6th Dec 2009, 19:35
I'm a senior citizen from a family of car enthusiasts. I was given my first car when I was 15. It was a Ford with well over 100,000 miles on it. I drove it until I graduated from high school. Never a single problem, and that with a kid driving it who dogged the living daylights out of it.
Since then we have owned over 40 cars (we own 3 to 5 at any given time). All but three were domestics (from all three U.S. companies and one vintage Studebaker Lark coupe).
None of these vehicles ever required any repairs. We drove several of each maker's products more than 200,000 miles. We have never had a single repair of ANY kind on ANY domestic vehicle before 100,000 miles (I guess that's one reason GM can easily afford to warranty their cars that long). My family currently owns a 55-year-old GM car with original engine and transmission. The engine HAS been rebuilt once in the time we've owned it. The 4-speed hydramatic transmission has never been touched. We also own a 40-year-old Dodge and a 43-year-old Dodge. Last year we sold a 33-year-old Buick LeSabre with 277,000 miles on it. it had never had ANY repairs except 3 brake jobs, hoses, belts and batteries. Our current GM and Ford vehicles are 9, 7 and 3 years old. Not a one of them has even had so much as brake pads replaced (and that includes one with well over 80,000 miles on it).
On the flip side, our 3 imports (1 German, 2 Japanese) never even LASTED 100,000 miles. The German VW blew up at just over 85,000 miles. The Mazda (a mid-80's built in Japan) was literally disintegrating, leaked oil, smoked, and had severe frame sagging (yes, FRAME SAGGING!!) when it was traded at 85,000 miles for a Ford with 139,000 miles. The Ford ran flawlessly for 3 years before we traded it. The Honda (A mid-80's Civic) was sold to a junk dealer with a blown engine at 99,000 miles. It had started falling apart at less than 40,000 miles and used a quart of oil every 500 miles at 50,000 miles.
Now ask me which I'd buy: Foreign or domestic?
6th Dec 2009, 11:19
I'm truly interested to know what these domestics were. Every American car I ever owned went past 200,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. I have not replaced an alternator or starter on any vehicle since model year 1985, at 205,000 miles (that was a Dodge truck that was still running at 260,000 miles). I have NEVER replaced an intake manifold. And brakes have only been replaced every 60,000-100,000 miles on any car I've owned since the 1964 model year. You certainly paint a sad tale of woe, but it's not a point of view that I can support from my own experiences.