25th Oct 2010, 13:46

Different strokes for different folks. I'm in my early 30's and could buy a house with cash and have plenty leftover, as well as a pretty decent retirement savings. If I had gone out and bought expensive cars every 5 years or so, that would not be the case. I don't plan on working until I'm 70, so I'd much rather have the cash than a car. Besides, my Tacoma is better quality than anything GM, Ford, or BMW or Mercedes for that matter builds. The fact that it still drives and runs like new is proof of this.

This "Import" versus "Domestic" argument is old and tiresome. The truth is that pretty much all cars are the equivalent of buying a laptop or cellphone: The brand might be Japanese, American, or maybe German, but they're all made in China or assembled somewhere using cheaply manufactured components made in 3rd world countries. The same is true with GM and Ford, who these days don't typically even bother to engineer or design cars in the US anymore anyway. The Ford Fiesta and Chevy Cruze - perhaps two of the best small cars from a domestic automaker - were designed and engineered somewhere else. The Fiesta is a euro-based Ford. The Fiesta is built in Mexico, while their Fusion is also built in Mexico. At least the Cruze is assembled in Ohio, but most of the development and engineering was done by Daewoo and Opel - 2 GM brands located respectfully in South Korea and Germany.

Now... do I think GM and Ford are doing better? Certainly. In fact, if I had money to burn in my pocket and I was to venture out and buy an "American" car, I'd probably consider either the Cruze of Fiesta. But then again, it seems like GM and Ford have promised us that they've turned a corner and are now making good cars. But then 3-4 years later, these "new" cars - like the Cobalt, Taurus, Chrysler 300m, and so on fall apart prematurely. Almost Ford and GM's entire lineup are brand-new cars. Will they hold up? I'm tempted to let others be the guinea pigs.

On the other hand, others who obviously have an agenda to make people somehow believe that suddenly Toyota builds junk, and that all those people who drive 200,000-300,000 miles without a hitch on their Camrys and Corollas are simply fooling themselves, will probably keep putting out random stories about Uncles, Cousins, or maybe they themselves and how they owned 50 domestics that NEVER had a single problem and how they put 400,000 on their Chevy Citation, while ALL 10 "Imports" could be Yugos for all we know, broke down driving off the dealer lot.

I gather I'm like most people that have owned Toyotas: Yeah, they're boring, but guess what? They run forever and seldom if ever break down. Sure - SOME Toyotas DO break down... but I think it's safe to say LESS do so than anything the former Big 3 do.

25th Oct 2010, 16:09

Hey, I was just quoting the infamous J.D. Powers rankings on Acura, as they are #2 on their list behind Porsche.

Tire prices are the same on any model that uses the brand of tire you are running. You can opt for a lesser brand if you want to save money. Brakes are the same. If you put decent quality on, you'll get better wear. Since my Dad just replaced a single fog light on his Charger for $90, I won't even comment on expensive bulbs!

25th Oct 2010, 16:25

"They are V8s but get 30 MPG on the interstates."

No they don't. No V8 gets 30 mpg. Even the Dodge Hemi cars that are running on 4 cylinders when cruising the highway, only get around 24 mpg. At most you would probably get 25 mpg with a GM V8.

If V8's got 30 mpg, everyone would own one. The most I've ever gotten with a V8 is around 27 mpg with an old 5.0 Mustang that was a manual shift. That was for 100% highway cruising.

26th Oct 2010, 10:20

None at 30 MPG at cruise? Incorrect. Buy a new Corvette, put in 6th gear on the interstate, legal speed, barely idling, and get back to us. I have also done it in an automatic on the interstate as well. The digital readout is very accurate. Have standard and digital gauges heads up. Around town I drop to 17 MPG, but I do long drives and get great MPG. I have a better intake and Maganaflow exhaust, but even stock it was not a problem. New large cars with overdrive can achieve it. I did it in a new Crown Vic rental at 70 MPH, driving from Orlando to Jax Fla, with the digital readout on the dash. Easy.

26th Oct 2010, 17:23

And once more, what do Corvettes and Crown Vics have to do with Camrys? These are NOT at all related to a Camry, and thus not useful as comparisons.

26th Oct 2010, 20:39

Great story on Yahoo Autos tonight. Talks about reliability. Guess what? Asian brands still top the reliability ratings based on Consumer Reports latest findings. Domestic brands GM and Ford have made improvements overall, but most still score average. Chrysler is the worst brand they tested... no surprise there!

They even talked about Toyotas high reliability ratings despite the recalls. Yes, they are rated higher than any domestic still! Can't wait to hear what the domestic fans say about this one.

27th Oct 2010, 11:14

My parents owned a 1993 Cadillac STS sedan with the Northstar 32 valve V-8 that got 28 mpg on the interstate doing 65 mph. They now own a 2007 Cadillac DTS sedan with the V-8 that also gets 28 mpg doing 65 mph on the interstate. True, it is a bit shy of 30, but I bet if you cut speed to 55 mph, on a good run, you could get 30 mpg from it.

I was also amazed that a V-8 in a full size car could get that good of mileage, and wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it for myself.

And no, a Cadillac is not a Camry, but it is a full size V-8 sedan that gets almost 30 mpg.

27th Oct 2010, 12:08

For domestic fans, it was never about the reliability of the imports, it was and still is about laying blame on the imports for the state of the American economy. Have they seen the decay of numerous factories that the "Domestic" 3 have closed and the ruins it has caused by building cars in Canada and Mexico?

27th Oct 2010, 12:11

Okay, okay, I'll concede it is possible to get 30 mpg out of a V8 under the right circumstances. Guess I should buy another V8!

27th Oct 2010, 19:50

I agree with you, but domestic fans do go on about J.D. Powers and other sources for quality. Of course they were dead wrong about J.D. Powers, and now it looks like they can't quote Consumer Reports either (of course, they might find a snippet or two in that article too, that will give them an argument, like they did with the J.D. Powers information). Glad to see the actual facts coming to light about the superior imports.