20th Oct 2010, 17:17

"As for Lexus, it is not truly a Toyota, but is a separate division with more rigid quality controls."

Incorrect. Lexus is a wholly Toyota owned and operated division, and in some cases Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles roll off the same assembly lines. Lexus has been in the top of the quality list hands down almost since its introduction to the US.

Oh - and there's one more thing: Lexus actually makes desirable cars, whereas you'd be hard-pressed to see anyone who lives in such places like Silicon Valley or NYC, where Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes rein supreme, driving a Buick. Even their latest offerings are barely what I would call acceptable. The new Lacrosse? C'mon... The car looks like what Lexus was producing 5-6 years ago. There is no way I would ever trust a Buick more than a Lexus.

21st Oct 2010, 13:09

See, you make comments like this, which leads me to believe you truly don't read the other posts before writing your own.

In my personal experience, which is all the facts I need, imports have dominated domestics by such a huge margin of quality. I have had the worst luck with GM, so they are surely off my list for life. Ford makes one of my all time favorite cars, the Mustang, so there may just be another Ford in my future.

Overall, I have not spent ONE CENT on import repairs above and beyond normal routine maintenance in the 26 years I have been a car owner, and I have had many many cars in those years. I have driven imports more frequently than domestics. The three GM vehicles I had totaled well over $9K in repairs, and none of them made it to 100K miles before they were traded. One of them was gone before 40K miles, because it had become unsafe to drive, and I didn't want my kids riding around in it, as the problem was a common one after researching it. These repairs were on vehicles that were very recent and not 20+ years ago.

So which mechanics have I been sending to the bank with import repairs? That's right... none! I was on a first name basis with the Chevy dealer service manager though.

For my experience, you are 100% wrong. Sorry.

21st Oct 2010, 19:41

In 30 years of driving, we've had 3 imports. Not a one of them made it to 100,000 miles with the original engine. On the other hand, not a single one of our Ford, GM or Chrysler vehicles has ever required any repairs in 100,000 miles. My experience has convinced me to never buy anything not built by an American company.

22nd Oct 2010, 05:51

And in turn, our family is selling our last 2004 Honda, and will have all GMs at home. We buy new, and have seen diminished quality and major drivetrain woes. We have saved a lot of money switching over.

22nd Oct 2010, 10:43

There are those on here that strictly focus on cheap, economy, spending little as possible and drive til a car rots.

Then there are those that are focused on driving enjoyment, handling, performance, amenities, room, comfort; not focusing on just the cheap.

I buy convertibles, yet still want air conditioning and nice options. I also look at service reports, and don't ever buy the cheapest bottom models. What concerns me is if a person is focusing on the cheap, they may also stretch service intervals, ignore minor issues or warning signs until they become major or fail. Then it seems they are quick to point out they dislike a model. If you are just content pointing a car A to B, and turn the key and point, that's your prerogative.

I have seen my share of older small cars, both import and domestic, rusted and burning oil, yet they still run in the northeast. Maybe that's the sign that some feel very high mileage works. Not everyone wants to buy synthetic oil in the cars, run 93 octane, buy better tires, xenon lights for better visibility, power options, better audio, suspension upgrades, and yet others look for it. If you are keeping a car and driving it a lot, is there not quality of life and enjoyment owning cars? Besides just cheap A to B transportation, turn the key and go? I buy cars that I really like to drive utmost. Some just talk cheap, and it gets me there, even if my back is sore.

22nd Oct 2010, 15:58

"13:09 Yes that is your experience, good for you. That does not mean that every domestic out there gives its owners problems. There is a reason that somebody will continue to buy Fords, GM, Chrysler; if they had good luck with them, then that's what they will continue to buy."

I know this... that is my point, which is why I put "my personal experience" in my posts. I don't think there are any brands that are trouble free, and certainly there are none that are bulletproof and "flawless".

22nd Oct 2010, 16:13

"Also the other thing I can't help but notice, is that every time there is a review about an import with problems, this website gets flooded with people defending the imports such as; "you didn't maintain it" or "sounds like you got a lemon" or "I never had that problem", and then they bash the domestics."

This is true of both types of cars. I have seen so many domestic lovers that claim you are getting ripped of by shady dealers when your domestic has so many issues. Everything goes both ways on this site, and for every negative import fan, there is a negative domestic fan.

This is why I try to make the point that personal experience is the only truth, and the only fact that makes sense to post here. J.D. Powers rankings and things like this that are listed over and over, just waste everyone's time. You can find so many conflicting stories on cars out there, and you can always find the information you want to believe as fact. Even the J.D. Powers information used to make some brands appear better on here is incomplete and pared down to certain facts, that make arguments look more plausible. Again, this is just a waste of people's time. Opinions are fine, but skewing facts to make your opinions look better just doesn't make sense to me.

People should really just stick to their actual experience with the cars they like to drive, instead of chiming in on Toyota threads when they hate Toyotas, but have no experience with them. People that continually post J.D. Powers rankings to bash Toyota obviously have no experience with the brand, other than what the Internet says about it. This really does nothing to enrich anyone's knowledge on here.

I am glad there is a great variety of autos to choose from. I stay away from brands that I have tried and have failed me. There is one domestic brand left for me, and many many imports that have been really great for me. Again, this is based purely on my actual experience, and not on some lame rating system.