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At one time (circa 1980's) Japanese cars were more reliable. This was the era of
"planned obsolescence." Automakers in Detroit designed water pumps to fail at 50,000 miles, for example.
Then when they realized that was why the Japanese were kicking their butts, American cars started improving.
I guess im used to domestics and have always had problems with cars, that has me wondering is the grass really that much greener on the other side.
The cars ive owned.
2000 Taurus (75-255K)
(many minor issues like the various emission parts failing, leaking valve cover gaskets, worn intake manifold gaskets.... most major was spark plug blowing out of socket @150K, and Failed Fuel Pump @ 230K, and now failed PS Pressure Line), but the car has never really left me stranded except for those 2 incidents in14 yrs
2006 Impala 3.9L (10K-40K)
Replaced Trans Clutch Piston twice, All 4 TPM failed, bad blend door actuator, Cooling pipe making ticking sound, bad wheel bearing, transmission would have a slight shudder 0-2mph in traffic, random chime from radio that would only go away if the indicator was turned on
2009 G6 GXP (45K-90K)
Failed cat converter, both rear door locks malfunctioned, both front lights would short out due to wires melting, failed canister senor, failed water pump, pass. side air bag light would come on due to touchy sensor on the seat
2012 Impala LTZ (29K-90K Current)
Broken Stabilty Trac wire and bad blend door actuator, but no other issues and pretty reliable.
I've never had a single problem with my Japanese cars from 0 through 100k miles. Thinking back to the American cars my dad drove when I was growing up mirrors your experience though.
US domestic makers use parts from all over the world. Ford's cars are "world cars" -- parts could be from anywhere. Japanese cars are about as domestic as domestic cars, which aren't all that domestic anymore.
Teslas are domestic cars. They do have some recalls but man it's a nice vehicle and I would get one in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
The myth has been going on for decades that honda, toyotas are more reliable. Just drive by any auto repair shop and you will see there is a mix of all makes and models in the parking lot.
All cars break down. Only a matter of time, and depends highly on how well the owner maintained it.
All the cars I've owned tend to make it 100K miles with little effort. Oil changes, a few other odds and ends, and in general, I rarely have to do much. This is with a few different makes, foreign and domestic.
Only car I really kept beyond 100K miles was a 2006 Infiniti I drove to 180K. When it hit around 130K miles, I had to fix stuff. Suspension, wheel bearings, rusting exhaust, etc etc. All just wear and tear type stuff, and some of it common to the type of car.
My point...at some point, something on your car is going to fail and you will need to repair it.
Daughter in law bought a new Nissan sentra. Transmission went out at 8000 miles. Son bought a new kia optima turbo in 2013 , engine blew at 56,000 miles. Neighbor has a 2015 BMW, that thing has been in the shop more than its been out. Other neighbor has a 2002 lincoln, 200 thousand plus and never a problem. ALL MAKES of vehicles break down
People that own only foreign cars will always say they are the most dependable even if you can show them overall industry records of almost identical reliability records with US type manufactured cars.
The only difference is comparable charges for repairs and maintenance that the owner gives it. There are some foreign brands that charge 2-3 times what an American brands will charge for the same thing.
I have a BMW M3 and the Infiniti G37 the Infiniti G has been an awesome car, nothing broke down its and been 7 years since I owned it. I never owned another Japanese car other than the Infiniti so I I cannot say if in general they are more reliable than American cars. I never owned an American and never wanted to.
Modern Nissans are rated lower than some domestic makes these days. 20 years ago this wasn't the case. Sure you will still hear from people who have had a great experience with their Nissan but you can also find many who haven't. It's a shame too because they build some nice looking and very nicely equipped vehicles now.
There is a HUGE difference in the build quality of Detroit 3 vehicles and American built Asian makes. The UAW builds the crap that spews out of Detroit. Hard working Americans build the Asian makes. Those workers get promotions and raises if they excel and get fired if they do UAW quality work. The union bosses will go to bat for even the biggest dregs in the UAW, and get them back their jobs. At best, unions breed mediocrity. The greed and corruption the UAW is synonymous for adds more reason to never buy a Detroit car.
while I am not a fan of unions and believe that they have contributed to american car reliability in the past, aren't all cars built by robots these days?
I should think that automation is a great equalizer in terms of build quality however the engineering and complexity of the design can cause issues with any great build.
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