I used to be a Buy American guy. But now I think that actually makes America weaker. It reduces competition. And competition is what makes things run well.
In the 1970s and 80s American car quality was detestably bad and Japan started kicking Detroit's ass by selling us what we wanted: reliable cars that get good mileage. It took Detroit more than a decade to get off their complacent, arrogant asses and improve their product quality. Without us buying so many foreign cars Detroit would still be shipping shit. Anyone remember buying a new car around 1970 and bringing it back to the dealer with a list 10 to 20 items long for them to fix? 10 to 20 was the norm.
Agreed, I use to be "All American" when buying autos decades ago, but now I'm more of a "best bang for the buck$" buyer.
My brothers been thru 2 NEW Jeeps, while I'm still going strong in a Nissan bought before his 2 Jeeps were purchased.
strangely enough it might just be they are trying to get the best value for your tax dollar.
American car companies came a long way back but in the late 70's and 80's and even into the 90's they produced some real crap allowing these foreign car companies to get a strong foothold on the American market. Honda, Toyota and Datsun (aside from the 280 series) were real pieces of sh#t. But younger people with less money were able to afford those cars. Not now.
Where is Cadilac and Lincoln, the American elite brands now? I hardly see Cadilacs anymore.
Your town is probably just shopping for the most reliable vehicles they can find for the money.
I'm not a "Malden" resident,
but yes, I agree with you on the "best value" for the buck ( in the long run , because, in my experience, American vehicles (Jeep, Dodge, Ford... owned them all ), seems to have a much shorter life span, and costs more due to more-frequent services needed to upkeep ( tranny , engine , wiring, .etc. )