^ are you a closet ricer j/k? I love hondas. My first car was Honda Accord, and I had 3 hondas after that. They are more reliable than VWs! But once you had vw, you'll never go back.
But that would still make Japanese cars more interesting, as, at least historically, they got more output out of less power (actually, I think in general and historically American cars are more stylish than Japanese ones.)
I partially agree with you here 96Squig, they do get "more output out of less power" but so does a toaster and more to the point, who really wants to be caught in a Japanese car? Seems they're an excuse more than anything else. Driving a Japanses car makes you apologize a lot... Foreign cars in general are like that... Driving American cars is patriotic. Mr. Bill Cosby said it best ("200 MPH" comedy album), "Your're an American aren't ya? Well drive an American car!" There are myriad new American cars available to cater to every transport need; there is absolutely no need to drive a Japanese car unless you like to apologise... American cars offer the best value and range, between hybrids, SUVs, luxury, and are patriotic as well... I myself am partial to the Dodge family; both old and new.... Charger "Gen. Lee" New Charger Daytona Nothing Made in Japan will rival those...
So how about all those Japanese cars being built in America? Your jingoistic bullshit about "buy American" is about twenty years behind the curve.
Not at all... Go to these countries and see what types of cars the wealthy drive: American Cars! That is why Detroit's most profitable region now is its overseas market. A few links follow to back up this assertion... Who Killed the American Car? Nobody! http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4220155.html Desolate headlines late last week cried for the death of Detroit’s hold on the auto industry, as imports topped American cars in overall U.S. sales for the first time ever. Our veteran Detroit editor says that’s no shocker—just a natural growth of the global economy that overshadows some of the world’s best cars being made right here by the Big Three. Overseas sales help GM profits thrive http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/07/31/overseas_sales_help_gm_profits_thrive/ General Motors has had its third profitable quarter in a row, thanks largely to consumers overseas... Ford gains,Toyota slips in quality survey http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/AUTO01/710170333/1148 Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News Toyota Motor Corp. tumbled to third place in Consumer Reports' annual quality survey, while Ford Motor Co. narrowed its gap with the Japanese, leaving the other domestic car manufacturers in the dust. The days of Japanese cars are over; American new-found quality combined with Detroit's new emphasis on fuel efficiency and its lead with hybrid cars mean that Detroit's future is assured. You're an American...Buy an American car!!! But speaking directly to the topic of this thread, in terms of new found quality and cost, an American car is a better value today than anything from Japan. The stats coming out back up that assertion. Five years ago that was not the case; today it is.
And we've been hearing that bullshit for the last 25 years, too. I can point to a whole lot of JD Power awards given over the last two decades for cars that were absolute shit on toast.
You totally got my posting wrong though. What american car makers today is crap compared to many Japanese or European manufactors (this is based on gut feeling, not on actual numbers, so it's strictly subjective). I drove a new Jeep Grand Cherokee this summer, and the handling was just too soft, compared to the German SUVs. So should I only buy German cars because I am German? This kind of thinking would hurt the US still more than other countries. Coca Cola and Mc Donalds are still a cornerstones of American wealth and reputation in the world. At the other hand, apart from the Chrysler group, which is probably the most American centered car manufacturer and hence has way smaller sale number abroad, neither Ford nor GM export a decent number of cars overseas, they just manufacture them here.