Are domestic cars really different/ better then imports?

[dodad]

I have a question for ya:

Are domestic cars really different then import?

reliability/ crash results/ maintance

Like come on we have all seen cavaliers hit 300k and still runnning strong i have one

I also have a honda civic with 280k still running strong.

What makes it better? Are we just to think imports are better?

Real engine parts like the material of which pistons are made and what not are different between a civic and cobalt...

Just was wondering that ...cause everyone is always like ...imports are so much better down the road at 300k....

tell me what you guys think...

[GTS Jeff]

Just go pick up a Consumer Reports or JD Power or Lemon-aid...whatever guide.

[Phy]

It's not just the material used, but the tolerances (differences between specified dimensions and actual dimensions) that makes a difference. Personally, I believe the Japanese are better at hitting the optimum tolerances more often than the Americans. As for Europeans, I believe that when they do good, they do really good, but they don't do good all the time.

[Mangina]

The new ones are very close in quality. The 80's and early 90's destroyed the domestics reputation with crappy, inefficient vehicles. They won't get it back until their new models are holding up well 10 years from now. Imports have been pretty consistantly reliable since about 85.

[Zephyr]

Reliability depends on how you take care of the car and drive it.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Zephyr
Reliability depends on how you take care of the car and drive it.

Exactly. Personally I believe that most Honda & Toyota made vehicles are a small notch above all others but after that there's really not a big difference from manufacturer to manufacturer unless the car was made in Mexico, then all bets are off.

[teggypimp95]

I a huge import fan, i dont think u could pay me to drive a domestic car.

[TNSU/300ZX]

just dont mod you car too crazy and make it a speed machine, then it will last alot longer

[HyperZell]

It has to do with both real-life manufacturing prcedures and customer perception. A lot of people have blind brand preferences, but it is very true that domestics now have a reputation for not being as reliable as imports. This is a skin-deep sort of factor to base a buy on - what I look at is the manufacturing.

For example, there has been a rich history of Japanese manufacturing and the leaps and bounds it has made in the auto industry. Anyone who has taken an Operations Management class, specifically OPMA 317, will know what I'm talking about. Things like kanban and preventative quality control have had domestic manufacturers scrambling to keep up and even outright copy. As far as I'm concerned, imports do it faster, better and more efficiently.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by HyperZell
For example, there has been a rich history of Japanese manufacturing and the leaps and bounds it has made in the auto industry. Anyone who has taken an Operations Management class, specifically OPMA 317, will know what I'm talking about. Things like kanban and preventative quality control have had domestic manufacturers scrambling to keep up and even outright copy. As far as I'm concerned, imports do it faster, better and more efficiently.

Everyone uses those manufacturing techniques as that is nothing new. Our company is based in Europe, US, & Canada and we've done Kaizen training & Lean, etc. Import cars aren't built any faster or efficiently than domestics. The differences are in the quality of materials used.

[Rockski]

gm hasnt done me wrong, at 428 XXX with no rebuild, just general mantinence, and still going strong. while girlfriends 81 accord with not even half that is going down the tubes even though its been babied

[HyperZell]

Originally posted by heavyD


Everyone uses those manufacturing techniques as that is nothing new. Our company is based in Europe, US, & Canada and we've done Kaizen training & Lean, etc. Import cars aren't built any faster or efficiently than domestics. The differences are in the quality of materials used.

Uhh...right. Everyone does use those techniques now, which I addressed when I said "has domestic manufacturers scrambling to keep up and even outright copy." But foreign manufacturers are leaders in the production field because of this and I don't think that domestics have fully caught up yet. But you are right, materials do play a big part - that's why I wouldn't drive a Saturn on a hot day :D

[alloroc]

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/earliermodels.aspx?class=30

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=30

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=40

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/earliermodels.aspx?class=40

There is enough of a trend here to say that overall the Japanese cars tend to be safer.


As for relibility, again the japanese have it.

http://www.consumerreports.org/content/Categories/CarsTrucks/Reports/Images/0510blu501.gif

[Clanche]

Originally posted by alloroc

http://www.consumerreports.org/content/Categories/CarsTrucks/Reports/Images/0510blu501.gif

someone ban this post!!! makes my car look bad ;) :banghead:

although that thing might be a little biased since it says it bases on only one vehicle... for all you know its comparing a super basic echo (which has nothing to break).. with a super high-tech M5 (which has SO much stuff that can go wrong)

[alloroc]

Originally posted by Clanche


someone ban this post!!! makes my car look bad ;) :banghead:

although that thing might be a little biased since it says it bases on only one vehicle... for all you know its comparing a super basic echo (which has nothing to break).. with a super high-tech M5 (which has SO much stuff that can go wrong)

Only the brand names with a *beside them are based on one model only if you break out the lexus and infinity luxury lines they do even better.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-1205.htm

"The response to our 2005 Annual Subscriber Survey was overwhelming. We received responses on more than 1 million vehicles. Because of that, our data paints a more expansive reliability picture than ever before. "

[Slashin_]

imports hold there value better
i h8 domestic STUPID engine designs took me an hr to do an oilk change on a taurus.....10 mins on my camry

[finboy]

Originally posted by Slashin_
imports hold there value better
i h8 domestic STUPID engine designs took me an hr to do an oilk change on a taurus.....10 mins on my camry

i wouldn't go that far, the domestice have some AWSOME motors.

i've owned both, as far as overall fit and finish, depending on the manufacturer but domestics are just catching up to imports. as far as performance, both can make good platforms.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Slashin_
imports hold there value better
i h8 domestic STUPID engine designs took me an hr to do an oilk change on a taurus.....10 mins on my camry

really? an hour?

ouch.... sucks to be you ;) lol took me and my buddy like 20-30 minutes total in the afternoon to change the oil in my car, his taurus, and his bro's jeep.

id say any car is reliable as long as its taken care of.

shit ive seen cavaliers last longer without problems than my friends civic.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by Slashin_
imports hold there value better
i h8 domestic STUPID engine designs took me an hr to do an oilk change on a taurus.....10 mins on my camry

I refuse to take advice on engine design from someone who won't even take the half second to type out "hate" or "hour" and can't figure out how to do an oil change in under an hour. Yeesh.

[dreamchaser]

Originally posted by alloroc
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/earliermodels.aspx?class=30

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=30

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=40

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/earliermodels.aspx?class=40

There is enough of a trend here to say that overall the Japanese cars tend to be safer.


As for relibility, again the japanese have it.

http://www.consumerreports.org/content/Categories/CarsTrucks/Reports/Images/0510blu501.gif

i cant agree with that...
my mercedes got 400,000 kms ,, still all original.
i have not seen many 89 toyotas or hondas of this year with similar mileage that did not need anything.

i think japnese cars are over priced and they are not much different from domestic. i am speaking from my experience with honda civic, honda accord, nissan pulsar, chev cavalier, pontiac sunfire, toyota camry, pontiac grand prix gtp, jeep grand cherokee, toyota 4 runner and pathfinder etc.

[Sharpie]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat


I refuse to take advice on engine design from someone who won't even take the half second to type out "hate" or "hour" and can't figure out how to do an oil change in under an hour. Yeesh.
:werd:
Probally couldn't find the oil drain plug or the oil filter.

[dreamchaser]

Originally posted by Slashin_
imports hold there value better
i h8 domestic STUPID engine designs took me an hr to do an oilk change on a taurus.....10 mins on my camry
you would not like germans either because wal-mart guys did not do an oil change because they could not find an oil filter on my mercedes.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by dreamchaser
i cant agree with that...
my mercedes got 400,000 kms ,, still all original.
i have not seen many 89 toyotas or hondas of this year with similar mileage that did not need anything.

Old MB are solid, just the ones made the last 10 years are statically bad.

I think reliability is pretty even these days. The only factor that matters are style and brand name.

Kia and Hyundai may have excellent prducts, you still won't catch me dead in one.

[dodad]

I started this thread not on if they hold there value. Thats has nothing to do with it. Just if east and west cars are better then each other.

[frostyda9]

I agree with Phy's post completely. While the domestic makers are catching up, the imports - Honda and Toyota in particular - have built such a following that it's making things really tough for the other guys to regain market share.

Off track a little bit, but for me the real cincher of the whole situation is the interiors of the cars. In most instances, comparitively priced imports seem to have a much better "feel" to them than the equivalent domestic car.

[barbarian]

Front end crash tests are biased towards lighter cars and really don't say what happens when a drunk in an F-350 runs you down.

[alloroc]

All of the IIHS tests on done on comparatively weighted models.

Thus the different classes of cars.

The relative safety for each class still suggests that the Japanese makes to be, on average, safer.

[Pee_Sack]

This is an import driven forum, go on a chevy forum or some other domestic forum and they would give you the exact opposite response. Personally I think it all depends on what you prefer to drive, I purchased import becuase I like the looks of it. I could have bought an SRT-4 which stock vs stock they will be around the same. I just didn't like the idea of driving a fast neon, just for the sole purpose of looks. Also I like the AWD.

[85regal]

what u have to remember are these surveys are usually sent out, and for the most part, only people with complaints respond. There are lots of domestic cars i would drive over an import. And for someone to say all imports are good, and all domestics are crap, and that you would never drive a domestic, is a pretty ignorant and uneducated statement.