Are Japanese cars so great?

[trinacriabob]

I work with a guy who holds the high mileage claim in our office. He has a 90 Camry 4 cyl with 242,000 miles....original.

Not far behind, I have my 92 Regal 3800 coupe with 221,000 miles. We are the only 2 in the 200,000 mile club.

At any rate, I rode in his car to a job site last week. What a piece of crap. I thought Camries were supposed to ride smoothly, quietly and be well put together. Not this Camry...noisy engine, unremarkable ride and the usual assortment of squeaks and rattles. In short, my Regal runs circles around this car in how quiet and smooth it is.

I got out of his car thinking how glad I am to drive an American vehicle.

[ApolloBoy]

You should try driving my dad's '04 Avalon. It's got a smooth ride, very plush interior, I don't see how you could bash Toyota when they produce stuff like this. And yes, I have driven it.

[Sixty8panther]

ANY car no matter how solid will have showe wear & tear at 240K miles....

But I wil agree that Camrys are WICKED overrated. A frined's dad has a Camry with over 200,000 miles on it and lolves the car... even thoughnti's also falling appart and NO the engine has not been trouble free. He just payed like $1600 to the dealer for repairs just to make it pass emissions in Conn. And he's put THOUSANDS into the car in wear & tear items and repairs in those 200K miles.

Not lke some retarded ad where they imply that their POS 180,000 mile Corolla is still going strong.

If I overpayed by $2000 for a POS econobox and then sunk like $7000 dollars into it over the course of 200,000 miles I'd think the value for my money realy is not that great.

$h! my '86 Fleetwood Brougham cost me about $350 in repairs over the course of a year and it had 185,000 miles when I got rid of it.

[trinacriabob]

You should try driving my dad's '04 Avalon. It's got a smooth ride, very plush interior, I don't see how you could bash Toyota when they produce stuff like this. And yes, I have driven it.

I'm talking models that are slightly up there in age and have a few miles on them.

[Enzora]

If A car's old enough to drive itself and has almost 250,000 miles on it, the only real requirement should be that it runs.

Toyota dependability really isn't anything spectacular anymore. The entire market's too good. At this point, their main edge is better interior materials and smaller panel gaps, something any automaker could do if they made that much profit.

[Satty]

My 95,000 mile 2000 Solara is smoother and quieter than some brand-spankin new GMs I've driven. We had a Nissan Sentra, an '88 I think, that made it to 230,000 miles before running into the back of a pickup. Vinyl seats, manual windows AM/FM/Casette, 5-speed. It fel like it would run forever. Same with out '92 SL2 which has like 250,000 on it now, I'm not sure if its still on the road or not. The thing was mechanically strong, only the interior seemed to be cheaper than the Sentra. And finally, the last 200k car I drove was the '96 Century. Yikes, this thing could be scary. It shook, a lot, at any speeds over 60 and many speeds under 60. A load of cash to re-build the front suspension and guess what, it still shook like crazy. The driver's side of the 60/40 front bench broke and was stuck in a full recline. Sure, the thing would have run forever, but it would not have been ennjoyable, as I like to go the speed limit, or higher, on the highway.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I work with a guy who holds the high mileage claim in our office.  He has a 90 Camry 4 cyl with 242,000 miles....original.

Not far behind, I have my 92 Regal 3800 coupe with 221,000 miles.  We are the only 2 in the 200,000 mile club.

At any rate, I rode in his car to a job site last week.  What a piece of crap.  I thought Camries were supposed to ride smoothly, quietly and be well put together.  Not this Camry...noisy engine, unremarkable ride and the usual assortment of squeaks and rattles.  In short, my Regal runs circles around this car in how quiet and smooth it is.

I got out of his car thinking how glad I am to drive an American vehicle.

LOL>.. Nah it's a MYTH...

Seriously, japanese cars are NO better than domestics and a lot of times are WORSE.... But, thanks to our 'asian humping' culture and a ANTI-Detroit media, the story has been re-written.

I have an '82 Toyota with 235,000 miles... (My family bought it new and has put ALL those miles on it) It runs pretty good and it's also pretty solid. Even though A LOT of mechanical stuff needs to be replaced... The interior has survived well.

On the other hand, I had a '90 Lumina that had close to 240,000 miles on it. Got EXXXXCELLENT fuel mileage and was MUCH smoother than the Toyota and ran great. BUT the interior was a mess. (thanks to the sun) And it needed new shocks in the rear.

Now, the '82 is a much simpler car, so it shouldn't be as hard to make last as the Lumina... On the other hand, the Lumina was a much YOUNGER car..

The Lumina definately felt more solid but the Toyota has been a VERY good car and holds a special place in my heart. (Don't tell anyone though)

In reality, I don't think you can buy a BAD car anymore... But the MYTH that Detroit sucks is alive and well (deliberately)

[Cory Wolfe]

Not entirely, but for the most part... excluding Toyota, that is. But more or less... it's because they happen to be the only ones that build vehicles I'd want to own without hesitation. If it had not been for GM always holding Pontiac back and the reliability problems that indirectly came with it... My next car wouldn't be an import. I blame GM. Bad GM... very bad. Go sit in the corner... Now. Your punishment is losing a used car sale to me.

[Flybrian]

GM (nor any automaker) ever 'loses' a used car sale. Perhaps whatever you spend on service, extended warranty, and parts, but otherwise...no. No loss.

[Cory Wolfe]

GM (nor any automaker) ever 'loses' a used car sale. Perhaps whatever you spend on service, extended warranty, and parts, but otherwise...no. No loss.

Sarcasm... Irony... two great things. Yeah...

[ocnblu]

My mom's '00 Echo went through 5 HVAC fan resistors (with no further investigation from the Toyota service department, seems awful coincidental) in the time she had it. The driver's window fell off the track. An emissions sensor went bad to the tune of $350 out of her pocket. When she got rid of it, it needed front suspension parts replaced, and it still had less than 40k miles.

So far on the Cobalt with 3200 miles, the cloth on the door trim panels has come away from the cup you put your hand in to pull the door closed, due to normal flexing of the trim panel, and the cloth being cut too short in that area (I've seen this on every base model Cobalt in a customer's hands I've looked at). GM sent a TSB out to put cups in with a wider rim to cover the area... but that didn't work for my mom, hers were so far out... so she's getting new door trim panels. Also, the radio has gone into "lock" mode twice so far, for no reason. She has to pull over, shut off the car, and restart it for the radio to work.

Colorado update: at two years old and 30k miles, I have a blown speaker and the volume button on the radio no longer is lit at night, so I'm taking it in for a radio exchange and a speaker replacement soon.

Edited January 29, 2006 by ocnblu

[LosAngeles]

You should try driving my dad's '04 Avalon. It's got a smooth ride, very plush interior, I don't see how you could bash Toyota when they produce stuff like this. And yes, I have driven it.

The newbie needs more mileage on this site.....

[Drew Dowdell]

'04 CTS, 30,000 miles, no problems, still have this

Also had the following up to:

'94 Cutlass Convertible, 160,000 miles, Alternator replaced at 117k

'83 Caprice Classic 145,000 miles, broken stabilizer bar mount <thanks PennDot>, broken ignition wire

'85 Toronado, 169,000 miles, heater core and radiator

[razoredge]

If its not a mid size or larger Buick, Oldsmobile or Pontiac.......its sucks......just get use to it and deal with it..............

[Bimmer325]

'01 IS300 w/ 47k miles. Not a single problem as of yet.

[AAS]

I don't have any comments for imports with high milage, but here are some observations anyways.

I once hit my head on $hit handle, trying to get into a sequoia.

Last summer I rode in my aunt's crv and the dash was soooo close to my knees (yes the seat was as far down and back as it went) that I felt like the slightest tap on the brakes would mean shattered knee caps.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

My dad owns a Indigo Blue Metallic '98 Chevy S-10 LS with a 2.2 liter 4-knocker and a 5-speed manual.

The truck is very mechanically sound at 151,677 miles. Still has the original clutch as a matter of fact. And that's the truck he used to learn how to drive a manual with. The only thing that had to be replaced was the exhaust system - and that was a recall.

Asthetically, it's somewhat sound. Most of the radio panel (the whole 1,2, etc. buttons) no longer lights up at night. A handle used to recline the seats has broken off and the defroster vent cover is breaking. The cruise control no longer works because the stalk tip that holds the switch has broken off completely.

Edited January 30, 2006 by YellowJacket894

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I am currently involved with a 1984 Buick Park Avenue that has 260,000 miles on it. Runs like a new car but uses a lot of gas. The body is pretty good. well,,, at least what you can see. Its rusted under the doors and a little around the rear wheelwells. The interior is practiclly like new. The cruise control and A/C dont work anymore but did when my sister bought it 4 years ago. It still can be trusted to drive most anywhere. Figure it survived 22 Wisconsin winters. Most imports are rusted to the point where they are unsafe way before this.

[NeonLX]

My neighbor is on a third auto tranny in his "flawless" Accord. He also had the windshield fall out after going over a rough railroad crossing.

His next car? Another Honda because they build perfect cars.

[Flybrian]

~104k-mile 2000 Bonneville SSEi whose problems have included a burnt-out taillamp bulb, a burnt-out license plate bulb, the HVAC condenser (warranty), and exterior window sill molding that seems to wear quickly - no discoloration, just a grainy plastic feel.

Of course, this is one of those gadget-laden piece of junk American sedans with gizmos that fry out all the time, except they haven't. Ever. Maybe Mercedes or BMW could tear down one to see how to do electronics right.

[AAS]

~104k-mile 2000 Bonneville SSEi...

Fly: It's nice to hear that your SSEi is going strong! Our 1992 SSEi went for about 80k, but had problems with interference/misalignment of the screws/blades in the supercharger because the bearings in the nose cone went out. Chances are this was caused by my driving style at the time, but non-GM mechanics told us that the nose cone required replacement every 30k. I never read anywhere in the manual nor heard anything from GM tech's about any special service for the 3800 SC. Oh well...

[Bimmer325]

Does anyone know if the previous-generation Impala is known for having issues with the door handles breaking off? I've seen countless Impalas missing door handles, and actually broke one off myself while entering an Impala earlier this year. The owner said it wasn't uncommon.

[DBeaSSt]

Thought I'd throw my slightly b-body biased views in here. :AH-HA_wink:

1996 Buick Roadmaster Wagon - 217,xxx With the exception of the drivers seat heater (grrrr) EVERYTHING still works. Needs a tuneup though, gas mileage is starting to suffer a bit. Engine runs smooth as silk though.

1991 Olds Custom Cruiser - 198,xxx Check my sig for what this car had been through. Just got it inspected and tagged. Runs GREAT. Let's see a 'little car' take that and keep going.

2002 Olds Alero (sold) - 75,xxx Repairs? What repairs? One set of front brake pads, one set of tires, oil changes. That's it.

2003 Buick Century - 78,xxx Had front ABS sensor replaced a couple months ago. Front brakes, tires and oil changes.

I could go on.....

Oh, wait!

1996 TOYota Tercel - (sold thank goodness) 90,xxx Had the usual, brakes, tires, etc. Also replaced brake master cylinder around 75,xxx. Arm rest constantly falling apart.

Okay, I'm done.... for now....

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Does anyone know if the previous-generation Impala is known for having issues with the door handles breaking off?  I've seen countless Impalas missing door handles, and actually broke one off myself while entering an Impala earlier this year.  The owner said it wasn't uncommon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My mom owns a charcoal grey '04 Impala. So far, the door handles haven't broken off. But, our model has a very, very stupid feature: no key hole on the front passenger side door. What a friggen stupid idea. That and the mo' fo' has a cassette deck. Yeah, didn't know they still made those in '04 either.

[Ravenfreak13]

same with many chrysler products, no one wants a casette player anymore...(well except maybe MC Hammer)!

Edited January 31, 2006 by Ravenfreak13

[Paolino]

My mom owns a charcoal grey '04 Impala. So far, the door handles haven't broken off. But, our model has a very, very stupid feature: no key hole on the front passenger side door. What a friggen stupid idea. That and the mo' fo' has a cassette deck. Yeah, didn't know they still made those in '04 either.

same with many chrysler products, no one wants a casette player anymore...(well except maybe MC Hammer)!

Many Toyota vehicles still give you the cassette player with the CD player or changer. My friend's 04 Prius and his wife's 05 Corolla, both have 6-CD changers w/ cassette players. His 01 Lexus had one with the CD changer... seems to be a common thing for them. I say keep 'em. I still pop in a tape once in a blue moon when I need to laugh at myself singing drunk karaoke.

[TurboRush]

I don't have any comments for imports with high milage, but here are some observations anyways.

I once hit my head on $hit handle, trying to get into a sequoia.

Last summer I rode in my aunt's crv and the dash was soooo close to my knees (yes the seat was as far down and back as it went) that I felt like the slightest tap on the brakes would mean shattered knee caps.

oh my lord... I've thought the same thing when driving my aunt's CRV... the gas was very sensitive and the brake pedal had long travel before it would cick in the brakes...due to worn brake pads. With the dash feeling so close to your knees it made it that much harder not to press on the gas harder and go almost all the way down on the brake pedal

Edited January 31, 2006 by TurboRush

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Many Toyota vehicles still give you the cassette player with the CD player or changer.  My friend's 04 Prius and his wife's 05 Corolla, both have 6-CD changers w/ cassette players.  His 01 Lexus had one with the CD changer... seems to be a common thing for them.  I say keep 'em.  I still pop in a tape once in a blue moon when I need to laugh at myself singing drunk karaoke. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, no. Let me clairify. There is no CD player to it whatsoever. Just a cassette deck. And its useless.

My dad's/my Dakota has a CD/Cassette player like the Toyota's you've described there. That's actually a great feature to have. If you have old cassettes you'd like to play, you don't have to sacrafice having a CD player to do so. Hell, a feature like that should be standard; no questions asked.

[ToniCipriani]

My Cavalier was trouble-free till the moment I returned it. It had 44k kms on it, if I remember correctly. Minus some stupid problems though.

[Ravenfreak13]

my 98 saturn sl1 has had 2 problems. it needed a new battery($68) and some new censors($400 total)

it only has 29,000 miles on it though

[trinacriabob]

Really happy to hear of great experiences with GM cars. Their strong point seem to be the powertrains with most of you citing how smoothly your engines are running in the high mileage ranges.

In fact, I still think about the M/T article where they pitted the (then new) Intrigue against a Camry and a Maxima and the Intrigue got the nod. Everyone I have ever talked to at a gas station or a dealership loves their Intrigue and some had transferred over from foreign brands.

At over 220,000 miles, my engine oil comes out gold and last week the tranny fluid (during a servicing) was pink with no abnormalities/shavings reported in the pan. Some of you have only talked about some trim issues and an electric glitch or two. That's primarily what I have had as my car nears 14 years of service. Why buy foreign? I don't get it.

[76ChevyTrucker]

All right, where do I begin. Awww screw it, I'll go through the fleet's problems (or lack thereof).

1976 Chevy (Mine): 212,000 miles on it, 3rd GENERATION owner/driver, Engine rebuilt at 190,000 miles (both head gaskets blew, otherwise the engine was spotless) transmission rebuilt at 150,000 miles and 28 years, original U-joints replaced at 190k along with the engine, couple of sets of front pads, only changed the back shoes once, turned the front rotors once, rebuilt the rear brake system (wheel cylinders, hardware, ect) at about 78,000 and 26 years, replaced the master cylinder, couple of fuel pumps, spark plugs, wires, distributor caps, rotor buttons, you know normal stuff....that's all for that one.

2001 Chevy Impala: 107,000 miles Second Owner Front pads, turned the front rotors, rear pads, plugs, wires, filters....a water pump (didn't need replacing, but I thought I heard a squeal coming from it), belt tensioner pulley (did have a squeal coming from it) and a serpentine belt.....I think a burned out brake light...maybe....

1989 Chevy S10 Blazer: 175,000 miles One Owner, front pads, rear shoes, rear drums/hardware, water pump, distributor cap, rotor button (no spark plugs, no wires, all orignal parts) driver's side window motor, belts, hoses, batteries, lights, the "normal" items that are bound to go bad over the years, otherwise NOTHING else.

1983 Chevrolet C20: 286,315 miles on the odometer, my grandfather is the second owner, no mechanical problems, only spark plugs have been replaced, NOTHING else except for oil, air, fuel, and transmission filters...that's it.

Well those are my big-mileage vehicles, and as you can see, no big problems, most of the work was on the '76 simply because there were a lot of modifications and customizations on it that can't really count as mechanical difficulties.

[CARBIZ]

The 2004 Impala did have a standard Cd player. Cassettes were only available in conjunction with a Cd/cassette combo. Sounds like someone switched the radio.

[Cory Wolfe]

Am I cursed or something? 2 out of 3 GM vehicles sitting in my driveway are POS's. Considering the mileage they have (121k and somewhere around 50k, I think)...

[Flybrian]

The 2004 Impala did have a standard Cd player. Cassettes were only available in conjunction with a Cd/cassette combo.  Sounds like someone switched the radio.

Retail perhaps, but probably not fleet. I had a 2005 base Impala with cassette deck only.

[I hope GMRULES again]

'04 CTS, 30,000 miles, no problems, still have this

Also had the following up to:

'94 Cutlass Convertible, 160,000 miles, Alternator replaced at 117k

'83 Caprice Classic 145,000 miles, broken stabilizer bar mount <thanks PennDot>, broken ignition wire

'85 Toronado, 169,000 miles, heater core and radiator

All you did to your 94 Cutlass was an alternator? I have a 91 with 130k and have changed tons of stuff.

[Whistler]

I work with a guy who holds the high mileage claim in our office.  He has a 90 Camry 4 cyl with 242,000 miles....original.

Not far behind, I have my 92 Regal 3800 coupe with 221,000 miles.  We are the only 2 in the 200,000 mile club.

At any rate, I rode in his car to a job site last week.  What a piece of crap.  I thought Camries were supposed to ride smoothly, quietly and be well put together.  Not this Camry...noisy engine, unremarkable ride and the usual assortment of squeaks and rattles.  In short, my Regal runs circles around this car in how quiet and smooth it is.

I got out of his car thinking how glad I am to drive an American vehicle.

Camrys never got their quiet, smooth, well put together reputation until the 1992 redesign. Before that they were nothing special, the Lumina and Taurus were better in the early 90s... but the 1992 changed all that and is what made Toyota the benchmark. It blew the Lumina and Accord out of the water, and the entire 1996 Taurus redesign was a direct response to the 92 Camry.

Camrys (and most imports) are good cars... its stupid to underestimate them. Thats what got Detroit in trouble in the 80s. What they need to do is accept the fact that the Japs make good cars and match/exceed them. GM and Ford are finally doing this.

Edited February 1, 2006 by Whistler

[Whistler]

My mom owns a charcoal grey '04 Impala. So far, the door handles haven't broken off. But, our model has a very, very stupid feature: no key hole on the front passenger side door. What a friggen stupid idea. That and the mo' fo' has a cassette deck. Yeah, didn't know they still made those in '04 either.

I just hooked up XM in my car not too long ago and I WISH I had a casette deck...

Sure, nobody LISTENS to cassettes anymore, but cassette based car kits come in handy. I have to listen to XM throught the &#036;h&#33;ty FM modulator now because I don't have an XM ready headunit or cassette deck to plug the car kit into .