Why do so many think imports are better?

[Greg D]

Rose brought me the November 2010 of Car & Driver from a friend of hers.
I this magazine there are pretty much nothing but foreign cars. Articles describing how wonderful cars like the scion tc, honda odyssey, audi something or other, you get the point.
I run only American vehicles for my work - depending on the job I have done for them 50 - 100,000 miles per year. I will run one up to about 300,000 miles before replacing it - BTW my old ones go on to serve other owners NOT to the salvage yard. My 92 Explorer last I knew my ex still had it, still ran good, no major repairs (aside from a tranny that only went bad because I missed a leak and it ran dry) - it has over 400,000 miles on it - the engine has never been opened up!
Rose's daughter is claiming that now that she has a job is going to buy a "quality car" (she has an 02 mistubishi). She is not going to buy American I can guarantee you - probably a subaru or acura knowing her. Mind you this is the same girl who couldn't find an American job for 6 months! (karma?).
This BS just pisses me off! I get sick and tired of people fawning over all this jap crap - the worst POS's I have ever owned were the 2 jap cars I had - seriously. Meanwhile all the little twits blame the rest of us because they can't find jobs here. If you want to own all jap stuff - pack your VTEC butt up and move over there and get a job with honda.
I to a certain extent consider European cars to be a little different - they aren't really after the market share that the guy who buys a Mustang, Camaro, Impala or Taurus are. Our stuff is mostly considered to have somewhat equal footing in that segment of the market. So I am not going to bash Dwight for racing BMWs, lol.
I will soon be in the market for another route vehicle to save some wear on my Jeep. I took a Saturday route that is 400 miles of road with only a couple of small coolers to haul. I can also use it in the afternoons on weekdays - that 1/2 of my route could almost be run with my bike. I will buy another American car!
Just kind of felt like ranting abit here.
I have other explanations for how things got this way with the media but I will leave the left/right-political stuff off of this forum.

[ezernut9mm]

it is perception. the mid 70's to mid 80's have left detroit with a bad legacy and now most kids have grown up in households that may not have ever owned an American car.
i will put my wife's 05 focus up against any foreign badged auto in it's class.
it has 96k on it and has been dead nuts reliable with only oil changes and is just now ready for it's second set of tires.
i will buy another one when this one dies, or maybe try one of the new fiestas.

[foodstick]

You know as much as I like my Fords..I will tell you what happened with me. Before the whole bailout auto fiasco I was already mad at the big 3..
They started treating us with contempt in my view. I think everyone at the top and bottom didn't care much anymore about durability and quality.

I was seeing all these high ratings on small Japanese cars, and thought FORD should be able to kill these numbers..instead Ford was doing crazy things politically with their money..you would hear strange stories of them harrassing their biggest fans (over logo use)

I just thought thats it, my next one is going to be picked on merits..maybe I will still get a lemon..But I think the big 3 need to be put under the gun, back in their place, and produce OBVIOUSLY better cars.
I am proud of FORD for not taking the bailout, and I HOPE when I need to buy again they will have a product that can't be equaled by anyone else.

But thats just my opinion..

I am not trying to start a flame war politically or otherwise..I am just tired of at least feeling taken advantage of... when it comes to voting with your money I WANT Ford to be the best choice...

[Greg D]

I am proud of FORD for not taking the bailout, and I HOPE when I need to buy again they will have a product that can't be equaled by anyone else.

Example;
in the mid-sized segment go take a drive in a Fusion.
I think you will find Ford is right there with you Lance.

[Uncle Skip]

The 70's et al were a bad time for all American car makers . Ford was retooling from the Euro branch. GM was just riding along fat dumb and happy. The original Taurus and T-birds were the result. Both were very successful.
But any import is not superior (except to Obama Motors) cars.
It is the snobs at rags like Road and Track and Motor Trend, who wouldn't know a crank shaft from a mine shaft, that continually tout the Euro and Jap superiority.
Don't get me wrong, they make very good cars, but then I don't own a car.
And look at your average Chevrolet/ Honda/ Toyota/ Suburu/ BMW after going 100K miles in Texas.
It ain't pretty.
I have trucks. Ford trucks.
And they burn rubber and gasoline.
Screw the eco/ econo battery powered garbage.
Give me an Expedition or F series any time.
Oops, am I being politically incorrect here?
Probably.
Uncle Skip the Luddite

[oldtrucks]

Right on Skip and all.
I have been a ford fan and owner the better part of my life I have never had one leave me stranded and I usually put in access of 200,000 miles on my rigs.
I go out and look at new cars and trucks once in a while and have noticed a real improvement in quality, fit and finish on every Ford product I've looked at. The same is not true for the other 2, in my opinion.

[*motor*mount*]

My 99 f250 has 317, 000 miles on it and most of its life was pulling heavy eqipment and it still dose.it still has the same motor in it it was bought with. I want to see a jap trap do what any of my trucks can do. I forgot they are leaders in fule econmy they don't know how to make any thing with power,the reason I like my 3/4 ton so much it has a 7.3 leiter in it and a turbo. I dare anything from japan try to out pull me

[Lowell]

I have put at least 200 thousand miles on the fords and dodges ive owned without a lot of problems. I believe that Ford has had the least recalls of any company,seems like Toyota announces a new recall every time you turn around.

[ebentraywick]

If i buy cars I only get subarus I own 3 of them. And there just great cars i love the awd they get good mpg. my dads 1990 subaru has almost 200.000 miles on it and that car drives like new. and the only part that we have changed was a cv joint. on the car. and then my 1987 turbo wagon. subaru. shes a good car but it had a hard life but she has 320.000 and she still runs good. I just think american cars look like shit. unless its the new corvettte... I dont like new fords at all. the powerstrokes suck. all there cars look like its out of a toy shop./. Subarus are the best!!! in the car catagory...

[ICEMAN6166]

only foreign car i ever owned was volkswagens.

they were not new.

the 3 new vehicles i bought in my life were fords , 2 f150s and an econoline. never considered anything else.

[My1stSlick]

I look at it this way...
Every manufacturer has build quality issues at one time or another.. no one company is immune to it. they all eat their own BS and drink their own Kool-Aid when it comes to how they think the "best" cars should be made. And just about every manufacturer manages to come up with a great car once in a while.

To me, possibly the biggest determining factor in a vehicle's lifespan and cost of ownership just comes down to the owner's willingnes and ability to have the required maintenance done. Sure, sometimes you get a car with parts that are of an inherently poor design. Fortunately, those seem to be getting fewer and farther between, but it still happens (Sorry Toyota!) . I've owned quite a few 6 figure mileage vehicles. None of them were in 6 figures when I got them. Some are still on the road today. There were things I'd take and leave about all of them, but ultimately my care and feeding of them is what made them last.

We can talk about American "NAFTA" cars, Asian cars made here in America, European cars made whoknowswhere.... the bottom line is they all bring jobs into this country in one form or another, and jobs are a good thing, especially now. Living in a place where I have a choice of what vehicle I prefer to drive, I support. Not being forced to drive a Lada or a Skoda or a Yugo because that's what my country tells me I have to drive... thank you! In America, private citizens own more autos than in any other country... I for one am glad they all don't look alike (I'd still be lost in the 1st mall parkinglot I ever entered!)
Ok.. stowing the soapbox...

[The Big M]

I've never owned a new car, so the way I figure it my choice of automobile doesn't really affect the bottom line of any manufacturer. I paid Canadian dollars to a fellow Canadian, so in reality my purchase of a foreign car only put money into my domestic economy anyway.

I can't speak to new models, but my 92 Acura has dual overhead cams, an all-aluminum engine, 4-wheel disc brakes and double wishbone suspension front and rear. And yes, Honda had VTEC back then, which most manufacturers have finally now adopted in one form or another. It has 267,000 km on it, it's incredibly reliable, easy to work on, and still gets 42 mpg (Imperial). Plus it's paid for, and I just made a 13-hour round trip and hauled a seat for my Slick home in it (yes, it fit in the hatch), so I'm happy.

I agree though, the domestics do get an unjustified bad rap that isn't at all based on reality. I think Ford has done an outstanding job on the new Mustang powerplant, but the imports have some cool stuff too.

Just my 2 cents on the issue.

[DV65CustomCab]

I will agree that the perception that "imports" are better is no longer the big truth it once was. I mean really, don't you guys remember the 70s and 80s? The Granada? Corsica? Aspen/Volare? Those were all uninspiring piles of excrement. And it takes a long time to recover from that.

Ford, to me, has consistently done better (and I'm not brand loyal just because I like Slicks, trust me). The Fusion is a rock star. The Taurus has consistently been a good, solid sedan; maybe a bit dull, but did it's job well. The Focus...well, I wouldn't buy one over a Hyundai. Domestic car makers simply can't build a really good small car because there's no money in it. They wind up cutting corners, and you get Focus window regulators (garbage). They just are unable to compete with the lower labor of places like Korea where they can afford to put a bit more into even their cheap cars.

Not all imported brands are great though. VW/Audi are horrible right now, legendary for check engine lights after the warranty expires. You couldn't give me a Mitsubishi. Toyota is living on a legacy; the quality of their product has plummeted, and they are so uninspiring to drive I can't fathom why anyone would buy a Camry these days. People are stupid: they will buy a Toyota based on it's reputation but avoid a domestic for the same reason. Their minds are stuck in the 1970s. I don't know how you get over that.

I get given domestic fleet cars to drive for work and have very few problems with them. I absolutely loved the 2nd gen Taurus and recommend them all the time to people looking for cheap, basic transportation. However, for our own household I buy Subarus. Nobody really builds a comparable car to our Forester (a model which they recently 'ruined' with the current redesign; we won't buy one of those). The utility, awd and not being a SUV is a rare combination. We got over 200,000 out of the last one with very few failure items, most of which were easily remedied. The current one took head gaskets, which was a problem, so their rock solid reliability isn't what it used to be, which is a shame. When it comes time for another wagon I don't have a clue what we'll get.

But my final point is this: for some of us, we have very specific needs or demands from vehicles and the domestics frequently don't deliver such a product. Being a racer, I'm a demanding driver when it comes to brakes and handling. Most all cars these days are quite good, but I'm going to buy the best performer for my dollar out of what's available. Or, in the case of the wife's car. the best utility coupled with awd, ultra-reliability and good fuel mileage. We buy what fits the list, not what logo is on the grille.

[charliemccraney]

European cars made whoknowswhere....

At least a few BMW models are made in Spartanburg, SC. On the factory tour, they claim that most of their parts suppliers are in the US.
If any of you haven't taken a tour like that, you should. The robots are neat.

[My1stSlick]

I like neat robots... The messy ones are usually just jerks! hehe