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We (my wife) needs a new car. I am very strict on where it is built, I will never own an import!, and want a north American built car, from one of the three Detroit companies. She looking into a Ford Focus SE modal, and I did a search, but came surprisingly short As far as I can tell it could have been built in a number of counties. Would anyone know what country the car was built?

My mom just bought one and loves it. Built mainly in Mexico tho. First digit of vin on a ford tell the country, 1 is USA, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico.

I have had 4 Foci now and they are fun cars. I have a '05 ST now but would really like a "new" ST!

marlo wrote:We (my wife) needs a new car. I am very strict on where it is built, I will never own an import!, and want a north American built car, from one of the three Detroit companies. She looking into a Ford Focus SE modal, and I did a search, but came surprisingly short As far as I can tell it could have been built in a number of counties. Would anyone know what country the car was built?

It might be kinda sporty...but-

1 serials are US
2 serials are CN
3 are germany
4 are Mexico

as I remember-

Why so strict on where its built? The reality is that final assembly could be in North America but the components could (and do) come from all over the world.

Focus SE as your example if its equipped with a 2.0 litre engine, I believe the powertrain is sourced from Mazda. Meaning that even if its built in Michigan, or Mexico, the engine and tranny were made in Japan (how's that for an 'American' car?)

Similarly, a Chevy Equinox, the engine and tranny are sourced from China (!).

So while I think I understand why you are trying to support a North American made vehicle, the reality is that everything is global today and nothing is truly 'made in Canada' or 'made in the USA' anymore.

Using one of my companies cars - the VW Passat is built in Chattanooga, Tennessee and I think except for the Engine / Transmission, all of its parts are sourced locally. So which car is really an 'import' - the Focus or the Passat?

As you know Marlo - I'm happy to help you buy a VW if you want to look at one

Thanks for the offer Chris, I may send the message over to my uncle, he's been A VW man since the 80's. I work in a factory, and have seen many other jobs go away, never to return. I will always put money in our pockets, and support our economy first. I rather have a north American build my car then an off shore country. I know this topic may go in a different direction, but I stand my ground Her current car is a 2003 focus, and we love it, but it has come to a point where fixing it will not work. Thanks for the Vin numbers, I'll look into that.

May send you in the right direction. I'm sure things change year to year though, and the serial numbers tell the final story, but I looked at this a while back to see about my Tacoma..

http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/content/db/b-db-autos.shtml

Buy a Honda built in Aliston

RC10Eh wrote:Buy a Honda built in Aliston

I think only Civics though, but not an American brand.

Tesla Model S?

the batteries are panasonic, most likely fabbed in an asia.

I don't envy your search, it could prove quite difficult.

My wife's fantastic Toyota Camry is built in Kentucky! I understand they out source parts from mostly US manufacturers. Love the car BTW!

As much as I love Ford, I swayed my sister and gf to Toyota. I didn't want to work on em. Gf loves the Sienna and sister has a Corolla S and loves it as well. Almost 100k on the Sienna with 0 problems.

It sounds like you would anyway, but avoid any Focus built in Mexico like the plague. I had an '05 ZX3 hatchback when I lived in California, and at 50,000 miles it felt like a much older car. Squeaks, rattles, electrical problems, wheel bearing going out, and it had terrible fit and finish from day one. Shame, too, because it seemed like a well-designed car, but the build quality was awful. I hear this is true of a lot of the Mexican-built cars: VW, Chrysler, Nissan. You move a factory to a place with cheap labor, and you get, well, cheap labor. Which is why I tell my friends who are car shopping: "If the VIN starts with 3, best let it be."

Though it must be said, my current '99 Plymouth Neon, built in Belvedere, Illinois, isn't much better. At 117,000, it's starting to age prematurely. Better built than the Focus was, but doesn't feel durable. But my wife's '96 Explorer, which is about as American as you can get, is still rock-solid at 147,000 and I expect it to keep going strong for a long time (though I do wish it did better than 17 mpg). So would I buy American again? Ford trucks yes, Chrysler compacts, no.

I don't buy new cars anymore anyway (won't give money to a bank for interest/financing), so my vehicle purchases don't help or hurt the US economy no matter where the car was actually made. The workers and designers and executives were all paid, taxes and import duties (if any) are already collected, long before I get to the car. A used car, driven here in America, has kept gas station attendants, mechanics, parts-counter guys, parking valets, and road crews, all American workers, busy for years, even if it originally came from somewhere else.

What DOES drive me absolutely up the wall, however, is the fact that you just can't get parts for older cars anymore that aren't either made in China or remanufactured in Mexico. Which is why I always check junkyards first; I'd rather have a used OEM part, if it's in good shape, than some piece of junk slapped together by someone half a planet away. Eventually, I suppose, ALL cars, even 30 year old ones, will be built in China, one piece at a time...

Good luck on your search.

I stand with you Marlo. Both my vehicles built in Bramalee by family members and support my Dads Pension future.
the debate could go on and on about this and that, but those who live it as factory workers up here get it.
I dont own and fords or never have but for no reason other than I havent.

Interesting comment on the Mexican build quality. I can't comment on other brands but for VW at least, I know the Puebla plant produces the same quality of vehicles compared to any of our other plants in the world (Germany included). Again, speaking only for my own company, the final assembly only happens in these plants - most of the components are sourced elsewhere in the world. I would imagine its true of most other vehicle assembly plants. I get what Marlo is saying - 'buy what your neighbours build'. I'm not opposed to it but since I work for a car company (VW / Audi), I kind of have to drive their products! (Although I have a Honda Odyssey and a Honda Snowblower, lol)