26th Jan 2009, 17:45
"Truth be known, imports were NEVER that good anyway. Millions of dollars in ad hype created a false impression."
Again... WHAT imports are we talking about? Alfa Romeos? Yugos? Fiats? Toyotas? I assume you mean Toyotas since that's how this topic has been going.
I mean - cmon'... are you seriously comparing a Ford Taurus, or a Chevette, or even a late 90's Chevy Malibu to a Toyota Camry or Corolla from the same vintage? Well I'm sorry but my family grew up with both, and back then the difference between what the Big three produced and what Toyota offered was so night and day it wasn't funny. Even as a kid I couldn't get over how utterly poor the quality was of the vast majority of the junk spewed from GM and Ford. They just looked cheap and shoddily manufactured.
Even today, when I go look at newer GM or Ford cars ands trucks compared to the two Toyotas I drive, the quality is still miles from being the same. The Big three skimp and cut corners at every single chance they get, whether it's making flimsy and overly plasticy interiors, to sloppy welds and frame hardware, to crudely cast engine blocks.
The argument that GM and Ford products are better will never hold up. Sorry, but that's the honest truth. Don't get me wrong - nothing would make me happier to see GM and Ford get their act together. But what they produce is hardly world class, and until they are, they will continue to lose market share.
23rd Jan 2009, 22:47
This is exactly what "Consumer Reports" provides. They break down their frequency of repair data into a number of categories. These categories are rated by symbols that represent a range of percentages of vehicles in the sample with problems in that area. The data isn't presented unless the sample size is sufficiently large.
Toyota had a very long stretch of reliable models so Consumer Reports started to base recommendations of new models upon old ones. In this they were caught by surprise. The new models of both the Camry 6cyl and the Tundra were rushed in their release and had flaws that were widespread enough to cause them to no longer be recommended. Because of this Consumer Reports (to their credit) no longer bases new model recommendations on the previous model's reliability. They refined their system... you can use that as a reason to discredit them or you can see it as a reason to believe in their willingness to change for the sake of accuracy. Either way... the data is valuable. Their research criteria, data filtering rules, and the compiled outcomes are all too long and complex for me to write here in a blog, but they are readily available in the annual auto issue that you should be able to get at most book stores. That is where you'll find the data that shows that many Japanese vehicles have fared better over time.
Recently GM themselves admitted that they had let their reliability fall "below industry standards". Who are we to argue with them. Rather we should cheer them on as they continue their quest to restore their reputation for building world class automobiles.