Toyota world's 2nd largest automaker???

It has been my life experiece, that automotive reporters,in gneral and automotive magazines in general are strongly biased, rigid, intransigeantly pro-Japanese, incorrigibly anti- American, and uninformed.

MY personal experience with Japanese car owners, is that they are less than open about their car problems. After all, I bought the best vehicle in the world. So my car problem cannot be attributed to my choice of vehicle. Nor, can it be the fault of this best vehicle in the world.
Therefore it was a a fluke and not typical of this best of cars. And, I don't have to mention it to friends because it really doesn't fit the car's image.


Remember:
You can knock a man's religion.
You can knock a man's politics.
You can even question a man's choice of spouse
But never ever question his choice of car.

So you like American cars better than Japanese cars. You're angry because not everyone agrees with you and you think the reason Japanese cars have a better reputation for reliability has to do with a conspiracy between automotive magazines and the owners of Japanese cars.

OK, everyone needs an opinion.

Is there anything you actually wanted to discuss?

Actually, I don't like American cars better than Japanese or European for that maatter. I have owned Japanese, European and American vehicles. But I am not gung ho or hung up on any of the cars by country.

I am generally amazed and frustrated by the average males knowledge of cars. Such as thet belief in the largely discredited statistics of Consumer Reports, the sanctity of the three thousand mile oil change, etc, and most importantly, the reliance on anectdotal information.

I did not say there is a conspiracy, but I did intend to say there's a considrable amount of arrogance in Japanese car owners.

How would the average Japanese car owner fill out the following:

The EPA lists ten top mileage cars including hybrids.
What country has:

Four cars in the top ten_____________

Three cars in the top ten___________

Two cars in the top ten____________

One car in the top ten_______________

(Adrian, I'm bored with the auto threads. I'd like to stir up a hornet's nest)

I've owned 3 toyota camry's, have 2 now that each have over 150,000 miles and the first one died with 215,000 miles. IMO about the best built car ever.

Husker,


Had a 1985 4 cylinder Caravan. Didn't tow 16' boat very well.

Replaced it with an '89 six cylinder Grand Caravan.
Drove it 240,000 miles. Many miles towing boat. No motor or transmission work.

I owned an 1986 Jetta and it went 180,000 miles.

My oldest car now, is a 1996 VW-TDI Passat that has over 250,000 miles and starts and runs pretty much like new.

Recently gave my daughter and her husband my
1989 Dodge Caravan with 240,000 miles. Never had motor or transmission work. It runs like, well it cruises at 75mph. Starts instantly at below zero.

Our newest car is an '04 Chrysler Pacifica. Very, very quiet, luxurious, handles like a sports car. Love it.

Husker, I'm glad to know there are other makes of cars as good as the ones I have owned.

Dodge Caravan - have one of those also - great rig! I tow also!

Recently shopped for a new company car and looked at American cars first, midsize sedans. While American car quality seems to be improving I ended up buying a Camry, made in America yet more solid and refined than American cars. It is a designed in philosophy that the American makers won't or can't wrap their brains around.

Our best brains are making bombs, Space Shuttle's and fancy fighter jets, that could be part of the problem.

One of my personal cars is a 1994 Mazda 626 which 230,000 on it and is driven daily, paint doesn't look too good on the top but I've seen other Mazda's that year with fading paint.