Quote:
Originally Posted by m4a1mustang
The short answer is no.
The long answer...
People always say they break down all the time but that simply isn't the case. Even the old ones. What really doomed the American car company's image was that awful period from the late 70s / early 80s to the mid/late 90s where they used to have the crappiest interiors you could ever imagine. Mechanically, though, they have always been very sound, especially if you maintain them properly.
Nowadays there is no difference in quality or reliability across really all of the mainstream car makes. Manufacturing tolerances are so close these days you can expect just about any car to live a long and happy life so long as you keep up with regular maintenance.
These days it's all hyperbole. A Ford is no more or less reliable than a Nissan which is no more or less reliable than a Mercedes which is no more or less reliable than a Honda... etc. Now some might be more expensive to repair, but that's another story.  |
Go into a low-rent part of town and what do you see? A bunch of 70's and 80's Nissan's cruising around? NO. You see Monte Carlos, Crown Vic's, Delta 88's, etc. You won't find many of the 80's imports still alive on the maintenance (or lack) they receive there. Those old American cars may not be refined, but damned if they don't still get from A to B.