I hate Chevrolets, not because they are junk, but it goes back to the Ford vs. Chevy game me and my friends played growing up.
Dodge, they have some nice designed cars, but when I look under the hood everything is stupid.
Imports. That is a big one fore me.
I guess it goes back to when imports first came into the US in large numbers. They were junk. They rusted out within a very short time. It was OK though. If it were a Ford, Chrysler, or GM, people would have cried foul.
When Ford had the first Escort come out, they had a problem that when the timing belts broke, the head was trashed. Ford learned from thier mistake and they do not, as far as I know, make an interference engine. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi all still build interference engines. The timing belts breaks, you are screwed. The same with VW's. When it happened with a Ford, people screamed bloody murder. If it happens in a Honda, it is no big deal.
Longevity. On a regular basis I see the "junk" American cars from the 80's still on the road. I am lucky to see one import 20 year old on the road. I spend 9 years on the road traveling for business and I have driven in many different places in many parts of the country. I see more cars from the 80's that are domestic then I have seen imports no matter where I was. From Maine to Florida. Almost all the states east of the Mississippi River. I have also been through Texas, Nevada, and Kansas. Same thing.
The import names get praises for making something that does not meet up with the competition. Lets look at the Ridgeline. If Ford would have built a FWD designed pick-up with a differential in the back to make it AWD, the media would have been all over them. Honda does it, "what a concept!". Give me a break.
The media sings praises about Toyota's. I have driven them. I have felt the "quality" that the media just loves. I don't see it. I try to look at it with an open mind. Industrial grade plastic on the dash. Thin doors and tinny sounding engines.
A Pontiac Vibe is a clone of the Matrix. because it says Toyota in the front, people are willing to pay more for a used Matrix then a used Vibe. Again, the name. It doesn't mean that the Toyota will last longer then the Vibe. The engine isn't going to last longer and the tranny does not shift better on a Matrix. Same vehicle. Higher resale value goes to the Matrix just because it says Toyota in the front. That is really sad.
Mazda was the only innovative car maker out there. At one time, they made three different types of engines. A Gasoline, Diesel, and Rotary. No other car maker out there did that. Mazda just about went broke because of that. If it weren't for Ford bailing Mazda out, Mazda would be gone.
Subaru. The WRX is an awesome vehicle. AWD turbo. Mazda was one of the first, in the USA, to offer an AWD Turbo rally car. The media all but ignored it. When Subaru did it, the oooos and ahhhs went flying.
I have worked on my fair share of Honda's and Toyota's. I have seen some of the most asinine idea's I have ever seen. Banjo bolts that rust to the point of busting fuel lines just to change a fuel filter. People think the quick connectors Ford uses suck. You have no idea what it is like to run a new fuel line.
The freaking rotors on the Toyota my niece drives, are smaller then the rotors on my Escort are.
My brother has had two Honda's. One CRX SI and one Civic SI. Both were garbage. They run like a scalded dog, but at 120,000, they were parked. Bad engine, bad tranny, suspension rusting out. You name it, I have seen it.
I guess what it really comes down to, is it just seems like the media is willing to forgive dumb moves the imports make but chastize the big three for the same mistakes.
Tom
