Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
So here is an update on outcome of the purchase of a car for my wife. She found one she liked – and having been married for almost 25 years now, that really is the end of the story. But, I like to think there was also some reasoning.
Originally, I wanted to get a diesel; my wife said NO trucks. We felt that the Chevy Cruze was too small. The V6 diesel is only offered at the high trim level for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which pushed it out of budget. Also, the lack of third row seating was a significant negative. That does it for diesel right now.
So we moved on to gas. While our 2004 Honda minivan has received extensive use (160K miles), we really felt like we needed all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive given our icy winters. The only offering there is the Toyota Sienna, which again is offered only at the higher trim levels, pushing it out of the budget.
OK, if not a minivan, some type of SUV with third row seating. We felt we could not completely go without a third row, even though the need declines each year. We constantly used the third row in the minivan when the kids were smaller; we now find that we no longer routinely have a car full of kids like in the past. However, there still seems to be an extra kid to haul from time to time. There are many offerings of this type, some of which I liked a lot, such as the Dodge Durango. However, many SUV offerings with third row seating were out of the budget.
We identified three contenders: Mitsubishi Outlander, Dodge Journey, and Kia Sorrento. I note that the third row seating is minimal in these vehicles; not "real" third row seating like in our minivan. But, we judged adequate to meet our (declining) needs.
My wife and I both liked the Outlander as well as the local dealership. We liked the ten-year powertrain warranty. However, we did note that the Outlander is 100% import. Thus, the only domestic jobs created by the Outlander arise from the distribution network.
I thought the Dodge Journey was OK; my wife thought it was marginal. We have purchased two vehicles from that dealer and have been satisfied with the dealer. I note that the domestic content was a little less than 25%, engine was domestic, transmission was from Mexico, and assembly is in Mexico. So, the domestic job creation is not all that strong.
I thought the Kia Sorrento was good and liked the ten-year powertrain warranty. My wife really liked the car. Domestic content was about 55%, engine was Korean, transmission was domestic, and assembly was domestic (assembled in Georgia). The customer service at the dealership was excellent. I had researched what I thought was a fair price. I asked the salesperson to give me his best price; he asked questions and said he would run it by his manager (at this point I expected to walk out because I have no patience for that nonsense; this has been my experience in the past). He came back with a price that was almost one grand less than I had in my mind, so I said OK.
I think we ended up spending one thousand or possibly two thousand more than if we had gone with the Dodge Journey. However, I liked the fact that the domestic content of the Kia was a little more than twice that of the Dodge, as well as the fact that it was assembled in the U.S. So, I think the Kia is generating significantly more in the way of domestic jobs than the Dodge. From what I have been able to research, people are quite pleased with the Sorrento, and Kia has made significant strides in quality in recent years.
Oh, and did I mention that it is what my wife wanted?
This is my saga of buying American. I think if the kids were smaller then we would have spent more and probably chosen a larger SUV with a better third row like the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, etc. However, we only went a little bit over what I wanted to originally spend, and while the Kia is less American made than the larger (more costly) alternatives, it is substantially more American made than other alternatives.
Thanks to WayneM for pointing me in the direction of the domestic content and assembly location on the window sticker.
Originally, I wanted to get a diesel; my wife said NO trucks. We felt that the Chevy Cruze was too small. The V6 diesel is only offered at the high trim level for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which pushed it out of budget. Also, the lack of third row seating was a significant negative. That does it for diesel right now.
So we moved on to gas. While our 2004 Honda minivan has received extensive use (160K miles), we really felt like we needed all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive given our icy winters. The only offering there is the Toyota Sienna, which again is offered only at the higher trim levels, pushing it out of the budget.
OK, if not a minivan, some type of SUV with third row seating. We felt we could not completely go without a third row, even though the need declines each year. We constantly used the third row in the minivan when the kids were smaller; we now find that we no longer routinely have a car full of kids like in the past. However, there still seems to be an extra kid to haul from time to time. There are many offerings of this type, some of which I liked a lot, such as the Dodge Durango. However, many SUV offerings with third row seating were out of the budget.
We identified three contenders: Mitsubishi Outlander, Dodge Journey, and Kia Sorrento. I note that the third row seating is minimal in these vehicles; not "real" third row seating like in our minivan. But, we judged adequate to meet our (declining) needs.
My wife and I both liked the Outlander as well as the local dealership. We liked the ten-year powertrain warranty. However, we did note that the Outlander is 100% import. Thus, the only domestic jobs created by the Outlander arise from the distribution network.
I thought the Dodge Journey was OK; my wife thought it was marginal. We have purchased two vehicles from that dealer and have been satisfied with the dealer. I note that the domestic content was a little less than 25%, engine was domestic, transmission was from Mexico, and assembly is in Mexico. So, the domestic job creation is not all that strong.
I thought the Kia Sorrento was good and liked the ten-year powertrain warranty. My wife really liked the car. Domestic content was about 55%, engine was Korean, transmission was domestic, and assembly was domestic (assembled in Georgia). The customer service at the dealership was excellent. I had researched what I thought was a fair price. I asked the salesperson to give me his best price; he asked questions and said he would run it by his manager (at this point I expected to walk out because I have no patience for that nonsense; this has been my experience in the past). He came back with a price that was almost one grand less than I had in my mind, so I said OK.
I think we ended up spending one thousand or possibly two thousand more than if we had gone with the Dodge Journey. However, I liked the fact that the domestic content of the Kia was a little more than twice that of the Dodge, as well as the fact that it was assembled in the U.S. So, I think the Kia is generating significantly more in the way of domestic jobs than the Dodge. From what I have been able to research, people are quite pleased with the Sorrento, and Kia has made significant strides in quality in recent years.
Oh, and did I mention that it is what my wife wanted?
This is my saga of buying American. I think if the kids were smaller then we would have spent more and probably chosen a larger SUV with a better third row like the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, etc. However, we only went a little bit over what I wanted to originally spend, and while the Kia is less American made than the larger (more costly) alternatives, it is substantially more American made than other alternatives.
Thanks to WayneM for pointing me in the direction of the domestic content and assembly location on the window sticker.
