That was the corny old Buick advertising line. But has the recent quality snafu of Japanese car makers changed your perception of Japanese cars being of higher quality than American cars?

1970 Buick GSX



Japan

Vs



America

Working in the auto industry for 25 years, I never believed that japanes cars were better than US cars. Until fairly recently, most Japanese cars were deathtraps when involved in accidents. They were underpowered turds and plain looking.

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

Here's my first car; a 1969 Camaro 327 except mine had a custom flat black hood with 13" Mickey Thompson specials on a lugged up rear to allow for them, and wide ovals on the front. It also had a black interior and I added a Holly 4 barrel carb and dual glass packs to the exhaust. It roared and was so intimidating, some true muscle cars refused to take me on.



Imagine this in yellow and it's what mine looked like from below with the wide tires on the back and the narrow tires on the front. It was a sight to behold as it purred down Main Street.

Now, you're talking.... although if you're front wheels are up that high, your suspension isn't set up right.

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

I never pulled a wheely with mine, it didn't have that kind of horse power, but those Mickey Thompson Specials gave me a definite advantage as my opponents laid down 40 feet of rubber in a couple of gears as I just grabbed the road and left them in the dust.

I had a 94 Red Z28 until recently that I drove occasionally in the summer. It ran 10.90's in the 1/4 mile @ 125mph and would pull the front wheels about 6" off the ground at the starting line. When I stopped cruising on weekends and became a fanatical bass fisherman, I sold it to some kid in Hawaii. He paid big bucks to have it shipped from MI to Hawaii.

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

A 2.5 litre Nissan skyline can pull far more power than the big V8 engines in American cars.

__________________
When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing—they believe in anything
G.K.Chesterton

From:Kevin Trenberth U.S climate expert.
Date:Mon,12 Oct,2009

The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't.
(In an email debate over a BBC report on the apparent dip in global warming since 2001)

I won't even rent an American car, let alone buy one. I have no faith in American automakers.

LOL. I used to eat ricers for lunch. My son and I went to an Import vs Domestic drag race in Mid-Michigan a few years back. My son had been trading posts on a racing forum with ricers that thought they had fast cars. They said that there would be lots of fast imports at the race, so we brought out my son’s twin-turbo street legal Camaro to race them. After watching some pitiful qualifying passes by ricers with best times in the 11’s, my son did the unexpected. He called out the fastest motorcycles to race him. There were ½ dozen Hyabusas there, but only one took the challenge. My son smoked him by three carlengths.
At the end of the official race, we were approached by the promoter and asked if we’d run the winner of the event, a turbocharged ricer. We agreed, spotted it 6 carlengths and passed it well before the 1/8mile.
The moral of the story: Every kid in a ricer thinks it’s fast until it runs against American muscle.

So, how’s that Toyota working for you? Or was your Honda just recently recalled? Or did the frame snap in your Toyota Tundra pick up?

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

My Tacoma is just fine, thank you. No problems at all. I expect to drive it 500,000 miles.

My Honda's doing fine, too. It's my fourth. My previous Accord went 375,000 miles before I gave it to my son.

Try doing either with an American car.

Here's a public awareness bulletin for you in case your Tacoma is one of the trucks with its farme falling apart:
Funny, I don't "recall" (pun intended) any comparable announcements being made about the Ford F-150.

As for your Accord, I'm guessing that you don't live in the salt belt because if you did, your Accord would be considerably lighter after the fenders rusted off well before 375k miles. LOL...

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

RK tuning is just down the road from me.
2.6 litre r32 950bhp 9.46 @ 148


If you want to find a fast Jap car the last place to look is the States.
Skylines are expensive to buy and maintain there .
Just as wont find many fast American straight liners here.
No point.
You just never met the right ricers
__________________

__________________
When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing—they believe in anything
G.K.Chesterton

From:Kevin Trenberth U.S climate expert.
Date:Mon,12 Oct,2009

The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't.
(In an email debate over a BBC report on the apparent dip in global warming since 2001)

Son's first Camaro ran 8.78 @ 161mph.
Our current streetable project will dip into the high 7's at ~190mph, so bring it on, I ain't skarred.

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)

Richard Nobles rocket car ...speed of sound..

__________________
When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing—they believe in anything
G.K.Chesterton

From:Kevin Trenberth U.S climate expert.
Date:Mon,12 Oct,2009

The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't.
(In an email debate over a BBC report on the apparent dip in global warming since 2001)

Thrust SSC, which broke the sound barrier, was jet-powered, Bloodhound SSC will have a jet AND rocket engine. He's shooting for 1000mph this time.

__________________
"The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

"We had the machine scared and scrambling, and for them it is just the beginning of an election year filled with surprises. They will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere -- and now they know it." Senator Scott Brown (R MA)