If I was your size I might get the Prius too. And cut back on the doughnuts.

Good question. By sneaking the Prius into the midsize category they are getting a larger tax credit for it. Chalk up a win for Toyota's DC lobbyists.

The silver lining for the '06 HCH is that, even though it's assembled in Japan, 70% of its parts are manufactured in North America.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

The larger question on that then becomes: what *is* an "American" car vs. an import? What about GM cars manufactured in Canada (the Pontiac Parisienne was a Canadian import that GM brought back to the US, after the Bonneville was discontinued and they decided that its death was premature.) so that's not an "American" car.

A BMW build in Spartanburg, SC? The Toyota Camry Hybrid that'll be coming out of Kentucky? Maybe the Hyundais built in Alabama.

My fave (of the week) is the Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-type which is sort of the same car, but I'm not sure which of them is American or British (not to mention the new Ford Fusion that's a Mazda 6 under the skin.

"American" vs. "Import" becomes as complicated these days as what to watch on TV since we no longer have only three networks.

(Of course, all that also ignores that, no matter which "type" of car you guy, it's more than likely at an American retailer, serviced by American technicians, fixed with parts shipped on American trucks.....

BUYING the car is just the tip of a very large distribution and service network with LOTS of American jobs along the way.)

IMHO, If the car or any of its parts meet ANY of the following criteria, it is an american car and should be avoided:

Designed by americans
Supervised by american management
Made/assembled by americans
Materials spec'ed by americans.

The only cars I really trust are the ones that are 100% japanese. The rest start to look suspect because many critical decisions about american design and production are made by accountants, lawyers and union reps. I do not trust these people to do what is best for the quality of the CAR. In cars that I trust, these decisions are made by engineers and designers (the people who should be making these decisions).

It is my firm belief that only quality products deserve to sell, and therefore those who build quality products have inherently better job security. If americans want to protect their market share and the jobs of those who make their cars, they need to focus on building a higher quality product. The quality of the product protects the jobs inherently, at the root of the problem. False protections like tarrifs, government protection, corporate wellfare, and "home-team" loyalty only band-aid the problem and simply prolong the unavoidable demise of a failing system.

I wasnt even thinking of a new car. I had an '03 Accord. The crash tests came out, the Civic was Gold rated, and I had no curtain airbags in the Accord. The Civic was plenty comfortable for me (6'0", 155 lb) and the mileage put me over as soon as this Iran stuff came up. Now two weeks into ownership I love it and I am a much better driver for it.

I hope this is tongue in cheek. Otherwise you'd better get used to walking because you won't find a single car that is 100% Japanese. All cars these days are "world cars". Besides, Toyota and Honda assemble some of the best quality cars in the world right here in America.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

Both of my cars came on a boat from japan, fully assembled. My truck, now that's another story. I tried a japanese truck (Toyota T-100) which was a good truck but it got 15mpg. I do better now with a 3/4 ton dodge diesel, which surprisingly enough, is a pretty good vehicle, though 16mpg is still not much to get excited about.

That only works if you (also) buy them in Japan, and have them serviced in Japan.

That's not a completely fair thing to say. Honda and Toyota build some of the most reliable cars available and most of them are built by...you guessed it...Americans. It's not the people building the car, it's the company as a whole and it's Management. It's the company environment and attitude. I believe that both Honda and Toyota are better managed as a whole therefore making a much better environment for it's employees thus making quality and "pride in workmanship" and easier concept to grasp. Be thankful for our automakers, especially the "import" brands. They're bringing us work while the "domestic" brands are shipping off to Mexico to be profitable. So, who has the better business model?

I did not test drive the Prius, only the Honda. But here are my reasons:

• I wanted a real trunk, and personally don’t care for hatchbacks. I like the security of a separate trunk to lock stuff in. Didn't mind not having the fold-down back seat--if I had to haul something I'd use my spouse's larger car.
• I like lots of visibility when driving, and the back window in the Prius seemed a little too porthole-like. I really like the little triangular side windows in the front of the Honda.
• The insult-to-injury factor of not only paying a large premium for a Prius but also getting on a waiting list for a couple months---while taking the risk of the carpool exemption stickers running out. All that didn’t seem worth it for the 10mpg difference and the larger tax credit. There are Hondas available for not much more than sticker--if you do a little digging outside the big cities.
• I had always been curious about this wonderful reputation Honda has, and figured if I was going to try out the new hybrid technology, that made it a safer bet.

I think you and I are saying similar things. Only I don't make the distinction that american jobs are more valuable than foreign jobs. I feel that it's good for the world for everyone to have a job, so I don't prefer to employ americans over jobs in other countries. They're all good for the world. As for the cars, I still stand by what I said, which is similar to your statements - yes some of the foreign automakers are better managed, which is why I prefer them. In my experience the best results have been the ones designed and produced in japan. I know that toyota makes cars in the us, and they claim to be just as good, but I prefer the ones still made in japan.