reliability of import vs. domestic

[OoNismoO]

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/au...ic-import1.asp

[nacho_nissan]

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.

[Moppie]

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.

[Neutrino]

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

[MustangRoadRacer]

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.

[OoNismoO]

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.

[Moppie]

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.

[Polygon]

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.

[Kurtdg19]

Originally Posted by Polygon

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

[OoNismoO]

Originally Posted by Moppie

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.

[Twyzz]

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

[Jimster]

Originally Posted by Twyzz

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

probably I really can't think of something more fitting for an old person than a Lincoln

[Trancebot]

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.

[calgary_redneck]

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.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by calgary_redneck

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.

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.