I think my car bias is very obvious on this forum.



But, when I'm not blanketing everything with Aston Martin, I am still partial to Japanese cars simply because of the combination of price/upkeep/reliability...Of course, with how things are nowadays, there are lots of evidence out there that Japanese cars are just as finicky as the European cars...

At this point, it's just a matter of getting over old habits and ways of thinking on my end.

 

I will probly always own a import unless I become filthy rich...

Car manufacturers that I won't touch with a 10 foot pole:

-Pontiac(except for GTO)...just look at the interior
-Chevy(except for Corvette)...extremely unreliable over 100,000 miles
-Dodge b/c they don't offer anything better then other manufacturers
-Kia...umm b/c its a Kia
-Suzuki...utter crap
-Ford...would not buy any model. Cheaply made peices of
-VW/Audi...very nice cars, but extremely unreliable
-Volvo/Saab...better cars out there for the money
-Jaguar...overpriced
-Mercedes...way way way overpriced and unreliable
-Scion...so sick of people thinking they are fast...

Manufacturers I like:

-Nissan/Infinity...good price/performance ratio. Interiors are way better then most other manufacturers even though a lot of people don't like them
-BMW...nice cars, but wouldn't buy one
-Honda/Acura...nice cars with good tech and features, but underpowered
-Lexus/Toyota...reliable, but I would probably buy something else with my money

Models I would consider:
Maxima 02+/Infinity I35 02+
Infinity G35/Nissan 350z
Nissan Altima 3.5 coupe or Altima SE-R
Acura TL-S
Acura RDX Turbo
Pontiac GTO
Honda Civic SI
Lexus IS300
Lexus LS430
BMW 330i/330ci/335
Chevrolet Corvette

 

im pretty open minded. only thing i'll never buy is a Camry... my dad has had 4 camry's over the years and most of my relatives also have camry's.... i dont like camry's.

 

When I bought my Accord in 2004, I wanted the car I bought to have the following features:

1.) As low of a cost as possible.
2.) Less than 20 miles on the odometer.
3.) Navigation system.
4.) V6.
5.) Automatic.

Most of the cars that had a V6 that I shopped for had other features built in too, like leather, a decent stereo, sunroof, TCS/ESC, alloy wheels, etc.

I was from from an '89 Corolla, which, sadly now, I'm regretful that I let that car go. It would have been a nice daily driver.

I looked at the TL, Accord, Civic (before the V6 necessity), WRX (like Civic), Corolla (like Civic), Camry, Avalon, GTO, RL, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Legacy, Taurus, Sonata, and some other cars.

The Civic, Corolla, WRX were eliminated because of the lack of a V6. The Camry, Avalon, GTO, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Sonata, and Taurus were elminiated because of lack of navigation system.

The GTO and RL were eliminated because of lack of four doors and RL was too expensive. Ultimately it came down to TL and Accord.

Accord had 95% of same features of the TL, and was over $6,000 cheaper than the TL. To me, it had a better value.

I'll look at any car that fits my criteria in the future. I can then assign numbers to each set of criteria and rank them by car, eliminating each car until a winner appears.

That's how I came up with the Accord.

 

I used to think that Honda was > than anything else when I got my 99TL. The new styling is really putting me off and disappointing. I've got an 08 IS300 now and although its a little boring, the fit and finish is great.

 

Gart..Pretty much where I am at now, except the 2008 TL with Nav is coming in about 3-4K more then the Honda V6 Sedan with Nav....Makes it harder...

 

I just wont buy any thing thats not RWD now. Im sick of FWD. I have no problems with GM cars. They have been some of the best most reliable and cheapest to fix vehicles ive owned. Their new lineups are looking better and better all the time. I dont like BMW for the snob factor and that my friends that have owned them have spent more time in the garage than all my cars combined. I am looking at the A8 now for the future wife but the jury is out on that. I will most likely jump hondas ship and head over to caddy next.

 

What's everyone's take on Volvos?

 

Pricey, but good cars...solid and reliable. Styling is a little staid for me, but they aren't ugly by any stretch.

 

i'd take an S60R.

 

I'll buy anything as long as its red.

GM - I'd probably only buy their V8 powered stuff.
Honda - I have an Accord, and I'd probably go with their 4 cylinder engines now.
Toyota/Nissan/Mitsubishi - meh, dont care for them.
Subaru - had a ride in an STi, too rough for me, although I did look at the LGT when I was looking.
Audi/BMW/Mercedes sedans - like them the same.
Exotics - I'd probably only settle for an Aston Martin or Ferrari, Lambos look shitty.
Ford - I'd only get their diesel trucks.
Dodge - no thanks.

My next car will be an 06 MINI S, looking for practicality (I dont need 4 doors and all that space), good gas milage and a small car I could take to autocross events.

 

Hmm, hard to add anything to what already been said. Most of the biases stated are shared by the masses.

I think many American models are getting better at both efficiency, reliability and utility. They've been well aware of the stigma for three decades and have had plenty of time to give the problem thought. The Pontiac Vibe is particularily impressive, all things being equal I'd take that over a Honda Fit.

The main reason a person shouldn't buy American is that they depreciate rapidly across the board. Generaly cheap cars depreciate much faster than expensive ones but a Ford Taurus/500 depreciates faster than a similar Accord or Camry. If buying American isn't throwing money away then I don't know what is. On the other hand used American models are great throw away cars if you don't mind fixing them yourself; they will break often but parts are readily available for cheap. You can buy a used Dodge Caravan for nothing.

 

I always loved Japanese cars from my rx-7 to 350z to 2g rl. After owning a Ford Explorer I'll probably never buy American again unless it was a z06 or something like that. 1 year of owning a German car has been the most exhilarating automotive experience since my first car (rx-7). It's only 1 year old so reliability has been good so far except for a non-functioning horn and reflash of the engine fan which were both covered under warranty. Oh yeah that and the $500 oil change which fortunately is only required yearly. I still love my Element for what it provides, space, good mileage, and reliability.

So as of right now, German>*

 

Nothing American except a Z 06

 

I would probably not only a german car past 50k without an extended warranty. My granddad has an A6 and he loves it but the cost to keep it up is VERY high. I used to be bad on American cars but my dad has an Avaitor with 70k and no issues. However, thank God its leased because the value is VERY low. The dealer is going to be majorly upside down when the car goes back. Overall I tend to like cars from japan because the majority of the time they go millions of miles with little costs.

 

most people aren't a fan of nissan here, huh?

Acura/Honda- awesome cars for daily drivers, tho some of the new styling (acura line, pilot, element, ridgeline) is crap
Nissan/Infiniti- awesome power/price ratio, tho styling is hit or miss (awesome:GT-R, M35/45, QX56, FX Ugly: Murano, Rogue, Sentra)
Toyota- reliable but would never drive one...esp. the Prius
Lexus- overpriced, def pick infiniti over a lexus

companies i would buy from:
Honda/Acura
Nissan/Infiniti
New GM

companies i wont bother with:
Anything korean
Ford (other than F150 or Ford GT)
Mercedes
Toyota/Lexus

 

I don't mess with American cars, I still think the majority of them aren't as good as the Japanese / German competition.

As a matter of fact, the only American cars that I like are the C6 Vette, and the latest CTS.

I still think German cars are a huge reliability risk.

Oh and Made in Japan >>>>>> Made in America.

 

Camry and Avalon had Navigation since 2002, and 2004.

 

I've only owned Japanese (Honda CRX/Prelude, Acura TSX, Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti G20/QX56, Mazda Miata, and Toyota Camry) and was very hesitant to buy American when we were shopping for the QX, even though the US manufactors have been making SUVs forever. It is interesting, but my parents only buy Japanese since their horrible experience w/an '82 Chevy Malibu. The Camry was a hand-me-down first car and it was bulletproof, despite everything I tried to do to kill it. That sold me on Japanese reliability.

I'm quite certain that we'll be getting a German car in the next few years, but I will likely have lower expectations for reliability than our Japanese cars.

 

I'll never buy a car with bad visibility. The '05 TL drove me nuts. The pillars were too thick and the dash was too high. VERY un-Honda.

I also demand good steering feel. Every car I've had, i've felt connected to the pavement. Can't stand rubbery steering, aka Toyota/Buick

 

My bias, Well I'm a Honda guy from a Honda family. That could always change but there product delivers what it promises. I'm with Ken on the steering/road feel and that's often my complaint when driving other cars. I find GM cars unnerving on the road cause I can't feel a damn thing.

Theres a good chance my next car won't be a Honda/Acura but I will always recommend them.

 

I have a strong anti GM bias due to a lemon chevy (Beretta) I bought in 1987. That didn't stop me from buying a GTO, but of course, that' not REALLY a GM

I guess I will consider any brand, because let's face it - anyone with a half a brain can build a reliable car nowadays - these aren't space shuttles, fer cryin' out loud.

I like my cars to be unique in some way - either limited production (GTO, CL), or do somethings extremely well (miata), or have sweet mods.

Also, has to cut a quarter in 15 sec or less, and can't weigh more than 4,000 lbs.

I also strongly believe that any age car can be desirable if it is well cared for. I still get a woody for old teggys, of they are clean.

If I could drive anything, I would drive an R8. But that will never happen, and besides, I want to drive a whole bunch of different cars, experiencing them all.

 

I am biased against all "American" nameplate minivans and would only consider Japanese or Korean-nameplate minivans.

As for car brands, Toyotas are boring appliances. I wonder why Mercury and Buick exist and I think Saab has obsoleted itself.

I do not want to buy any car in its 1st year of production.

I prefer smaller cars and neither like nor need large cars (Avalon, STS, 300C).

I prefer 200+ hp or more- the heavier the car, the more horsepower > 200- but do not think anything over 350 hp would be useful to me on a daily driver.

 

Cadillac is the only cool American car brand even if it's owned by GM.

Toyota=boring cars
Lexus=nice, but too expensive for what you get, rather get an Audi or Mercedes for the same price
Honda=reliable and cheap to maintain cars, get everything standard
Acura=reliable, cheap to maintain, everything standard, basically a luxury honda with a better warranty and more luxury features
Nissan=builds the great 3.5 VQ engines and has different bold styling not afraid to take risks with their designs
Infiniti=same 3.5 VQ engines, but not good gas mileage, more style and class than Acura, get good value for the money than Lexus, while still having a luxury brand.

 

Interesting thread to say the least!

FYI, all CLs were designed and built in Marysville, Ohio, along with the 2G and up TL, and the same goes for the past few gens of Accords. Its still kinda funny to see people on AZ say they would NEVER get an American car... when they're driving one everyday!

Half the Acuras are more American than some Fords, GMs and Chryslers.... some Fords, GMs and Chryslers are built in Canada, Mexico, Australia, etc.

 

they were assembled in america, but most of the R&D wasn't in north america. and most of the time over 75% of the parts were shipped from japan.

 

Link?

 

What I would do is to make a list of things that you want with each car. Rank them from 1 to 10, and then apply the ranking to the cars. Whoever has the highest ranking wins.

 

Expensive to fix too.

 

After my five minute edit, I remembered that they did, but I rated the power factor and looks factor on the Accord better than the Camry. The Camry, at the time, came with 225 HP and the Accord had 240. The Accord also "felt" a little faster.

The NVH on the Camry was a lot less than the Accord, so in the end, end Accord beat out all other cars by 0.05 (out of 1.00) on my ranking factors.

 

EXACTLY the reason why I picked my 07 AV6 over the 07 TL.

 

^ so can we say people buy the TL for the badge?

 

Only brands I'll avoid like the plague are Chrysler and Ford.

 

Also, unless Im getting European Delivery I will NEVER buy a new car. Ever.

People claim other manufacturers depreciate more than others, and to an extent they are right - but most of it has to do with the car model itself. Even in these gas-conscious times I picked up a car that was 25% off invoice with less than 2,000 miles. I mean, really, its a no brainer.

 

TL looks 6k better than the 7th gen accord.

 

look at the paper that came on your car window.

 

and also the camry hp was way overrated. it really only had 190hp

 

I still prefer cars built in Japan over all others. THe quality is just better and you know its not going to break down on you. Styling-wise, the Germans are making some of the best looking cars out there right now but the price factor is just ridiculous. I don't like most American cars still, but the Z06, CTS, new Camaro, G8, and Enclave are all very nice.

Oh, and I could definitely see myself picking up a Genesis sedan/coupe from Hyundai but those are about the only Korean cars I would have....

 

There were 2 engines offered on the prev gen Camry a 3.0L out of the gate and a 3.3 later on. Are you saying the 3L went from 225 to 190? I thought it was always 190.

I also thought the 3.3 went from 230ish to 215ish after the SAE changed standards.

EDIT: The 3L went from 210 to 190 and the 3.3 from 225 to 210.

 

Yes, I agree. I assigned a 0.15 to the total (out of 1.00) for looks of the car. I gave the TL a 0.15, while the Accord had a 0.09.

Yes the TL, IMO, looks better, but other areas, such as not needing premium fuel, the price, and some other minor areas made the Accord stand out.