Are people really this stupid?

From another forum I'm on...

Car is great so far. BUT...........I have one regret already. The salesman touted the heck out of Hyundai being an American made car. Made in Alabama, blah blah, blah. I'm sure it's because he knew I worked at ArcelorMittal Steel, which supplies the AL plant with sheet metal. Well, the only 2013 Gray Limited was at a different dealer. He got it for us. We picked it up last Friday. He had the sticker folded nice and neat into a folder. And low and behold when I looked at the sticker this morning...this freakin car was built in Korea! Korea. Not United States of America. Korea.... One heck of a salesman. I would never have bought this Elantra if I knew that.

I mean, you're buying a Korean car, one which is put together here, the other in Korea. What's the difference?

Are we, as a society, really getting this dumb?

Bobzilla wrote: Are we, as a society, really getting this dumb?

Welcome to Earth.

Bobzilla wrote: Are we, as a society, really getting this dumb?

I wouldn't necessarily call it dumb, more ignorant or doing the research after the horse bolted.

But, yes.

If it helps, this seems to be a global trend.

If you have to ask the question.......

but to answer your question, you betcha. Something about the forest from the trees or some other silly E36 M3 saying...

I find it funny that having cars built by foreign owned and run companies with parts from all over the world assembled locally is such a big deal. And people probably don't know that the assembly plants are only coming back to the US because manual labor is cheaper there than Japan/Korea and the patriotic sales pitch is just a bonus.

Bobzilla wrote: I mean, you're buying a Korean car, one which is put together here, the other in Korea. What's the difference? Are we, as a society, really getting this dumb?

Certain people have different concerns:

Some people only care if the guys on the line making the car are getting paid right here in good old 'Murica.

Some care where the home company is based and if the brand is traditionally associated with Detroit even if the car is made in Canadia or Mehico.

And then there's people like me who only care about how good the car is.

GameboyRMH wrote: I find it funny that having cars built by foreign owned and run companies with parts from all over the world assembled locally is such a big deal. And people probably don't know that the assembly plants are only coming back to the US because manual labor is cheaper there than Japan/Korea and the patriotic sales pitch is just a bonus.

In the case of the Koreans, they Korean plants have been maxed out for a couple years because of their growth. With the exchange rate being better for US built E36 M3, it only made sense to build a couple plants in one of their larger growing markets.

But seriously.... how can people bethis retarded? Just like the lady that bought a '13 GT but thinks the seats are uncomfortable. I'm not talking about long trips..... she's talking about uncomfy from the get-go. Didn't you bother to sit in the damn car BEFORE you bought it?

Saw a news article today that said that 10% of new car buyers NEVER TEST DRIVE THE CAR. Only way I'd do that, for a new car, is if it was a supercar that I knew was awesome and could be sure was built properly. Otherwise there would be no way.

In reply to Bobzilla:

I had an ex girlfriend buy a car with out driving it or seeing if it ran. And I think it was 6000 for a mid 90s alitima.

GameboyRMH wrote: Saw a news article today that said that 10% of new car buyers NEVER TEST DRIVE THE CAR. Only way I'd do that, for a new car, is if it was a supercar that I knew was awesome and could be sure was built properly. Otherwise there would be no way.

I'm suprised it's not higher to be honest. I'm constantly amazed at the number of people that just come in and buy the car, then want to change everything because it doesn't fit them or their needs. But CR had a great review on it.

The govt follows that stuff. http://www.nhtsa.gov/Laws+&+Regulations/Part+583+American+Automobile+Labeling+Act+(AALA)+Reports/

Kinda surprising that some of the japanese companies are higher percentage than the big three for the most part.

GameboyRMH wrote: I find it funny that having cars built by foreign owned and run companies with parts from all over the world assembled locally is such a big deal. And people probably don't know that the assembly plants are only coming back to the US because manual labor is cheaper there than Japan/Korea and the patriotic sales pitch is just a bonus.

You might check the parts sources on some of the cars.. there are a lot of "foreign" cars that are more American than the average Ford, ie the Matrix is 95% American or Canadian content. The parts are made here, the people putting them together are here. That's more American than a Fusion made of 70% foreign parts put together in another country.

NHTSA reports:

here

I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

I find it funnier that hte Elantra in this particular case has 2% US/Canadian parts. lol

GameboyRMH wrote: Saw a news article today that said that 10% of new car buyers NEVER TEST DRIVE THE CAR. Only way I'd do that, for a new car, is if it was a supercar that I knew was awesome and could be sure was built properly. Otherwise there would be no way.

My buddy bought the first Honda CRX Si that came to our local dealer - based upon a Road & Track magazine article. Paid sticker too. Never drove it until he pulled off the lot to head home.

I bought my truck without driving it.

The salesman asked if I wanted to drive it. I asked if it was broken. He said no. I asked if it will tow what it says it will. He said it would.

I figured why test drive it. It's a truck. It is going to do all things E36 M3ty compared to my RX8 as far as what you could find out in a test drive.

Rob R.

I dunno. If it was something other than a car...say...a couch, I'd have no berkeleying clue either. Maybe this guy is a berkeleying guru when it comes to identifying the country where a couch was manufactured and he'd walk in my house and be all "You dumb berkeley! That piece of E36 M3 was built in korea."

David S. Wallens wrote: I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

We have some family/friends that are purchasing their first home right now. They've never been inside of it (and the wife hasn't seen it at all, period).

In reply to dculberson:

You realize the matrix is just a guzzied up Pontiac Vibe I trust.......

Javelin wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

We have some family/friends that are purchasing their first home right now. They've never been *inside* of it (and the wife hasn't seen it at all, period).

True story: There's a staircase in our house that I have used once--like just one time.

David S. Wallens wrote:

Javelin wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

We have some family/friends that are purchasing their first home right now. They've never been *inside* of it (and the wife hasn't seen it at all, period).

True story: There's a staircase in our house that I have used once--like just one time.

That's for the servants only, eh?

poopshovel wrote: I dunno. If it was something other than a car...say...a couch, I'd have no berkeleying clue either. Maybe this guy is a berkeleying guru when it comes to identifying the country where a couch was manufactured and he'd walk in my house and be all "You dumb berkeley! That piece of E36 M3 was built in korea."

I bought a sofa last year from some big chain store (American, I think it was, ironically) had it upside down to put some casters on the ottoman, and found out it was made in the USA. It didn't even cross my mind that cheap furniture (not that it was inexpensive, but I don't see it being passed down to my grandkids) would be built in the States.

Javelin wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

We have some family/friends that are purchasing their first home right now. They've never been *inside* of it (and the wife hasn't seen it at all, period).

Now that sounds like a recipe for disaster (and a recipe for a happy marriage, not).

yamaha wrote: In reply to dculberson: You realize the matrix is just a guzzied up Pontiac Vibe I trust.......

other way around?

Duke wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote:

Javelin wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I once bought a washer machine without first trying it out. For many people, it's the same kind of purchase.

We have some family/friends that are purchasing their first home right now. They've never been *inside* of it (and the wife hasn't seen it at all, period).

True story: There's a staircase in our house that I have used once--like just one time.

That's for the servants only, eh?

Yeah, pretty much.