this thread will be 1 billion pages (imports vs domestics)
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Originally Posted by stealthtrueno
its not really the high revving, its just being able to have the throttle open for long periods of time. i just dont feel safe clutch kicking a ka endlessly. the 4ag will take it all day.
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Originally Posted by BigBadBuick
:yawn: I'm not reading all the responses, nor am I going to play. Cars are all pieces of shit, cars all break. I have a lifetime of loving/following cars and 5 years in the business to back what I say. Everybody can argue until they are blue in the face why theirs is better, then it will break...................
jfwy, man.
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"They were crying when their sons left, God is wearing black. Hes gone so far to find no hope, hes never coming back. They were crying when their sons left, all young men must go. Hes come so far to find the truth hes never going home."
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Given that the muscle car is by and large perceived by us americans as the ultimate type of sports car, americans have expected their cars to be powerful and large displacement with little care given to handling. This perpetuates itself because the public demands it.
I don't think the domestic car makers want to stifle change. They experiment when times permit and they can afford to. If you think back through the years americans have tried all sorts of neat stuff. Most of the cars that departed from the norm we miserable failures. So guess what? They stick with what's tried and true.
I do agree that they make progress. Albeit slow, I have noticed some really great ideas coming out of detroit lately. They jumped onto hybrids en masse and it paid off. I can't express how excited I am about the GM kappa platform. If it's a success there should be a lot more cars like it. If it fails then there will probably be some other muscle type of car. Something familiar that will bring in cash.
Now think about how the ideas for japanese cars originate. They live in a country where you're heavily taxed for the size of your engine. They make small turbocharged/high compression engines because that's the only feasible way to make power. Not to mention that as a society they are obsessed with efficiency and their cars reflect this attitude.
An average japanese person with a 5000cc V8 would probably have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year to keep their car registered. Not to mention paying around 3 times what we pay for fuel. This is why most people drive 500cc to 2000cc compacts. Since most japanese cars are smaller they tend to handle more responsively and make better use of small amounts of power. The market demanded the qualities so that's where most of the advancements were made. Sound familiar?
It would be really hard for american companies make a compact and nimble sports car. And I think any attempt made at a muscle car by the japanese would be a joke.
So I guess in short, I think they are the same. They are good at what they know and suck at what they have little experience with. Maybe one day quality will be even in all areas?
This is all my opinion and I could be completely wrong what ever that means.
thanks,
I don't think the domestic car makers want to stifle change. They experiment when times permit and they can afford to. If you think back through the years americans have tried all sorts of neat stuff. Most of the cars that departed from the norm we miserable failures. So guess what? They stick with what's tried and true.
I do agree that they make progress. Albeit slow, I have noticed some really great ideas coming out of detroit lately. They jumped onto hybrids en masse and it paid off. I can't express how excited I am about the GM kappa platform. If it's a success there should be a lot more cars like it. If it fails then there will probably be some other muscle type of car. Something familiar that will bring in cash.
Now think about how the ideas for japanese cars originate. They live in a country where you're heavily taxed for the size of your engine. They make small turbocharged/high compression engines because that's the only feasible way to make power. Not to mention that as a society they are obsessed with efficiency and their cars reflect this attitude.
An average japanese person with a 5000cc V8 would probably have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year to keep their car registered. Not to mention paying around 3 times what we pay for fuel. This is why most people drive 500cc to 2000cc compacts. Since most japanese cars are smaller they tend to handle more responsively and make better use of small amounts of power. The market demanded the qualities so that's where most of the advancements were made. Sound familiar?
It would be really hard for american companies make a compact and nimble sports car. And I think any attempt made at a muscle car by the japanese would be a joke.
So I guess in short, I think they are the same. They are good at what they know and suck at what they have little experience with. Maybe one day quality will be even in all areas?
This is all my opinion and I could be completely wrong what ever that means.
thanks,
Regarding the whole revving, clutch kicking deal. I swear you can NOT break a damn D16Y8 engine in the honda civic. Had mine for 3 years and literally bounced that turd off the rev limiter 24/7 (Afterall its the only way to get it to go)
I also own a 1974 custom/10 pickup and love to drive it simply because hords of people (older men) come up to you in a parking lot with compliments etc. It was my first vehicle when I was 16 and will be around forever. NEVER anything broke on this truck and its 30+yrs old. I used to be a die hard chevy fan, as well as my father, but recently they are putting SHIT on the lots. He's actually convinced himself to get my mother a Nissan Titan when her current GMC Sierra nears 50k miles.
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Originally Posted by vip18971
Dude...you drive a Buick....just go eat your applesauce, gramps.
jfwy, man.
jfwy, man.
I just love how these threads go. Everybody has a reason they love x more than y, but at the end of the day, x leaves them stranded on the side of the road. I've been towed home with imports and domestics on the back, anybody that really thinks their car won't break is a moron
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I didnt get to read all the way through this, but i have owned both import and american made cars, I purchased a 96 honda accord, and im basing this on something hater posted earlier on comparison alone, the car had 86 thousand miles on it, it was an automatic, and i bought it for fuel economy purposes as a daily driver, the transmission went, all the power windows went, the engine fell apart and my axels broke, and my rotors warped.
I owned a ford probe, bought it with 120k on it, it rode till 180k with only the timing belt being replaced. It was killed by a dumb college kid who didnt see me coming but nonetheless u see my point.
I now own a dodge for obvious reasons and will never purchase another import after that accord.
I owned a ford probe, bought it with 120k on it, it rode till 180k with only the timing belt being replaced. It was killed by a dumb college kid who didnt see me coming but nonetheless u see my point.
I now own a dodge for obvious reasons and will never purchase another import after that accord.
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Originally Posted by Chase
I didnt get to read all the way through this, but i have owned both import and american made cars, I purchased a 96 honda accord, and im basing this on something hater posted earlier on comparison alone, the car had 86 thousand miles on it, it was an automatic, and i bought it for fuel economy purposes as a daily driver, the transmission went, all the power windows went, the engine fell apart and my axels broke, and my rotors warped.
I owned a ford probe, bought it with 120k on it, it rode till 180k with only the timing belt being replaced. It was killed by a dumb college kid who didnt see me coming but nonetheless u see my point.
I now own a dodge for obvious reasons and will never purchase another import after that accord.
I owned a ford probe, bought it with 120k on it, it rode till 180k with only the timing belt being replaced. It was killed by a dumb college kid who didnt see me coming but nonetheless u see my point.
I now own a dodge for obvious reasons and will never purchase another import after that accord.
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Originally Posted by Scott
As said a few times already today things like this need to be in General Car Chat so it is being relocated there.
Also we are not allowing blatant post whoring threads in Pit Road.
On a side note this topic has been beat to death however I find it funny every time especially since they are usually started by a import owner that has never owned the cars they are picking on.
Also we are not allowing blatant post whoring threads in Pit Road.
On a side note this topic has been beat to death however I find it funny every time especially since they are usually started by a import owner that has never owned the cars they are picking on.
BUT
i owned a 305 firebird with EVERY bolt-on, and while i averaged 17mpg, silvspeed (when he owned my old crx, before i got it) would get ~30mpg on a d16a6 that had shitty compression, barely kept alive on straight 50W oil and molasses...and he walked my ass. granted, the bird was slow compared to many other domestics (like 5.0's, newer camaro's, etc), and it was only a 305...but then again his was only a 1.6L compared to my 5.0L.
usually, when you see an import vs. domestic race, its a 4cyl vs. a v8. that just tells me that japanese cars are twice as efficient, power- and fuel-wise. also, the reliability issue...yes there are some domestic 4cyl.s that last a while with little or no problems, but their low number just about matches the number of shitty imports that give many problems.
my main gripe is that american companies are cheap. they care less about innovation and more about profit, and producing cheap shit in the end (for the most part). japanese, german, hell even some korean companies at this point put innovation first, and are successful b/c of quality material. the american automotive market is political more than it is technical, and tends to neglect the whole car thing involved in the making of a CAR.
and last time i checked, american car parts are not that cheap.
i also love the concept of motor swaps, and hauling ass with a stock motor. many imports can be swapped for relatively cheap and pretty easily. you'd have to get creative with many domestics, unless you own a chevy v8 (in which case its still not cheap)
case in point: silvspeed's prelude, 89efsi's hatch, and definitely miniaccorddriver's ugly teg...awesome shit
oh yeah and my old sohc crx...RIP
