YACT: domestics are pretty reliable

[Lifer]

all this domestic bashing got me thinking...

if you think about it gov't vehicles, taxi cabs, police cruisers, etc. are all using Crown Vics, Town Cars, Grand Marquis, Caprices, Explorers, Tauruses, Focus, etc.
they take a ton of abuse for a better part of the day, every day of the week.

i'd say because of this, they hold up quite well.

 

[Heisenberg]

Although the fanboys here won't admit it, domestics are just as good as imports. Much cheaper to fix too when something does break.

 

[Chaotic42]

Yup. I see lots of 80s domestics all over the place.

 

[NutBucket]

Take Taurus out of your list and I'd have to agree. (especially since you didn't list Cavalier) Personally, I think what happens is that American cars don't tend to "age" as well. Like their interiors and such seem to show wear more then their Japanese counterparts. Mechanically I would say an American V8 is very good and most of their auto trannys are good (GM's 4L60 comes to mind).

But for smaller cars I'll stick with imports.

 

[Siddhartha]

There is a survey, I can't remember the name of it, that tracks auto reliability numbers. Powers something....?

 

[Cyberian]

I'm not taking sides on this, but I think most government entities are almost required to buy domestic.

Try to imagine the Detroit Police driving around in Nissans.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Cyberian
I'm not taking sides on this, but I think most government entities are almost required to buy domestic.

Try to imagine the Detroit Police driving around in Nissans.

Yeah, this is usually the case (Tho for a long while the Lifeguards in LA had Nissan trucks, most likely donated by Nissan).

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Although the fanboys here won't admit it, domestics are just as good as imports. Much cheaper to fix too when something does break.

"Good" is a relative term. Yes, a GM engine and tranny may last 200k miles. But that's not to say the interior isn't full of squeeks and rattles and the foam in the seats has deteriorated to a point of being non-functional.

Many domestics just flat out do not age well.

As for the original post. Yes, I agree that many domestics have an unfair lable of being unreliable. I would agree that they are reliable, just not well constructed. I consider there a difference between the two.

 

[vi edit]

I would also like to say that V8 powered RWD cars to tend to take abuse much better than FWD V6 vehicles.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
There is a survey, I can't remember the name of it, that tracks auto reliability numbers. Powers something....?

It is the J. D. Powers customer satisfaction survey.


Look here

How about adding "Domestics are getting better" to your poll?

 

[m2kewl]

i'm not going to bash domestics, but just look at the marketshare and owner's perception over the past few years, it will still show imports having the advantage in quality, reliability, etc.

granted domestics still have advantages in the trucks - you're looking at imports entering the arena, starting with Nissan and Honda. if past performance is any indication, i don't see detroit not sweating bullets.

 

[SuperSix]

There was a recent JD Powers survey, gauging what car makes required warranty repairs. #1? Buick. #2? Honda. Dead last? Land Rover, with over 62% requiring warranty repairs. Next two worse? VW and Audi. The Japanese imports are still tops overall.

Interesting Info

(Yes, I am a Buick guy, and 86/87 Turbo Buick guy, and HATE everything Buick has made in the last 15 years)

 

[Pocatello]

I trust domestics over anything made by VW or Mercedes. I still think Honda and Toyota, overall, make the most reliable cars, even if they're made here by big fat lazy Americans.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
There is a survey, I can't remember the name of it, that tracks auto reliability numbers. Powers something....?

It is J. D. Powers custimer satisfaction
Look here

How about adding "Domestics are getting better" to your poll?

That's customer satisfaction, a completely subjective polling. No real factual stuff there.

How can you explain the difference between Nissan and Infinity? Or Lexus and Toyota? Or Acura and Honda? There's *some* difference between the luxury brands and the "value" brands, but not enough to make up for the polar results shown in that survey.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
I trust domestics over anything made by VW or Mercedes. I still think Honda and Toyota, overall, make the most reliable cars, even if they're made here by big fat lazy Americans.

That's what I'm about. I'm pretty much an import whore, but every once in a while I think about getting a mustang GT. German cars just don't seem worth it considering you pay up the nose.

 

[vi edit]

That's what I'm about. I'm pretty much an import whore, but every once in a while I think about getting a mustang GT. German cars just don't seem worth it considering you pay up the nose.

I don't know if I'm totally sold on the "Imports cost more than Domestics" spiel.

My local toyota dealer costs me $75 an hour. My local VW dealer costs me $70 an hour. My local Chevy dealer costs $77 an hour. Parts are hard to judge. It really depends upon the specific model and the part that failed.

In a '97 Chevy Monte Carlo Z34 it might cost you $500 to have an alternator replaced. In a '98 Monte Carlo Z34 it might only cost you $250. In my Camry I might be able to do it for $150. There's over 10,000 parts in a car. Some cost more in a domestic, some cost more in imports.

As far as routine stuff, they are pretty much the same. They take the same oil, they have same priced oil filters, they use the same tires, they can use the same break pads, the air filters or oil filters don't cost any more or less, ect.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
There is a survey, I can't remember the name of it, that tracks auto reliability numbers. Powers something....?

It is J. D. Powers custimer satisfaction
Look here

How about adding "Domestics are getting better" to your poll?

That's customer satisfaction, a completely subjective polling. No real factual stuff there.

How can you explain the difference between Nissan and Infinity? Or Lexus and Toyota? Or Acura and Honda? There's *some* difference between the luxury brands and the "value" brands, but not enough to make up for the polar results shown in that survey.

I am looking for a quantitative answer to the question of domestic vs import car reliability. Consumer Reports has that data. Anyone have a subscription to their website?

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

I don't know if I'm totally sold on the "Imports cost more than Domestics" spiel.

My local toyota dealer costs me $75 an hour. My local VW dealer costs me $70 an hour. My local Chevy dealer costs $77 an hour. Parts are hard to judge. It really depends upon the specific model and the part that failed.

In a '97 Chevy Monte Carlo Z34 it might cost you $500 to have an alternator replaced. In a '98 Monte Carlo Z34 it might only cost you $250. In my Camry I might be able to do it for $150. There's over 10,000 parts in a car. Some cost more in a domestic, some cost more in imports.

As far as routine stuff, they are pretty much the same. They take the same oil, they have same priced oil filters, they use the same tires, they can use the same break pads, the air filters or oil filters don't cost any more or less, ect.

I agree to some extent. A lot of domestic whores rant about how expensive and hard imports are to work on and atleast for hondas and toyotas, I don't believe that's true at all particularly if you match up for same car size and type. For people that say that, I wonder how many imports they've personally owned for any extended period of time.

I was driving and poking at a focus the other day and I don't see at all how that car is cheaper to own and fix than my corolla. If anything, the focus had no empty room underneath the hood whereas my car has so much empty space, it's real easy to work on (see sig).

European cars though, are another deal imo. VW is pretty much the least expensive of the german cars, so it all goes up from there. BMW and MBs just aren't cheap to own. I know for my dad's 88 volvo, new parts are still expensive and often hard to find.

 

[Eli]

Some are, certainly.

IMO, the majority aren't.

 

[Jamestl]

As someone who lives in NYC, i meet plenty of cabbies and talk to them about their cars. It seems like the crown vics hold up pretty well through the miles mechanically. I can't comment on the interior/build quality as the cars are not under "normal" use. However, I've personally owned a Taurus and it was the biggest POS i've ever owned.

For those who are looking for quantitative proof, just look at resale values and market share. Supply and demand inevitably works out...

 

[wyvrn]

Um I don't know about that. Reliability studies show that Japanese cars beat just about everything on the road. Honda and Toyota in particular are excellent in reliability. American cars seem like they are getting better, but every American car/truck I have had or my friends have had ended up being a pos in comparison to my Honda's and Toyotas. Usually American cars get about 100K miles or so and then start having problems / looking butt ugly. OTOH, I have run several Honda's and Toyotas into the 150k + range and they looked and ran almost new. I wouldn't consider buying American right now unless it was a truck. In actuality, if I wanted cheaper than Honda or Toyota I might go with a Hyundai, which I think has just as good quality as most American cars and a better warranty.

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Although the fanboys here won't admit it, domestics are just as good as imports. Much cheaper to fix too when something does break.

 

[freebee]

And considering most accords and camrys have more american parts in them than some GM vehicles, you're right....domestics are pretty reliable..

 

[geckojohn]

domestics suxors. imports rule j00

 

[Ryan]

Have you guys ever worked in a Gov't agancy and taken care of these vehicles? Hell, my mother's a MP out at her base, and they have a fleet of impala's for police cars, and they're always in the shop

The only reason they even buy the pieces of crap is because GM and Ford offer HUGE discounts to the Government.

 

[Lifer]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
Have you guys ever worked in a Gov't agancy and taken care of these vehicles? Hell, my mother's a MP out at her base, and they have a fleet of impala's for police cars, and they're always in the shop

The only reason they even buy the pieces of crap is because GM and Ford offer HUGE discounts to the Government.

and your basis for comparison?
have you ever worked for a gov't agency that had majority import vehicles?

if you have, i'm pretty sure you'll see a bunch of them at the shop too.
you don't see any imports in there because there are NO imports