JBACH36,
I havent read through all the previous posts but from your I will point out one glaring oversight. R&D. Ask any car buff what technology is going to be on the "average" car in the next 10 yrs and they will tell you to look at the current S-class. So you are right that in the moment Japanese cars are more reliable and simpler to own etc..but without someone trying out new ideas and systems such as Mercedes and other German makes you would be driving the same basic Japanese car in 10 years as your are today only with some new sheet metal to go with the latest trend. Dont think so? Guess how many part numbers are the same for a 94 Toyota Camry and a 2001 Lexus ES300
You have a point, Japanese cars are more reliable in terms of immediate function
now but what about for the car industry as a whole in respect to advancement? (And no the current fad of hybrids doesnt apply - get a deisel
)