Everyone loves to point out that Camrys and Accords are built in the US. But what does that really mean? The majority of the parts come from Japan. The vast majority of the engineering, marketing, sales support, etc. was done in Japan. And finally, the majority of the profits go back over there too.
Pretty much all an "American built" Accord gives to our country's economy is the wage of the person that assembles it. And if I'm not mistaken, assembling a vehicle is a drop in the bucket when you compare the materials costs, engineering, and general overhead. I would bet we're talking 1% of the car's sticker price (though I've often wondered the exact amount and have never seen a number. should be easy enough, just take the total value of cars produced and contrast to the salary of the assembly line workers in the plant).
So don't take this as "racist", you should feel free to buy whatever you want in a free market economy. But PLEASE do not KID yourself that an Accord is MORE AMERICAN than a Mexican assembled Contour.
