Is one brand of car really better than the other???

If you are talking reliability and durability, yes there is a huge difference from one manufacturer to the other. JD Powers publishes a report every year on this very subject. Here is the one for 2016:

2016 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) by Make | J.D. Power

Some brands come on top year after year, Porshe comes to mind. Some brands are at the bottom every year (ahem! Mini).

Some of the quality issues are also easy to see. Look at cars on the road, some brands are showing a lot more rust than others. Mazda comes to mind. I did a detail on a Mazda for the first time 2 weeks ago, while I was polishing the roof, the metal panel kept bending and flexing even with no pressure other than the weight on my Rupes Bigfoot 21ES on it. That to me is really cheap, construction, no wonder they don't last. The car was a 2010 and the paints was in horrible shape. I did not even dare clay it, there were perforation all over the roof and hood where primer was showing. I am talking whole sections of the panel, not just a few rock chips. I put some Essence polish on it then added Reload sealant. This should help but that paint is in really bad shape and unless the owner really protects it periodically, it will start to rust.

So yes, if you are in the market to purchase a new car, do consult reliability reports, they will help you avoid brands that don't offer any quality in their products. Some manufacturer work really hard to make decent cars, all you have to do is find out who they are.
 
Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet are pretty much it at the moment.
 
When considering reliability data you have to examine how the data is collected and weighted. As an example-- Some organizations (J.D. Powers comes to mind) weight poor blue tooth performance the same as a failed transmission.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Yes.

Classic Chevy trucks are the best.

Now that this discussion is settled and we've all come to a concensus I might as well close this thread.

:laughing:
Click to expand...

I did laugh really hard at this

When my wife was looking for a new car, we tried out a bunch of different car's that met our price range and what we needed, some we found wre just cheaply made and the hole "lifetime no maintanance" gimick really pissed me off with one car company so much as I wanted nothing to do with it, All in all we settled on car that fitted everything we wanted as well as looked great, so no there not all the same there all designed different and have different features and price ranges
 
my criteria is simple...drive what my mechanic drives.....he has Toyotas, I have Toyotas......two in the garage currently...no complaints
 
Of the three.. Ford, then Ford, then Ford. Then Chevy if you choose very carefully. And never Hyundai unless it's a free loaner. This in no way is based on my personal preference but has been scientifically proven.

I'll say that I bought my first Audi (A4) when they offered a 5yr 50k all-inclusive warranty (that covered everything but tires). I reached the limit of the warranty in only 2 years because I loved driving the car so much. In that time frame the only thing that I needed to have replaced was the brakes. And I don't recall having to do much more in the next 50k miles. So yeah, some cars are better than others.
 
well thats based on what i like, miles, and price.. if i could get an Audi, i would. ha
 
FYI, Ford didn't do so well on the JD Power Dependability survey linked to above.
 
ski2 said:
When considering reliability data you have to examine how the data is collected and weighted. As an example-- Some organizations (J.D. Powers comes to mind) weight poor blue tooth performance the same as a failed transmission.
Click to expand...

JD Powers rate vehicles on 4 criteria. You can decide what is most important to you. For me it's Drivetrain reliability then the rest. I would rather have an accessory break than the transmission or engine ;)
 
This is one debate that could go on forever but will doubt get someone all Pi$$ed off for sure. Here's my take, I had an 07' MINI Cooper S that was the biggest POS ever, got it brand new and nothing but trouble with it. I had 2 Honda's afterwards, ZERO problems with them, both brand new (got out of one because I couldn't stand NOT having 3 pedals anymore) My buddy Derek0609 and his wife bought a brand new Dodge Journey with the V6 and with 250 miles on it it developed an oil leak. That went from a rear main seal to an engineer coming out from Auburn Hills to determine it needed a new engine, LOL! Since then nothing but trouble, now the Bluetooth system doesn't work and as anyone can attest, once you've had that in a car its a must, total garbage.

I agree about quality needing to be better because of the competition but at the end of the day its all about engineering and bean counters, Honda's are engineered to last from the get go. Look at it like this, would you buy a 100K Civic or Corolla or a 100K Cobalt or Focus, something to think about?
 
Klasse Act said:
This is one debate that could go on forever but will doubt get someone all Pi$$ed off for sure. Here's my take, I had an 07' MINI Cooper S that was the biggest POS ever, got it brand new and nothing but trouble with it. I had 2 Honda's afterwards, ZERO problems with them, both brand new (got out of one because I couldn't stand NOT having 3 pedals anymore) My buddy Derek0609 and his wife bought a brand new Dodge Journey with the V6 and with 250 miles on it it developed an oil leak. That went from a rear main seal to an engineer coming out from Auburn Hills to determine it needed a new engine, LOL! Since then nothing but trouble, now the Bluetooth system doesn't work and as anyone can attest, once you've had that in a car its a must, total garbage.

I agree about quality needing to be better because of the competition but at the end of the day its all about engineering and bean counters, Honda's are engineered to last from the get go. Look at it like this, would you buy a 100K Civic or Corolla or a 100K Cobalt or Focus, something to think about?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately American manufacturers have a history of putting out bad products. It has improved in the past decades but they are still not up to Japanese quality. Some models are better that others but on average you are getting a lesser product. The sad part is that there used to be a price gap between American vehicles and Japanese ones so even if you were buying a Ford and it was lesser quality, at least it was much cheaper so you could still get good value. I purchased a car last year, wanted a small car so my choices were between the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta among others. Well, the Ford was much more expensive than the other 2. It's more fun to drive being a hot hatchback and all, but it's not as reliable and not as well equipped at the same price point. Finally decided to go with the Rio based on the price, warranty (amazing warranty from Kia) and equipment that came with the model I chose.

As a second point I have a Dodge Caravan for my detailing business. Purchased it used, it's a 2005. Did research before purchase and the major issues with that model are rust in the bottom panels, a badly designed water pump metal hose that rusts and needs to be replaced frequently and some other minor things. So I replaced the metal hose myself, at minimum cost and had the rust removed, rocker panels replaced and had the van repainted... that was last year. This year, it's already starting to rust again despite the fact I had it rust proofed and garaged it for the winter. It's just very poor engineering, water gets in places it should not go and stay there rusting the panels. When I am done with this van the next one will be a Honda or Toyota for sure.
 
brettS4 said:
And never Hyundai unless it's a free loaner. This in no way is based on my personal preference but has been scientifically proven.
Click to expand...

Our Entourage has been stellar. Bought it at 4k and 4 mo. old and now with almost 105k miles and nearly 10yrs it's been great. 1 set of brakes, 2 sets of tires, power steering pump and an AC Compressor. I've kept up on the tranny fluid and coolant, etc. but nothing major or even bad has gone wrong. Runs great and looks great too. Best $19k spent on a vehicle.
 
brettS4 said:
And never Hyundai unless it's a free loaner. This in no way is based on my personal preference but has been scientifically proven.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you are talking about new or old models, but i am on my 3rd Hyundai (2 Genesis and Tucson) and had zero issues with them. Unlike my Infiniti, BMW, Ford that always had issues. One thing after another..
 
swanicyouth said:
Well, this can be a debate nobody can win.

However, I will tell you if you have to work on your own cars there is a huge difference.

I've owned multiple BMWs and are quite familiar with working on them. Compared to my Nissan, it's a huge difference.

1. Fasteners are of better quality. This is significant for me. Bolts don't strip and oxidize as easy.

2. Parts are machined better, fit better, and are generally more robust.

3. You can take an air box of a BMW 100 times and put it back and it will fit perfectly every time. Nissan - Not so much.

4. Exhausts on a BMW hardly ever rust through. Manifolds don't crack. Nissan - exhaust May last 100k if your lucky.

Etc...
Click to expand...

In AZ. BMW plastic is known to crumble lol.


All cars are pretty darn reliable nowadays.

I prefer my Fords though.
 
I know I'm late to this thread, but I think a lot of the quality also stems from ensuring you are maintaining the vehicle properly. Now it seems American manufacturers are making a huge push to restore quality, and I think that is slowly starting to show.

I just traded in my 2006 Altima with 185,000 miles on it and I never had a single issue with it that wasn't caused by me or slip up by a mechanic :xyxthumbs:

I now have a 2015 Chrysler 300S because I like the car, it's bigger, and to me it looks really good. Only time will tell about quality, but maintaining it properly with regular intervals will ensure you're controlling everything you can to extend the life of your car.

I saw a comment about comparing a Nissan to BMW, and personally I have seen the opposite. My wife had a 2002 3 series (can't remember the specific model) and it had way more issues than my nissan ever did with less miles.

So, ultimately do whatever you can to preserve your vehicles and usually they will return the favor with the exception of normal wear and tear. Also, keep in mind that the more options you have on a car the more items can potentially fail. Forced induction engine? More heat introduced. Sun/Moon roof? More seals/gaskets to wear and leak. That list can go on and on... So... get what you will like and enjoy driving, and do your best to take care of it. Unfortunately you will have to just find out for yourself personally on the car you buy if it will last a while or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top