Automobile Forums  Where Car Enthusiasts Go to Discuss Cars Online

You need to separate the issues. Resale values are lower for two reasons: i) the domestic is usually cheaper than it's import peer and ii) resales are backward looking. 3 or 4 years of solid reliability will feed into those values (or not if they don't come through)

Americans tend to "invent" categories and imports then "exploit" those through better quality. Thus Minivans get passed by Oddesey, trucks by Toyota and SUV's by Germans and Japanese. Also, I tend to find that, as a general rule, American cars are more "luxurious" feeling than their direct counterpart.

Most recently Toyota's starting to slip and Ford is improving dramatically. Nissan has struggled for quite a while. So, it's not as though it's a static environment.  

Research your next buy well. There are definitely more "diamonds" in the rough on the American side. If you are buying a car with 150 000 miles in mind it's probably still best to go with Honda or Toyota. But if you usually change in 5 - 7 years at the most I'd take  the chance.  

The key difference between American cars and their market counterparts is the general mentality that went into designing and building  the car.

The German mentality is something like "How can we provide the most driver-centric driving experience?"

The Japanese mentality is "How can we improve quality and efficiency?"

The American mentality is "Our cars are good enough, we don't need to improve."

I recently shopped around for a sporty car at the $25,000 price tag. I drove about 10 cars, ranging from the Pontiac G6 to the Volkswagen GTI. The American cars shared all of the same qualities: crap interior, average handling, average economy, average performance, average everything. It is clear that American car companies are not "car companies," but rather "money companies" that only focus on returning short-term financial goals to shareholders.

I do have faith and am generally optimistic that at least GM will turn itself around in time. Ford, though, being one of the most poorly managed companies on earth for 20+ years has a lot more work to do.  

hesel:
We have had (don't laugh) 4 new Hyundai cars after years of domestics. The big difference has been small reliability issues. The Hyundais have been essentially trouble free & very well built for their price point. We rent domestics 4-5 times a year for specific tasks and are usually disappointed with their designs or comfort more than specific quality issues. An example - brand new Buick Lacrosse - GM installs double glazed side glass then scrimps on door seals (one only). Our 2006 Accent was quieter at highway speed because of double & triple door seals, a smart design choice. The Buick had way too much wind noise around the door perimeter area. They just don't get it, sometimes. Those are the details Asian manufacturers pay attention to, as well as fit & finish in hidden areas.

your problem is that you bought a cavi... im jsut saying (;  

Anyone doing this can not be basing their comments upon facts.  In 2007, JD Power ans Associates published their Initial Quality Report and, surprisingly, the number one manufacturer- with 5 Awards- was Ford.  Toyota was second with 4 awards.  In their Three Year Ownership Test ( a pretty accurate test of real reliability and "quality"- Buick, once again, took first- tied wuth Lexus, Cadillac is in third place. Mercury is in fourth. Lincoln is tied with BMW.
Jaguar is rated better than Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti. And all these brands score better than the industry average.
This is consistent with reports the past 5 years or so.  These are respected factual studies with large data bases, not "my uncle once owned a Buick and he said..."
American automobile companies have had a history of clunkers- but that seems like it was more in the past- however, the public perception is hard to change.  
I personally have owned a few Fords, a Chrysler, 2 Nissans, an Acura an Infiniti and a Honda.  My Acura started out VERY nice, but "aged" very quickly- cheap plastic everywhere that cracked and developed rattles. My Honda ran well but was recalled no less than 3 times.  My Infiniti went through brakes every 25000 miles- always repaired/replaced for free from Infiniti, and the gas guage stopped working around 40,000.  One of my Nissans ran flawlessly for 80,000 and my other would periodically lose power -as if i was suddenly pulling a house- and then be fine for a few weeks before it would happen again. No-one could find or repair the problem, now it is someone elses problem. My Chrysler Town and Country ran beautifully, but for some reason I only kept it for 2 years (I guess it was an anti- "mini van" thing).  Currently, I own Fords- and could not be happier.  I did have a power mirror issue with my 05 Expedition, but that was taken care of immediately at the dealer.  My 07 Explorer is 1000% better in snow than either my Infiniti FX-35 (horrible in snow) or my Acura MDX (slightly better than the Infiniti- must be the difference in the tires), is more comfortable and just feels more solid.  I put over 25000 miles on it last year and plan on keeping it around for a while.
Many people could tell you horror stories that they have heard, but if you really want the truth, check out the facts, and JD Power has the best reputation in te business.  American car quality- the best kept secret- shhh... dont tell anyone.  

Well it seems most people dont know a whole lot about cars here.  Americans build great cars.  Let me know how many toyotas from the 70s are still out there?  BMW doesnt even allow you to check your own oil any more, yea good idea not.  I own 6 cars currently a 69 camaro pace car, 71 mach I a 85 and 87 Buick gran Nationals a 74 porsche and a taurus sho.  The biggest losser here is the german car. What a pile of junk/ rust bucket.  The rest run great and every single one of them is easy to work on, solid, and faster than a brand new M5.  So do some research and stop complaining that your dodge stratus is a pile of crap, no kidding the ad should have told you that.  You have to pay money to get a nice car.  If any car is under 25,000 its junk.  Sorry to you honda lovers.  

Give the American Co's another chance.  My family has owned mostly domestics (Chevy's and Ford's) and one Toyota.  The domestics have been great, we, as a family currently own 6 cars; '78 Bonneville (110,000 miles), '79 Bonneville (175,000 miles), '96 F250 (250,000 miles), '02 Taurus Wagon (130,000 miles), '02 Ford ZX2 (72,000 miles bought at a junk yard), and '03 Ford ZX2 (66,000 miles).  Almost all of these vehicles have had nothing but regular maintenance.  The F250 just recently began having small issues, the '79 Bonneville has had some issues, but it is 29 years old and has over 170,000 miles on it, how many Toyotas from that era do you still see driving.  The two ZX2's were one of the cheapest Ford's produced at the time and they run like a top.  They are extremely efficient and are a blast to drive.  Everyone in our family drives 30,000+ miles a year and we rely on our vehicles to be dependable, the one Toyota that we did  have started having transmission issues at 60,000 miles, that brought us back to American manufacturers.  I own the two Pontiacs and the '02 ZX2 and wouldn't trade them for anything at the moment.  
American manufacturers have some awesome products on their lots, I personally like the new Malibu's, the Ford Fusions drive and look great, the new line-up of Caddy's and Buicks are showing that the Americans still know how to kick it.  Give them a chance, you just might change your mind as well.  

I've found that a lot of times the reason US Domestic brand cars are found to be "pieces of unreliable junk" is because the owners don't treat them as well as they do their import counterparts. From personal observation, people don't treat their Cobalts as well as they do their Civics, and they don't treat their Taurus as well as their Camry. I think it's because they paid much less for their domestic car, so they don't have that "oh, it's expensive... I need to take care of it" feeling that most people get.

My family has owned Chevy, GMC, Volvo, Geo, Honda, Acura, Saturn, and Pontiac vehicles. They all ran well for years, because my dad and I took care of them and maintained them.  

I drive a Nissan Sentra, and Havent had any problems that arent directly related to driver misuse... and I have had this car for at least 5 years. Friends and people I know who have had domestic cars, has had problems within the first year of ownership even within the first week... so from first hand experience ill stick with my sentra. Also I have gotten much better gas mileage then my friends with domestic cars (obviously the ones with SUV's and trucks) even small compacts that are similar to my sentra.  

It all depends on what you want in a car.  I have on order a new 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis.  To me, no foreign car (or other domestic) can touch this car for the price in styling and comfort.  I happen to love the type of cars America used to make:  full-size rear-wheel drive cars with front bench seat.  This type of car is almost now extinct.  What is so great about cars like the Honda Accord?

Both foreign and domestic automakers have made turkeys, so you shouldn't bash American cars as being inferior.

And to all of you who brag that your Japanese cars hold their resale value much better than domestics:  if your Japanese car is so damn great, then why would you want to trade it in so soon?  Every car will be worth very little if you keep it long enough.  

Gimmie a break.  Big three vehicles are not all bad.  Granted, there are plenty of past models that are indefensible, so from the not too distant past.  But go test drive a 2008 Cadillac CTS, 2008 Malibu, 2008 Enclave, Fusion, Milan, Mustang, the list goes on.

There are plenty of good vehicles to choose from if you want a domestic vehicle.  I wont really defend Chrysler so much, because most of their vehicles, except for Cherokee, Wrangler, 300, Charger arent so great.  But Toyota has their share of turds, so does Nissan, etc.

Bottom line, dont believe everything you read, most magazines, e-zines cater to their audience and to advertising dollars.  Go drive them for yourself and you decide.  

the_gamper:
Gimmie a break.  Big three vehicles are not all bad.  Granted, there are plenty of past models that are indefensible, so from the not too distant past.  But go test drive a 2008 Cadillac CTS, 2008 Malibu, 2008 Enclave, Fusion, Milan, Mustang, the list goes on.

There are plenty of good vehicles to choose from if you want a domestic vehicle.  I wont really defend Chrysler so much, because most of their vehicles, except for Cherokee, Wrangler, 300, Charger arent so great.  But Toyota has their share of turds, so does Nissan, etc.

Bottom line, dont believe everything you read, most magazines, e-zines cater to their audience and to advertising dollars.  Go drive them for yourself and you decide.

Good point on your last paragaph. I ntoiced that since GM started its huge advertising campaign in the "big four" automotive magazines, they've been getting a lot better reviews. However, I have driven a 2008 Malibu LTZ V6... and I'd have to say that I love it. If I were rich, it'd be my daily driver when I'm not wasting gas with the GTO/Monaro. But for now, I'm stuck with my 40+ MPG Saturn SC2 as the daily driver.  

From the mid fifties through the early 80s my family
for the most part drove Chrysler products. During the 80's and for most of the 90s the American auto scene was so dismal I switched to Japanese autos and have been pleasantly satisfied with the reliability, quality and fit and finish of these cars. The fuel mileage and power are satisfactory also.
I think that for some of us we made the switch at a time when Chrysler, GM and Ford were failing to provide competitive products and we have refused to go back.
The worst experience I have ever had with a new vehicle was with a VW GTI which proved highly unreliable after 75k miles. Sadly, I don't plan to own another VW or German vehicle because of this.  

Ford, Chrysler and GM serve their purpose: Cheap cars- cheap to buy and serve, yet also cheap build quality.  

Asian cars are bought for reliability, and this costs a bit more.

European cars are bought for their overall drivability.

I own all three:  

Ford Ranger (cheap to buy, but the build quality looks cheap; squeaks and rattles, etc.)


Mazda Miata- reliable as they get, though not as cheap to buy, even used.  It does great on gas, and it's a fun car.  Well built, too.

Volkswagen Passat GLX V6- Great build quality, but a bit fussy, as European cars tend to be.  It takes only synthetic oil and 91 octane minimum.  However, the leather is better quality, the wood inserts are real wood, and it handles great.  It has decent power from an incredibly smooth V6, and has a fun 5 speed tiptronic.  This is the car I'd want to take cross-country.

So to sum up:

American cars- cheap...in every way

Japanese cars- reliable and will never offend

European cars- true driver vehicles  

It does depend on what you want.  A friend just rented a Lincoln Town Car and loved it (just a fancier Grand Marquis).  To me, it drove just like my dad's old 77 Mercury Cougar 4 door Brougham (not a good thing!).  I prefer to drive my 04 VW Passat.  The leather is of better quality than the Lincoln's, and the car actually handles well.  

As for the American car industry, it builds few cars that one would aspire to drive once they've "made it".  The Corvette comes to mind, and many like the Escalade models (too big for me), but other than that, what do they have?  Lincolns and other American luxobarges are great for the golf course, especially here in South Florida, but they're yesteryear cars.  Give me a Mercedes E-class or a BMW 5 series.  It'll drive better, and I won't need an AARP card to get inside.  

Here in South Florida, old Camrys, Corollas and Civics are everywhere.  I had a Camry that ran for 170,000, until my mother-in-law wrecked it- great car!

Working in an auto shop in college, I found a few cars that consistently ran over 300,000 miles: Toyota Camrys and Corollas, Honda Accords, and VW Golf/ Rabbits.  The VWs required a lot of maintenance, but they would last.  

We have had several Ford Escorts in the family over the years, and they were always dependable... until about 100,000 miles.  Then they started to self-destruct.  When I met my wife, she had a 99 Escort that she bought new right before we met.  The hood rattled like crazy with only 3000 miles on it (a slight adjustment of the rubber stoppers under the hood took care of it, but the engine still ran far rougher than my old Camry or Corolla.  

I still drive a Ford (a truck), but the materials used to build it still don't hold a candle to my German and Japanese cars.