Japanese 'Build Quality'

[JohnRandle]

i'll never buy another fix or repair daily

the last two that i had just make it impossible for me to even consider it, no matter how much better the quality supposedly is now.

Same here, that's why I buy Ford, so I don't need to fix or repair them all the time.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Didn't the US government recently fine Toyota 1.2 Billion?

The only Japanese care worth a damn is Subaru as far as I'm concerned. Never had a problem.

 

[douggie]

I've owned 4 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas, 1 Ford, 1 Chevy, and by far and away the best automobile I've driven is a BMW. The Germans know how to engineer a car.

 

[tzorn10]

I'll never buy a car that isn't a Honda anymore. Had a 2000 Civic with 250K that needed nothing but normal maintenance. Probably would still be driving it, but my wife traded it in on a 2010 Accord. That car has 80K on it right now and feels brand new. Had a 2003 Tundra that I liked, but the brakes were junk. So bad that it was dangerous to drive. The caliper sliders would freeze every 15K miles no matter what. Had everything replaced and still the same thing. Bought a Chevy 2500 because we need to pull a horse trailer now. Would have bought another Tundra, but the Chevy was 18,000 less. I figured the money I saved would break me about even with the repair costs down the road.

As for the Toyota recalls, yeah theres a good many, but that's because they own up to their mistakes. I've never owned an American made vehicle that hasent nickel and dimed me to death after 80,000 miles.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

I've owned 4 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas, 1 Ford, 1 Chevy, and by far and away the best automobile I've driven is a BMW. The Germans know how to engineer a car.

Yep, both MB are the best I've had. But some idiot paid over $100k new for them. So, perfection is assumed.

 

[NativeWebfoot]

I've posted in another automotive thread that I've owned over 50 different vehicles. Some were cars, some vans, some p/u trucks. I've owned Chevy's,Fords,Dodges,Olds, Plymouths, Mercury's, Datsuns, VW, Subaru, Jeep, Toyotas, Nissans, Chryslers, Fiats, Mitsubishi's and have driven many others. In talking to car buffs, I've found that everyone seems to have favorites and have good "luck" with certain brands while bad "luck" with other brands. I've had 5 Fiats,for example, miss my Sport L Coupe and 124 Sport Spider. I'd buy another Fiat if I didn't own too many cars already. I've had nothing but trouble with my 2 Toyotas and you couldn't give me another. I've had good "luck" with my Datsuns/Nissans and would buy them again. Some people rave about their Toyotas, but have had bad experience with Nissans, and won't consider having another. It all comes down to personal preference.

 

[oaknightshockey1]

I'll never buy a car that isn't a Honda anymore. Had a 2000 Civic with 250K that needed nothing but normal maintenance. Probably would still be driving it, but my wife traded it in on a 2010 Accord. That car has 80K on it right now and feels brand new. Had a 2003 Tundra that I liked, but the brakes were junk. So bad that it was dangerous to drive. The caliper sliders would freeze every 15K miles no matter what. Had everything replaced and still the same thing. Bought a Chevy 2500 because we need to pull a horse trailer now. Would have bought another Tundra, but the Chevy was 18,000 less. I figured the money I saved would break me about even with the repair costs down the road.

As for the Toyota recalls, yeah theres a good many, but that's because they own up to their mistakes. I've never owned an American made vehicle that hasent nickel and dimed me to death after 80,000 miles.

Yeah I'm pretty sold on Hondas as well. My dad bought an Accord the year I was born (1990) and drove it until it was over 350k miles, at which point we gave it to some guy through a church program. A year later, someone called from the church and asked if we would like to buy new tires for it My first car was a 95 Accord that eventually got passed on to my sister (and subsequently totaled) but it had 250k+ and was still going strong prior to getting smashed. I just got an '01 Accord a couple months ago and it drives great. It has about 160k miles, and I really like it so far. It should last me at least until I'm through school.

 

[BTHOtu]

After WW2 the Lean Manufacturing Pioneers tried selling their ideas to all the big companies here in the states but no one would buy into it. So they all went to Japan and helped them rebuild. Which is also why Lean Manufacturing is more commonly know as Toyota Manufacturing. Which is also why most companies in Japan can crank out 100 higher quality units at a fraction of the cost of one that is Made in the USA. And we are just now trying to implement some of these principles over here.

Now take a look at a list of the most reliable cars according to Car and Driver.
Lexus
Toyota
Acura
Honda
Subaru
Scion
Nissan
How many of these are made in America?

Best used cars over 100K miles according to Edmund's
Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Hyundai Tiburon
Honda Element
Nissan Quest
Toyota Tacoma
Notice a trend?

US cars are expensive to produce and not as reliable as Japanese cars. Probably because most of their cost is tied up in the unions and waste.

I still love my Fords regardless. I am a dumb, flag waving American who loves to waste money anyway.

 

[4down20]

I recently bought a 99 Lexus with 160k miles on it.

Been running great and doesn't burn any oil. I did have to replace coils which is normal for this amount of miles, I had 2 go out separately within 2 months, so I just went ahead and replaced all 6. I had an oil control valve go bad which is also normal for the miles.

I don't really have any brand loyalty to be honest, but when I looked at cars and looked at what I could get for the money, it wasn't much of a contest. This car was in really good condition visually, has all the options for the time and I only spent $4000 on it, so I paid cash for it right out of the gate.

For a little more I could have gotten a BMW of about the same year, but the pickings were slim at the time. I would have jumped on one of them if there had been a better selection.

I can tell I'm getting old because now when I look at a car the first thing I check out is the interior, options and how well it runs. When I was young it was the last thing I looked at.

Pretty much I would never buy a Chevy made after 1972. Especially now.

I have been looking at buying a new truck lately. I'm not a big fan of the style of many, but I seen a Dodge Ram 1500 recently that made me a little hard. I want one of those with a crew cab.

 

[jayviabay]

I recently bought a 99 Lexus with 160k miles on it.

Been running great and doesn't burn any oil. I did have to replace coils which is normal for this amount of miles, I had 2 go out separately within 2 months, so I just went ahead and replaced all 6. I had an oil control valve go bad which is also normal for the miles.

I don't really have any brand loyalty to be honest, but when I looked at cars and looked at what I could get for the money, it wasn't much of a contest. This car was in really good condition visually, has all the options for the time and I only spent $4000 on it, so I paid cash for it right out of the gate.

For a little more I could have gotten a BMW of about the same year, but the pickings were slim at the time. I would have jumped on one of them if there had been a better selection.

I can tell I'm getting old because now when I look at a car the first thing I check out is the interior, options and how well it runs. When I was young it was the last thing I looked at.

Pretty much I would never buy a Chevy made after 1972. Especially now.

I have been looking at buying a new truck lately. I'm not a big fan of the style of many, but I seen a Dodge Ram 1500 recently that made me a little hard. I want one of those with a crew cab.

You and me both! I dont know which one you seen, but I want the Big Horn addition. The Ram is just a sweet looking truck.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I've owned 4 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas, 1 Ford, 1 Chevy, and by far and away the best automobile I've driven is a BMW. The Germans know how to engineer a car.

BMW has always been a "driver's" car, with the focus on handling and power, but not always the most reliable...imo the older (pre 2012) bimmers were the true driving machines...especially the 3 series. The 5 series is a nice car also, but they don't handle the same as the 3 series cars. I can't afford a 7 series but the people I know that have them all say they're over engineered and the balance between luxury and performance is shaded heavily to the luxury side.

I'm semi in the market for a 328i coupe 6MT ('09 to '11), but I would go for the E350 coupe if the price is right...the issue with German cars in general is maintenance cost because everything is proprietary. I've found a small local authorized BMW mechanic that doesn't try to get $300 per hour labor.

 

[SLY]

I just entered my vin for my Camry on Toyota.com, luckily there is no open issues with my model.

 

[potzer25]

They don't cost much more really...and it's an entirely different car.

Take the Flex and MKT. The MKT actually has a much smaller profit margin for Ford than the Flex despite a $10k higher price. The computerized suspension is a big deal; shocks vs. a balancing computer smoothing the ride 100X per second. You don't have little shit starting to break and rattle at 50k miles like on the standard models. Most of all, they last longer for whatever reasons...they really do!

mkt has cheap interior. would not buy.

 

[raider bill]

Love my Toyotas.

When America can prove that they can make a car that will make it beyond 100k with little to no maintenance...then I'll buy their cars. Wont buy anything but Ford trucks, but no thanks on their cars.

And I'd rather support a non-union Toyota plant over a unionize plant any day of the week. Sorry, but don't want my money ending up in Obama's treasure chest.

Same... I have a 2001 F150 and the wife drives a 2010 Rav 4.

Prior to the Rav we had


2003 Equinox (junk)
2001 Cherokee (XJ) (fucking garbage)
1997 Intrepid (piece of shit)
1994 Regal (this car actually lasted a long time, but had all kinds of stupid shit wrong with it ... ripped seats, sagging headliner, flaking paint, misc handles and knobs broken, or inoperable.. etc.)

My mother's 1998 Camry has not a rip in the seat, squeak, rattle, inoperable accesory, or blemish in the paint. The goddamned thing looks good as when she bought it. There's no fucking comparison. American cars still haven't caught up.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

mkt has cheap interior. would not buy.

You said you didn't like the carpet on the back of the rear seats. But you have to have that on any seat that lays flat.
I found this the hard way when I reupholstered the back seat of the Wagoneer with the same material on the seats. When I put the seat down and laid something on it, it tore when it was only a week old. I weeped for a moment then realized why there was carpet there before.

It was an awesome car for $50k.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Same... I have a 2001 F150 and the wife drives a 2010 Rav 4.

Prior to the Rav we had


2003 Equinox (junk)
2001 Cherokee (XJ) (fucking garbage)
1997 Intrepid (piece of shit)
1994 Regal (this car actually lasted a long time, but had all kinds of stupid shit wrong with it ... ripped seats, sagging headliner, flaking paint, misc handles and knobs broken, or inoperable.. etc.)

My mother's 1998 Camry has not a rip in the seat, squeak, rattle, inoperable accesory, or blemish in the paint. The goddamned thing looks good as when she bought it. There's no fucking comparison. American cars still haven't caught up.

Did you get the V6?
I had a 2006 and it was great fun to drive...sadly, it had chronic tranny problems like many other "RAV6s". I wonder if that had something to do with Toyota dropping the V6 option from new design, although a Toyota saleswoman and Lexus sales manager both told me that the RAV6 was widely disliked in the company because it was viewed as stealing sales away from the RX350.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

When it comes to cars, I'm a stats guy.

And the current stats show the Honda Acura to be one of the most sought out vehicles in the Nation by car thieves. Must be worth sumptin then?

IF those bastards want em, then so do I cotdamit!

 

[StoningtonQB]

You guys who are talking about how great Hondas are have not been in anything they have built in this millenium. I have a few myself but they are from the 80s and 90s (any "2000" model was built in 1999) and they have been solid. However, I have noticed a decline in build quality that started in 1996. Take the Civics for example... the 96-00 models had a noticeably lower build quality in the interior (sagging headliners, cheaper plastic interior parts), exterior (plastic headlights vs glass from the previous generations, lower quality paint jobs), and even under the hood (D16Y7 engines were notorious oil burners). the 01-05 models were an admitted Honda fuck-up, and the new models have actually fallen off the map on reliability.

Their CR-Z was a dud as well. Was supposed to be the next-gen CR-X and ended up having all the balls of a 3-year-old. The 6-speed model was actually slower than the automatic!

Don't compare your 80s and 90s-built Toyotas and Hondas to what they are making today. The build quality is definitely not there anymore. Although I admit I do love the new Camry.

 

[StoningtonQB]

When it comes to cars, I'm a stats guy.

And the current stats show the Honda Acura to be one of the most sought out vehicles in the Nation by car thieves. Must be worth sumptin then?

IF those bastards want em, then so do I cotdamit!

I have to drive around with tracking devices in my Hondas because of those thieves. It's gotten to the point where I'm thinking of selling all but one of them. They are sought after because the people who are stealing them are into the scene and are too poor and selfish to buy parts on their own. Also a lot of those cars have swaps, so they are taking them for what's under the hood. In contrast, I never worried about my Infiniti, my wife's Audi, my '99 Corolla or my Chevy pickup getting stolen because it's pretty much just Civics, del Sols, Accords and Integras being stolen these days.

 

[outofyourmind]

You guys who are talking about how great Hondas are have not been in anything they have built in this millenium. I have a few myself but they are from the 80s and 90s (any "2000" model was built in 1999) and they have been solid. However, I have noticed a decline in build quality that started in 1996. Take the Civics for example... the 96-00 models had a noticeably lower build quality in the interior (sagging headliners, cheaper plastic interior parts), exterior (plastic headlights vs glass from the previous generations, lower quality paint jobs), and even under the hood (D16Y7 engines were notorious oil burners). the 01-05 models were an admitted Honda fuck-up, and the new models have actually fallen off the map on reliability.

Their CR-Z was a dud as well. Was supposed to be the next-gen CR-X and ended up having all the balls of a 3-year-old. The 6-speed model was actually slower than the automatic!

Don't compare your 80s and 90s-built Toyotas and Hondas to what they are making today. The build quality is definitely not there anymore. Although I admit I do love the new Camry.

you are so full of shit.