American Cars -vs- Japanese Cars
Do You Agree?
Advertising
Instead of advertising in fancy ways-appealing to glitz or sex-why not simply improve their vehicles? To give an example or two... One manufacturer claims to have the most "repeat" buyers. Could it be because their cars break down more often than other manufacturers, and their buyers foolishly buy a replacement of the same brand?
Others brag about features such as navigational and other systems. If the car isn't dependable, what good are features? I'd much rather have a dependable car than one with special features. My former Japanese car, well into the 200,000-mile range, had its radiator go bad, completely. The care still ran!
How Would You Determine Dependability?
There is one simple method I would consider sure-fire as to determining the dependability of an automobile. Compare the number sold and out there still to the number you see on the road, kaput! Getting real, how many popular Japanese cars does one see on the road, dead? Now how about American cars? As mathematicians would write, QED. This means: which was to be proved. I almost never see a broken down Japanese car. Oh, I rarely do see one. My guess is any broken down Japanese car probably never received maintenance.
Why Buy American?
I am not against foreign cars, but neither am I intrinsically against American cars. If I could find a good American car, I'd prefer to buy it. Why? Well, I was born and raised in this country and I feel kindly toward my neighbors. Life's hard at this time-economically-in the U.S. I'd love to help if I could. I wouldn't buy American cars because of prejudice against people of other countries. I am not nationalistically inclined. All mankind descend from Adam and Eve. American cars do not have an import tax, whereas foreign cars built outside this country do. Since many Japanese cars are now made in this country, considering merely the construction, one should be as good as t'other. American cars are primarily designed for Americans, who tend to be taller (and, yes, fatter) than persons outside its borders. It should reflect American tastes and the American build more satisfactorily.
Fact Is...
However, the reality is that American cars still lag behind in quality and dependability. I don't care what some American organization may rate as the best car in a certain field. One of the funny ratings is "Best in Initial Quality." If a car is truly good, that quality should remain throughout the life of the car! How can a car have the best engine, for instance, for the first 10,000 miles, then lose it at that point?
So...
So, I will continue to buy Japanese cars. For now. I'm hoping that may change, but I don't count on it. Have I driven an American car lately? Last time I decided to try that, I regretted it big time. Let's hope matters change.
Published by Vincent Summers
My secular expertise includes 23 years of experience at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, with a share in NASA's extended Voyager 2 effort. I formerly wrote for Demand Studios, Bukisa, Suite 101, Exa... View profile
- Sake May Fuel Japanese Cars in the FutureJapanese motorists may one day pump their cars full of sake, the fermented rice wine that is Japan's national drink, if a pilot project to create sake fuel creates an impression on locals.
- Reliable Cars-Know Good from BadThis article outlines the most reliable cars of 2005, and which models are looking to follow suit in 2006.
- 2009 Most Fuel Efficient CarsAmerican car-makers are now trying to get their foot in the door of the less fuel using car market. Some in part to get some of the government bailout money.
- Top 10 Car Makers of the World of 2009Here is the list of the world's top ten car makers of 2009. The list is compiled by the Automotive News Data Center as per the global units sales in the first half of 2009.
- Renault Holds Car Launch for 2010The French car manufacturer Renault has planned to put a stop for the investments for the assembly line at its Chennai plant because of the global economic slowdown. This in turn will affect the car launches, the comp...
- American Cars Vs. Japanese Cars: The Pros and Cons of Each
- The Top 7 Classic Japanese Cars
- Domestic Vs Japanese Vs German Automotive Engineering
- The Royal Flush - Japanese Toilet Technology
- In India, Ford and Honda Are Most Dependable Brands
- Repeating the Fall of Rome in the United States
- Daihatsu: An Innovative Car For Tomorrow
20 Comments
Post a Comment♥ thanks for sharing - Great pic of the Benz, too :)
That would be UK, not K (blush)
I can't drive but Mom has a Kia she loves more than any other car she ever had, except a really obscure French car called a Simka. But there is a good reason why in the K American cars are called "Yank tanks." Great image of the Benz, too!
The problem with American cars is that nobody in America wants to buy them for the reasons you mention. They're built to meet all the regulations, requirements, and restrictions rather than being built for what customers want. American cars, along with American exceptionalism, is being worn down, right along with a lot else.
Here's the hoot...hubby and I each own a 2002 Toyota Camry purchased on the same day from the same dealer, each with less than 50k miles on it. Mine was made in Japan and his, in the U.S. They are very different from each other in the way they drive.
I'm very pleased with my US made, Korean-branded car myself.
The Toyota factory nearby uses mostly American-made parts. To even the trade, American manufacturers have to use lots of foreign parts, or so the locals say.
I second that on the BMW. German cars are the very best. I use to have a 1957 356A Porsche and the engine had been replaced with a VW Beetle engine.
I meant to write that Japanese domestic auto consumers likely pay a premium. The best made car in the world likely is the BMW.
Japanese cars certainly give you a better value at the price point, but that's because the Japanese makers take a loss on their vehicle to keep their market share in foreign territories. God knows what the logic is, but I bet domestic consumes pay a premium. I have a 2006 Chevy Impala that has never given me any trouble. Thirty years ago, my father bought a Cadillac Eldorado with 3 miles on it and it broke down on the drive home from the factory. He swapped it for a Seville, but by the late 1980s, he bought a Chevy Impala (the old big model that had the excellent Chevy 305 engine).