Tired of hearing of how the U.S. makes only garbage cars!

[ToyotaNSaturn]

From the Forbes article: "The Worst Cars of 2005" The Infinity QX is the worst car for 2005 according to Forbes. This paragraph jumped off the page:
"We really enjoy the $50,000 QX. It is extremely opulent and sophisticated, but remember a basic rule: The more complicated something is, the greater the number of things is that can go wrong. This is especially true for such an expensive guinea pig as the QX: It was not only an entirely new car when it went on sale in early 2004, but it was also the first Infiniti built in North America. "

The subtext is obvious: "hey, you built this thing in North America, it HAS to be a piece of garbage!" That mentality is dangerous, sick and wrong.

I get so sick of hearing how bad America is in regards to cars, especially in the context this article portrays us in. No doubt we've got a long way to go, but we've also come quite far.

What the writer of the article convieniently forgot to mention is the design of the vehicle has so much more to do with the "300% less reliable" rating than any other factor. While where it's built may have an impact on quality, how it's designed will have far more impact on the final product.

Are there any automotive journals that lay all the facts on the table before giving the U.S.-manufactured models a scorched-earth journalistic policy? If so, please let me know and I'll gladly read what those publications have to offer.

 

[Pablo]

The article is pretty bad. The "list" is stupidly put together with two pics of each vehicle (duh), I guess I can't argue with the least residual value #'s but did they get them right? (I don't trust silly writers)

 

[BlueWorld]

I think you're being a little sensitive. The mention of NA is almost an afterthought and the article has little to no opinion based content. There are as many non NA makes on the list as NA makes.

 

[merlin64]

First, what makes a car "worst"? Is it body assembly tolerances, mechanical reliability, electrial system materials and design, fuel milage as compared to other in the vehicle's class, etc.

I don't find American cars inferior, I find them boring, as in undesireable in the sense of style, performance, interior ergonomics, etc. Evidentially, the marketplace agrees as American brands have consistently lost share over the last several years.

 

[Quattro Pete]

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The record of Honda and Toyota says that the American workforce can build wonderfully reliable cars with great workmanship.

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Maybe they can, but they don't always do. The fit and finish on that US-made Accord I once purchased was just awful. Add to that, the ignorant dealer service trying to explain to me that it's not a problem, it's a "feature", and I'm not buying anything US-made anytime soon. Maybe others aren't as picky as I am...

 

[brianl703]

What does the dealer service have to do with it (where the vehicle was built)?

Has Honda issued a memo to their dealer service departments to only act ignorant when the customer has a US-built Honda vehicle?

 

[Quattro Pete]

It doesn't, but it just adds to the bad experience. If the quality was good to begin with, I wouldn't have had to deal with the dealer service at all.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

I kind of like the American cars having little residual Value. Instead of another pickup truck I am thinking of getting a ford taurus/mercury sable station wagon for utility and kayak cartopping duties. Lots of features and they look easy enough to maintain. Unlike comparable Subaru legacies and outback that I was eyeing but they scare me parts cost wise for a high mileage vehicle. I would even consider a Ford Escort Wagon I just want a cheap easy to take care of runabout once I get rid of the Bimmer. I am going on the cheap to afford a decent house on the east coast and don't commute. My wife can have the newer cars.

American cars have an image problem but it sure makes it nice fiinding a used vehicle cheap. I wouldn't buy a non-classic used Toyota because it's not a deal.. might as well buy new for those prices!

 

[Timothy Ferguson]

You use garbage parts you get a garbage car. Its not who is making it. Humans don't make the car its all machines. People forget about that. Like the saying goes "GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT."

 

[robbobster]

You can also use good parts and end-up with garbage.

Anyone remember Sterling? British-built Hondas, infused with stereotypical British reliability...

 

[brianl703]

These days many automotive problems are "pattern failures" which usually indicate a problem with the engineering process, not the assembly process. If they are due to a problem with the assembly process, then chances are that incorrect tooling and/or instructions were supplied to the assembly workers.

Assembly errors caused by failure to follow instructions and to perform one's assigned task correctly result in random errors/failures.

In other words, if I tell 20 workers to do something and provide them with parts, tools and instructions on how to do it, and all 20 do it wrong, it's a problem with my instructions, or the tools I supplied, or the parts I supplied. If 19 do it right and 1 does it wrong, then it's a problem with that worker.

 

[Timothy Ferguson]

I would trust a British car just as much a car made in China. Oh yeah they can't make motorcycles either. If you think British makes a good car. But I do have to agree with they are better than the Italians.

 

[sprintman]

Can't make Motorcycles, you gotte be kidding. Take a look at any Triumph these days and you'll see what I mean. And I'd rather have one of the new Aston Martins than anything else. Your way out of touch.

 

[bkrell]

Hmm, wanna through in real questions? Many Honda CR-V's are made in the UK! First thing I did when I got mine was check the VIN to ensure it was actually Japanese! LOL. Seriously, I think it was hit on the head earlier w/ the design and engineering. I got a Taurus for a rental about a year ago and was plesantly surprised at how nice a driving car it was, even w/ that buzzy V-6. But little niggles like the fact that the seatbelt warning alarm would randomly go off, scaring the bejezus out of me turn me off. Still depreciation IS a wonderful thing. That's one reason I love my saabs. My 01 Saab 9-5 w/ less than 60k miles retailed new for about $35k and only set me back $10k a few years later. I bet in a few years, a Ford 500 used will be a great deal.

I think the thing that just keeps me from seriously considering American is just all the bad memories (even if the record has improved recently). My mom's 83 Buick was a joke and her 88 Bonneville singlehandly kept AC Delco's alternator business profitable. Don't get me started on my grandmother's 72 Plymouth Fury!!!

 

[JohnBrowning]

Design,material selection and exacution are the key to durability,reliability and the subjective feeling of quality.

GM and Ford do not listen to their engineers and do not pay enough attention to what direction the market is going globaly. Then they let their bean counters run wild costing them money in warranty repairs and poor rateing in most periodicals. Then they try to use marketing to drive up sales when all they need to do is design and build the car the people want!

It is all about money and share holders v.s longterm investment. If a company is not willing or able to invest in itself and it's customer base then it is basicly a dieing company. Their is no way around building durable,reliable vechiles that do not have NVH issues. If a company does not do it their competition will and that is what has been happening to the domestic name brands. It does not matter where itis assembled or designed it all comes down to did they do it right??

 

[Gary Allan]

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I don't find American cars inferior, I find them boring, as in undesireable in the sense of style, performance, interior ergonomics, etc.

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This is my opinion, as well. I don't think I'll be in the market for any car in the near future ..but I see no reason to buy any American designed car for much beyond throw away utility. The styling is passe~ ..the mechanicals/systems are antiquated in a very short time.

OTOH, I don't find Asian offerings all that compelling either. It would merely be for alleged reliability. They do tend to give their offerings more sensible versions of "bells and whistles".

I wouldn't touch Euro trash under any circumstances. Way too sophisticated ..and obsolete before you pay for them. You have to do the Euro-dance with them (overly complicated service procedures and fluids spec'd for the space shuttle). The hand me down generational Euro has been a myth since the late 70's ...unless you want to pay for it twice ..maybe more.

I think that the traditional US automaker has just been rewarded too much in their administration of a jobs program (highly integrated part of the general economy). Perpetual high volume recurring sales ...they just don't put a whole lot into something that they want to be "yesterday's news" in a short span of time. They want you to be bored with it in a very few years.

 

[brianl703]

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But little niggles like the fact that the seatbelt warning alarm would randomly go off, scaring the bejezus out of me turn me off.

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If you weren't wearing the seatbelt, that's a "feature" designed to get you to wear it. The instructions on how to disable it are in the owner's manual.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Just to point out, it's not just Americans that the Japanese can't teach how to build their cars. Honda shut down Accord's production in the UK due to quality issues. Now, the euro Accord comes from Japan only. And Toyota builds the Corollas for the european market in Japan, UK, and Turkey. There have been several recalls on the Turkey- and UK-built Corollas. None on the Japan-built ones, AFAIK.

 

[wavinwayne]

At least the Euro vehicles come with a very good integrated anti-theft system. If anyone steals your Euro-made vehicle, they will simply return it within a week with a list of things in need of repair.

 

[PandaBear]

IMO, you get more than what you pay for in a used American car (after doing research to see which one is reliable first). Newer cars like Focus, Mustang, and Fusion are good examples that American company can build great cars, it is a matter of whether they want to do hit and run with the bean counters, or keep their brand's value and actually build/sell cars.

We have good engineers, Acura TL is designed here and it is a good car for the money (after they fix the tranny issue).

I think the biggest problem of Detroit is that their R&D is in Detroit (the salt belt). People there always buy American cars no matter how unreliable it is (if it rust out in 6 years, why build it to last 15 years), or how outdated it is (the retro charger/mustang and the monte carlos looks "beautiful" to the 55 years old design engineers). They need to move the design studio to New York or California (or Europe) to get the style design right.

Recently the Japanese like Toyota and Honda have been very overpriced IMO, and since the Korean are climbing up the quality ladder, I think they deserve a chance.