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This idea that the Japanese (or Germans) of today should be punished because of something their great grand parents perhaps were part of is ludicrous. That standard suggests American black people have reason to hate white people for slavery. Do Americans hate the British for the Revolutionary war?
Honestly, without Japanese cars. American cars had nearly no competition in the 70s until the late 80s that's when the Japanese made significant improvements. The Camry was the car that changed the mindset of American car buyer. Before the Camry all you can buy was crappy 3 yr throw away Chevys and Fords.
American cars were designed to fail at a given time.
Yes, they made a better toaster than Americans but eventually they took it to the next level while American car makers sat out collecting their government and rental fleet pay checks. Until they all went belly up and needed financial support except for Ford which made the right move by outsourcing designs to their acquisitions such as Mazda. Such a shame that so many Fords were basically shared with Mazda parts and platform.
There is no car today that is 100% American made and designed. Honda and Toyota actually use more domestically built parts than the big 3 Detroit auto.
American cars were designed to fail at a given time.
Actually, this isn't the case at all. Which was the diadvantage of domestic brands of this era.
It was more likely that one component would fail at a time, causing domestic buyers to have to make a number of realtively inexpensive repairs over a period of time. Byt the time the owner realized that he was being nickle and dimed to death, he had enough invested in new parts that he was hesitant to let the vehicle go.
Japanese cars of that era, on the other hand, were more likely to go for years without needing a single repair at all, then completely fall apart all at once.
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Yes, they made a better toaster than Americans but eventually they took it to the next level while American car makers sat out collecting their government and rental fleet pay checks. Until they all went belly up and needed financial support except for Ford which made the right move by outsourcing designs to their acquisitions such as Mazda. Such a shame that so many Fords were basically shared with Mazda parts and platform.
Ford also borrowed money from the government to keep operating, they just did it under the guise of using it to develop alternative fuel platforms. And Ford still owes the government money, where GM and Chrysler have paid off their debts.
Last edited by duster1979; 02-20-2014 at 09:16 AM..
I had two grandfathers that worked for the American auto industry their entire lives-- one for Chrysler and one for GM. They both fought in WW2. They both were vehemently opposed to Japanese cars.
I find that I have this same bias, though Japanese cars have been demonstrated time and again to be reliable and affordable to own. When I look at cars, I never even consider Japanese cars. I know this is silly, as many are now made in the US, but I can't shake it. Am I nuts? I also find that I really don't like the design of most cars, and Japanese cars tend to be pretty unimaginative when it comes to that. So I have an aesthetic bias as well.
How do you feel about Japanese cars? Does this even matter anymore in 2014?
As far as my daily driver goes - the vehicle that I need to count on in order to get me from A to B without a hiccup - I would only look at Japanese cars. Specifically Toyota or Honda, and I'm looking no further. Yes, they're boring to drive, they're not especially fast, but you get bulletproof reliability. I drove my first Toyota through four years of college and drove the **** out of it all around the area hanging out with friends, going to bars, parties, casinos, road trips, you name it. Sold it with 180k to a girl who was just starting college and last I heard it's still on the road. I wish I'd kept it, actually. I ended up buying a Prius with 53k on it, it's now at 103k and running like a champ, two years later.
Yeah, I know its quarter mile time is 18.3 @ 76 MPH. I don't care. It runs good, it gets good gas mileage, and it's paid for.
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Now as to project cars/race cars/sunday cars, yeah, I have no problem getting a GM car. Except I wouldn't drive a Chevy, unless you're talking about a C6 Corvette. Funny thing is there's enormous quality control differences between Chevy, Buick, and Pontiac, although all their cars share the same underpinnings.
I'd buy a Firebird but not a Camaro. A Grand Prix or Regal yes, but not a Monte Carlo. I didn't really like the G8's styling, although I did like the idea of a proper RWD V8 car. Didn't like the idea that it had four doors, either. It's coming back as the Chevy SS - exact same car.
I would not touch a Ford automatic transmission under any circumstances, and Walt Chrysler will raise from the dead before you catch me in any Fiat/Chrysler car.
I drove my first Toyota through four years of college and drove the **** out of it all around the area hanging out with friends, going to bars, parties, casinos, road trips, you name it.
I can say the exact same thing about my 1979 Plymouth Volarê, a model that 95% of the posters on this forum will swear was an unreliable piece of crap. So what exactly is your point?
This idea that the Japanese (or Germans) of today should be punished because of something their great grand parents perhaps were part of is ludicrous. That standard suggests American black people have reason to hate white people for slavery. Do Americans hate the British for the Revolutionary war?
Uh, I am a black man and I am here to tell you that some do. So be careful with this.
Scion and Honda both have some imaginative and sleek designs, which it sounds like is what you prefer. Honda CRZ is one of the best looking "regular run around vehicles" on the road in my opinion. Brilliant design & looks!
Ha! For the car that claims to be a 'Hybrid Sports Car', it neither attains hybrid-like MPG nor sporty performance.
Has anyone ever put thought into the 'coincidence' that both of the major Axis powers in WWII are the two countries with the most-imported vehicles into the US Market? After the war the Allies all took a major stake in rebuilding these countries, and promoting a Western democracy and economy. In West Germany it was a combined effort between UK, US, and France. In Japan it was mostly US. It was because of this influence that allowed their economy to grow to regional powers and expand trade across the globe: especially to the US.
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