Infuriating Because It's True

This is from AdFreak. Here's the small print if you can't read it:

You probably thought it was smart to buy a foreign import of superior quality, with better mileage and resale value. Maybe you even thought that years of market share loss might prod us into rethinking our process and redesigning our products with better quality in mind. But you forgot one thing: We spend a shitload of money on lobbyists. So now you're out $25 billion, plus the cost of your Subaru. Maybe next time you'll buy American like a real man. Either way, we're cool.

This is a spoof ad, but it's so true it hurts. When I had to buy a new car last year after the Jetta ate it on Pratt Street, I looked at a couple of different inexpensive, small cars: The Toyota Yaris, the Honda Fit, the Ford Focus, a Chevy something or other.

I spent about 2.5 seconds thinking about the Chevy (mostly because if I bought one my grandfather would disown me), and almost immediately eliminated the Focus from contention for several reasons. First, it's a Ford. I've owned Fords before and I know they tend to be cheaply made - surely you've heard the old Fix Or Repair Daily joke. Plus, I have this preconceived idea that people who choose a Focus on their own (as opposed to having it given to you or being forced to buy it used because there are no other options) are extremely boring. So boring that you should go out of your way to not start a conversation because they will have nothing interesting to contribute. I could be totally wrong on this, but that is how that particular car speaks to me.

Anyway, long story long, I ended up buying the Yaris. I've had it for about a year and a half and have had no problems at all (knock on wood). I don't think my decision to buy a foreign made car that I believed to be safer and better quality means that the domestic manufacturers are entitled to stick out their hands and demand money anyway. What it means is that they need to step up their products and then MAYBE I will consider buying one of them.