Personally I think this is a really interesting discussion. I am an engineer at Honda R&D near Columbus, OH. At my location, there are over a thousand white collar workers, mostly technical. Within a hundred mile radius of me, there are a 4 Honda assembly plants, employing around 10,000 people. At other sites in the US and Canada, there are probably another 15,000 workers. Each of these plants is turning out thousands of new Hondas per day. Nearly every Honda/Acura sold in the US (by volume) is made in the US. The engines, transmissions, every major component. Furthermore, Honda actually *exports* cars from the US, something that the Big 3 can barely talk about. Sure, there are niche cars like the S2000 roadster that are 100% Japanese, but that is a tiny part of our market. I think these are pretty impressive numbers, especially if you consider that Honda is only something like the 7th largest market share in the US. Its been here since 1979, I'd wager that in those 27 years Honda has contributed significantly to Americans and their way of life. There are a lot of secure $25/hr plus full benefits jobs available in Ohio because of Honda. The US auto industry lost their way in the oil crises. They haven't been able to turn it around since then. They concentrate too much on short-sighted markets like giant fuel-guzzling SUVs. Its not that the Big 3 makes bad cars, its that they make cars that aren't in demand. Compare a Focus to a Civic. A Taurus to an Accord. Sure, those Fords might last 200k miles, but I'd much rather spend that time in a nice Accord than a hard plastic Taurus. I would rather support the thousands of American workers who build Hondas than support a few suits in Detroit and drive a Mexican Dodge. That said, my garage: 1980 Lawn Boy 7229 1996 Stihl trimmer 1997 Honda Accord (shocking, right?) 2002 Triumph Speed Triple (mc) 1976 Honda CB400F (mc) 1976 Suzuki GT550 2-stroke (mc) 1948 Johnson Sea Horse (outboard) 1949 Evinrude Zephyr (outboard)

I think capitalism and the global economy first, your comfort second, the EPA third. Remember when all you could buy in a car was from the big three? Remember when a company making 5% profit increase over the previous year was something to invest in? Now they fire the CEO. Money, pure and simple - and FAST OR ELSE. And lest anyone thinks that made in the USA still means as much today as then, look at the car industry. Look at Delta Tools. How much of a tractor is actually made in North America as opposed to assembled here? When I started looking for a LT everyone said 'gotta have a cast iron front axle!' Some Kubota's front axles are steel and look very sturdy. What I'm getting at is that if a company can save $ by buying parts in Asia, they will. There's also no reason that those parts aren't every bit as good IF the buyer insists on the specification and quality and keeps the supplier honest. They can make good stuff; they can make crap. The only way to stop the crap is to not buy it. How can we tell this? We can't always, except in rare cases that cause death or injury and you see it on the news. Magazine reviews and forums like this are one way to share that information but we all have biases. When they show too strongly, it can have the opposite effect. I initially refused to look at John Deere because of the many strong opinions here. I really think we could use a MODERATOR or two! A little off topic; Many here think THE magazine that just did reviews is too easily manipulated by biased feedback from owners. Others think they shouldn't be charged a fee for supplying data to a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help people without a clue wade through the mountain of advertisement, whether print, TV, or religion. We all need to use some common sense when buying anything. Funny how many JD fans dislike the magazine yet they rated the product pretty darn well. Perhaps too much biased feedback? I dunno, but It's what actually got me to consider the product. I looked around, not knowing too much and open to everything. In the end, the collective qualities of the machines, dealers, and the level-headed input from several people here helped me decide. You know, if we had a moderator I couldn't go on like this... ns-gardener

"Star: Seafoam or any Oil Conditioner Cleaner will not harm your engine if used in moderation . Even small amount of transmission fluid will clean up valve carbon issues or sticking rings. Normally only req'd on older engines" SeaFoam is a good cleaner for old engines that have been neglected, but so is plain naphtha. If you desire to spend your money on overpriced chemical cleaners, then have at it. If you use a good quality synthetic in the engine and change it on a regular basis then you donÂt have to worry about using an engine cleaner. Using SeaFoam in the oil for "normal" use is foolish. Walmart shelves are burdened with many oil additives and all of them are snakeoil.

I bought a 1995 Acura Legend in 1998 with 32,000 miles on it. It was a 36-month lease turn-in and was literally in PERFECT condition. It sat unsold on the Acura dealerâs used lot because it was the least expensive model, the L 4-door, with cloth interior and 5-speed manual transmission. But it was exactly what I wanted, White with Taupe interior, Bose stereo, Power seats with memory and (the best part) the sweetest 200hp 3.2L V6 Iâve ever experienced! I paid $26,000 out-the-door, which felt like a fortune at the time (I was 23). I drove it 40-50k miles per year until I was t-boned by a commercial truck in August 2005. It had just turned 329,000 miles at the time and didnât burn a drop of oil (synthetic), the clutch had only been replaced once and the transmission shifted like new. Other than scheduled maintenance, the only thing I ever had to replace was the A/C compressor and two ABS sensors. The impact was so hard the passenger-side door panel ended up breaking my right hand and forearm (it was in the middle of the car). The rearview mirror broke loose during the crash and hit me in the head just above my right ear. It left most of the glass mirror fragments in my head and took 38 staples to close the wound! I also had damage to two discs in my cervical spine that required a 3-level c-spine fusion the following year. But I was able to recover from all of those injuries, which was pretty amazing considering how bad my poor Legend looked. I bought a 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback to replace it in December 2005. Eight years later, Iâm just past 190,000 miles and going strong!