reliability of import vs. domestic

check out this article, it talks about the reliability of certain car companies, tell me what you guys think. click the link below.

http://aol1.bankrate.com/aol/news/auto/car-guide-2004/domestic-import1.asp

Yes,my dad has owned toyota and nissan. Never had a problem with those. but we have owned domestics, and have had some kind of problem with all of them!(except our 1966 F-250). I think any car will last if you take care of it and dont abuse it, but my vote goes for japanese imports.

Please don't try and make an "import" vs "domestic" destinction.

To begine with it only has any meaning to 7.5% of the worlds population who live in the USA, and this is a International forum, and the small meaning it does have is totaly irrational and borderline automotive racisim. Most of the cars described as being "imports" Honda, Toyotas, Nissans etc are infact all made in the USA, and all 3 have complete model ranges designed and built only in the USA for the US Market, while the cars usualy refered to as "domestics" are often built on platforms designed in Europe or Japan, and many are built in Mexico or Brazil.

Car manufactoring and Design is a truely global opertation, and it is meaningless to make distinctions based on National boundries.

Your lovely new Ford may have been syled in Europe, have an engine enginered in Japan, and use suspension tested and tuned in America.
Its body shell could be assembled from parts stamped out in Japan, the engine could have come from South America, the suspension subframe from New Zealand and the interior could have come from the USA and Europe.

I agree moppie...i think we need to post a sticky that explains the effects of globalisation and how MMC's (Multi National Corporations) work

besides the fact that a cars reliability has more to do with the owner than the manufacturer.
Someone who does not properly car for their car or does not know how will have problems with it.
Driving style factors into it as well.
That is one of many reasons why different cars break down more than others.
the country of origin has little or nothing to do with the cars reliability.

i agree with a lot of what you guys said, and the title was for getting peoples attention, i wasnt trying to side with one side. if you look back like 10+ yrs though, before a lot of car companies started combining with eachother, most of the car parts, and cars were built and made in their own country. i understand that some of the parts could be made, and designed in other countries, but the majority of it, usually the 10+ yr old cars were made in their own countries. right now, a lot companies have combined with eachother, and a lot of foreign car companies have plants here in america, but that doesnt mean all the car line up are made in america. again im not trying to side with domestic, or imports, since i know there are unreliable, and reliable cars from both. im actually going with car companies, as you can see on that first post i made, not that foreign vs domestic thing, it was just for attention. if you guys read the whole article, it explains things quite well, it doesnt try to side with any car company, they just state facts based on survey, and that itself isnt always enough, but they say that almost every mechanic would say either toyota, or the honda had the best reliability, based on its design, and number of problems it had, but then maybe its the type of people who buy those cars, maybe the company informs them better, maybe its just that one car that has a lot of problems in that company, i donw know, but i think its better to look up a cars reliability by itself, instead of measuring a cars reliability by its brand name, although it can be true that all the cars in that companies line up are fairly reliable.

You need to go back a lot further than just 10 years, its more like 20 years, and even then cars have been built on a global scale since the late 50s and early 60s.
If you want to get pedantic it goes all the way back the model T ford, which was built in almost all the countries it was sold in.
But it was during the 80s that manufactoring took a truely global meaning, and it started with Honda building assembly plants in the US (the first Japanese based manufactor to do so) and the buying up of smaller manufactors in Europe and Japan by GM and Ford.

I don't take stock in what other people, research firms, or mechanics say about the reliability of a car. It is meaningless; there are far too many factors to account for. What kind of conditions was the car driven in? Who drove the car? How was the car treated? How well was the car maintained? How was the car broken in? I have heard too many people complain that the car they drive is a pile of shit when they have no idea how to take care of it. I once knew a guy that complained that turbo-charged cars are crap because they only last 50,000 - 75,000 miles. After I saw how he took care of it I knew exactly why he felt that way. Neither is more reliable than the other. Reliabilty is really dependant on the owner.

I don't take stock in what other people, research firms, or mechanics say about the reliability of a car. It is meaningless; there are far too many factors to account for. What kind of conditions was the car driven in? Who drove the car? How was the car treated? How well was the car maintained? How was the car broken in? I have heard too many people complain that the car they drive is a pile of shit when they have no idea how to take care of it. I once knew a guy that complained that turbo-charged cars are crap because they only last 50,000 - 75,000 miles. After I saw how he took care of it I knew exactly why he felt that way. Neither is more reliable than the other. Reliabilty is really dependant on the owner.

Who can disagree with that statement. Reliabilities number 1 problem is usually the operator. As I to have friends say their car is shit (excuse my english) without considering the fact that they havent changed there oil since they've had the car, or changed anything else except their cd player.

On a side note: I find it weird that I actually used the word "Reliabilities" as a noun. LOL

You need to go back a lot further than just 10 years, its more like 20 years, and even then cars have been built on a global scale since the late 50s and early 60s.
If you want to get pedantic it goes all the way back the model T ford, which was built in almost all the countries it was sold in.
But it was during the 80s that manufactoring took a truely global meaning, and it started with Honda building assembly plants in the US (the first Japanese based manufactor to do so) and the buying up of smaller manufactors in Europe and Japan by GM and Ford.

i dont know if i need to go back more than 10 yrs, cause there are some 10 yr old cars here that are mostly built in their own country. i know that not all of them were, just that some of them are, and even today there are cars that are mostly built in their own country. im talking about cars that are being brought here to the US, not cars that are brought in other countryies. they can be assembled in other countries, but most of the engineering, and design, like engine and chassis, were done in their own country.

i understand that a lot of you agree that its how the owner takes care of the car, but sometimes there are things on the car that are known to fail often, or not last very long, thats why i think you should look them up. sometimes there are recalls that were not taken care of also. im just saying you need to get these things into account also.

i dont think its a matter of domestics being better than imports, or vice versa, but rather the companies techniques of building the cars, and design that helps it fail less, or make it last longer. so like lets say honda builds cars in japan, and builds suvs in america, the same technique of building cars are applied to suvs here in america. also putting into account the way parts are designed.

In 2003 Lincoln becamse the longest lasting automobiles on the road. Maybe cause only old people drive em.

In 2003 Lincoln becamse the longest lasting automobiles on the road. Maybe cause only old people drive em.
:lol: probably I really can't think of something more fitting for an old person than a Lincoln

I read someplace that the japanese that work in car factory's consider it an honor to do so and you're highly respected working in that field. I wouldnt doubt it from the type of quality they produce.

Well I agree any car will fail if abusing and failure to do maitainace how ever how much abuse a car will take varies alot depending on the quality of the parts toyota and honda have for the most part taken great care to only put great products out. Chystler on the other hand has put more failure prone products out there than anyone cares to remember the most resant examples being the 604 tranny and the 2.7 v-6 both of which are very flawed.

Chystler on the other hand has put more failure prone products out there than anyone cares to remember the most resant examples being the 604 tranny and the 2.7 v-6 both of which are very flawed.

:sly:

While, I will admit that the A-604 was a pile of crap I don't agree with the rest of your post. My experience proves otherwise.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/100660/article.html?tid=edmunds.o.landing.advice.special. 3.*

This is a Very interesting interview with Mr. Lutz of GM. Nice read, gives some hints of the future and some of his opinion on why Japanese cars sell better than American ones.

"Every car has its problems"

take care of your car and it will take care of you. :2cents:

And as for the edmonds artical I think it might be just a "little" bit biased consitering its coming from a gm ex how ever I am in on way trying to bash the generals products I am a gm fan my self and their are lots of other reasons to buy american I'm just saying that I believe toyota still has an edge on quality and duribility generally speaking.

"and some of his opinion"

notice, "opinion" there?

well, all i have to say is nissans SUCK in reliabilty....

i have ot replace front seal right now...fuck

is it just me? or is everybody becoming moderators now??

i swear ive seen like 15 new mods in the past 2 days :)

when is it gonna be my turn :)

well, all i have to say is nissans SUCK in reliabilty....

i have ot replace front seal right now


you're trippin, nissans are up there with honda and toyota as far as reliability goes. just because you've encounterd a problem with your picticular nissian doesnt mean they all suck.

you're trippin, nissans are up there with honda and toyota as far as reliability goes. just because you've encounterd a problem with your picticular nissian doesnt mean they all suck.
yes it does, we have also had a sentra, and this is my THIRD 240sx, also i sed to have an old 240Z, but thats a diffrent story....

we have also had a maxima and a pathfinder that caught on fire from a fucking oil leak...

all of a sudden we are stopped "sir? your car is on fire!"

nissans suck to the MAX!

yes it does, we have also had a sentra, and this is my THIRD 240sx, also i sed to have an old 240Z, but thats a diffrent story....

we have also had a maxima and a pathfinder that caught on fire from a fucking oil leak...

all of a sudden we are stopped "sir? your car is on fire!"

nissans suck to the MAX!


my question is: Why do you keep buying nissan cars if you keep having so many problems with them?

"well, all i have to say is nissans SUCK in reliabilty...."

Well, electronically, yes, yes they do. My 92 truck is a BASE, as base as base can get model, not even power steering! Now, why, with so little shit to go wrong with it... have I had problems on several occasions with the starter relay... and fuses randomly burn out? Also, anyone who says Nissans, (or any lower end Japanese interior) is good, hasn't had one for very long. Mine is falling apart, completely. Still runs good though! 200,000 miles! (Approximately, the speedo and odometer took a shit at 148,000 and I'm too lazy and cheap to fix it.) They do make good engines.

my question is: Why do you keep buying nissan cars if you keep having so many problems with them?
not all nissans, only 240sx is what i buy

fast, fun rear wheel drive sport compact for under 3 grand? cant beat that

not all Nissans, only 240sx is what i buyfast, fun rear wheel drive sport compact for under 3 grand? cant beat thatI don't consider the 240sx to be a sports car. It's really more of a compact economy car. Anyway there are alot of other real sports cars for under 3k the MR2 and the 944 come to mind. I really don't think Nissans are unreliable at all, my gf has a maxima with 150k miles and she's never had a single problem with the car at all.

i give nissan a 8 out of 10 soon to be 9 if they keep building nice cars like the 350z

I don't consider the 240sx to be a sports car. It's really more of a compact economy car. Anyway there are alot of other real sports cars for under 3k the MR2 and the 944 come to mind. I really don't think Nissans are unreliable at all, my gf has a maxima with 150k miles and she's never had a single problem with the car at all.

i give nissan a 8 out of 10 soon to be 9 if they keep building nice cars like the 350z
well i guess its all diffrent....

as in economy car, its cuz they brought it here in thr usa with a diffrent engine, so its a class "under" the 300ZX.... but scince my engine is changed...its a sports car :)

once i get my boost controller, ill be beating lots of cars :)

ive seena pinto run a 12 does that mean that pintos are fast? hell no. Just because you soup it up and put all kinds of money into it doesnt mean its a porshe. It is and always will be a 240

ive seena pinto run a 12 does that mean that pintos are fast? hell no. Just because you soup it up and put all kinds of money into it doesnt mean its a porshe. It is and always will be a 240

Who gives a shit what badge a car wears? If the person driving it has modded the car tastefully and has made the car fast then they have earned my respect. Judging a car simply by its nameplate is retarded.

Who gives a shit what badge a car wears? If the person driving it has modded the car tastefully and has made the car fast then they have earned my respect. Judging a car simply by its nameplate is retarded.

How else are you supposed to judge a car? by what kind of body kit it has or how big the muffler is?? please, a Porsche is known for its superior craftsmanship and quality so when you see a Porsche you know its a damn good car not just in performance but over all. You see a Nissan 240sx the last thing on your mind is performance and while Nissan makes good cars quality wise they are by no means at Porsches level.


You can mod any car to any spec basically with enough money, but you can never mod the fact it wasn't made that way from the factory. What's sad is when people mod their cars so much and spend so much money on it, when they could have easily bought a performer car with all that money instead, and it would have ben built to perform by engineers that went to some of the best schools to do exactly that.

How else are you supposed to judge a car? by what kind of body kit it has or how big the muffler is?? please, a Porsche is known for its superior craftsmanship and quality so when you see a Porsche you know its a damn good car not just in performance but over all. You see a Nissan 240sx the last thing on your mind is performance and while Nissan makes good cars quality wise they are by no means at Porsches level.


You can mod any car to any spec basically with enough money, but you can never mod the fact it wasn't made that way from the factory. What's sad is when people mod their cars so much and spend so much money on it, when they could have easily bought a performer car with all that money instead, and it would have ben built to perform by engineers that went to some of the best schools to do exactly that.
funny thing is, i dont have a body kit or a aftermarket muffler.... and porches are not all that reliable, my dad used to have a repar shop and we can tell you what cars are reliable over all what are not

and the only thing on your mind is ignorance

How else are you supposed to judge a car? by what kind of body kit it has or how big the muffler is?? please, a Porsche is known for its superior craftsmanship and quality so when you see a Porsche you know its a damn good car not just in performance but over all. You see a Nissan 240sx the last thing on your mind is performance and while Nissan makes good cars quality wise they are by no means at Porsches level.


You can mod any car to any spec basically with enough money, but you can never mod the fact it wasn't made that way from the factory. What's sad is when people mod their cars so much and spend so much money on it, when they could have easily bought a performer car with all that money instead, and it would have ben built to perform by engineers that went to some of the best schools to do exactly that.

1. Judging a car entirely on who manufactures it and what model it is, is ignorant. It is like going to a library and saying a book is stupid simply because of the title. Have you driven the car? Have you read the book? If not then shut up. You judge something by experiencing it.

2. Porsche has manufactured some poor cars in their days. Everybody makes shit. Saying that one manufacture is always more reliable than another is, once again, ignorant.

3. Of course you can't mod the fact that it wasn't that way from the factory that is the point of modifying something.

4. Have you ever thought that people chose to mod that car because they liked it for more than a damn nameplate?

You need to open your mind, like stealthj said; your post is full of ignorance.

funny thing is, i dont have a body kit or a aftermarket muffler.... and porches are not all that reliable, my dad used to have a repar shop and we can tell you what cars are reliable over all what are not

and the only thing on your mind is ignorance

I didnt say you did. I was useing porches as an example of what to expect from a sertan company.

When you think porsche you think fast performance, dependablity, and some good looks. That's what the car was made to be.

When you think 240sx you think A to B, good gas milage, economy.
That's what the car was made to be.

Trying to turn a economy car into a sports car doesnt make it a sports car. It just makes it a souped up econo car.

How am i ignorant?

1. Judging a car entirely on who manufactures it and what model it is, is ignorant. It is like going to a library and saying a book is stupid simply because of the title. Have you driven the car? Have you read the book? If not then shut up. You judge something by experiencing it.

Judging a car by who makes it and what model it is, is by no means judging the car by its cover. It's maker has a reputation and the model is basically how you find out what type of car it is.

2. Porsche has manufactured some poor cars in their days. Everybody makes shit. Saying that one manufacture is always more reliable than another is, once again, ignorant.

Name some poor cars Porsche has made and you don't think Honda might be more reliable than dodge? I think you're ignorant if you don't believe that.

3. Of course you can't mod the fact that it wasn't that way from the factory that is the point of modifying something.

Exactly, you cant mod a Nissan into a ford or what have you. No matter what you do it will always be a Nissan. I'm glad you get that.

4. Have you ever thought that people chose to mod that car because they liked it for more than a damn nameplate?

I hope they do or they need a better hobby.

You need to open your mind, like stealthj said; your post is full of ignorance.

What do i need to open my mind to exactly? I'm saying a car's name/manufacturer isn't going to change just because you mod it. Seems simple enough.

I didnt say you did. I was useing porches as an example of what to expect from a sertan company.

When you think porsche you think fast performance, dependablity, and some good looks. That's what the car was made to be.

When you think 240sx you think A to B, good gas milage, economy.
That's what the car was made to be.

Trying to turn a economy car into a sports car doesnt make it a sports car. It just makes it a souped up econo car.

How am i ignorant?
Again, thats only when YOU think.

IGNORANT again.

and the 240 does not get good gas mileage, (19 miles per gallon is not good to me).

judging by what your posts, i can tell you do not know what 240sx's (or if I may, 180's, silvias) come equipped with in japan....

the only thing that changed when brought here was engine, please research, and trust me, its not an economy car

what did i do with my car?? i made it "STOCK" as if we were in japan.....so i guess its originally a sports car :)

The 240sx is actualy a Performance car with a low spec engine in it for the US market.
In the Japan the same Chassis handles 240+hp from the factory and ever since the first 180sx has maintianed a reputation as being one of the nicest handling RWD 4cyl cars made.

Just because one model recieved a low spec engine to meet the demands of a very unusual market does not stop a sports car being a sports car.

Wrong , honda's are ASSEMBLED in america do to price ranges in shipping, some nissans are also assembled in america, but try and find me a skyline made in america. The same goes for toyota. they are assembled in america, try and find me a supra though. only about 6% of the parts found on all these cars are american. So they would still by all rights be considered imports, because over 90% of the parts and specs are imported

Again, thats only when YOU think.

IGNORANT again.

and the 240 does not get good gas mileage, (19 miles per gallon is not good to me).

judging by what your posts, i can tell you do not know what 240sx's (or if I may, 180's, silvias) come equipped with in japan....

the only thing that changed when brought here was engine, please research, and trust me, its not an economy car

what did i do with my car?? i made it "STOCK" as if we were in japan.....so i guess its originally a sports car :)


I have 2 close friends who drive the 240sx, i've drivin both. Quick for 4 bangers, didnt handle that great but not bad either.

I liked how they seem to hit 100+ with out much trouble. Smooth for the most part. My friend says he gets around 28 mpg sometimes more id say that's good gas mileage.

Anyway i dont see 240's at the street races and i dont see them riding the canyons either, id think if they were so sporty they would be there. That doesnt seem so ignorant to me, thats just what i see.. or dont see rather.

oh yeah, im sorry, if you dont street race, then it is not a sports car....

why dont u hit up a race track one day, as thats where we have most of our car meets

and 240's are rare, and all u see at street races are civics and integras and neons.....yeah sport cars cuz they are at street races

edit: (no offense to civics, integras, neons?? done right,)

oh yeah, im sorry, if you dont street race, then it is not a sports car....

why dont u hit up a race track one day, as thats where we have most of our car meets

and 240's are rare, and all u see at street races are civics and integras and neons.....yeah sport cars cuz they are at street races

edit: (no offense to civics, integras, neons?? done right,)


street race, or track race i dont see 240's and i do alot of both.

the street races i go to dont have civics, integras .. i see TTporsches, TT audi's, 10 sec stangs and camaro's etc... Once in a very great while a 4 banger that breaks into the 12's will show up.

I'm not trying to put down the 240 but it's just not a fast car in the USA, ofcorse i dont know about japan's 240's i dont live there.

Judging a car by who makes it and what model it is, is by no means judging the car by its cover. It's maker has a reputation and the model is basically how you find out what type of car it is.

That is exactly what it is. Saying a car can't perform or isn't reliable bases completely on who manufactures it or what model it is, is judging the book by it cover. Like I said they only way to accurately judge something is to experience it.

Name some poor cars Porsche has made and you don't think Honda might be more reliable than dodge? I think you're ignorant if you don't believe that.

In the 80s there were some less than desirable Porsches. As for the Honda comment, I never said that; so don't stick words in my mouth. However; I had a friend that had a Honda Accord that only lasted about 140,000 miles. Every Chrysler my family has ever owned has lasted well over that. So you tell me? Like I said, everybody makes shit once in a while. You can't just say that one brand is just more reliable than another. There are too many variables that can affect that.

Exactly, you cant mod a Nissan into a ford or what have you. No matter what you do it will always be a Nissan. I'm glad you get that.

Then what was your damn point? If you modify a 240 to run 10s in the 1/4 mile I would say that it could be called a sports car regardless of a stupid badge. Has it ever occurred to you that regardless of the car, some people are going to modify it be it a Nissan or a Porsche?

What do i need to open my mind to exactly? I'm saying a car's name/manufacturer isn't going to change just because you mod it. Seems simple enough.

Yeah, but what I am saying is that when you modify that car it ceases to be the same. So you can't really say that it is just a 240, because really, when you modify it, it isn't anymore. My other point is that you shouldn't judge a car by simply its nameplate.

street race, or track race i dont see 240's and i do alot of both.

the street races i go to dont have civics, integras .. i see TTporsches, TT audi's, 10 sec stangs and camaro's etc... Once in a very great while a 4 banger that breaks into the 12's will show up.

I'm not trying to put down the 240 but it's just not a fast car in the USA, ofcorse i dont know about japan's 240's i dont live there.
u dont have to live there to know

ahh whatever i dont feel like explaining lol