Toyota commercial

[brownrc]

Maybe it's just me but I seen this today on TV and first thing I thought was, A Japanese Company putting down American craftsman.

YouTube - Toyota Welcome Home TV Commercial

[WJCraig]

I don't know that they're doing that...but I do know you've got to be careful these days, because there are lots of shifty workers and companies out there...

I think they're just poking fun at the shoddy workers, not American workers in general...

[88fadedglory]

I find it insulting.

I'm an ex millwright journeyman and I went thru four years of apprentiship to earn it. I never missed a raise due to poor work quality or lack of skills.

I was raised by an old time Master Carpenter who was also skilled in Plumbing, auto mechanics and Blacksmithing.

OTOH, wasn't it Toyota that just did a 5.8 Million car recall becuse they can't design a floor mat that stays put??

Budd

[SMXJ]

I think there trying to say that there dependable even when other things are not. I think there American because it wouldn't make any sense to have all Japanese contractors.

[mcatald]

That was all the U.S. built Toyota's though......................Don't flame me I'm just kidding.

[88fadedglory]

Where's Toyota's (or Honda's, Nissan's, Volkswagen, ad nauseum) corporate headquarters?

Detroit?

or

Japan?

Call me a "protectionist" if you want, but I didn't like the idea of foreign cars being sold in America from day one. I'm not a fan of unions, but I'm not a fan of sending my hard earned money to foreigners or sending jobs my kids might want (heck, will need!!!!) out of country either.

Look at trade tariffs if you want truth. If the trade tariff with a foreign country is higher on our products being imported by them than for their products coming here, something isn't right.

And guess what, America, something isn't right.

Global Economy equals global poverty.

Budd

[poorboy_616]

Global economy doesn't mean global poverty. Employers nowadays are looking for properly trained and employable workers.

It's a commercial, it's not meant to offend. It's meant to sell stuff. Shifty products are out there, so are are shifty workers....

[2000XJ]

You know that had Ford or GM or Chrysler had done that commercial, and you'd see an F-150 roll up instead of a 'Yota that you would've laughed and taken it with a grain of salt saying that "yea, there are some shoddy contractors/craftsmen out there."

I think that all they're doing is saying that there are people out there that provide crappy quality, but that Toyota is going to provide you good quality items. Nothing more, nothing less. If it was a bunch of Japanese people working on the house, instead of American people then you wouldn't have thought twice about it and you would've seen the point from the get-go.

Like Dean said, it makes no sense to have that commercial played in the US with a bunch of foreign faces because it wouldn't make any sense or God forbid someone would say it's racist.

[brownrc]

It's a commercial, it's not meant to offend. It's meant to sell stuff. Shifty products are out there, so are are shifty workers....

I understand what they are saying, it's just I think it's a bad choice of a commercial. I'm sorry but were I live in northern Ohio, we had a GM plant that closed, Lorain Ford that closed, Steel plant thats setting Idle, lots of smaller manufactures closing down and a lot of houses foreclosed on. My friends that are craftsman are all out of work. No new homes being built and what is are skeleton crews. I don't understand it but every other car you see on the road is a Kia, Toyota, Honda or Nisson these people are hurting there friends and neighbors. People out of work every were and then you see a commercial about american workers looking bad from a Japanese Company.

[WJCraig]

Isn't capitalism and a free market society all about letting the market decide who succeeds and who fails? Without Gov't intervention?

A Glimpse at the Track Record Of Protectionism …

What is said to be one of greatest mistakes made during the Great Depression was the Smoot-Hawley Act. Weakening U.S. labor markets in 1927 and 1928 motivated an American senator and a congressman to push for tariff increases across nearly 20,000 imported goods.
Hawley and Smoot's legislation intensified nationalism throughout the world.
Hawley and Smoot’s legislation intensified nationalism throughout the world.

The heated discussions started in 1929, prior to the stock market crash. And by 1930, U.S. lawmakers had put tariffs on practically everything they could. What followed were a depression and three recessions over the course of two decades.

Meanwhile, investors who bought at the top of the U.S. stock market in 1929, were underwater for the next 25 years!

So what makes protectionism so dangerous?

Simply put: It brings about retaliation. Other countries tend to take similar action, further choking off global trading activity.

Full Article: HoweStreet.com - The Source for Market Opinions

That being said, we've been looking around for the last month or so for a new car for the wife. GM, Ford and Chrysler really don't have much in the market we are looking. If I were looking for a Truck, or some muscle, then I'd definitely be looking domestic, but for a smaller 4-door coupe, the domestic offerings just don't measure up...and that's a big reason why they are in the position they are today.

This will be the first time in my life I've ever bought (Or even considered buying for that matter) an Import vehicle. I've been a strong supporter of "The Big 3" since I became interested in vehicles. But for what I'm looking for, their cars....well...suck...to be blunt.

And last but not least, before reading too much into the Toyota ad, stop and think if you know anyone, a friend, neighbor, family member, etc...who's ever been the victim of shoddy workmanship, be it for home renos or repairs, a shifty mechanic, or whatever...I'm sure most of you know at least one person who has had dealings with someone who's work isn't up to par...If you do good a good job and take pride in your work, then the ad isn't directed at you, and you really shouldn't be offended.

P.S. I tried to convince her that a 6.2L Pontiac G8 pumping out 415HP would be a good choice to drive to and from work!
But apparently, we have different ideas as to what's important for a vehicle...she want's some "fuel economy" in her vehicle too for whatever reason...


But they are purrrdy! (As far as new cars are considered)

[muddeprived]

Originally Posted by brownrc

I understand what they are saying, it's just I think it's a bad choice of a commercial. I'm sorry but were I live in northern Ohio, we had a GM plant that closed, Lorain Ford that closed, Steel plant thats setting Idle, lots of smaller manufactures closing down and a lot of houses foreclosed on. My friends that are craftsman are all out of work. No new homes being built and what is are skeleton crews. I don't understand it but every other car you see on the road is a Kia, Toyota, Honda or Nisson these people are hurting there friends and neighbors. People out of work every were and then you see a commercial about american workers looking bad from a Japanese Company.

We can't blame the overseas car companies for the closing of chevy, ford, etc. Toyota, honda, and all them are producing efficient gas-saving cars that we need these days and people are wanting cars that save gas. If ford, chevy, and the other domestic companies can produce better mileaged and durable cars then they wouldn't have these issues. For instance, my friend at college bought a honda civic back in 2003. It's been 6 years, 124k miles, and he's done ZERO repairs on it, except brake and oil changes. It's as reliable as hell and saves alot of gas. Now my mother is a monte carlo fan. She's on her 2nd right now. Her first she bought in 2004 and it had immediate brake issues. The brakes kept warping. Then a clunk started in the steering and some check engine lights came on. This was a brand new car and not even a year old. My dad bought a chevy colorado pickup, hoping for a better truck than his previous s-10. This truck was brand new with only 12 miles on the ticker. On the way home, the tranny started leaking. This was with their new i-5 motor. My sister bought a chevy tracker (2006) and the cruise control malfunctioned on the freeway causing her to flip the tracker end over twice. Luckily she wasn't hurt bad.

My point is, people go for reliable products these days. There are still loyal domestic product buyers but these days it's all about getting your $$'s worth and that's swaying people from domestic cars to the reliable and gas-saving foreign cars.


by the way, the commercial is just a commercial about reliability. I seriously doubt it was aimed towards unreliable american products. (in case you didn't notice, the guy fixing the light was japanese )

And if it means anything, I'm a jeep guy until I die.

[brownrc]

See people thing that American cars are bad. Come on they have come a long way in Quality. My mother in law just got a new ford fusion, it's loaded. I picked it up for her and I loved driving it and didn't want to give it up to her. I'm not a Ford person but I would take that car over any other right now. My 04 YJ had 166,000 on it and never leaked oil and ran like a charm when I sold it. The only work other then mods I had to do on it was change the water pump at around 130,000. It was my dd and trail rig so it seen hard times, I didn't baby it. My 98 XJ has 160,000 on it now and runs great. No I never had any shoody workers do anything on my house. But I do most of the work myself and I check people out before I have any one do anything on my house. If people are dumb enough to get these fly by night companys to work on their homes thats their own fault.

[88fadedglory]

Originally Posted by brownrc

I understand what they are saying, it's just I think it's a bad choice of a commercial. I'm sorry but were I live in northern Ohio, we had a GM plant that closed, Lorain Ford that closed, Steel plant thats setting Idle, lots of smaller manufactures closing down and a lot of houses foreclosed on. My friends that are craftsman are all out of work. No new homes being built and what is are skeleton crews. I don't understand it but every other car you see on the road is a Kia, Toyota, Honda or Nisson these people are hurting there friends and neighbors. People out of work every were and then you see a commercial about american workers looking bad from a Japanese Company.

Did I say
Budd

[stamp]

[QUOTE=2000XJ;74295]

I think that all they're doing is saying that there are people out there that provide crappy quality, but that Toyota is going to provide you good quality items. Nothing more, nothing less. If it was a bunch of Japanese people working on the house, instead of American people then you wouldn't have thought twice about it and you would've seen the point from the get-go.

QUOTE]

sounds like hes buyin a toyota next lol hahaha

[88fadedglory]

Originally Posted by muddeprived

We can't blame the overseas car companies for the closing of chevy, ford, etc. Toyota, honda, and all them are producing efficient gas-saving cars that we need these days and people are wanting cars that save gas. If ford, chevy, and the other domestic companies can produce better mileaged and durable cars then they wouldn't have these issues. For instance, my friend at college bought a honda civic back in 2003. It's been 6 years, 124k miles, and he's done ZERO repairs on it, except brake and oil changes. It's as reliable as hell and saves alot of gas. Now my mother is a monte carlo fan. She's on her 2nd right now. Her first she bought in 2004 and it had immediate brake issues. The brakes kept warping. Then a clunk started in the steering and some check engine lights came on. This was a brand new car and not even a year old. My dad bought a chevy colorado pickup, hoping for a better truck than his previous s-10. This truck was brand new with only 12 miles on the ticker. On the way home, the tranny started leaking. This was with their new i-5 motor. My sister bought a chevy tracker (2006) and the cruise control malfunctioned on the freeway causing her to flip the tracker end over twice. Luckily she wasn't hurt bad.

My point is, people go for reliable products these days. There are still loyal domestic product buyers but these days it's all about getting your $$'s worth and that's swaying people from domestic cars to the reliable and gas-saving foreign cars.


by the way, the commercial is just a commercial about reliability. I seriously doubt it was aimed towards unreliable american products. (in case you didn't notice, the guy fixing the light was japanese )

And if it means anything, I'm a jeep guy until I die.

And how many miles do many of us have on our American designed (AMC) 4.0 engines? 324K on mine.

I've run a 79 smallblock Dodge 285 K and used standard size parts for the rebuild and they fit right then drove it to 450K, a 65 slant six with 133 K and it took standard size parts, another slant six went 350K with all top rings broken because the kid that "rebuilt" it didn't clean the ridge of carbon out of the bore ... and could still tow a trailer over Monarch Pass CO (11,000+ feet)

No, Mud, it's unions demanding too much that has put the American car industry in the trash along with governmental policies that won't tariff imports to the US like those countries tariff and trade agreements that encourage jobs to be sent to Mexico, etc.

That import would cost 3-6 times as much if we had our tariffs set like Japan's.

Budd