4th Jan 2009, 05:16
"No 20-year-old vehicle can be realistically compared to a new one."
A car that is running after 20 years old can easily be compared to cars today, especially when the 20 year old is of better quality and more dependable.
"Japanese vehicles have plummeted like a rock in quality in the past decade (though my 80's imports were far from reliable)."
Not true once again. The only so-called Japanese vehicles that have plummeted like a rock as far as reliability is concerned are certain American manufactured "imports." Otherwise, quality is as strong as ever - constantly improving.
"Newer domestics long ago surpassed the overall reliability and value per dollar of imports."
Domestics still lag as far as dependability, quality and longevity are concerned. They are cheaper and it shows during the term of ownership. You get what you pay for. Our imports have lasted far longer periods without repairs that our domestics ever have.
Ex. 1987 Nissan Maxima SE (retired with 363K miles), NO major repairs other than timing belt, alignment, brakes. This was in 20 years of ownership as a daily driver.
2004 Honda Accord LX (59K miles), absolutely NO problems (American built with a #1 in VIN). Japanese-made models are said to be even more dependable.
2004 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S (115K miles), NO problems other than tune-up recently, and new tires.
Domestics: rented 2008 Chevy Cobalt when '87 Maxima totalled. The Cobalt was cheaply made, too much plastic in interior, not so great gas mileage.
2001 GMC Sierra pickup (84K miles), constant computer problems, fuel gauge defective, mud sling in engine.
GMC Sonoma p/u (225K miles), too many problems to list, an entire inventory of problems. Would not drive a domestic if my life depended on it.
"While driving home from a restaurant today (in our domestic car) we actually saw a mid 80's Toyota. My wife, who is also very much a car enthusiast, commented on how odd it was to see a 25+ year old Japanese car. That is really pretty rare here, while 30-year-old domestics (especially Ford and GM trucks) are present in huge numbers. My wife said "Well, I guess that says something about Japanese cars". I agree."
25 years ago imported vehicles were fairly new on these shores. Toyota today manufactures as many Camries altogether in a year as the same number of Japanese imports that were actually on the roads then. Besides, you contradict yourself. You say that cars 20 years ago can't be compared to those of today, but in the same breath say that cars 25 years old says something about Japanese makes because many are retired. Make up your mind.
"Our 1984 and 1990 Japanese imports have been rusting in a junkyard for well over a decade now."
I can imagine why. You're probably one of those who believe the myth that, "once you buy an import, you'll never have problems out of a car again. Honda, Toyota and Nissan vehicles are maintenance/problem free." That statement is just what it is, a myth. These cars can be the most trouble-free on the road and will take care of you if you take care of them. On the other hand, if you buy into the myths then you will have a pile of problems on your hands. These vehicles come with a service manual that is to be followed. If scheduled maintenance is performed, the car will last many years with little to no problems at all. It's no wonder why your imports have now been in the junkyard for more than a decade. Some drivers shouldn't buy imports and apparently, you're one of them.
4th Jan 2009, 10:05
I think somebody missed the point here. In the mid-west, the reason you don’t see many older Japanese models is that they were terribly rust prone. This has nothing to do with scheduled maintenance and everything to do with road salting. I suspect that since then, the Japanese have improved their cars to meet our road conditions.
4th Jan 2009, 10:31
Are imports more fragile then? I cannot see any difference if it's an import or domestic buyer. I agree with high mileage imports not worth fixing at the first large mechanical repair.
I sold my Nissan due to rust and then A/C failure, trans slippage, and electrical issues.
5th Jan 2009, 12:57
"I can imagine why. You're probably one of those who believe the myth that, "once you buy an import, you'll never have problems out of a car again. Honda, Toyota and Nissan vehicles are maintenance/problem free."
Hardly. I'm a MECHANIC. ALL my cars receive IMMACULATE attention to servicing and problem prevention. My imports received the EXACT SAME meticulous care that my domestics always have... and STILL fell apart in 100,000 miles.
6th Jan 2009, 00:32
My Nissan (1987) had not a speck of rust on it, even in 2008. A/C did go out, needed a new compressor. Repairs were cheap to do. The only reason I don't still have it is because damages in the wreck exceeded the value of the car by $5K. Whatever the case, she gave over 20 years of reliable service and that's all that matters to me. I will replace her next year.
7th Jan 2009, 10:36
No, I wasn't making a domestic vs. import argument -- it applies to both. My point was that domestic parts are often cheaper and more available at "recycling yards" -- especially domestic truck parts. So ANY vehicle, foreign or domestic, that has depreciated to a suitably low value but has high priced parts is a more likely to be retired upon any even moderate failure. I suspect that this scenario is a more likely one for an import than a domestic vehicle. That's why I brought it up. I'm not sure that imports are more fragile -- just more likely to be "not worth fixin'". Hope that clears it up. A high mileage vehicle buyer should probably consider relative parts cost before they purchase an import.
7th Jan 2009, 14:14
Your being a mechanic means nothing. I am NOT a mechanic, my cars receive IMMACULATE servicing attention when needed. In fact, I've worried more about putting high-mileage domestics that are much newer than putting an older import on the road. My imports ran so well I almost forgot they needed servicing and had to do only minor work. Domestics need too much unnecessary patch work that my imports NEVER needed. I'd have to be hard-pressed to ever own another domestic vehicle. My sister's 1995 Pontiac Bonneville simply decided to quit working on her one day 4 months ago. My brother had to do a complete overhaul on his 1995 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. They both took good care of their cars, told them both they should get a Nissan. My uncle had a wreck the last of November in his 1987 Nissan Sentra (284,400 Miles). The car was still used as a daily driver with absolutely NO RUST and NOT A SINGLE mechanical issue. No one can tell me that an import is not good as a domestic and expect me to believe it.
3rd Jan 2009, 13:10
That's true about the rarity of 25 year old imports. Rust was a major problem back then but, perhaps more importantly, the parts cost on vehicles that often ended up scrapped are what drove their owners to take that route. Vehicles that have an abundance of inexpensive parts available are more likely to stay on the road longer. So it's not only about reliability; rather economics plays a role too. Who wants to put a $500.00 part on a car that's worth $400.00??