30th Jul 2008, 10:06

After repeated requests to find FACTS dealing with reliability, we are still dealing with OPINION. There is no factual data ANYWHERE that supports the claim that imports are any more reliable than domestics. Please provide FACTUAL DATA, not opinion surveys if you want your claims to be taken seriously.

30th Jul 2008, 13:44

14:02 Frequency of repair records DO get released, and as stated in about 5 comments on here, the domestics visit the garage more often. Plain and true.

And, GOD FORBID we actually believe people that OWN imports, or automotive magazines who test them every day, that imports are the better cars.

By the way, it isn't the writer that tests these cars. These are mechanics, professional drivers, and so forth. They may ALSO write the articles, but they are qualified to pass judgement on them. And the imports, especially all of the Japanese ones, come out ahead.

Like the last commenter stated, we can show you numerous magazines, (all the most reputable ones too) that clearly show imports being more reliable and higher quality. PLEASE try and come up with ONE article from a major magazine that says that the reverse is true; that domestics are more reliable. You can't do it, and won't find it because it's not true and that's that.

30th Jul 2008, 16:58

As far as resale, Carfax reports are great bargaining chips both for the dealer and the private buyers when they see the issues pop up. Every little detail has popped up on mine and my worse resale ever was a 2002 Honda/Acura TL Type S. If you trade the dealer says he can buy your vehicles wholesale all day at auctions. The only vehicles I have bought and continue to rapidly escalate are domestic musclecars/convertibles. There are literally thousands of domestics going up and the values have now rapidly picked up again after a drop last year. I have owned models now valued in the 6 figures yet purchased new for under $4k at the time. I would not buy a Honda/Toyota and expect it to be a goldmine investment.

31st Jul 2008, 07:23

13:44 go to consumeraffairs.com at least once and review Toyota owner's issues. It's easy to forget us that have had a number of imports over the years.

Another issue is to consider that saying all are bad is a broad sweep of the brush. If you were specific comparing exact model to exact model, it goes both ways. Unless you are personally going to buy all models, I fail to see the comparison.

I would love to show you my bills.

31st Jul 2008, 11:50

Again, an automotive "expert" who test drives a car for 20 minutes for a magazine article has absolutely NO way of projecting how "reliable" it will be. It is a purely objective view based on how many cute little gimmicks the car has.

ONLY frequency of repair records can indicate reliability, and no one has provided them.

A Camry owner who has had two transmission failures and part of the bumper falling off in less than 8,000 miles, but who feels the car is "great" is hardly objective. Neither is a Corolla owner who had to replace the engine in the first 20,000 miles but "loves the car and would buy another".

And of course let's not forget the thousands of Tundra owners who had engine failures due to all those bad cams that were mysteriously installed by evil elves without Toyota's knowledge.

Lastly, we even have testimony on this very review from a Tacoma owner whose truck broke in half due to a defective frame, but rants that "Toyota is the best".

Sorry. I've owned dozens of domestics that never had a single problem, and 3 imports that were all total garbage. Car's that fall apart in less than 100,000 miles don't deserve to get rave reviews, and every one of our imports did just that. You won't find a "yes" on any of our import reviews beside "Would you buy another car from this company", unlike most import reviews.

31st Jul 2008, 12:57

OK yes I agree they are websites that provide opinions. I have showed you 5 websites based on opinions that say imports are better. Can you just tell me ONE website that gives an opinion that domestics are better!?... bet you can't.

And for whoever information that was telling me Jamaicans can't afford American cars... we bought the 2003 Ford Escape for 1.1 million Jamaican dollars, and a 2003 CRV is going for 1.7 million, which is like a 10,000 dollar US difference... hmmm but still people buy the CRV because it's better :-) and you're saying we can't afford better... Come to Jamaica and see how many BMW X5s are here, Mercedes even, many Range Rovers, and the most common SUV in Jamaica is the Toyota Prado, which if you buy brand new in Jamaica is 80,000 US!... but people know they are worth it so they buy it.

31st Jul 2008, 15:50

Why do any of you care what someone else's opinion of different makes of cars is? Can't you just be happy owning what you like, and letting others like what they have? What exactly is the point of your debating? To convince someone else to like what you like? Why?

You like Ford, buy one. You like Hyundai, buy one. Who cares.

31st Jul 2008, 16:08

Still waiting for those articles about how domestics are more reliable. All I've read so far is opinion that adds up to nothing.

I can show years and years of reviews that place Toyota and Honda on top, year after year.

Still waiting for a valid argument from a domestic owner.

I won't hold my breath though, because there aren't any.

1st Aug 2008, 12:43

In reviewing some of my past issues of Motor Trend and Car and Driver, I find not one single instance of ANY domestic being shown in any objective way to be more reliable than an import. What I DO see is a lot of "oh, gosh, it has more gadgets" and "the 4-speed GM transmission (or 3.8 V-6) is antiquated". I see NOT A SHRED of evidence supporting RELIABILITY, only gushing over electronic gadgets and 6-speed automatics in "sophisticated" (read that "expensive and complicated") imports.

My family currently has 4 GM vehicles with the "antiquated" 4-speed automatic. 2 of these have over 250,000 miles on them, and those "antiquated" 4-speeds are still working perfectly with never a repair.

As for the 3.8 V-6 (as well as Ford's 3.0 V-6), car magazine writers are far more impressed with the fact that the imports are more complicated and loaded with gimmicks, and ignore the fact that in terms of reliability, the GM and Ford "outmoded design" is still going strong and has proven INCREDIBLY reliable.

I hear this "repair records prove that imports are more reliable", but I'm still waiting to SEE them.