Fact check: Are American cars really that bad?

CNNMoney ^ | January 26, 2006 | Peter Valdes-Dapena

[eraser2005]

Oh, but its much more fun to have something else to blame Carter for... :)

[finnigan2]

" I was happy to keep my Lexus. "

- Next time you're in the market for a new car, test drive the Acura TL. Everything except GPS is standard, rated the best car in it's category by every auto magazine and consumer report (even rated higher that the BMW 3 series) and at a price thousands of dollars lower that the Lexus. I've owned three over the past six years and the latest model is an amazing performing, eye appealing and fit and finish knockout.

[sawmill trash]

I just traded in a 2001 Dodge 1500 4 -door pick-up

It had over 230,000 miles on it...never gave me any problems

Bought an 05 Dodge 4-door 1500 pick-up ...love ie (so far)

[-YYZ-]

I currently drive an '04 Accord I bought new and in a year or two I think I may go looking for a low-mileage 2 or 3 year old TL to upgrade to. I've heard only good things about it.

[TheOracleAtLilac]

remind me: when did we run outta things to pin on that angry old (treasonous) fool ?

[WV Mountain Mama]

I had a ford expedition, eddie bauer I bought in 2000 (against my hubby's better judgment as he had already put an end to my mercedes 320ML I wanted) and we had to get rid of the expedition before the warranty expired. I had lots of problems, the first one was that it would accelerate to about 38 mph without me toughing the gas. Of course the dealer thought I was on something when I told them that, but said to go ahead and bring it in. They wouldn't release it to me until they replaced what was wrong. Of course, it is always nice to make a woman feel stupid when she tells them she has a problem with a car, and they play it off like I am not capable of driving properly. The worst problem was with the sunroof that after twice monthly trips to the dealer for 5 months couldn't fix. They finally said that it was a design flaw and I would have to keep bringing it in at $300 a visit to get it fixed. Not to mention that it was so bouncy to ride in!!

I got a z71 Tahoe in 2002 that I love and my hubby has and loves a 2500 diesel Silverado he got this summer, although I do have a problem with the crappy warranty. I will never buy a Ford, and thankfully I didn't get the mercedes.

My folks always had them when I grew up. It was a car my mom would drive for 10 years then get a new one. They got the V8 ML and got rid of it after 2 1/2 years. It had so many problems (expensive ones, transmission, fuel pump) and rattled like crazy. They now have a landcruiser, and gee what a shock, no problems...

[Yardstick]

Good comments.

GM had the same left-side turn signal/wiper control/cruise control/headlight stalk for years and year. It was huge and ugly, difficult to use since too many controls were on one stalk, and it felt like you were breaking chicken bones every time you used it.

That clumsy wiper stalk captures the nut of the problem for the American makers. The issue isn't quality but refinement.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Mercedes turned to crap when they became Daimler Chrysler. No comparison...

[-YYZ-]

I think that particular piece is long gone now, thank god. But the Japanese have set the standard for that, to the point that I find anything else weird. Left side: Parking/headlight on/off, high beam switch and flasher, and turn signal. Right side: Wiper/washer controls, with room for something else, like a rear wiper control, or cruise control. When I hop into any Japanese car, whether Honda, Toyota, Nissan or Mazda, I can expect to find these controls in those places. And there's a reason for that: it's logical and easy to use.

[bk1000]

"Japanese imports were well on their way in the early 70's & didn't wait for Carter's arrival.."

I guess whenever I remember the seventies (what I CAN remember of them, that is) Carter just seems to be there...My bad!

[finnigan2]

" I think I may go looking for a low-mileage 2 or 3 year old TL to upgrade to. I've heard only good things about it."

- I recently traded my 2004 TL (with GPS) in at my dealership on a newer Acura. My old car had 27,000 miles on it with a full year left on the warranty and they gave me $26,000. on the trade in, therefore I think you can expect to pay about $27- $28 thousand for a two year old - if you can find one. They don't depreciate very quickly so if you can afford it, I suggest you go for a 2006 and you won't regret it.
In the two years that I owned the car all it needed were two oil changes and the dealer paid for them under an incentive plan. The only downside was the mpg. The car has a 270 HP engine that really performs but it does require premium gas (I cheated and often used 89 octane) and in mixed city/highway driving I averaged 25 mpg. That's not bad compared to an SUV but if you're used to 40 mpg it can be a bit of a strain on the old wallet.

[TheOracleAtLilac]

IIRC, Toyota was 1st of the Japanese in the U.S. w/ the FJ (Landcruiser) in '58.

Also, I can remember a used car dealer (Pasadena, Calif) who was trying to unload some NEW Subaru 360's in the mid-60's.
Pathetic little things wound up at a go-kart track in Duarte (w/window glass removed for safety)
An embarrassing launch to say the least.

[esoxmagnum]

We have had no problems with our Tahoe either. Don't get me wrong, I think Chevy and Chrysler have come a long way since the bad days, but Ford, man, their dealers and service people are the most corrupt in the industry, at least from my own personal experience.

Some people like my folks bought Fords till they died, and I think Ford banked on that loyalty all the time bleeding their customers, and now they have to reap what they sow.

Ford could come out with a great car at a great price, but I am so vindictive of them, I would never buy from them again. I would rather cut off my nose to spite my face. I'd pay twice what I should just to avoid their products.

They got me good twice, and I'll never give them another chance.

[Dallas59]

Maybe the engine and a quarter panel.

[Lx]

Funny thing is, Hyundai had a terrible reputation with their first cars in the early '90s. Now that they're building some nice cars with an incredible warranty, their reputation has gone up and up.

No matter how you slice it, a 10 year warranty is a great thing. I don't know how restrictive it is but who else stands behind their vehicles like that?

I bought a used Mercedes and I would be near penniless if I didn't spring for the warranty. I've already used up more than twice what I paid for the warranty. When the warranty expires, I'm seriously considering selling the vehicle. Keep in mind that I did go down the list of items covered and made sure the dealer checked every known issue with my model. The warranty people always came on site to check the vehicle but have never denied coverage. As long as I had a loaner, the wait for them to double check the car was no big deal.

[eraser2005]

Ford's dealers end up about average in most nationwide surveys... Saturn's usually end up at the top. Toyota, interestingly enough, is normally near the bottom.

[eraser2005]

10 year warranties are great in inspiring confidence. Every time the big 3 have tried long warranties, though, they have found that they either don't get enough increased business or they don't get enough premiums in pricing to make up for it. A longer warranty will cost them more, but they're already operating on razor thin margins or losing money on vehicles, and they can't afford it if it doesn't provide some immediate return...

[VOA]

The problem is that "pretty good" has become "not quite good enough" in
a world where quality standards have been raised so high and which
many consumers still have bad memories of General Motors and Ford
cars that have failed them in the past.

GM and Ford had plenty of warning.
This started in the 1970s, when it became clear that Detroit was
shipping junk.
GM and Ford occassionally cleaned up, but never seemed to get
obssessed enough to close the gap with the competition.

Now, it probably wouldn't matter if they turned out identical
copies of high-end Lexus(es) and priced it at $10,000.
Buyers would say "well, I remember the Detroit cars I bought over
the years and my hellish experience with the dealers."

GM and Ford just never seemed to grasp that when buyers said "never again"
that there were enough competitors offering cars that were nicer,
cheaper and more durable. And those folks will never be back.

[TheOracleAtLilac]

Very few know/remember the facts behind Toyota's &/or Honda's early days>

Toyota's 18R engine (early 70's Hi-Lux, Corona & Celica ((maybe Carina)) had a 50%+ failure rate due to inferior metalurgy.

The first CVCC Civics had about 100% cyl. head failure - but the customer wasn't informed (or knew) of the severity of the "warranty repair".

[eraser2005]

ahh, yes - I remember a friends' 3 year old CVCC that the mechanics refused to put on a lift because it had rusted so badly that they were afraid the lift would actually tear through the car's body...

THANKFULLY Honda and Toyota learned how to build a car that didn't rust that fast...