I have owned cars from all the major manufacturers, US, Japan, Korea, Germany, and UK.
They all have one thing in common:
They ALL break down eventually...................
Some break down sooner than others. My Ford 1999 F250 with 220k miles is running strong with few problems, my mother’s 2015 Focus with less than 40k has been in the dealer multiple times for transmission and steering issues, problems that have recalls associated with them or frequent owner complaints. I have 3 Japanese branded cars (Toyota, Subaru, Mazda) all much higher mileage than my mother’s and with fewer problems between all of them than she has had on the one car.
And I like Ford best of the US makers. My first Ford was a ZX2 I bought in grad school that I had around 12 years, though it was not as bulletproof as the vehicles I drive currently. Don’t get me started on my GM ownership experience, I am liable to start cussing. Won’t touch a Chrysler/Dodge after watching family members’ experiences, and most of those were built before they hooked up with Fiat.
High end German brands used to be good 30+ years ago, but haven’t adapted well to the march of technology. I have heard nightmares with VWs, Audis, and BMWs-overly complicated, difficult to get parts, crazy expensive repairs.
British motors... what do you expect? Darkness by Lucas and vehicles that mark their territory.
Can’t say much for the Koreans. No personal experience there and not many acquaintances with one.
But the Japanese, excepting Nissan since they merged with Renault, make exceptionally reliable cars. I never met anyone who has complained about a Toyota or Honda lemon, but I’ve known plenty who have gotten over 250K with minimal problems.