American cars vs. Imports

[Crimson Glow]

Time and time again, all I ever see is bashing of American cars. They're not reliable, they have low tech engines, blah blah blah. I've been into cars for a while, now. I know better then to buy into these BS statements. I've seen/read/heard about BMWs, Mercs, Audis, Hondas, Nissans, etc. breaking down just like any American car too many times to accept such an ignorant statement. Do they do it less often? Yes, but the difference is not NEARLY as dramatic as Import lovers would like to think/believe. And now, finally some concrete evidence to back up what I've known/been witness to for quite some time. Click on the link below, then click on the video labeled "US cars more reliable then European models".

http://www.rr.com/flash/index.cfm?division=137

Hmmm....did he just say BMW and Mercedes ranked BELOW average reliability? Interesting. This thread is not intended to bash Imports or to promote American. (In fact, I give the Japanese credit for beating out BOTH the American and European markets in quality). Rather, it is yet another one of my posts aimed at delivering one motto: Educate yourself. Too many people rely on rumors and myths for their info or "knowledge". Hell, half the people that hate American can't even tell you a make & model (other then the obvious like Camaros, Corvettes, or Mustangs). I'm just simply asking that you learn for yourself about a subject before formulating opinions on them.

[Sip]

I fully agree with you. Plus "import" and "domestic" have very vague meanings now as some people still consider toyota as being japanese while it is almost entirely assembled in the US.

A pontiac Vibe is almost identical to a Toyota matrix using the same engine, transmission, drive train etc etc

In the truck department, imports have always been behind the big three with the GM's being among the best in my opinion.

[beemerman]

it depends what your looking for and your price range.... but ill take a 15 year old european car over a brand spanken new american car any day of the week.

the americans are waaaaaaaay far behind in technology behing the germans and the japanese.

[Sip]

Originally posted by beemerman ... the americans are waaaaaaaay far behind in technology behing the germans and the japanese.

That's where you are very wrong. A lot of them are using the same parts and OEMs! For example, Delphi (formerly also known as Delco) which is like THE provider for electronics and the techy sutff used in GM vehicles is now providing a lot of electronics to the Europeans.

If you look at the new Infiniti's with their Adaptive Cruise Controls ... I am not sure who made their system but I was working on a similar thing at Delphi back in 98!!!! This was loooong before anyone was even dreaming about ACC in the consumer market Then they sold it to Jaguar that was going to put it on their high end models in Europe (this is around 2000).

Now keep an eye on the Koreans though ... they are set to take a huge chunk of the global car market ... as you can see they are extremely aggressive in the US with Kia and Hyundai offering some rediculous deals and things like 10 year 100K mile warranties

[Crimson Glow]

Originally posted by Seapahn That's where you are very wrong.

Yes! That's where you're very wrong indeed, Beemerman. You see, this is what I was talking about when I said educate yourselves on the subject before making bold statements like that. The reason I choose American over Import is because their features BORE me!! They DON'T throw in cool options. Oh, and Seaphan: Finally, someone other than me that knows (well....at least an Armenian other then me that knows). Now granted they have some great safety features, they don't have much in the way of wicked options. Options that you could....you know.....USE!

When people get into my 14-15 year old "crappy American" cars, they refuse to believe it's that old because of all the technological advancements. Delphi's finest are in these vehicles, Seaphan. I have 2 1989 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD (1,376 made) which feature: Full gauge package on a completely digital dash with digital Driver Info Center, or DIC (which outlines the car and tells you/ lights up the area when you're low on fuel, washer fluid, coolant, when a head/tail/high beam/turn signal light is out, when a door/hood/trunk is open, and when to change your oil/oil filter/rotate tires/tune-up....and this has been on the STE models since freaking 1983!!!), 9 way power seats (including 3-way lumbar adjustment and power headrests), steering wheel covered in controls for the radio (since 1986), self leveling air struts (raise themselves when the back end is weighed down with people/luggage/etc.), speed responsive front struts (stiffens the struts at about 70 MPH), built in tire inflator in the trunk, and a pretty damn nice AWD set-up. Beemerman would love this article I have from '88 where they tested 7 AWDs for a show down. The STE annihilated the BMW 325iX in snow braking (Teves II ABS since '86) and lateral snow acceleration.

Then there's my 2 '90 Pontiac Grand Prix McLaren Turbos (yes, that says McLaren), one 2-door (3,700 made) and one 4-door (1,000 made). Available since '88, they take the DIC a step further with built in calendar, computer for average speed, instant MPG, average MPG, miles till empty, expanded maintenance scheduler with air filter/transmission servicing/etc, and a compass that rotates around the digital car outline. The unit looks incredible, and it feels ridiculous to say the cars are '90s. Oh, and then there's the wicked HUD, or Heads Up Display, which is literally developed from fighter jet technology. It projects your vital info onto the windshield (MPH, turn signals, high beam on, service engine soon, etc.). And the Grand Prix' get even crazier with their seats....try 14-way power!!! The bolsters on your sides move in and out to hug you, and the area by the knees on the bottom portion of the seats is split down the middle to adjust the right and left thigh separately. As I said, no one believes my cars are as old as they are when they see the features in it. You would literally have to get a pretty damn expensive BMW or Merc EVEN TODAY to surpass what these cars offered 15 years ago. Oh, and by the way, they have needed very little in the way of repairs other then a couple of faulty designs from the factory (which there isn't a car on Earth who doesn't have these).

And there you have it, folks. A very tiny look at what some "ancient" American cars could do. The other problem with European car technology: Reliability of their features. Hell, they just recalled 15,000 BMW 745i's ($70K+ car) because the voice activation system and the iDrive don't work properly. Nice to know you can pay that much money for a car, and STILL have it fail on you/not work right. Everyone's always like "well what if your digital dash goes out" on my cars. Hmmm....my first car was an '86 STE with the same dash. I got rid of the car with 225K miles on it (originally tranny, original motor), and every single feature was still working on it. I'm on several car forums and have talked to TONS of people with such cars, and I have yet to hear of the features failing. Plus a huge portion of them have 200K + miles on them. So much for the "American cars are unreliable and easy to break" theory.

[PASAMONSTER]

who said american cars aren't reliable.


how many 15 years + jap cars or mercedeses are out there.

and how many classic american muscle machines huh huh?

[whitelotus]

the fact is, old classic american cars were better quality then the american cars built today.

in todays society and industry, the businesses and companys make cheaper crap, so that you go and buy more of it when it breaks down. It wasnt like that over 30 years ago, things were made with quality to last you a long longgggggggg time.

screw imports

oh and by the way, paul owns your souls LOL