Guide to American Car Buying

Even when looking solely at the manufacture of an automobile, it is hard to determine exactly where a car and its various parts hail. Its assembly is just one part of the puzzle; the places where the engine and transmission are manufactured also factor into the mix. There are several resources to help you figure it out:

• List of cars manufactured at Assembly Plants in Metro Detroit and/or Michigan
  
  
• VIN Number. Each car has a VIN number. The number can be used to determine the place of manufacture. For instance, according to HowStuffWorks.com, the first digit of the VIN number identifies the place at which the vehicle was manufactured or assembled. If the first number of the VIN is a 1, 4 or 5, then the vehicle was assembled in a region of the United States. Note: The second and third digits of the VIN identify the manufacturer and division respectively. The 11th digit stands for the assembly plant at which the car was manufactured.
  
  
• Cars.com produces an American-Made Index that lists the top selling cars in American that are both assembled in the U.S. and have the highest percentage (greater than 75%) of American parts.
  
  The Top Michigan-Made cars on the list include:
  • #1 Ford F-150 (Dearborn and elsewhere in the United States)
  • #4 Pontiac G6 (Orion)
  • #8 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (Pontiac and elsewhere in the United States)
  • #9 Chrysler Sebring (Sterling Heights)