Should loyal Americans feel inclined to buy American cars when looking to buy a new car? The question perplexes even the proudest Americans at their local dealership. This comes back to the debate between performance and patriotism. What comes first? What's a loyal American to do? As most Americans know, the auto industry has become very competitive over the past decade, with most of that competition coming from European and Japanese brands. A big contribution to the rise of foreign cars and fall of American cars has to do with the recent fall of General Motors, a well-respected American automaker for years. “The partial collapse of General Motors (GM) constitutes an important milestone in American history. The bankruptcy of the leading automaker marks the end of the auto-industrial 20th century in the United States and the beginning of a 21st century high-tech society” (Veldman). Recently, foreign cars have gained respectability and longevity of their products. When it comes to buying a new car, Americans should base their decision-making on overall quality and reliability, depreciation value, fuel efficiency and safety, without letting patriotism take over. This is not a document intended to denigrate American cars, but simply to show how improving the quality of foreign cars should persuade Americans to be open-minded in purchasing cars. When it comes to overall quality and reliability, Consumer Reports, a well-respected organization. The research magazine publishes a magazine evaluating new cars every year. Choosing the best new car in each of their ten categories, a foreign model won in eight of the ten categories of best small sedan (Hyundai), best family sedan (Nissan), best sports car (Volkswagen ) and the best small SUV. (Subaru), best car overall (Lexus), be...... middle of paper...... efficiency and safety. As one website simply states, "the buyer should focus not on where the car comes from, but rather on whether the vehicle meets their expectations" (Import v. Domestic). Whether Japanese or European, foreign cars have every right to travel on American roads like domestic cars do. After all, America is a free country, so drive freely and be happy with your car! Works Cited “Imported versus domestic cars.” Which are the best? All about car selection. Internet. March 17, 2010. “Poll: Americans still prefer foreign cars. » MSNBC. January 8, 2007. The web. March 17, 2010. Tarlo, David. “American cars versus foreign cars.” Money distributor. Internet. March 17, 2010. "Top Ratings, Reliability, Value and Performance Exclusive to 2010 Cars." Consumer Reports April 2010: 6-11, 14-16, 19-21, 22-23, 70, 82. Print. Veldman, Hans. “The Fall of GM.” Nyenrode University of Commerce. Internet. March 20. 2010