American cars vs Imports-Personal experience on reliability

[Darius11 12]

I have driven a Renault 5

They are available in Iran.
I remember thinking wow this car has really powerful lights.



http://www.renault.com/renault_com/en/images/coa19830040101_tcm1120-305638.jpg


I have never benn in a newer one.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[AirCav 0]

Maybe seperating imports into European or Japanese may result in a slightly different poll.

Over the past 40 years I've owned German , English, Japanese , and US.

Japanese were OK but never came close to the almost 300,00 miles I was able to get on 3 US land yachts. ( They were all still running when I gave them away)

European.......nothing but trouble!

GW685,D3888,C5052,SCS843

[davidhb63 0]

Hvae had Toyotas, Fords, Lincoln, BMW, Mopars,Nissans and Chevys. I would rank them as follows;

BMW - Flawless
Lincoln - Comfort
Toyotas - Doesnt do anything wrong, just not fun
Fords - Solid vehicles, some glitches
Nissans - So-so vehicle
Mopars - Unreliable
Chevys - had a vette, it sucked

[normiss 896]

"che"vette's don't count

[MrFreefall383 0]

Only owned import, and only owned one. First and only.

So far, in almost 5 years of ownership, not a single major thing has gone wrong with this car that I didn't directly cause by my own stupidity. I know people who have had more problems with other imports, and other people who have had problems with domestics. And I know still others who have had few or no problems with domestics. In my personal experience though, and by the numbers, Honda makes the longest lasting cars on the road. And last I checked, Honda isn't a domestic manufacturer.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[jcd11235 0]

I've owned ~15 cars over the years, including four imports (not including a POS Mistsubishi that was built in the US). The top 5 (based on reliability):

1. Toyota pickup
2. Nissan pickup
3. Toyota Tercel
4. Honda Prelude
5. Chevy pickup (old & restored)

I once read that American automakers design new cars, while Japanese automakers design used cars that happen to be new at one point in their life.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

I've owned one British vehicle. NEVER again. Bought a brand new 1998 Triumph motorcycle to avoid other people's problems. Had the engine rebuilt at the 8000 mile mark due to a spun big-end rod bearing.

I've owned one German car. Friends like German cars too. Based on our collective experiences I've adopted the catch phrase "Precision German Engineering with Minor Electrical Problems." You get vehicles which handle wonderfully and cruise at Autobahn speeds yet have electrical issues. The only non-wear failure I've had in 7 years and 60,000 miles on a formerly 3 year old 30,000 mile Audi was a small leak in the rear differential. Cruiser control broke, driver side window switch broke,, passenger side side air bag reports an error code, the temperature gauge is flakey some days, and sometimes the sun roof opens after I close it.

I've owned a Land Cruiser older than I was. One of my friends put > 200K miles on his Toyota. My wife's Honda is up to 180K. Japanese cars keep going and going and going.

[1969912 0]

My last two cars were South Korean. A '95 Kia Sportage and a '00 Hyundai Elantra. The Kia required two repairs, both covered by the 100K warranty - a defective rear differential, and bad front locking hubs (interestingly, the differential was made in US by Eaton, and the hubs were US made by Warn Co.). Sold it with ~120,000 miles.

Hyundai Elantra currently has ~138,000 miles, and the only repair works was a recall for bad TPS/MAF wiring that could make it stall. My last American car was a 1982 Pontiac Phoenix, which was a mega POS, but shouldn't really count in re your post.
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World's most reliable car, IMHO, is/was the Datsun PL510. Have owned 5 of them over the years, and am currently seeking another one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun_510
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"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[nanook 1]

The only imports i've ever owned was a Honda CVCC 1980. 250,000 miles and still ran like a champ.

I have great luck with f150's so far. My first was a 2000 and my present one is a 2003 4X4 king ranch edition. I never had to bring any in to be worked on.

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[pontiacgtp00 0]

My experiences with Honda's has been great, I restored a 1990 Honda Civic hatchback that had been wrecked and was just left sitting in a field for years and years. Has about 200,000 miles on it and runs great, doesn't tick or burn a drop of oil. Currently building a 220hp B16 for it, which will bring it into the low 13's on the drag strip. Faster than a brand new SRT8 Charger, with better fuel economy and lower insurance rates! The Weight/Horsepower ratio will be around the same of a late 90's Corvette.

Now my first car was a 1974 Plymouth Valiant with the famous 225 slant six. The slant six is famous for being practically indestructible, and it definitely held its title for me. Not a very peppy car, but no matter what that slant six would not break. It currently has 160,000 miles and still runs strong.

[Gawain 0]

'81 Dodge Colt (1986-87) - Mitsubishi import
'82 Honda Civic (1987-1990)
'90 Ford Escort GT (1990-1993)
'93 Honda Civic Si (1993-2000)
'00 Acura Integra GS-R (2000-2003)
'03 Acura CL Type S (2003-2004)
'98 Honda Prelude (2004-2007)
'07 Toyota RAV4 Sport V6 (2007-)

Of them all, I only had two unscheduled maintenance trips..one with the Ford, and one with the Honda Civic Si. There are so many variables I think, where the car is made (specific factory), design, and owner maintenance...etc...engine type, etc.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Darius11 12]

i have even heard that what time the car is made makes a huge difference. People on the morning shift make less mistakes then people on evening shifts. Not sure that is true but i have heard it more then once. I drive every car i have very hard but i take great care of them. I wonder if its just luck.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Squeak 17]

Quote

i have even heard that what time the car is made makes a huge difference. People on the morning shift make less mistakes then people on evening shifts. Not sure that is true but i have heard it more then once. I drive every car i have very hard but i take great care of them. I wonder if its just luck.

The phrase Friday afternoon special, came about for a reason

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Darius11 12]

Quote

Friday afternoon special isn't defined yet.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Friday+afternoon+special


You can make history my friend.

Help a Brotha out


The only thing that came to my mind was filthy Sanchez, or hot carl. but that's just South Park and my dirty mind.
mightbe NSFW NSFW NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-LXDhXIUGM

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[birdlike 0]

While I truly believe that the ultimate design philosophy behind ALL car manufacturers today is, "Make it cheap, flimsy, and force the customer to come back to us to buy parts for what breaks," I still do believe that no one is making well-designed, well-built cars better than the Japanese. Still.

I have had both, and American cars SUCK. But why take my word for it? Look at an independent reviewer like "Consumer Reports," which does not allow itself to be biased by taking advertisements from the car manufacturers. Look at how, since time immemorial, the American cars get the vast majority of the "little black donuts" and the Japanese cars get the vast majority of the "little red donuts." It's plain to see.

I happened to see a tricked-out Ford Mustang in the mall the other day, sitting there with the factory sticker on it. Black, GT or something. Had the "fin" on the back of the trunk.

When I tell you that everything about this car reeked of rattly, shitty, flimsy plastic and "style over substance," please take my word for it.

When I knocked lightly on that spoiler fin, it felt like it was a child's water-gun expanded to be a spoiler. The flimsiest shit I have seen yet on a car. I can't imagine driving down the road and not hearing that thing vibrating from the bumps. It wobbled from my light knock with my knuckles. And it cost $130 for the stupid aluminum gas cap cover, the one that's made to look like it's riveted on.

Give a little knock on the side mirrors: same as the spoiler. That goes for all the new, "beefy-looking" Dodge cars, too. Nothing but flimsy shit.

To be fair, I went in to see the new Subaru WRX STI and discovered that, albeit to a far lesser degree, there were similar complaints to be found. I can't stand the fact that there is soooo damned much silver-painted plastic masquerading as metal trim in cars nowadays. Rub it for a couple of years with normal use and you'll see the white base plastic underneath before long.

To back up my belief that the car makers are deliberately making cars flimsy and destined to get dilapidated before a time that is reasonable, I ask you, why would nearly all of them have taken to mounting reverse-lights in the BUMPERS of their cars?

Take a 3-mph crash into a parking lot barrier because you reversed too far out of your parking spot, and you will not have a little scuff on your bumper, you will have a LIGHT FIXTURE YOU MUST REPLACE, and that's money in the pocket of the car maker.

Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire

[murrays 0]

I've had a Camaro...never again will I own anything by GM....and then mostly Toyotas. I have bought three new ones over the years..1976 Corolla SR5, 1985 Celica GTS and a 2008 Sienna CE. The Celica was the best car I have ever owned. 330,000 km..about 200k miles when I sold it in 2000. All I did to the engine was change the timing chain once, spark plugs and change the oil. It still ran like a champ. The SR5 would rank right behind it. The Toyotas just are more reliable and don't have you getting something major fixed all the time in my experience.

I have had a 1993 Honda Civic that I really liked as well but I wouldn't rank it as high as the Toyotas. I did buy it used and that may have something to do with that. We also have had a 1997 Nissan Quest for the last 11 years. It's given me more grief than I like in the 200,000 kilometers I have put on it so I wouldn't rank it real high either.

The new Sienna has lots of power for a minivan but overall, it's a minivan and a bit of a yawner. We just did a 5000 kilomter road trip and it was terrific on the highway.

I am glad to see that so many people have had good luck with their F150s. I could use a truck for loading kayaks and hauling a boat around so I think I'll look for a good used one.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[davidhb63 0]

Not a chevette, but it was buit about like one.

[tbrown 26]

But what IS an American car anymore ? Is it a Honda built in the US by Americans, who may even be UAW members ? Or is it a Ford, built with parts from Mexico, by workers who are making something like $5 a day ?

Our own family's experience has been mostly in favor of Japanese built cars. As long as we bought 'em new, they've been great. One Nissan Sentra lasted for 24 years before it finally up & died. Right now we have a 2004 Honda Civic and a 2007 Nissan Versa.

We did buy a Saturn in 1997, which has been pretty decent. It belongs to our daughter now, and is only doing sorta okay, but then it is eleven years old, which says something in itself.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !