Assuming affordability is not an issue and we’re focusing exclusively on quality here, which country by and large makes the best cars? A lot of folks here in America think of Japan next in terms of auto production, and in a lot of ways (price, fuel economy) they can be superior to many American autos. But you don’t see a whole lot of rich people driving cars from SE Asia, and in terms of European production Germany seems to have a great rep for building dependable cars (although not cheap) and Italy also seems to churn out some great sports cars. So who’s the champ if there has to be one? Let’s leave out the niche markets like super high-end sports cars (sorry Italy) and say I have an unlimited budget to buy the highest quality car I want for everyday driving. What language would I need to speak to talk turkey with the salesman?
Sounds like IMHO to me, but as long as I’m here…
I’ve owned American cars, Japanese cars, British cars and German cars. The MGBs are at the bottom of my list for reliability, but they’re extremely fun cars. My Porsche 911 was the most fun car I’ve driven, and it was pretty darned reliable to boot. But Porsches are expensive to maintain, and you must keep them maintained.
From what I can see, Japanese cars are the “best” if you’re speaking of quality. IMO, Toyota has the highest quality; but I see more Hondas on the road. This could be a function of price, as Hondas seem to be less expensive than Toyotas. Lower prices mean more Hondas on the road. A friend of mine had an accord that was till running even after having nearly 400,000 miles put on it. My impression of Toyota quality comes from the more “solid” feel they had when I was driving one, compared to contemporary Hondas.
Why don’t you see rich people driving Japanese cars? Well, many do. Many also have European cars in addition to their Japanese ones. Accuras seemed to me to be just as popular as Mercedes Benzes in L.A. But there’s another factor: If you have a lot of money, you’re probably less likely to keep a car long-term. If you can afford a [insert expensive European model here] and you like it, you’ll probably get a newer one when the one you have starts getting a little long in the tooth.
I think I agree with Johnny for the most part. Civics and Accords are cheaper than their respective Toyota counterparts, the Corollas and the Camrys, similarly loaded. Hondas are also very well known for running up to and beyond 300000 miles, and being really hard to kill, even if mistreated. Toyota is just as reliable as Honda in most cases, although it might be a bit pricier.
As for rich Japanese cars, I’m not sure. Lexus and Acura both seem fairly popular where I live, but I guess part of the situation is that not many $40k+ Japanese cars are sold in the US. Most of them don’t pass the 5mph bumper test and don’t qualify to sell in the US. 
I love my high-end British car, but of course it was built under the watchful eye of BMW!
Generally, I like British cars but they can be a maintainence nightmare (there is a good reason that the butt of most car jokes is a Jag), so they lose as far as reliability goes.
But then again, Bentleys are British and made to order, and I hear they are nice.
I just had to replace the Alternator in my Buick.
17 years old and 300,000 miles and the damn thing already broke - what a piece of junk. 
I would rather walk than drive my Mother-in-Laws Honda Accord
That’s a toughie. What makes a country’s cars “the best?”
For high performance, precise handling, etc., my vote is on German makes. eg: Mercedes and BMW.
For stamping out cars by the kabillion inexpensively and with more than acceptable reliability, my vote goes to Japan.
For being the best joke fodder, it’s a 3-way tie between Yugoslavia (the Yugo) Italy (Fix It Again Tony) and England (Lucas, the Prince of Darkness) Korea gets honorable mention - Killed In Action - Kia and Daewoo - their logo looks like a jockstrap.
I’ve owned a similar flag range as Johnny. and I’d tend to agree with his assessment, although international distinctions are definitely blurring these days. And I suffered through several years of an SO’s Peugot ownership (there’s a reason the French automakers pulled out of the North American market - they are gone, aren’t they?).
While the Germans (primarily DaimlerChrysler and BMW) have long enjoyed a deserved reputation for engineering mastery, and Jaguar is shedding its hangar queen reputation after a few years of Ford tutelage (as I said, international distinctions are waning), you probably still get the greater bang for your buck in terms of longevity with the Japanese marks. I have seen quite a few old GMs on the road, though - you just get used to the primary things working and the “features” being long gone.
IMHO, of course.
I dunno where you live, but I see a ton of people driving Infiniti and Lexus SUVs and higher end sedans. Of the well-off people I know, (upper-middle class to middle-upper class, most of them physicians), more drive Infinitis and Lexuses as drive Mercedes and BMWs.
There was a JD Power survey earlier this year which ranked manufacturer’s by consumer complaints per car in the first three years of ownership. This includes serious problems to excessive brake wear and wind noise. I would argue that this is the most important variable to consider when buying an everyday-driving car. Lexus blew everybody away, but Toyota’s overall numbers were worse than Porsche, who was ranked as the best overall manufacturer. Lexus has led the list for 9 years. From the brand ranking (Lexus, Infiniti, Buick, Porsche, Acura) and the manufacturer ranking (Porsche, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, BMW), I think it is pretty clear that the Japanese are still making the best cars around. Add to this that Japanese cars are generally cheaper to buy, own, and maintain than cars from other places.
Disclaimer: I drive an Acura RSX-S, which has not given me any problems whatsover in 2.5 years of moderate driving. It is also incredibly fun to drive. Granted, not as fun as my friend’s BMW M3 with paddle shifting (talk about funner than a barrel of hot monkey sex…), but a helluva lot cheaper and easier to maintain.
http://money.cnn.com/2003/07/08/pf/autos/bc.autos.durability/
:smack:
When I lived in Austin (Central Austin, not Round Rock or fancy pants West Austin), I didn’t see as many luxury cars as I do now in Houston. Students and Central Austinites seem to relish their beaters (I certainly liked my Ford Escort).
Well, what is “quality”? If you look at initial quality the Toyotas and Hondas score high. They feel solid and the interiors have a quality feel to them.
If you look at longevity I will have to be a little different and say US cars are the toughest. Of course it’s not just quality, but also that many older American cars spark interest (old Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Chargers etc) plus a simple design that made parts affordable. Having worked on many older American cars I’ve come to love the simplicity and see it as a good thing. You can drive a 60’s Chevy forever and not have to put very much many into it. Unfortunately in the last 15 or 20 years US cars are pretty much the same as Japanese and European cars and we won’t see many 2000 Cavaliers on the roads in 30 years.
So if you wanted to buy a new car today and wanted it to stay on the road for a long time… hmmm… Besides the obvious Honda and Toyotas I think you could have good luck with the larger US cars (Crown Vic, Cadillac, Town Car). I would look for something with large displacement, low revs for longevity. Not so sure about BMW. Just from my anecdotal evidence they break just as much as most cars and cost a lot to fix.
Yeah, it’s a hard question to answer. If you look at fit-and-finish in low end cars, Japanese makes tend to take the prize.
German cars are very good as well.
But there’s something else to consider, and that’s ease of maintenance. Many cars are designed for ease of robotic assembly, and not ease of maintenance. German cars are notorious for being packaged in ways that make them very hard to maintain. I remember one vehicle that needed to have the engine unbolted and lifted in order to change the rear spark plugs.
Also, in my experience Japanese cars are much more expensive to buy parts for. I believe someone in another forum mentioned that a new crate engine for a Toyota 4runner was $7400 installed! You can buy a Chevy small block for 1/3 of that price.
So you’ll get one answer if you ask, “Which cars break down the least”, and quite another if you ask, “Which car will cost the most money to keep on the road over 20 years?”
For ease of maintenance, I’d have to go with a late 60’s Detroit car. They have thick steel bodies that can be worked on forever and don’t rust that badly, and the mechanicals are marvels of simplicity. I miss my old '67 Camaro. 8 cylinders, one plug for each cylinder, 8 wires going to a distributor cap, and a carburetor on top. That’s about it. Coil over shocks in the front, simple leaf springs in the back. A 12-bolt limited slip differential driving the back wheels, and that was about it. The wiring harness consisted of about 12 fuses in a block, peanut bulbs for the gauges, and power running to lights, a heater, defroster, and radio. Give anyone who can turn a wrench a Chilton’s manual and a couple of ramps, and he could do just about anything. Plus, there was plenty of room inside the engine compartment - no special tools required.
Nowadays, I don’t even try to maintain my own vehicle. Too much special hardware, too much computerized stuff, and too much finicky emissions stuff.
Wasn’t the 5mph bumper requirement dropped 7-10 years ago? AFAIK, no American car, including ‘tough pickups’ passes it today.
A few years ago I decided to give an american car one more chance and bought a Ford Windstar. So much for that. I’m back to foreigners.
My present car is an Audi. We’ll see how it goes. It is very well put together.
Peace,
mangeorge
Germany, and Japan. I also like French and American cars. American cars are so rare around here that when they break (and they do) they are very hard to fix and not a chance of used parts. French cars come and go. Sometimes they have exciting weird cars but they are few and far between. I still miss my Citroen.
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Meet my former Citroen dealer, Eustace L. Emmons
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I don’t actually know…, you may be right, but a cursory search on google didn’t bring anything up.
Just to be contrarian with Johnny L.A., but IMO Toyotas are just a smidge less well-built as an equivalent Honda. Not entirely sure why, but that’s just the vibe I get from riding in 'em.
While I’d like to recommend American cars, my family has never had good experiences with them. Back in the early '80s, my Dad bought a Buick Century that was a total POS – if lemon laws were on the books at the time, he’d have a slam-dunk case right there. My brother and my parents have also driven Saturn sedans; the interiors have gone to hell after just a few years, and my parents are already considering replacing the Saturn after just six years of use.
In contrast, we’ve gone through a number of Hondas and Toyotas, and they’ve always been reliable workhorses. They might cost more than the American cars, but they’ve earned their cost back over time, IMO. “You get what you pay for” still holds true, IME.
Moved to IMHO.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
My only quarrel with any of this is the oft-touted excellence of German autos. Mechanically, yes, but European makes are a continuing and frustrating source of electronic bugs and failures. They’re getting better, but you take a chance every time you buy one.
Here in UK we dont rate American cars that highly. Very few are available here for starters, and I think one reason for that is you guys tend to stick huge engines in your cars, and with the price of petrol(gas) as high as it is in this country there’s no way most american cars can compete on economy terms.
Also, because we use smaller engines we have learnt to refine them more and get the most performance out of a given size, and american engines are usually viewed as big noisy gas guzzlers.
I think German cars are pretty good but some makes like Volkswagen are over-rated. VW maybe used to be reliable but they’re not so good these days.
Audis are pretty solid, better built than most Mercedes.
The most reliable cars though seem to be Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru