Japanese 'Build Quality'

[Used 2 B Hu]

Korean cars >>> Japanese cars, at least right now. Another ten years and Kia's and Hyundai's will be over-reaching and having the massive recalls due to lapses in quality.

America's day as the best automakers in the world might come again in the future, but not soon.

 

[raider bill]

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.

I got the 4 Cyl.. we're not towing anything and it's pretty flat around here.

 

[Ricky Roma]

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.

It's a cyclical thing, and completely outdated. There were times when people swore on the big 3, and laughed at the Japanese vehicles but the reality was that it was America's offerings were absolute trash and Toyota/Honda were far superior.

After a good amount of time, people finally realized the truth, yet maintained this belief even when Ford and GM started producing quality vehicles. It's just gonna take a good decade before the thought process can be cemented.

I do agree that when it comes to trucks, nobody does it better than Ford....and I eagerly anticipate the new aluminum 2015 F-150. Should be a game-changer.

 

[poprocksncoke]

Have an 02 honda, 03 honda and 07 ford. all three have over 150,000 miles and have had no big problems with any of them. I can say tho that the ford interior is shit.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I have two 20 plus year old Fords. 1991 TBird SuperCoupe (slushomatic) and a 1995 Taurus SHO (5 speed).

The TBird is a bit of a money pit since it's engine has known issues but the SHO with it's Yamaha V6 is practically bullet proof. I've had the SHO since new.

The missus has a 2002 Maxima and it's not had a lot spent on it since we got it in 2005. Nice enough car but even with it's 6 speed manual and gusty 3.5L engine I don't enjoy driving it nearly as much as my SHO.

I don't see myself getting rid of any of them in the foreseeable future.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

I have two 20 plus year old Fords. 1991 TBird SuperCoupe (slushomatic) and a 1995 Taurus SHO (5 speed).

The TBird is a bit of a money pit since it's engine has known issues but the SHO with it's Yamaha V6 is practically bullet proof. I've had the SHO since new.

The missus has a 2002 Maxima and it's not had a lot spent on it since we got it in 2005. Nice enough car but even with it's 6 speed manual and gusty 3.5L engine I don't enjoy driving it nearly as much as my SHO.

I don't see myself getting rid of any of them in the foreseeable future.

I did not know that.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I did not know that.

It looks pretty too.

You have to maintain it properly but if you do it is a solid, reliable lump.

 

[Indrid Cold]

I have two 20 plus year old Fords. 1991 TBird SuperCoupe (slushomatic) and a 1995 Taurus SHO (5 speed).

The TBird is a bit of a money pit since it's engine has known issues but the SHO with it's Yamaha V6 is practically bullet proof. I've had the SHO since new.

The missus has a 2002 Maxima and it's not had a lot spent on it since we got it in 2005. Nice enough car but even with it's 6 speed manual and gusty 3.5L engine I don't enjoy driving it nearly as much as my SHO.

I don't see myself getting rid of any of them in the foreseeable future.

I worked for a company making automotive electronics components in the Detroit area for a while...we had sales in the same office and they all had to get 4 door Big 3 cars to get them subsidized by the company. We had a young group and they all had SHOs...every single one of them complained about having to get new clutches way too often, but those engines were rock solid.
Moved on to another company making similar components near Chicago and still had to visit Detroit a lot. One of our new parts was going to be debuted in the new V8 SHO, they preferred to put them in a limited run vehicle for the weeding out process.
There was a V8 SHO running on a dyno during one of my visits and a big group of us gathered around to check it out...a Ford engineer sidled over and started talking to us very quietly.
"I'm going to give you some words of wisdom here...don't any of you EVER buy one of these cars."
"Why not? It should be great with a V8, right?"
"The V8 is a clusterfuck...marketing insisted we had to have a V8 to 'compete'. The thing doesn't fit in the car and we can't possibly get enough air to it...it's heavier and less powerful than the Yamaha V6."

And, the V8 SHO was a piece of shit that got killed off in no time.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

I worked for a company making automotive electronics components in the Detroit area for a while...we had sales in the same office and they all had to get 4 door Big 3 cars to get them subsidized by the company. We had a young group and they all had SHOs...every single one of them complained about having to get new clutches way too often, but those engines were rock solid.
Moved on to another company making similar components near Chicago and still had to visit Detroit a lot. One of our new parts was going to be debuted in the new V8 SHO, they preferred to put them in a limited run vehicle for the weeding out process.
There was a V8 SHO running on a dyno during one of my visits and a big group of us gathered around to check it out...a Ford engineer sidled over and started talking to us very quietly.
"I'm going to give you some words of wisdom here...don't any of you EVER buy one of these cars."
"Why not? It should be great with a V8, right?"
"The V8 is a clusterfuck...marketing insisted we had to have a V8 to 'compete'. The thing doesn't fit in the car and we can't possibly get enough air to it...it's heavier and less powerful than the Yamaha V6."

And, the V8 SHO was a piece of shit that got killed off in no time.

I have put in 4 clutches over the years I have owned the car. But I consider it the cost of doing "biddness"..... I've also put in a lot of brake pads and rotors even after upgrading those.

And the V8 had a bunch of issues. It never really caught on. At the SHO forum there is a small contingent of V8 guys but most are the V6 folks. And with the new SHO with it's EcoBoost twin turbo V6 (in an ugly Mopar300ish looking square boxy body) there is a resurgance of new folks.

 

[Chasin' Utleys]

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.

Gubmint Motors < Japanese cars < South Korean cars (due to the Audi migration) < German cars

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Have an 02 honda, 03 honda and 07 ford. all three have over 150,000 miles and have had no big problems with any of them. I can say tho that the ford interior is shit.

My dad used to own an auto restoration business, and we all had to work for him through high school and then we could go out and get another job...we worked on so many Big 3 interiors for NEW cars, it wasn't funny. Mostly the headliners would fall down within a year, or the door panels would start cracking/peeling. Seat covers would usually be split somewhere or else the runners would be shot so you couldn't slide the seats up or back. The most common repair was cigarette burns in the seats, though, which is just owner stupidity and not poor quality.

We "restored" way more more modern car interiors than classic ones. I went to the junkyard twice a week to canibalize parts from several wrecks.

 

[Indrid Cold]

I have put in 4 clutches over the years I have owned the car. But I consider it the cost of doing "biddness"..... I've also put in a lot of brake pads and rotors even after upgrading those.

And the V8 had a bunch of issues. It never really caught on. At the SHO forum there is a small contingent of V8 guys but most are the V6 folks. And with the new SHO with it's EcoBoost twin turbo V6 (in an ugly Mopar300ish looking square boxy body) there is a resurgance of new folks.

I had some minor interest in the latest SHO when it first came out, but how I saw how fucking heavy that thing was and how bad the gas mileage looked to be (surely related points), my interest dropped to zero.

 

[WIZ]

We had a 93 SHO that was our last American car. The Yamaha v6 was a thing of beauty but the intermitten wipers, wiper motor, alternator and the front struts all going under warranty had us in a Maxima by 96 and it's been Honda/Toyota since.

Funny thing about the SHO it was a silver automatic and a hard sell. EVERYONE wanted a dark green one. By about 99 or 2000 green was out and silver was in. I guess the guy who bought it from us made out well.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

We had a 93 SHO that was our last American car. The Yamaha v6 was a thing of beauty but the intermitten wipers, wiper motor, alternator and the front struts all going under warranty had us in a Maxima by 96 and it's been Honda/Toyota since.

Funny thing about the SHO it was a silver automatic and a hard sell. EVERYONE wanted a dark green one. By about 99 or 2000 green was out and silver was in. I guess the guy who bought it from us made out well.

Everything on my 95 still works except the keyless entry.

Power seats, windows, A/C. You name it. All working perfectly.

Mine happens to be green but at the SHO forum green is looked down upon. Not sure why. The green with grey leather looks nice.

My SuperCoupe is black but they didn't offer back when I ordered my SHO.

Lots of new cars today can out drag my SHO. But not by a lot and it isn't a dragster anyway. It's a lot of fun to drive given all the modifications I've made to handling and braking and with the sticky tires I run I don't get outcornered very often. It handles like it's on rails.

Yet it's just a Taurus....

 

[Indrid Cold]

Everything on my 95 still works except the keyless entry.

Power seats, windows, A/C. You name it. All working perfectly.

Mine happens to be green but at the SHO forum green is looked down upon. Not sure why. The green with grey leather looks nice.

My SuperCoupe is black but they didn't offer back when I ordered my SHO.

Lots of new cars today can out drag my SHO. But not by a lot and it isn't a dragster anyway. It's a lot of fun to drive given all the modifications I've made to handling and braking and with the sticky tires I run I don't get outcornered very often. It handles like it's on rails.

Yet it's just a Taurus....

I have always liked the cars that have some oomph but look like nothing special...one reason I was attracted to the Grand National so many years ago. Also liked the SHO, but the V8 was coming out and I needed AWD when it was time for me to buy a car in that era. Had a friend with a Nova that was very similar to my first car except he had a 350 V8 instead of a 250 I6 like me...his was way more fun, but also needed constant attention to stay in running condition. Mine ran well enough with little attention, but always had suspension problems.
I remember reading about something like a Ford Fiesta that had the SHO Yamaha V6 stuffed in the hatch to make some kind of stunt car, the whole drivetrain had to be reworked with the rear engine. One of the car mags threw a shroud over the engine and took it out on the street, blew away a bunch of high end Vettes and Stangs...that must have been FUN!!!
I guess the RAV4 V6 I just got rid of and my present Suby Forester XT turbo kind of fit into the general category I'm talking about, although they were/are not able to challenge any kind of real sports car. Too bad the Suby is turning out to be a fucking heap o problems...

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Don't like trucks, vans or SUVs at all.

I'm a car guy.

I once had a VW Westphalia camper when my kids were young but sold it to buy a Volvo wagon.

Jay Leno has one of those Fiestas, ShoGun...

 

[StoningtonQB]

you are so full of shit.

Can't help that you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

 

[Macho Grande]

American car builders started getting lazy back in the 70's and 80's. Not sure they'll ever get my trust back. I have two honda's sitting out in the driveway and love them both. One of them is 15 years old and still runs like a champ.