To each their own.

I ask: What is an American car?
Is it the Dodge truck built in Mexico?
The Ford built in Canada?
The Pontiac built in Australia?
The Toyota built in Kentucky?
The Honda built in Ohio?
The Nissan built in Georgia?
The Mazda built in Michigan?
The Mercedes bulit in Alabama?
The BMW built in South Carolina?
The Subaru built in Japan but partly owned by GM
The Saab built in Japan but owned by GM?
The Volvo built in Sweden but owned by Ford?
The Chrysler built in Michigan but owned by Mercedes Benz?
The Aston Martin built in Britain but owned by Ford?
The Saturn built in Tennessee but with a Honda motor (VUE)?
The Mazda built in Japan but owned by Ford?
The Chevrolet Aveo built by Daewoo owned by GM in Korea?

You tell me.

The only 'independent' automaker appears to be PORSCHE ;)

E

Hemi - Schmemi!

Go drive a 300C SRT-8 and come back and tell us how much you want one. I drove one last week and was gobsmacked. It goes like **** off a shovel, looks great, is comfortable, has a brilliant Sat Nav and stereo for long cross country runs....

There's very little about this car that's not to like.

I agree Dottore

BlueSky Jaunte-

Your beloved Subaru WRX is a GM-owned product and also badged as a Saab. That makes your Subie a 75% stinking pile?

E

Wrong-o.

GM owns 15% of my "beloved" Fuji Heavy Industries division called Subaru's WRX.

It's been rebadged as the Saab 9-2.

And was made in Japan.

And for the record, I say "beloved" because I really don't like it very much! But it beats trying to drive in 115 degree heat in the 911 with its anemic AC.

The styling isn't to my taste..that's why I'll likely buy the Charger version.

FWIW, "Hemi" is a DCX trademark; "hemispherical comustion chamber" is a design, but a badge stating such probably wouldn't look to good on the side of a 911.

kaisen,

I don't know if 475 horse is going to be enough to one-up the new Shelby. As I have heard its got close the 500 hp, as it uses basically the same motor as the Forg GT.

Not to mention, its still going to be a Camaro..........

Long time Ford guy here thats all....

Bill

SkyBlueJaunte-

GM purchased 20% of Fuji Heavy Industries in 2000/2001. Since then they have puchased ~5% more. Most shares were acquired from Nissan (Renault) when Ghosn took over. Fuji is a very diverse company, producing everything from superconductors to supertankers... Subaru is a just an arm. GM's large share of the entire comany assures that GM controls Subaru. GM badge-engineering the Saab 9-2x is proof. There are lots of Subie components in the upcoming Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky as well. The hydroformed rails in the new Subaru Legacy are pure GM. GM markets the Forester as a Chevrolet in several foreign markets because Subaru doesn't have the dealer network. Both companies benefit from the relationship. Expect more 'sharing' in the future.

BSiple-

The GT500 will be an incredible machine, no doubt. The GT500, however, forgoes the Ford GT's efficient (and expensive) Lysholm twin-screw supercharger for a more pedestrian roots-type blower. There are other differences in the engines of course. I would guess that the new GT500 will put down 470-480 horsepower at the flywheel at 8.5psi. (It won't take long to see someone put on a pulley and crank it over 10psi and make a short-lived 550+hp) It is good news that the manufacturers are now under-rating their outputs.

My experience with 2001-2002 Camaro Z28's: they were rated at 305hp. I've been present at several dyno runs where a bone-stock car put down 315-320 TO THE REAR WHEELS. Equates to about 350-360 at the crank.

That said, I have heard that the LS7 motor (on an engine dyno at GM's Wixom plant) at 565hp on the dyno. SAE testing is corrected, and assuredly lower.

By the way, a bone stock 06 C6 Z06 lapped the Ring at 7:43 where the Carrera GT did a best of 7:36 and the 996 GT3 RS (with Walter Röhrl at the wheel) also did 7:43.

Ultimately WE, the consumers, win the latest horsepower wars.

Sorry for rambling, AGAIN

E

I'd potentially buy any one of the American cars mentioned in this thread. I just wouldn't buy them brand new. C5 Corvettes are insanely cheap compared to what they were when new. Mustangs, even SVOs are almost comical. I can't wait to see what the hemi-equipped cars will be five years from now.

I'd rather Joe Schmoe take the depreciation hit than me.

Just a reminder that foreign cars depreciate rapidly too. Check out any four year old BMW, Mercedes, or Porsche. It's smart to buy any car after the newness has rubbed off.

E

Right here...http://www.dodge.com/gallery/img/charger/enlarge_13.jpg

I'd definitely buy a used American car like a Corvette before a used 996 Porsche, and possibly a BMW of equal capability. I truly think, disallowing some nitpicky things, the mechanical build quality of all three are equal - the American cars might potentially be better built, in fact.

Plus, BMWs have become aesthetically very difficult to look at.

15%, 25%, meh.

Subaru vehicles receive 0 testing at GM DPG and are not manufactured in the US. My car's window sticker says "Assembled in Japan".

GM badges the Toyota Matrix as the Pontiac Vibe -- both made at the joint-venture NUMI plant. Does that mean GM controls Toyota, too?

Geo Prizms were a rebadged Toyota Corolla, depending on years. Geo Storm was an Isuzu Impulse. Then there was the Geo Metro and Chevy Sprint which were Suzuki Swifts.

There was, and still is, a ton of brand swapping going on. Dodge and Mitsu did it for years, and still do.

Hemi??

I've got a 1929 motorcycle with a four valve bronze hemi head.

the only question ive got is as follows, have you drove any of DCs new RWD platform cars w/ the hemi?

and if not i can tell you (as for a while i drove these cars every day) they (as in hemi powered 300c, magnum, and charger) are unbelievably fast i cant count the number of F bodys i had the plesure of stoplighting, not to mention the mustang GTs (which there is a topic of crap) and imports that had fallen prey of the 350hp hemi. very controlable (50/50 weight in the magnum, and 51/49 in the 300c and charger) which makes them insane in a corner. besides that the TCS thats in the car is unlike anything else (unless you refer to a benz counterpart) that holds the road in snow, ice, rain, gravel or anything you throw at it

so overall, a name is a one thing, but kicking ass is compleatly different

i would also like to add, that i am not a fan of anything else the chrysler branch has out... cept the viper, and i would like anything else that is compariable to these cars as far as performance/price. so basicly im just saying that, i am not biased in any way twords DC