Which To Buy?

I really haven't seen that result on the ones I've directly experienced.
Given my limited experiences (6 Hondas and 6 Nissans over about 18 years), I
have to say the vote goes in the other direction.

The only non-routine problems I've treated on Nissans have been the
occasional engine compartment electrical connector that needed
cleaning/reseating (plagues the '02 Pathfinder) and periodic throttle body
cleaning ('91 240sx and '96 I30).

With the Hondas, we've had ABS systems fail on two out of two mid 90's cars
('95 Integra & '96 Odyssey) and one transmission failure ('00 TL). These
cars were well maintained with brake fluid changes and transmission fluid
changes according to the published schedules. Clearly design flaws. Honda
made good on the transmission, but they never owned up to the ABS problems
on those cars.

 

It's the newer Nissans that are crap. Older Nissans were much more solid.
A friend of mine put over 200,000 miles on a '90 NX with little trouble.

 

It's the newer Nissans that are crap. Older Nissans were much more solid.
A friend of mine put over 200,000 miles on a '90 NX with little trouble.

 

It's the newer Nissans that are crap. Older Nissans were much more solid.
A friend of mine put over 200,000 miles on a '90 NX with little trouble.

 

One of the most troublesome cars I've ever had was an '85 300ZX. There were
problems related to poor maintenance, especially the use of straight water
in the cooling system (I violated my rules for used car standards because I
lusted after the car). But the real killer was in the electrical system. At
17 years and 150K miles it was developing new intermittents faster than I
could track them down. A few years before, an intermittent connector on the
ignition coil caused it to die half a dozen times a day for two months. The
first month it didn't even stay dead a minute at a time... very frustrating.

Mike

 

One of the most troublesome cars I've ever had was an '85 300ZX. There were
problems related to poor maintenance, especially the use of straight water
in the cooling system (I violated my rules for used car standards because I
lusted after the car). But the real killer was in the electrical system. At
17 years and 150K miles it was developing new intermittents faster than I
could track them down. A few years before, an intermittent connector on the
ignition coil caused it to die half a dozen times a day for two months. The
first month it didn't even stay dead a minute at a time... very frustrating.

Mike

 

One of the most troublesome cars I've ever had was an '85 300ZX. There were
problems related to poor maintenance, especially the use of straight water
in the cooling system (I violated my rules for used car standards because I
lusted after the car). But the real killer was in the electrical system. At
17 years and 150K miles it was developing new intermittents faster than I
could track them down. A few years before, an intermittent connector on the
ignition coil caused it to die half a dozen times a day for two months. The
first month it didn't even stay dead a minute at a time... very frustrating.

Mike

 

My daughter's daily driver is a '91 240sx. Non-routine maintenance costs on
this 16 YO car so far have only been a starter, a window motor and one fuel
injector, basically next to nothing.

The electrical ghosts in the '02 Pathfinder are irritating. If not for the
fact that I do my own car maintenance this sort of thing could get very
expensive and frustrating very easily. I don't think I'm ready to move it
all the way to the category of crap, but I have to agree with you that it
does seem to be a step down in apparent quality from the older ones.
Compared to the transmission defect in my similar vintage '00 Acura TL
though, it still comes out ahead.

 

My daughter's daily driver is a '91 240sx. Non-routine maintenance costs on
this 16 YO car so far have only been a starter, a window motor and one fuel
injector, basically next to nothing.

The electrical ghosts in the '02 Pathfinder are irritating. If not for the
fact that I do my own car maintenance this sort of thing could get very
expensive and frustrating very easily. I don't think I'm ready to move it
all the way to the category of crap, but I have to agree with you that it
does seem to be a step down in apparent quality from the older ones.
Compared to the transmission defect in my similar vintage '00 Acura TL
though, it still comes out ahead.

 

My daughter's daily driver is a '91 240sx. Non-routine maintenance costs on
this 16 YO car so far have only been a starter, a window motor and one fuel
injector, basically next to nothing.

The electrical ghosts in the '02 Pathfinder are irritating. If not for the
fact that I do my own car maintenance this sort of thing could get very
expensive and frustrating very easily. I don't think I'm ready to move it
all the way to the category of crap, but I have to agree with you that it
does seem to be a step down in apparent quality from the older ones.
Compared to the transmission defect in my similar vintage '00 Acura TL
though, it still comes out ahead.

 

Whatever. I owned three japanese
cars and one american. I like my japanese cars. But I have
to give it to the americans that the car was
1. rattle free
2. did not need any major repairs
3. pulled like a locomotive

All three of my jap cars rattle. All three came with wimpy engines and
one out of three was a total disaster maintenance
wise. So you opinion be as it may I should say that
there is a lot of things to like japanese econoboxes
for, but reliability is not one of them for sure.

 

Whatever. I owned three japanese
cars and one american. I like my japanese cars. But I have
to give it to the americans that the car was
1. rattle free
2. did not need any major repairs
3. pulled like a locomotive

All three of my jap cars rattle. All three came with wimpy engines and
one out of three was a total disaster maintenance
wise. So you opinion be as it may I should say that
there is a lot of things to like japanese econoboxes
for, but reliability is not one of them for sure.

 

Whatever. I owned three japanese
cars and one american. I like my japanese cars. But I have
to give it to the americans that the car was
1. rattle free
2. did not need any major repairs
3. pulled like a locomotive

All three of my jap cars rattle. All three came with wimpy engines and
one out of three was a total disaster maintenance
wise. So you opinion be as it may I should say that
there is a lot of things to like japanese econoboxes
for, but reliability is not one of them for sure.

 

Well, your experience is your experience, but mine is different.
I've owned 3 new Japanese cars and all of them were virtually trouble
free - 2 Nissans (200SX and 24SX) and one Hyundai (Accent) (okay,
Korean). I also owned a used Honda (Civic) for a year, no problems. I
only sold it because I didn't need it after the year. Now I have a
Honda Civic that I just bought, so I can't say yet if it is reliable
or inexpensive to maintain.

However I have friends with new American cars who have had problems.
That's all I know. Maybe it's just luck of the draw. But personally, I
would not buy an American car. I wish I felt I could - they are
cheaper!

 

What were the three Japanese cars and what was the American car? Are
the Japs even Hondas? Or are we comparing 80s Civics to an '07
Cadillac or Lincoln?

 

What were the three Japanese cars and what was the American car? Are
the Japs even Hondas? Or are we comparing 80s Civics to an '07
Cadillac or Lincoln?

 

What were the three Japanese cars and what was the American car? Are
the Japs even Hondas? Or are we comparing 80s Civics to an '07
Cadillac or Lincoln?