Is It Really Cheaper?

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I think the main difference between Japanese made cars and North American ones is not the quality of the workforce but the style of management. The Japanese have a policy of sharing information from the very bottom to the very top and managers are expected to get their hands dirty if needed. Everyone is on board for the well being of the company and that must result with a quality product for their customers. This is a sharp contrast to the North American philosophy of "us against them" from both management and the workforce with everyone just looking after their own interest. I think that is the main reason behind the better products being made by Japanese companies. I went from a Chevy Lumina with 100k miles where I had replaced both the engine and transmission 15k miles before and bought a Toyota Highlander with 125k miles with the original engine/trans. The Toyota runs like new, has no issues 30k miles later and I can still resell it for a decent price, not that I will...ever. I'm driving this thing into the ground and I think it will take me a while. :) I'm with Steve for the older vehicles, yeah they look great and make you travel back in time but I wouldn't drive one on a regular basis.

My $0.02, Peace. :)
 
Rat Rod said:
kngtmat said:
He lives in California and owns & works at his automotive classic car dismantler outside half of the day, his cars have ice cold ac with real big comfortable seats.


We have a car only a few years old and the ac doesn't work.

Isn't taking the hot weather a part of riding bicycles and yet you can't take it in a car :lol: , I thought everyone here were tougher than that.
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Ha...I'm a wuss...ain't no pride here brother...I need it nice and cold. :lol:

We're on day 58 of temperatures over the 100 degree mark here in North Texas...driving a car here without AC in rush hour traffic causes a person to spontaneously combust. :lol:
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I am right there with you my commute is anywhere from 30 minutes to 2hrs and 30mins. There is no way on earth I would drive an old car from here (DFW) to Wichita Falls or some of the more remote places I have to go. One thing that has not been mentioned is the new cars are designed to be safer. Would you want to be in a head-on collision in that 1970 Foroletdog?
 
Hay Burner said:
Would you want to be in a head-on collision in that 1970 Foroletdog?
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Nah, I'd rather be impaled on a 49 Ford steering column. :p :mrgreen:

49-Ford-Mny.jpg

http://www.examiner.com
 
Ok, so back to the bike subject, imagine if huffy who bought out the monark decide to bring back a late 40's fully dressed monark. What do you think the reaction will be? Maybe, new fenders, new fender lights and new parts
 
I would like it since I know I couldn't affor an original one but I think people would react like when the black friday Singrays came out.
 
mojo66 said:
really?? what data do you have to show that American Made Toyotas are of lesser quality?
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Funny story... When we bought a Toyota in 99 the Woman who was doing the final paper work made a comment judging by the cars vehicle number I guess. She said something to the effect "ahh too bad. Yours was made in Tennessee". We couldn't believe it.

I've seen manhole covers that were made in China or overseas somewhere. That one really gets me.

Writing this seems like deja vu. We discussed this before? Oh maybe it's the "Where have the American factories gone?" thread.
 
In response to the original question - yes, it really is cheaper. I worked for a long time in the bmx bike manufacturing business, as well as the retail side. By the time you figured in raw materials, labor, rent, utilities, heat treating, supplies such as welding rod, argon, etc., it cost us roughly $120.00 to manufacture one high end aluminum bmx race frame. That's not taking into account the powdercoating, stickers, boxes or advertising either...that was just the raw frame. Chromoly frames were a little less, but not by much.
In comparism, you can buy a complete bike from China or Taiwan for about $80.00. That is for a complete painted, stickered, assembled and boxed bike. Obviously you have to buy them by the container load and pay for shipping, but it still works out to under $100.00 per unit for a complete high quality aluminum race bike. When you get into the mid and low end bikes it's ridiculously cheap...mild steel completes are in the $30 to 40.00 range, and WalMart quality bikes are even less. There is no way you can even begin to compete with that over here. The biggest difference is wages...there are skilled fabricators and welders in China that work for what amounts to 3 or 4 dollars an hour. No way anyone in America is going to weld for 4 bucks an hour.
 

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