When you're talking about the realm of car enthusiasts, it's as true there as anywhere else. Whether it's the classic "Ford vs. Chevy" or "Import vs. Domestic" argument, both sides have their heels dug in up to their thighs. But most of these arguments are subjective in the sense of personal preference. Jim Bob says "Camaros forever!" and Bubba says "Mustangs Rule!" Fair enough.
But if you take it to a more philosophical or macro-economic level, the passion gets even more heated, and the conversation becomes even more muddled and confusing. Is it really less patriotic to buy a foreign car than a domestic one? Some say Americans have an obligation to buy domestically-produced products, to keep the economy strong, and support and sustain a better standard of living for all.
But does it really? The free-market advocates say that blindly buying American-made goods when there are better and sometimes cheaper foreign alternatives available actually stifles competition and encourages complacency and diminishes competition. American companies need to be kept on their toes, and the only way to do that is to buy the best product you can out there, foreign or domestic. Economic Darwinism, if you will.
But the most extreme examples of closed markets (such as the former Soviet Union and East Germany) have produced some absolutely abysmal examples of motoring wretchedness, such as the flimsy, smoky Trabant, and any number of Soviet cars like the Lada, Volga, and others.
Yet on the other hand, other countries that didn't vigorously support their domestic automakers have seen foreign competitors come in with a vengeange and steal market share, and eventually buy out the weakened domestic firms, such as in the UK. The once proud Union Jack standard-bearers such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, and Range Rover are owned by German and American companies, respectively, and the latter may be soon swallowed by an Indian agricultural equipment maker!
So to answer the weighty question, "Does it matter if you buy American?" I would answer...yes, if they earned your business. Ultimately, it's up to each company to produce the highest-quality, most competitive product it can, and let the buyers decide. If American automakers legitimately earn customers' business by producing the best products they can, they deserve the success. But if they stubbornly stick to discredited and failed policies and products, they deserve their serving of humble pie.