14th Jun 2009, 12:59

"13th Jun 2009, 12:21.

I'm sorry, but I buy based on performance, durability and long-term quality and dependability, and traditionally, my family has had more success in these areas with imports than we have had with domestics."

Then clearly you should stay within your comfort level and continue to buy imports if that's what makes you feel better. However, it so happens that my experience is the exact opposite of yours. My Ford, Mercury, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge, Plymouth, and Cadillac cars have never let us down. Clearly, my experience dictates that it is most logical to continue with what has been successful for me. You may not want to accept that, but you might at least respect the fact that somebody else has a different opinion, based on different experiences than yours.

In other words, why invite pointless arguing by going on about how imports are better than domestics because your dad's 2001 GMC is in the shop all the time while your Nissan that you junked years ago would "probably still be on the road."

That's great that your mom's 5-year-old Honda has never had a problem; my parents' 1997 Mercury with 175,000 miles has also never had a single problem. By your standard, apparently the Mercury is a superior car. My 7-year-old Ford with 105,000 miles has also never had a single problem. By your metric, it sounds like your mom's Honda is playing catch-up to Ford/Mercury.

14th Jun 2009, 22:38

"You should really hear how this sounds. I'm sorry, but I buy based on performance, durability and long-term quality and dependability, and traditionally, my family has had more success in these areas with imports than we have had with domestics."

You should see how it sounds being told "Sorry, you don't have a job anymore because your fellow Americans decided to turn their backs on America and help destroy our economy".

As for reliability, our Honda was a DISASTER. It didn't even LAST 100,000 miles and began falling apart at 45,000. So did our other two imports. Not one of our domestics EVER had a problem (even minor ones) before 100,000 miles.

We used to be a patriotic nation. I lament the loss of that virtue.