|
Valid points, but...
If we could jet back in time to 1981, you'd find that the Accord was a better car than most "domestic" makes, but far inferior to a Mercedes 240D. That said, the 240D carried a price about three times higher, and it darned well should have been better!
Today, the quality gap has not only been closed, but erased.
Now, what Honda does in their factories with regards to build quality has nothing to do with the "Fast and the Furious" market.
If you don't like the Japanese cars for their customer demographic (I doubt all 400,000 Accord buyers are shopping for body kits at Wal-Mart), then that's fine.
Your comments about how people (don't) take care of their cars extends to customers of every marque. I know more than a few late-model MB customers that do not take care of their cars. This is not unique to Japanese makes, and again is an attribute of a customer, not a product.
I don't like Subaru products either. I find their interiors uninspired and too plain for me. The exterior "tough" look is okay, but I prefer a little more subtle look. The price is too high,and that's the real killer for me. Now, your comment about them being unsafe puzzles me. Subaru cars do very well in crash tests, including the more real-world offset tests. I don't think they are unsafe when compared to their Toyota or Honda competition.
One place the Germans have the Japanese beat is in seat design, and may still have this edge.
Every make except for Volvo, MB, BMW and VW have seats that collapse when you are rear-ended. Not good. This may have changed, but I just plain don't know.
Also, MB and BMW are the ONLY two makes that have not recorded an unintentional air-bag deployment.
|