Quote:
Originally Posted by WildBillyT
I think the fact that they are American vehicles lends people to give them a lot less rope.
Example:
I know somebody with a Civic Si with the weird shift issue (where you can't push it into 3rd because the trans synchros are poorly designed). He changed the fluid to some form of Amsoil synthetic and is just dealing with the issue. As a matter of fact, a lot of owners of that car are taking it in stride. If it had been an American car there would be a huge deal about how much the manufacturer sucks and how they can't build a good car.
Toyota pickups had a similar deal. I know somebody who owned one of the Tacomas with the frame rust issue. I crawled under it (a '99) and the frame rails looked worse than the ones on my '69 when I first got it. I could push my finger through the frame. But that driver, and many others, still liked the Tacoma and would be willing to buy another one in spite of the fact that it rusted away in less than 10 years.
Both of these are big issues that would have a big impact on brand image and consumer confidence if it wasn't for the fact that these aren't American cars.
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I'm familiar with the Tacoma rust issue, and yea its pretty big
. The other one though I never heard about, but maybe its because I was never on any honda boards.
I won't say how other people judge cars, because I do not speak for other people, I'll just speak about my experiences. My mother had no preconceived notions about American cars - Ford was the first car she owned (well my dad owned it but it was shared, you know) and it was the last. I can tell you that with that particular car they had experienced
more problems than Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Nissan Sentra, and Cadillac SRX COMBINED. Besides Caddy, all the other cards were leased, and have NEVER had one problem, never seen the inside of the dealership after they were bought.
The only car to rival Ford in breaking down would be my F-body
but it's old so I don't judge it as harsh as I would a brand new lease car.
Just like I said before, one bad experience can forever ruin something for you. At least to some people.