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Everyone of the makers has problems. Period. You abuse it and it will break, its only a machine. But lets look at what you want to do with it before you decide its junk. How would you like a foreign truck over domestic for running the farm? Believe me when I tell you the american truck wins hands down. Lets move on to grandma getting the groceries every sunday. She could get an american car and it would work just fine, low maintance, or a import, the gas milage would be of some help. She probably wont ever need to do any major work on either. Well now you have a 13 year old boy who feel he needs the fastest car at school to learn with. Domestic or import? Wow he will probably run the tires off it and dent every fender before he gets home. Import might look like something that you should buy just so he wont get stuck broke down huh? What a minute that suspension is awfully weak, it might break when he hits a pothole at 120. Hum perhaps an american car would be better. They are pretty tough. Oh but lets not forget about dad, he need something fast for when he needs to merge.   But the interior needs to make his coworkers jeoulous. Should he get the lexus or some other import? Wow some of them even park themselves. Oh the burdens of parking have finally been eliminated. Sorry dad still no flying cars.   You could wait for the challanger and maybe buy two just in case one breaks down. The thing is what floats your boat. Treat it well and it will last, drive it like hard and it wont last much longer than 100k. Ive seen then both import and domestic and one persons 1990 will be thrashed and anothers will be golden. It doesn't matter were it was built, it matters whos driving.  

I have a little problem with all this... newer US made vehicles  are not EZ to work on.. not with out prom readers and electronic crap.. the big 3 hhave sold us all down the OPEC river for the sake of profit ... I just want an economical, well designed, low maint, affordable ride...I don't care who makes it or where .. enuf of the ***  

ENUF bitchin ...does anyone out there know if there is any way to improve MPG on FORD products .IE 3 and 3.8 v-6s  

Want a cheap car?  Dissolve the unions, remove the EPA's jurisdiction over automobiles, and get rid of all those pesky safety features the government requires.

If cars weren't required to have catalytic converters, EVAP systems, ABS brake systems, stability control, low-speed impact systems, composite construction, tire pressure monitors, OBDII computers, CAN data bus systems, crumple zone construction, high intensity lighting systems, etc... they would be alot cheaper - and with more money to spend on the drivetrain, they'd be more powerful & reliable, too.  

yes they do, in my opinion, they're bulky, unsophisticated, lack taste, and fuel inefficient.  

If yoiu are going to make a comparison that makes sense then align the choices by price, class, and type. On that basis- comparable vehicles look a lot better on this side of the pond in every area except- perception. We gotta change that- and American flagships, at least, are working overtime. Viper, Corvette, Cadillac XLR, and even Lincoln MKZ.
Steve  

I'm replying to a year old post BUt I have to interject some facts. American cars or Japanese or European cars in protectionist markets outside each country of origin isn't going to be seen often. There are Germans driving American cars. just not very many because of extremely high tariffs for importing a new U.S. made car there. Same thing for either a U.S. made or European made car in Japan.
Steve  

Americans are free to make ignorant comments such as the ones qouted. American servicemen from WWII ;i.e., vets brought back British and German sports cars they had been exposed to. Guess they were the grandaddys of the "traitors" buying foreign today huh? Or is it they earned the right to choose what their blood, sweat, and tears paid for. If people are going to rattle the drums and blow the bugles of "patriotism" practice what you preach in living your life through what you buy in everything you buy. Not just cars. Or be silent, you look less the fool that way.
   If you want American workers to have jobs have them sit down to the table with management and strike agreements  for health care and benefit packages that compete with the competition so that per unit costs are actually competitive. Get rid of the overcompensated weenies at the top and educate the exectives in between to be car people, not short sheet economists. Study the past. Look at AMC's( of course, they had car people working there- and the transfer in talent in great part accounts for Chrysler's relative rosy picture ) history to appreciate what is happening to Ford and GM today.
Steve  

I hope American Car companies are reading some of these posts. It would behoove them too. Great read..  

This is all a personal decision.  I for one can't afford a new car from ANY car company.  That being said.  I still prefer american cars over others.  I just like the way american cars look.  Ford... they are slipping.  The Mustang I like.  I dont like the new Taurus (Disguised Five Hundred)  The Focus has been butt ugly.  I could get into the Fusion if they would bring out a 2 door version.  Of all the foreign makes, Mazda has the most that would interest me.  I like the looks of the Mazda 3 and the Mazda 6 sport wagons.  Why can't Ford bring back an updated rear wheel drive Pinto??  The best car I've ever owned was a '79 Pinto. It would start every time.  Drive through the deepest snow that would scare the front wheelers.  I miss the good old cars.  

GM=Performance (Corvette 5.7,7.0,Camaro) (Small Block or Big Block V8!!)
Honda/Toyota=Reliability (4cly, Man trans)
BMW/Mercedes=Refinement (Interior, Fit/Finish)
Ford=Ugly!,Waste of Money (Taurus??, Focus??, F150?? why so ugly?!)  

Lets combine all these companies:
GM can make the Performance Cars and Trucks
Hond/Toy can make the Economy Cars
BMW/Merc can make the luxury cars
Ford can make cars for people who enjoy something on the hideous/frumpy/weak looking side.
and we'll all be happy!  

I've owned five cars in my lifetime.

The first was a 73 VW Superbeetle, German-made.  Never would it be confused as a luxury car, but it was peppy, handled well for the kind of car it was, and you couldn't kill it, no matter how hard you tried.

Traded that in on a 1991 Plymouth Acclaim four-cylinder, American-made, when I had a family to transport.  Solid and reliable (the Chrysler Saratoga, which is essentially an identical car, was used throughout Europe as a police cruiser), but the most un-inspiring vehicle I ever owned.  It was fundamental, basic transportation, even with a five-speed stick.  Plymouth had goofy rules like ABS was only available on the V6 version, which only came with an automatic.

When I totalled the Acclaim, I replaced it with a 1994 Mercury Cougar XR7 V6, also American made. Peppy engine, fun to drive.  Weird interior layout, albeit comfortable driving position, automatic only (considering the sporting nature of the car, I thought that was really odd), and the engine, while smooth and powerful, was a piece of junk.  My mechanic got to spend more time with it then I did; threw a rod once, and went through a series of engines to fix it because cracked head gaskets were a frequent problem (I had that happen to my original engine once prior to the thrown rod, good news is it was a recall item and didn't cost me anything to fix except a day without my car).

After the Cougar, I swore never to own an "American" made car again.  I mean, the Plymouth was more reliable, but I don't know that I'd call it a better car.  The VW was old as the hills, the engine was noisy and shook the whole car ... and yet I still had a better car-owning experience with it then either of the "American" cars I owned.  In addition to my own issues, I've just known way too many people who have had issues with "American" made cars.

Now I keep putting "American" in quotes because since the Cougar, I've owned two other cars, a 1996 Honda Civic EX coupe, and a 2007 Honda Accord V6/6MT coupe, both of which were built in Marysville, Ohio.  Both of them have been fantastic cars, fun to drive, comfortable on long trips, quality fit and finish, ergonomics beyond reproach ... any way you want to talk about them, whatever yardstick you want to use, I'll put my Civic or my Accord up against any other vehicle out there.  They also didn't have goofy packaging rules that impeded my ability to get a car layed out the way I wanted it.  They are just phenominal cars.

And they're built in America, by American workers.  So clearly American labor forces are capable of turning out quality cars that Americans actually want, and at a price we are willing to pay for them.

The problem resides with the car companies themselves, that is, the management.  They'd rather try to shame us into buying their products than to actually put together quality vehicles that are put together nicely, last a long time and are actually fun to drive.  They'd rather launch "buy American" campaigns then develop packages where I can actually get the performance variant engine with the performance variant transmission.  

Consumer Reports has never liked the American name plates, nor has the American buying public.  Even as many American automakers have developed agreements with foreign nameplates to co-produce the same vehicle under both lines (for example, the same car released as the Toyota Corrolla and the Geo Prism), the Japanese variant consistently scores better.  Car and Driver did a thing they called a "blind taste test" one year where they had drivers take, for example, the Corrolla and the Prism for a drive and compare their responses; one group did the comparision knowing what they were driving, the other group had the marquees covered up.  The group that knew what they were driving gave more equal scores, whereas the ones who didn't have an idea which was which consistently preferred the Japanese cars.  C&D's response was that while most Americans would prefer to favor American cars, the American cars just don't stack up, even when they're supposed to be identical.  During the same period, CR noted that the better structured options packages consistently make the Japanese cars more attractive than their American counterparts, not to mention that the *** generally do a better job of standing behind their cars with strong customer support and good warranties.

I'm American.  I'm proud to be American.  And I would love to keep Americans employed.  But I need those Americans I'm employing to want to provide me the products I want, not the ones they think I should be wanting.  The Japanese and the Germans seem to have us figured out better than our own people do.  Not to mention the fact that while more Japanese and German nameplates are building factories in the United States and employing Americans to put together their cars, Ford, GM and Chrysler are building more and more of their cars, either in whole or at least parts, in Mexico, Canada, Germany, Japan, etc.  So I guess by buying a Honda Accord, I actually am keeping more Americans working than if I had bought another Mercury.  Well, more Americans on the assembly lines at least.  I'm not so concerned about if a bunch of executives in Detroit end up out of work, they're the whole problem to begin with.  

I had to reply to this thread.

I have owned over 14 cars. 2 were BMWs. A 3 series, and a 1997 740IL. I owned a FORD Explorer, A Honda Civic, and a Jeep to name a few.

Yes, the BMWs have sole and amazing handling! I'm addicted to the feel of how they drive. BUT....They are also plagued with problems. Germans haven't figure out how to make long lasting gauges, (PIXELS ALWAYS DIE) Trim falls off, and electronics always break. Switches, handles, etc. I had the door handle snap off on my 1997 740IL. A $65,500 DOLLAR CAR! The instrument cluster couldn't be read because the damn pixy pixels went dead. BOTH My BMWs had the same issues. Different models, different years.

Sure they are smooth on the throttle, fast, and handle like a dream! But expensive to fix and expensive PERIOD.

I had a 1998 Explore that I never had a single problem with except the stereo. Sure handling SUCKED, but it's an SUV. It got me around in the Snow and ICE when BMWs were stuck or tucked away in their garage. Just take care of your cars, they will take car of you.

I'm so freaked out by all the stuff that breaks on BMWs, I'm selling my 740IL for a Ford Explorer!  Yes! Honestly!  

GERMAN CARS. EXPENSIVE TO BUY. OWN, FIX.  

america#1:
ok. when your mercedes does break down your gonna have to break the bank just to fix it. and in the mean time while you buy your foreign unamerican car you kill another job here in the US. you may like the handeling more than a pinto or somethin but is it really worth putting an entire family out on the street? their dad can't pay the bill because he doesn't have a job any more because his plant closed because you wanted a little better ride. if you ask me any one who drives something not from america is unamerican. if you really want to help other economys soooo bad then leave the united states and go live over seas. in the mean time, a decent AMERICAN can have your job.

1.- Why would repairs on a German car have to cost any more than on any other mainstream automobile? I am not sure about Mercedes, but we do own 3 BMWs and 3 Japanese cars: 540i, M3, 530d, Maxima SE, Honda Jazz and an Imprezza WRX STI. The bills for repairs and maintenance on the BMWs are no higher than on the other cars. In fact, some parts are cheaper for BMWs than for the Nissan for example.

2.- Claiming that owning foreign cars equals anti-Americanism is total hypocrisy!  If you must measure your devotion to America by the provenance of the products you buy, you should realize that the people who build Mercedes in Alabama or Nissans in Tennessee are just as American as those who build the crap in Detroit.  That Detroit crap cannot compete on the global stage is not the fault of the individual assembly line workers, but of management and unions who drove the Big Three into the ground.

3.- Ten years ago, when I lost my job with a big company, nobody shed a tear for me. Why should I be concerned whether some guy in Detroit has his or doesn’t?  The U.S. auto industry is going bankrupt because for 30 years they refused to change, to adapt.  While the Japanese and the Europeans have been developing fuel-efficient, appealing, cars with performance and character, Detroit chose to bet on pickups and SUVs!  They made their bed.  

4.- As for leaving for overseas, that is precisely what I did.  I formed my own business, then moved my job and myself to Asia, and went where the work has been. I now live part of the year in the States, part in SE Asia and part in Europe.  Those who want to have almost a half of their income taken away in income taxes are welcome to have my place in the U.S…….