24th Jun 2013, 20:38
All this mileage, your cars clearly have seen mostly highway driving. That's the easiest on a vehicle. It's better just not throwing numbers like that to make others feel they've found the perfect car. In normal usage, ANY car with 100,000 miles on the clock will start requiring more and more repairs. At 200,000 miles the engine might still be running, but the rest of the vehicle is already ready for the scrap yard.
26th Jun 2013, 05:41
I don't know where all your magic comes from. We have owned Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans purchased new. At 100000 miles we saw timing belts, water pumps, heater cores, front end work, power window and even sunroof motor failures. And the biggest was air conditioner failures. Maybe you buy stripper models with wind up windows and no air conditioners. Imports are supposedly cheap on gas, but repairs are where they catch up on you. It's high. I switched to Fords.
26th Jun 2013, 11:24
At least your problems didn't occur until 100,000. With my RAV-4 the fun started at around 40,000 miles. I traded it for a Nissan Murano and never looked back.
28th Jun 2013, 17:05
The problems he listed aren't wear and tear items that are based on mileage. I agree with him that it should have been reasonable to expect better quality. Plus, the mileage wasn't really that high on the car (remember, this is km not miles). Maybe some rust due to the age and a rattle here or there, but it should be solid otherwise if it were made well.
9th Nov 2013, 02:40
I wouldn't worry about the timing belt on the 3.0L until it snaps - it is a non-interference engine. I'm waiting for mine to snap, and then I'll have it towed to a repair shop.
21st May 2015, 00:48
People are just mad that Asian car makers continue to be the most reliable and highest selling cars in America. I've had Toyotas, Lexus, Nissans, and Infinitis. All of them ran over 200k with not a single problem. If you are good with oil changes, there's no reason anything should ever fail on you.
21st May 2015, 00:49
Funny, because Volvo is constantly rated the least reliable car in America. Below even German and domestics.
21st May 2015, 14:09
Funny, my expensive issues started at 100k and I have owned most of these. Nissan was the worst.
22nd May 2015, 03:23
Why would that make people mad?
I for one could really care less, seeing how my current Lincoln that I've owned the past 8 years is almost 20 years old with over 200,000 miles. Others can buy all the Asian cars they want. I have no reason.
22nd May 2015, 10:46
Just goes to show that most car surveys are flawed in many areas, including the facts. We had this in the UK. Nissan being rated among the most reliable - but they would be as most of them in the UK are driven by old people never going over 40 mph or doing more then 5000 miles a year. If that's the case, OF COURSE they are going to be reliable.
Now Nissan sell more cars and younger people are buying them, they are dropping in the score ratings. It's also 'expectations'. People aren't surprised when a Ford breaks, but are when a VW breaks - why? Therefore the VW is perceived as being less reliable when they aren't, it's just more people complain when they do, so their score drops. Less people complain about 'little things' on Ford as it's expected, so the score stays average. Volvo drivers often don't even do the surveys as they have more important things to be doing in their lives! Tongue in cheek comment because I'm a Volvo driver (we have 3 of them) and all mine have been totally reliable (as have the ones before them)!
22nd May 2015, 11:50
A few years ago it was pretty much a level playing field with quality. Our new imports had engine and trans issues. We are having better luck with new domestics. Maybe decades ago it was different, but not at all our experience now. Quality will put a smile on your face. Lack of it causes frowns.
22nd May 2015, 16:04
"Asian cars"? What are those? I love how now the debate has gone well beyond what a car's brand and model is, and now it's strictly about extremely broad geographic terminology? Yes - what about that Lincoln? Is it one of those cars built in the Americas?
23rd May 2015, 01:13
"That" Lincoln along with "that" Mercury you own is built by Ford, an American branded car company. Don't know where it was built and really don't care. Over the years I have stuck with brands that served me well (Lincoln, Pontiac, Cadillac).
"what are Asian cars?" Why don't you ask the commenter on 00:48?
23rd May 2015, 09:13
Just because you do lots of engine oil changes, it doesn't matter when there is a design flaw. Cold passage areas in the block that create sludging from daily start stops, especially in colder area of the country. Or trans issues, especially with the 6 cylinder engines that don't hold up even with conservative application of the foot. Or electrical gremlins that develop with age.
Years ago, owning luxury imports, these comments wouldn't be taking place. I can pinpoint it to after 2000. All bought new, garage kept and over maintained. Doing the same strict maintenance today there has not been a single major engine-drivetrain replacement with my new Fords.
25th May 2015, 12:05
Brand loyalty can come in very unusual ways. I have one side of my family that buys absolutely nothing but Mopars. It came initially from the parents. They bought new ones every few years. Nostalgia may be the reason every single car all their children buy is Mopar only. New and older ones. I have see the same with import families, mainly Hondas. Some of the Plymouths had premature rusting and issues. Doesn't matter, Mopar or no car reigns. I had a couple myself. But my mentality is not that restricted. If the second year in on a new design hits and is outstanding, I will buy. I never buy the first year of a redesign or new platform. Sentimentality can mask defects and quality workmanship. I like Mopar E bodies for example, but they are rust buckets. At least here. Toyota may have been great in the 80s, but in 2015 I am not convinced.
26th May 2015, 17:54
These comments about non-American branded cars have absolutely nothing to do with the cars themselves. All it's about are people who regardless of whatever the car or model happens to be, simply doesn't like them because they are "Foreign" - or as folks said where I grew up "Furrin". It's a really old and tiresome argument. Tired since we don't live in the 1950s.
It's even more sad when the debate comes down between something like a Lexus and some old Lincoln, which is no longer even manufactured.
Drive what you want. If you don't like foreign cars... don't drive them then and stop making comments against cars you will NEVER own in the first place.
27th May 2015, 03:30
I think people today are a lot more sophisticated than that. You may not be happy with other's preferences, but that does not diminish their intelligence. Brand distinction and customer loyalty starts with quality workmanship. Someone may not like Toyota or Honda, and the massive recalls, engine and trans issues. But in turn they may have the utmost respect for another import like Audi in 2015. And own a domestic brand as well. Our family has mixed ownership, but not any Toyotas at the moment. So if someone doesn't like your flavor of the moment, they are labeled. That doesn't ring true. People do not get free new cars. They work and pay for them. It's not unreasonable to see others buy based on their own research and experience. There's far more resources to draw educated research from today vs 1950.
4th Jan 2013, 03:26
His 2nd biggest mistake was having it repaired at the STEALERship.