This "buy American" policy is a lot easier said than done particullarly when it comes to your choice of transportation. I remember being perfectly happy with my Jeep as I approached the outskirts of El Paso for a weekend visit with my family when the check engine light came on. Learning the repair cost would exceed the value of the Jeep left me little choice as I considered my options realizing I didn't have a great deal of time. After listening to persuasive arguments against any type of American made vehicle by in-laws, family, and friends, I gave up any dream of one day sitting behind the wheel of a Hummer. Of course, someone knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who could help me get the best deal in town and I was driving a Honda before I knew it. Even though time constraints played a major part in my decision, the "crowd" had offered a convincing argument about foreign cars being far superior to anything built here in the good old USA. Time will tell I guess.
With GM and Chrysler falling on even harder times since then, one might conclude the "crowd" hit the nail on the head - until you consider a former ever so slight redneck client of mine who would rather push a Ford than drive a Toyota. You know the type - American by birth, Texan by the grace of God from a generation that believe anything mechanical runs forever with just a little oil and baling wire. "Just keep her lubed, change the oil, rotate the tires, and look under the hood every once in awhile" he quips while making his way down the interstate surrounded by the chilling sound of sad old songs coming out of multiple speakers representing solid country gold. To his credit, he's logged over 290,000 uneventful miles in his Ford Suv during a span of 9 years. With those kind of statistics, you have to take notice and respect his patriotic choices.
If a slice of Americana is what you're looking for, then New Mexico in general and Albuquerque in particular is the place for you! Once no more than a dusty frontier outpost of the Spanish colonial empire, Albuquerque is today the most energetic city in New Mexico, spreading 12 miles east of the Rio Grande river to the foothills of the Sandia mountains and 3.5 miles west to a rugged volcanic escarpment. A major center of high-technology and science industries, it drives the state's economy and serves as its education locus and transportation hub. With a population approaching 500,000, Albuquerque is a melting pot for the state's three primary cultures - Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo - to which may now be added an ever-growing Asian community. It has been said that all the reasons why people choose Abuquerque come down to one; they like it. It is such a pleasant and comfortable place to live. And the surrounding area is a visual treat, boasting wide open vistas, a vast blue sky filled with double rainbows and nights of a thousand shooting stars, snow covered mountains with world-class ski areas, golf courses, and mile upon mile of hiking, walking, and horseback riding trails. It's clearly the shortest distance between paradise and the place you call home.