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Originally Posted by DinanM3_S2
This is exactly what I was talking about. Yes, a Japanese company (Lexus) tops the JD Powers survey, but the only other ones that rank above par are Toyota, Honda/Acura, and Infiniti. Chevy, Ford, and Chrysler dominate the likes of Subaru, Nissan (who did horribly for how they should have done), and Mitsubishi. Your kind of thinking is horribly flawed. American cars, while not quite as reliable as Honda and Toyota, are generally very reliable cars in today's market. Just because Nissan comes from the same country as Honda doesn't mean that their cars are anything alike.
To say that Japanese companies are better disciplined and more professional is one of the most misinformed things I have ever heard. Yet again, I will point my finger at Mitsubishi, who is losing money very quickly and is quite probably headed towards bankruptcy. Overgeneralization absolutely kills your arguements. While I suppose you could say that Toyota/Lexus is "professional and disciplined" (or completely soulless) please stop saying that ALL Japanese cars are good cars, because they arn't. Subaru, Mitsu, and Nissan are all riding on the coattails of companies that have become of Japan's auto industry.
The problem with the CS and JD reliability surveys lies in peoples expectations of the cars they buy. People have grown not to expect as much from a Mercury or Buick, so they are less likely to take them in to fix smaller things like a visor light not working etc. People expect alot from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi, so they will take cars in to fix almost everything that goes wrong. There is a massive difference in equipment in a modern luxury car compared to a regular car that isn't reflected well by these surveys. Compare the standard features and options in a Toyota Yaris to a BMW 5-Series. Things like the traction control and IDrive in a 5-Series are much newer technology then anything in the Yaris, and thus are more likely to go wrong. I have endless respect for Lexus' ability to be at the top despite its features list, but one shouldn't look down on Mercedes and Audi as much as JD Powers shows. Another problem can be seen in that the JD Powers survey only lists problems per 100 vehicles, but not the cost of the problem. For all we know, every single Lexus engine block could be snapping in half, but because they don't have lots of little electronic problems they might rank better then Land Rover who could have flawless engines, but might have lots of little inexpensive problems (disclaimer, I'm not saying this example is necessarily true). Finally, labeling reliability by company presents another problem in that not all of a company's cars will be equally reliable. Many of BMW's reliability problems stem from the IDrive systems in the 5, 6, and 7-Series. I would be willing to bet that if you only looked at the 3-Series (without IDrive), it would rank closer the average of Infiniti.
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You're absolutely right that I am making some broad generalizations here. I have no defense or justification for this, and shamelessly admit that I am a generalizing, stereotypical bastard when it comes to cars. That said, I'm not blind to obvious facts. No, not all Japanese cars are reliable. I realize that they are not the only country that makes good cars, and that they also have their fair share of problem vehicles. Mitsubishi is a joke, Nissan is not what it used to be, and Subarus are inherently less reliable because of the stress AWD puts on the vehicle. I do realize that Japan is not perfect.
However, you know as well as I do that car buying is an emotional experience. I love Japan, and I love the vehicles that they produce. You obviously love European engineering. I can tell by the way you talk about the brands that use it - BMW, Porsche, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Ferrari, just to name a few. Just understand, that's the exact same way I feel about Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, even Suzuki. No amount of factual data will make you, in your heart, LOVE Japanese cars more than European cars, and the reverse is true for me. Love can't always be justified and supported with facts; sometimes, you just feel it.
So, excuse me if I'm more than a little biased towards Japan in my posts.