Car Tech: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car?
- 6/20/07 3:42 PM
Chinese!? Haha!
by tjm626 - 6/21/07 7:30 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It seems the only thing that's coming out of China is spam and low quality products.
Anyway, I have had a Honda Civic now for five years. I have had no problems with it. So, I say Japanese cars.
Japanese cars
by tomrstahl - 6/21/07 8:28 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been driving Japanes cars since my 1972 Datsun 240Z. They look good, handle well, get better mileage, and best of all they rarely break.
Tom S
Toyota rules
by andrewbaggins - 6/21/07 8:33 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I drive an old Toyota with 160K miles on it. Bought it used and have spent less than $200 per year average on maintenance - including oil changes!
Japanese cars are best
by thedahill - 6/21/07 8:47 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have had Two Toyota vehicles and both have been exceptional. My Totyota truck (1882-1995) had over 500,000 Km and had only three minor repairs (water pump, oil pressure guage, and timing belt replacement). My Corolla station wagon replaced my truck (1995) and is coming upto 200,000 Km. with only a timing belt replacement (180Km).
Both were imports and I would like to get a Toyota crew cab import but trade restrictions by North American truck manufacturers make this cost prohibitive.
I'd buy an Amercian factory built Toyota but their engineering, workmanship and standards are below those of the Japanese factories. For some reason Toyota is catering to the BIG TRUCK, BIG MAN attitude of North American men and in doing so has been forced to re-engineer and re-design for this market. Hopefully in a few years they will get it right and build products as good as those in Japan.
For the GM and FORD guys just a little observation. I have been in a lot of back woods, rugged, god forsaken muck holes around the world and the dominant truck is Toyota. Reason? Price, Performance and Reliability. Again main reason why GM and FORD dominate in North America? Trade restrictions!
Korea or Japan
by ivaskaj - 6/21/07 9:15 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am a patriotic American; that can be deduced by the amount of money I have wasted keeping my 3 American vehicles running until I got a Nissan. American car quality has been going steadily downhill since the mid 1970s, thanks to government regulations, unions, and poor corporate decisions. They are starting to get better (GM's 100k warranty for '07), but still have a ways to go. As of now, the average person should stick with Japanese or Korean vehicles unless they need a heavy duty truck. I have a '94 Nissan pickup with 450,000 miles on it. All I've had to replace was a clutch at 260k, and the usual wear items like brakes and....well, brakes. It still runs like a champ, the a/c blows 32º, and I can get 27/33 MPG. My mom's 2006 Sonata has 25,000 on it and she has yet to have a problem. Plus, you can't beat the 10/100 warranty. Even the Japanese don't offer that.
Bottom line is, ANY car company can turn out a few cars that will go forever. Just because Joe Blow's car went for 400,000 miles doesn't mean that the same make/model/year will do the same for you. I had a '97 S-10 that was the biggest POS I've ever owned. My buddies '97 S-10 with the same motor and transmission as mine has 250,000 miles and he's never had a bit of trouble from it. It's just that the Japanese cars that go forever are far more common than any other country.
American
by mchadjin - 6/21/07 9:36 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Best bang for the buck. Value. Quality is very high today. I love my Vette.
Japanese and German
by BlueKnight - 6/21/07 9:42 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've got a foot in both camps here. I wish I could say American, but the quality still isn't there and the newer American cars don't last as long as those built 1970 and prior. I had a 70 Chevelle I sold with 193,000 miles on it and saw it on the road for many years after. I had a 67 Chevelle I sold at 197,000 miles. My 77 Firebird was an exception to my comment... I sold it at 337,000 miles because it was getting way too hard to find parts. American car designers need lessons in style. They aren't very appealing. At least the Corvette folks woke up and have a decent body style with the current generation, though I like the slightly longer body of a few years ago better... BUT they are over priced and not that reliable.
Our 83 Honda Accord went 460,000+ miles before it failed the smog test for the first time. Since it would have cost more than the car was worth to fix it, I sold it to the state for $1,000, which was more than I could have sold it for privately.
I've had another Honda and 2 BMW's in there as well. Honda's are built well, get decent gas mileage and they just keep running (if you take care of them - like pretty much any car would). Toyotas seem to be excellent cars also, but their style doesn't appeal to me. I'd love to have an Infiniti G35 and my wife loves the FX35 (which I don't quite understand - she's not the SUV type).
The BMW's have been super and are my favorite car to drive hands down. I never get to drive the 325Ci we have because I can't get my wife out of it. She wants another one... OK by me 
Yes, they are a bit pricey as are Mercedes. You still see lots of old Mercedes and BMW's on the road today that look good and run fine.
You also see some older British cars, mostly Jags, but they've always had electrical problem and weren't very reliable. Unfortunately Jags, except the XK series, look more like Ford Tauruses than Jags.
The only exceptions I can think of to German made cars are VW and Audi, both of which have had their problems. The old classic VW beetles had electrical problems, most notably a burned out rear running light. It amazes me how many new VW Beetles have, you guessed it, rear running light problems.
Who makes better cars.
by wengelken - 6/21/07 9:42 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I agree with the top three on the general consensus. However, I would flip the top two and recognize German made cars (especially BMW) since they are copied so much by anyone building a car (especially the Japanese a la Lexus).
cars, trucks, and minivans
by rcsteinbach - 6/21/07 10:05 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I prefer Japanese cars, especially ones built in America. I love my 5 year old Toyota Camry. Its a reliable and efficient trip car and it doesn't look bad either. The Camrys made in the Georgetown, KY, Toyota plant, I think, are far better in everything than more American cars.
I do like Mazdas. They handle well and I never had a major problem with them, unlike my 1992 Toyota Tercel (engine problem at 120,000 miles) and the various Fords (transmission on the Tarsus and brakes and electrical problems on the Mustang and Maverick) I owned.
I did give the Hyundais and Kias are really good try, but I didn't like either of them. Maybe because I didn't like the particular econo Hyundai I rented (majorly warped windshield) and I didn't like the mushy and uncertain handling on the Kia I rented.
I remember my Dad's VW Karman-Ghia, the best car for driving in a blizzard back in the 1970s. He drove it until the wheels fell off (then he walked home). But I am not impressed with the newer Volkswagens, probably because many 3rd-party mechanics don't work on them and they are very expensive now.
The Yugo was an interesting car! The first disposable car on the market. At least you got what you paid for, half the price for half the car! What's next? The $2500 Adobe car?
As for French cars, why bother unless you want to be wierd? That's just asking for maintenance trouble.
As for Swedish cars, they are sluggish and expensive, but extremely safe. They can about guarantee that you will exit their car in one piece no matter what happens! Maybe I should consider getting one because of the suicidal driving behavior I see every day
And I wouldn't get an American car. Maybe a Chrysler/Dodge minivan, since they basically invented them and still make halfway decent ones. But I think other Japanese car makers are making more reliable minivans than Chrysler/Dodge, but I like American mini-van "extras" (easy to remove seats, comfortable seating, etc) that make travel a real pleasure. Give my a Chrysler for a trip minivan!
I don't know about reliability of post 1990 SUVs. I personally don't like them. Their center of gravity is too high and they guzzle fuel. They are more difficult to load/unload luggage and they don't hold any more cargo, or as many people, as many mini-vans. Also, aren't they a problem child to insure since many of their bumpers and side panels are made of plastic-matte? Give me the steel of the original can't-drive-above-50MPH-climbs-over-everything Land Rover or the Classic Jeep?
Trucks are a different matter. I can understand people buying American trucks because of their large truck beds than most older foreign trucks. They just are not my cup of tea.
Just my 0.2 cents worth
Germany cars
by iyaggo - 6/21/07 10:24 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The German cars are surer and intelligent and best than everybody,
if you notice, the designs itìs beautiful, and the quality.
AMERICAN
by silentassassin888 - 6/21/07 10:27 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Actually GM only - 81 Chevy 250, 300,000+ only thing changed in it are the shocks, belts, battery, starter and alternator, never driven without 800+ lb cargo in it and the oil only gets changed when its black. Ran that sucker to the ground and its still going. 99 Grand Am with 210,000 only changed the battery and a fuel pump. 88 Cadillac not too many miles but still purring. Only changed batteries and belts. 97 Altima, over 10,000 in repairs; hubs, engine mount, gaskets, manifolds, alternators, starter, etc. etc. 87 Cressida 2 engines and a tranny along with other crap before 150,000. I've had others but I think thats a pretty good representation. GM gooood, *** baaaad. The normal maintenence (dealer or otherwise) is a lot more expensive for *** than gm too. My friends who drive like 10,000 or less a year seem to have better luck with *** cars, but for a real road machine with like 30,000 or more a year, you need an AMERICAN!
Japanese
by MikePhx - 6/21/07 10:36 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There’s nothing subjective about my response, Japanese automobiles have no competition for reliability at any price. Oh, you can buy a more expensive car, but, no, you can’t buy a better one. All you have to do is read the Annual Car Guide from Consumer’s Reports and you’ll see at once, it’s a no-brainer. The Guide includes statistics gathered from hundreds of thousands of readers. The statistics are gathered in a data base that shows how the cars do in something like 20 categories. Things like transmission, engine, hardware, exhaust, brakes, etc. With out fail for decades now, the most reliable cars have been Japanese makes. Honda and Toyota are astonishing for their reliability. If you want a real eye opener, compare high priced makes like Mercedes, Audi or BMW with the Japanese brands. Frankly, when I do, I wonder why anyone backs such Euro Brands…and American Brands are worse. When it comes to reliability, safety, comfort, handling and re-sale, the whole package, it’s Japanese Brands, hands down.
Mike, Happy Owner of a 1998 Infinity (up-brand of Nissan) with a 110,000 miles—still gets 24 miles to the gallon on the highway (typically cruising at just under 80 in AZ) with a double overhead cam V8.
Because I'm British and
by Themisive - 6/21/07 10:47 AM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The car - at least with the internal combustion engine - was invented here, though I know of many Americans who think that Henry Ford invented the automobile. In actual fact, Ford only invented the system of car building on automatic lines, "Production Lines" as they are called, and his system was originally used for British cars BEFORE he produced his own car!
This is a "nobrainer."
by GolferJL - 6/21/07 12:21 PM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Of course it's the Japanesse. It doesn't matter where the model or the manufactuer produces the car the quality control is better,
they are more attuned to the needs of the American consumer and for the most part the American consumer is more confident with their relability. That cannot be said for the "Big Three" Detroit offerings. Why is it the Big 3 ads constantly try to compare themselves to the Toyota and Honda's of the world? Because they have lost sales to the Japan cars because of their indifference to the needs of the U.S. customer. I could sight instance after instance of a history of poor design and workmanship put out by Detroit. Even recently as of yesterday I read that Detroit's relationship with their political buddies in Washington is wearing thin, particlurly regarding making their cars more fuel effcient. I have or currently owned Toyota's, Honda's, Miata's, Acura's and Nissan's over the last 25 years. I currently drive a 2007 Lexus RX350 and a 2005 Infiniti Coupe. We have never had a serious recall of any of those cars and for the most part we buy new automobiles. Sorry Detroit, you had your chance and blew it. Check Consumers Report and see which models over the years get high marks and which ones don't. Very rarely has a Detroit car ever been given a good grade.
My favorite screwup by GM involved cars made in the late 70's and early 80's that when the X frame design sprung and you would be driving behind one and you see see all 4 wheels going down the road the frame was so out of alignment. That actually happened to my wife's new 79 Buick and I saw that on Chev's to Caddy's. By the way that was our last Detroit car we ever bought. It was a piece of junk from day it left the dealership. Again Detroit had their chances and blew it with us and 1000's of other American consumers.
Why do most consider Japanese cars higher quality?
by lddeville - 6/21/07 12:57 PM In reply to: Poll: What nationality's carmakers build the better car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Only takes a few words like:
Lexus
Infiniti
Nissan
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