5

BAD PR

America's "Big Three" automakers (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) once represented the shining potential of US manufacturing, but then things took a turn for the worst. A reputation for making crappy cars dogs all three, driving consumers away. The reduced demand means their plants run below capacity, and they're reliant on subsidized leases to sell vehicles (which moves cars off the lot but hurts the bottom line in the long run). Internally, they suffer from plant closures and layoffs. In 1980, the book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors by J. Patrick Wright was published; it contained allegations of corruption against GM--claims that weren't so surprising considering their Vice President, John Z. DeLorean (yes, that DeLorean), was charged with trafficking cocaine. The struggles of the Big Three have always made headlines, so who could blame someone for thinking twice about buying an American car?

4

THE BAILOUT

The struggles of the American automotive "Big Three" were only exasperated by the global financial downturn in 2007. When GM and Chrysler (but not Ford) threatened bankruptcy, the US government, under President Obama, bailed them out (to the tune of $79.68 billion in taxpayer money) to prevent worsening the Great Recession. The move was deeply unpopular; according to CNN, only 36% of Americans supported the bailout. It was seen as unfair, as rewarding of poor business management and ethics, and as a way of letting highly paid auto execs keep their private jets.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum or how successful you believe the auto bailout was, it's impossible to deny that the bailout left a bad taste in the mouths of millions of customers and further tarnished the already cloudy reputation of American automakers.

3

ROTTEN RESALE VALUE

Unless you plan on keeping your car 'til death do you part (and let's face it, that's a big commitment to be making on a showroom floor), you'd be wise to inquire about the resale value. Every new car begins depreciating as soon you drive it off the lot, but some cars depreciate more quickly than others. Take the Chevrolet Captiva Sport (pictured here), which retains a paltry 38% of its original value after only 3 years, earning it the top spot on the Cars.com list of Top 10 Worst Car Resale Values for 2014. In fact, five out of the ten cars on the list are American.

So what's the good news? On the Cars.com counterpart list, Top 10 Best Car Resale Values for 2014, no American cars made the grade. Wait, that's bad news.

2

BAD MARKETING OVERSEAS

Remember in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (admit it, you totally watched it) where Sean's going to race against Takashi, so he takes his father's 1967 Ford Mustang? That scene was significant because, one, it acknowledged the heritage of American muscle cars, and two, no one in Japan drives American cars. Okay, I can't say absolutely NO ONE does, but in general, the Japanese market isn't interested in the offerings of US automakers. This is largely due to the perception that American cars are inferior (for the reasons I've already covered), but also due to GM's botched introduction of the Chevy Cavalier into the country in 1995. GM sold it as the Toyota Cavalier (pictured here) via a deal with the company--or should I say "TRIED to sell" since GM completely ignored Japanese tastes when marketing the Cavalier and only managed to sell 36,216 from 1995-2000.

1

BAD REPUTATION

So, what are we left with? Obviously. American cars have a less-than-stellar reputation both home and abroad, or there wouldn't be a cause to write this article. Sad to say, much of it has been earned. On top of that, there's always the possibility that the rest of the world will never understand America's automotive tastes. They may never appreciate the spirit of a pickup truck, the pomp of an SUV, or the defiance of a muscle car. So, should we follow Joan Jett's advice and not give a d**n about our bad reputation?

Maybe or maybe not. Who knows? But we do know that many of the issues with US automakers are slowly getting better, and thanks to consumer demand, the sins of the past are gradually being amended. American cars are moving in the right direction. Let's hope they stay that way.