never really got into nissan's new look & now it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between a camry, an accord & an altima. boo.

i really credit toyota with working actively to capture that segment, though. the scion line is such an excellent idea - even if you don't like the designs, the concept is superb. inexpensive cars designed to be custom-modded, complete with a whole line of performance parts to choose from. now THAT'S forward thinking.

Even if all three companies went belly-up tomorrow, their parts are for the most part actually supplied by other companies, who I'm quite sure would carry on manufacturing them for the aftermarket... er, market.

@Kaosian: There's the new Fusion hybrid that gets more MPG than the Camry Hybrid. It also looks nicer inside as well.

[www.autoblog.com]
rated-41-city-36-highway-by-epa/

The Gas Fusion does pretty well too.

@rickhamilton620:

Copy and paste this if the link doesn't work (sorry :P)

[www.autoblog.com]

@Eyebrows McGee: My dad has a 2004 Ford Focus station wagon. He loves it he always seems to run into people who have the same car sometimes different style like the sedan or the smaller hatchback and they all love it too. Its a good car. He has well over 100,000 miles on it and very few repairs on it.

@winstonthorne: If I have to buy an extended warranty because I'm afraid of the car falling to pieces, I don't want it. There are other cars I can buy where this isn't an issue.