Greetings Everyone,

I received an e-mail from a friend of mine recently that motivated me to do a "soap box" blog about the current market and the ongoing battle for bragging rights between foreign and domestic.

Our discussion started over her cousin buying an older Toyota 4Runner. She asked if there was anything to look out for. I shared that the first and second generations had issues with the V6 head gaskets. Sound familiar? The new Tundra with it's 5.7 liter is having issues snapping camshafts as we speak. I notice a trend every time Toyota puts out a new motor it doesn't seem to really be ready.

My quick point is this; every manufacturer has it's lemons and great ideas gone wrong. Rather it be your '91 Geo Prizm or my brother's Toyota Corolla. I always remind people to shop by model, not make. Take me for example, I bought A Pontiac! Nothing against Pontiac but I never in a million years would have thought I would own one someday. I bought it based on bang for the buck and build quality. Besides the Corvette drivetrain and the badge names, nothing else is "American". From design to build, my car is an Australian automobile.

My same friend just recently bought a nicely equipped used Toyota Tacoma from a local dealer. One thing she pointed out about her new purchase was "I like the truck for utility reasons but honestly my thoughts about the Tacoma are - its reliable (supposedly) and its kinda cool looking, but I LOVED my Ranger".

I find many to feel the same way as my friend. They buy foreign (Japanese) based on reliability yet many find that the service record ends up running the same financially as the domestic they had. Now I ask them this; if they are so reliable why don't they back it with a real warranty? Forget Honda's and Toyota's little 3 year 36k warranty, GM backs new vehicles up with a 100K warranty! Even Chrysler has stepped up with a lifetime warranty (non-transferable).

So why do I suggest the tides are changing? Simple, the U.S. based manufacturers have been called out and they are coming out guns blazing. They are giving us a reason to invest back into our own economy and to not lose faith in those who made the industry what it is today.

So who's really on top? Forbes just named the Ford F150 the truck of the year. The new Cadillac CTS was just name Motortrend's Car of the Year and one of Car & Driver Top 10. It sounds like we are all coming around and giving domestic a second chance. Like our friend's at Saturn say, Rethink.

Happy Holidays,

Lance