Between my fiance’ and myself, we have owned a combined 4 Toyotas in our lifetime. We both got a USED Toyota when we were 16 (97 4runner for me, 99 Camry for her) and now, at 24, just upgraded to 2 newer, but still used Toyotas (02 4runner for me, 04 Highlander for her). And we’ve never had a problem.

Final thought for this very long-winded post? If you buy a Toyota, Honda, VW, BMW, or most any other foreign vehicle used with 250k miles on it, you will likely outlast a brand new American vehicle.

Don’t assume that Japanese = Good & American = Bad. I mean just look at Toyota. My friend’s Honda has essentially been a lemon. Mitsubishi and Suzuki have had some very low reliability ratings.
Ford has been getting very high reliabilty marks.

My dad who is a great depression baby is a hard core “buy American” guy and thinks that people that buy foreign are “second class citizens.” I have had a jeep, a couple BMW’s a ford mustang, a Honda, a Pontiac and all seemed to perform well.

When I bought the American makes, I was trying to give them a chance and they didn’t let me down. I think of products globally and feel that person should buy what they like can afford.

What would happen if other countries quit buying all of the products that we export. America would be in trouble! I do believe that American cars have come a long way in recent years and that the quality standards are similar to the foreign makes. They realize that they have to be competitive.

I think that you buy what you want. If it’s American, all the better. You might want to by a used care however, if you are trying to save money.

We have been so pleased, we will buy a Ford next round.

I had a 1982 Toyota, driven for 20 years, which was an excellent vehicle. That said, our 2001 Ford is of comparable quality. I think people are kind of caught up in the past. I will agree that a 1982 Ford would never have held up to my 1982 Toyota. BUT, a 2001 Ford (very low priced) will hold it’s own as long as most people would drive a vehicle. I do not see the point, at all, to pay a premium for a Japanese car. I personally would keep a car 15 years, about. I am not a “new every 5 years,” type.

I had a conversation about this with my dad the other day. The Toyota I drove to the ground was the only Japanese car my parents ever bought. He told me that it was a great car, but he has found American cars to be a better value, since. They like to buy used Marquis for very little, and my mom has got some 15-year-old luxury Lincoln which has been a great vehicle.

I did buy a Dodge and it really sucks. I would probably never buy Dodge again. But I got it due to friends who had great experiences with Dodge. I am sure some people have had great experiences. I think a bad experience can jade you, whether it makes sense or not.

I would just research carefully quality and price, myself. Which means not locking yourself into one car brand. It varies every year. We’ve had a Honda, Toyota, Saturn, 2 Fords, a Mitubishi and a Dodge. (I sold 2 cars long before their time was up due to lifestyle change, but all that said, most of these vehicles were pretty old when we bought them. I have not concluded that American cars suck, at all. It really depends on the year and the vehicle, more than anything).

This is why I prefer to buy more used vehicles. You can research the track record, the longer a vehicle has been around. My sucky Dodge is also the most new vehicle I have ever bought.

If I were buying a new car, I would test drive Hondas, Toyotas (can’t beat the 0% for 5 years offer right now), and surprisingly – FORDs…

Ford has come a LONG way in recent years in quality. They’re also pushing the envelope in terms of technological integration, with a lot of ‘premium’ technological features standard on some models.

From the ‘patriotic’ standpoint, I would consider a Ford based on the fact that while the other two US automakers were grubbing for money from Congress, they respectfully declined the loans even when they were offered. They had already done their costly restructuring earlier this decade, and while they aren’t entirely healthy yet, were already on the road to recovery and profitability before the economy collapsed.

By the time our cars die, I’m actually hoping the EV market is thriving. I would absolutely love to drive a Tesla Model S. It’s like a freaking laptop on wheels… (that’s what Elon Musk has referred to it as) I just hope we have a few revolutions in battery technology that will make the EV story even more compelling.