My F-150 gets about 21 MPG because I drive it right... No jackrabbit starts & I try to time the lights 5 speed overdrive helps too... I see a lot of dumbasses speed up before a red light & then slam on their brakes...They are a brake mechanic & gas stations dream... Some of you guys out there don't even give the American vehicles a chance & thats just a shame...I know theres a lot of guys out there that agree with me they would'nt be caught dead in a foriegn vehicle... I repeat Barman better think twice about a Lexus (Overpriced Toyota).
RR, you sound like a bafoon. i drive my car smart. that's the point, toyotas don't need to be driven smart they're made smart.
any car can last when you factor in good preventative maintenance but with most of the foreign cars you don't need as much as most domestics. and the cops use em line WTF it's all about the price.
you just come off like a car racist whatever that is
any car can last when you factor in good preventative maintenance but with most of the foreign cars you don't need as much as most domestics. and the cops use em line WTF it's all about the price.
you just come off like a car racist whatever that is
Foreign car or domestic? Reputation isn't the only factor
By Aviya Kushner • Bankrate.com
Mechanics, consumers and car analysts all tick off the same names when asked for the most reliable cars: Honda and Toyota.
But, they add, not all imports are so impressive.
Some models from luxury brands such as Mercedes and Audi are turning in below-average reliability numbers, according to new data from J.D. Power and Associates, the independent research firm. And complaints are popping up in car magazines from luxury buyers who feel disappointed.
Meanwhile, some budget imports continue to turn in beautiful performances year after year.
"The Japanese Big Three have been at the top of the dependability charts since 1990," says Joe Ivers, partner and executive director of quality and customer satisfaction at J.D. Power and Associates in Detroit.
"Toyota, Honda and Nissan tend to do very well, and there's very little difference from one to the next," Ivers says. "In the luxury category, Lexus is the best with 163 repair incidents per 100 cars, and Infiniti is next with 174 per 100."
But upper-end Buicks and Cadillacs perform well, too, and American cars overall have improved, Ivers says.
Consumer data tends to back up the theory that Japanese cars are the favorites. Edmunds.com tracks the "best cars" according to consumers and the site's editors. Consumers, selecting the best cars in a variety of categories, chose an import in 28 of 29 categories, from budget to luxury. Only the Chevy Corvette won its class.
What local mechanics say
Whether you're crouching under the car or sitting in an office chair in Detroit analyzing tens of thousands of car histories for a research giant, the quality assessment is more or less the same.
"The Japanese are leading the way," says Mitchell Seligson, a mechanic with 16 years of experience and the owner of Masterfix, in Orangeburg, N.Y. "They revolutionized everything during the 1980s, and everyone's trying to catch up. What I tell people is that in overall quality, Honda and Toyota are what I call the gold standard -- and that includes Lexus and Acura."
Beyond that, the picture gets a little muddier. American cars can be very good, but not as consistently.
"Once you get out of there, it's hard to generalize," Seligson says. "Sometimes you have a model that was good and then they have a design change and there are problems. An example of that is the Ford Taurus. The early models had problems but seemed to work them through."
By Aviya Kushner • Bankrate.com
Mechanics, consumers and car analysts all tick off the same names when asked for the most reliable cars: Honda and Toyota.
But, they add, not all imports are so impressive.
Some models from luxury brands such as Mercedes and Audi are turning in below-average reliability numbers, according to new data from J.D. Power and Associates, the independent research firm. And complaints are popping up in car magazines from luxury buyers who feel disappointed.
Meanwhile, some budget imports continue to turn in beautiful performances year after year.
"The Japanese Big Three have been at the top of the dependability charts since 1990," says Joe Ivers, partner and executive director of quality and customer satisfaction at J.D. Power and Associates in Detroit.
"Toyota, Honda and Nissan tend to do very well, and there's very little difference from one to the next," Ivers says. "In the luxury category, Lexus is the best with 163 repair incidents per 100 cars, and Infiniti is next with 174 per 100."
But upper-end Buicks and Cadillacs perform well, too, and American cars overall have improved, Ivers says.
Consumer data tends to back up the theory that Japanese cars are the favorites. Edmunds.com tracks the "best cars" according to consumers and the site's editors. Consumers, selecting the best cars in a variety of categories, chose an import in 28 of 29 categories, from budget to luxury. Only the Chevy Corvette won its class.
What local mechanics say
Whether you're crouching under the car or sitting in an office chair in Detroit analyzing tens of thousands of car histories for a research giant, the quality assessment is more or less the same.
"The Japanese are leading the way," says Mitchell Seligson, a mechanic with 16 years of experience and the owner of Masterfix, in Orangeburg, N.Y. "They revolutionized everything during the 1980s, and everyone's trying to catch up. What I tell people is that in overall quality, Honda and Toyota are what I call the gold standard -- and that includes Lexus and Acura."
Beyond that, the picture gets a little muddier. American cars can be very good, but not as consistently.
"Once you get out of there, it's hard to generalize," Seligson says. "Sometimes you have a model that was good and then they have a design change and there are problems. An example of that is the Ford Taurus. The early models had problems but seemed to work them through."
That's a huge problem here in Germany. In the 90's, "smart" managers of the renowned car companies decided to buy parts cheap in Asia and still sell the cars expensively because of the brand, thus making big profits. However, as could have been predicted, quality deteriorated, and after some time the consumers asked themselves why they should pay the high prices if the cars were not as good as they used to be. Management realised this far too late, and while measures are being taken it won't be easy to win the customers back, so they call for the politicians to help. Just like in the banking sector, the companies got too greedy, things didn't work out in the end and now they count on the taxpayer to bail them out.
Just look at the resale values, they speak volumes.
My rules of thumb:
1) If you want an import, buy new. They retain their value so buying used doesn't save you much.
2) If you want an American car, buy a used one with 20 - 30 k miles. You'll pay half price
3) If you want to lease, you MUST lease an import. Because the value of American made cars decrease much more rapidly, they are more more costly to lease.
I've gone both ways. Nissan & Audi just run and run without any major problem. The first repair on my Audi was at 90k, when the breaks finally went. Of course, a muffler costs something like 1k.
In my Buick, leather upholstery started peeling, the light for the clock radio menu went (500 to replace, so I left it dark), even my windshield wiper transmission broke (another 500 bucks). Until then, I didn't even know windshield wipers had transmissions. I loved the car when it was new, but it aged much too fast.
My rules of thumb:
1) If you want an import, buy new. They retain their value so buying used doesn't save you much.
2) If you want an American car, buy a used one with 20 - 30 k miles. You'll pay half price
3) If you want to lease, you MUST lease an import. Because the value of American made cars decrease much more rapidly, they are more more costly to lease.
I've gone both ways. Nissan & Audi just run and run without any major problem. The first repair on my Audi was at 90k, when the breaks finally went. Of course, a muffler costs something like 1k.
In my Buick, leather upholstery started peeling, the light for the clock radio menu went (500 to replace, so I left it dark), even my windshield wiper transmission broke (another 500 bucks). Until then, I didn't even know windshield wipers had transmissions. I loved the car when it was new, but it aged much too fast.
I bought an Audi in 1989, 5k rebate. Drove the car until 1998 and loved every minute. Transmission went at 200k and sold it for $ 500.
no doubt willie
buying a new american car is throwing your money down the drain
always owned american and always been used that was 10+ years or older
basic insurance dirt cheap
not worried about protecting the car since its not worth much anyway
all you gotta do is deal with repairs here and there and a few more inconviences
plus alot of the stuff that happens with american cars is superficial stuff (stuff that isn't essential to get you from point A to point B) or parts that don't cost a ton to fix......the engines and the important (expensive) parts of them will last you a long time in general
buying a new american car is throwing your money down the drain
always owned american and always been used that was 10+ years or older
basic insurance dirt cheap
not worried about protecting the car since its not worth much anyway
all you gotta do is deal with repairs here and there and a few more inconviences
plus alot of the stuff that happens with american cars is superficial stuff (stuff that isn't essential to get you from point A to point B) or parts that don't cost a ton to fix......the engines and the important (expensive) parts of them will last you a long time in general
When I was young 1972 I bought a 240Z Datsun spoerts car one of the partners
of the firm which I eventually became a partner in was pissed a me because I had a jap car. Seems like his reasoning came from the fact that he was stuck in the Aleutian Islands guarding against the japs for 2 years. Bought American until the early 90's when business trended downward and went to a Tpyota sentra & have to say that was a money saving car. Now I drive a Saab great mileage, nice car.
The problem for American cars which have been getting better is the legacy costs the unions negotiated in the past. It's like the American Car Makers in hockey terms are playing against a continual power play. For comparable cars it cost much more to buy American. If it wasn't that way most Amercans I'm sure would buy American.
of the firm which I eventually became a partner in was pissed a me because I had a jap car. Seems like his reasoning came from the fact that he was stuck in the Aleutian Islands guarding against the japs for 2 years. Bought American until the early 90's when business trended downward and went to a Tpyota sentra & have to say that was a money saving car. Now I drive a Saab great mileage, nice car.
The problem for American cars which have been getting better is the legacy costs the unions negotiated in the past. It's like the American Car Makers in hockey terms are playing against a continual power play. For comparable cars it cost much more to buy American. If it wasn't that way most Amercans I'm sure would buy American.
Whatever was WAS, but it ain't so no more. Jap cars used to be cheap and would fall apart too soon. American cars used to run circles around them. Now the tables are turned. It's the other way around. I never owned a foreign car until I bought me a Maserati for kicks about 8 years ago, but I would always drive an American car the rest of the time. Now since I bought a Toyota Sequoia about 4 years ago, I have learned that there is a lot more to life with car than I ever knew. They are dependable, almost flawless and keep on going for 1/4 million miles typically before they need any kind of major work. It's not uncommon for them to run for 1/2 million miles without needing anything major. I am a convert and for good reason. The Jap cars also hold onto their resale value much better than any American car does. The buying public is aware of all that more than ever.
Just look at what car companies are going bankrupt and which car companies are not. That should tell you everything you need to know. People don't want American cars the way they used to. Ouch! But that's the way it goes.
Honestly, ask yourself this,
Would you buy an American car with a crappy future as far as maintenance goes so you could save someone a job? (knowing that it will be almost worthless when you finally pay it off)
Or would you rather buy something more dependable for yourself (a Jap car) and let someone who worked at a Honda plant in Mississippi keep their job over someone in Detroit? (also have yourself a decent ride worth about 10 grand when you finally own it outright)
Stupid question unless you don't mind spending a small fortune for repairs just so you could wrap yourself in an American flag driving down the highway.
There's no pride left in the American auto industry and it shows in the products they make. I don't believe in supporting losers or pretenders.
Would you buy an American car with a crappy future as far as maintenance goes so you could save someone a job? (knowing that it will be almost worthless when you finally pay it off)
Or would you rather buy something more dependable for yourself (a Jap car) and let someone who worked at a Honda plant in Mississippi keep their job over someone in Detroit? (also have yourself a decent ride worth about 10 grand when you finally own it outright)
Stupid question unless you don't mind spending a small fortune for repairs just so you could wrap yourself in an American flag driving down the highway.
There's no pride left in the American auto industry and it shows in the products they make. I don't believe in supporting losers or pretenders.
I used to be General Manager at a Honda and Nissan dealership so for the better part of the 90's I lived and breathed cars.
At the time, a one year old Taurus was worth about $3000 less than a comparable Accord. We would have people coming in trying to trade 2 year old Chrysler Concordes and they'd be $10,000 upside down. Some of our lenders would finance many 1-3 year old Hondas and Nissans with terms comparable to new cars.
I constantly saw 25 year old Civic hatchbacks with 500,000 miles coming in for oil changes. You can't kill a Honda lawnmower or generator. They are just better.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that Japanese cars, Toyota and Honda in particular, are far superior to their American counterparts. Though they have closed the gap, they still lag. Hell, even all the fucking rednecks that I work with drive Tundras now.
roadreeler saying that Lexuses (Lexi?) are junk makes him look like a moron because 99.999% of everyone who read that knows it's bullshit.
At the time, a one year old Taurus was worth about $3000 less than a comparable Accord. We would have people coming in trying to trade 2 year old Chrysler Concordes and they'd be $10,000 upside down. Some of our lenders would finance many 1-3 year old Hondas and Nissans with terms comparable to new cars.
I constantly saw 25 year old Civic hatchbacks with 500,000 miles coming in for oil changes. You can't kill a Honda lawnmower or generator. They are just better.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that Japanese cars, Toyota and Honda in particular, are far superior to their American counterparts. Though they have closed the gap, they still lag. Hell, even all the fucking rednecks that I work with drive Tundras now.
roadreeler saying that Lexuses (Lexi?) are junk makes him look like a moron because 99.999% of everyone who read that knows it's bullshit.
I saw a show about some luxury cars years ago, when Lexus was only a few years old.
"we don't usually do this, but you've got to see it to believe it"
They put a pint glass of water onto the engine block of a high end Jag, Merc, BMW and Lexus.
Then revved up to 5-6000 revs
The glass fell off the Jag, the merc and BMW rippled and wobbled a bit.
The Lexus didn't even ripple the surface water in the glass.
:grandmais
"we don't usually do this, but you've got to see it to believe it"
They put a pint glass of water onto the engine block of a high end Jag, Merc, BMW and Lexus.
Then revved up to 5-6000 revs
The glass fell off the Jag, the merc and BMW rippled and wobbled a bit.
The Lexus didn't even ripple the surface water in the glass.
:grandmais
