GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I have been preaching this for a very long time. The difference between Lexus and the next brand down the list isn't that significant as people make it out to be. Lexus is number 1 on the list, but that doesn't make Acura, Honda, etc any less reliable off the lot.

Again, in the long run, how well the car runs depend on how well the car is maintained. No brand name, even lexus, will save a car when it's behind the hands of a person who doesn't maintain their cars. Yes, when a Lexus is new, it's very reliable. But exactly how much more reliable is it when it's next to say a new Honda Accord? My bet is that both cars will go far beyond 100K miles to even worry about which car is more reliable. This is why when someone mentions the superiority of Lexus' reliability, I take it with a grain of salt.

-J-P-L-

So what's this thread about again?

Max707

Why did you pick the Lexus over the Accord?

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Because the accord doesn't come in V8 I didn't buy the lexus over the honda for reliability, I can tell you that. From the beginning, I knew the Lexus is going to cost more to maintain, and that there will be more broken items than the accord, but I was willing to sacrifice that for some power

EDIT: Please forgive me. I have the tendency to go off-topic. On topic now!

mmarshall

NO. This is incorrect. Reliability, unfortunately, is often not the chief determinant of why vehicles sell. There are many of the World War II generation that, justified or not, will not buy or drive a German or Japanese-designed car simply because it IS German or Japanese....never mind the fact that some of those cars are built in the U.S. and the whole industry today is global. These people are addicted to the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car, Buick LeSabre / Park Avenue, Cadillac DeVille, etc..... relatively big American cars.
Others, such as F-150, Silverado, and Ram owners..........you couldn't pry them away from American pickups with a crowbar.
And STILL others......the German Sport-sedan enthusiasts.......are just as tightly wedded to BMW's, Audis, and Mercedes....and don't care if their cars are electronically unreliable.

I agree with you that IF reliability alone were the main factor, most vehicles sold today would be Toyotas, Lexuses, Subarus, Hondas, Acuras, and Infiniti G and M cars. But that is not the case.

sdbrandon

I think everyone cares about reliability. I would not buy any car if reliability were an issue, even if I was leasing. Maybe I am just lucky, but having owned 5 BMWs, a couple Lexus, and some Acuras along the way, my most problematic car was the Acura. However, none of the cars left me stranded or caused an inordindate amount of dealer visits.

mmarshall

Yes...Acura did have some transmission issues a few years back ( every make has issues ocasionally ) but their general reliability record is one of the best in the industry. If reliability alone were the factor ( wihch it is often not ) I would buy an Acura-designed vehicle before almost any European-designed one.....although, to be fair, BMW's can be a real delight to drive ( see my recent review of the 550i ). They are such nice cars to drive.....and have such good steering and chassis engineering..... that one can maybe put up with a few wiring and connector problems now and then.

-J-P-L-

Very true.

People get very attached to badges or whether the car company originates in the US, Germany, or Japan. With many, nothing will take them away.

So many people have tunnel vision when buying cars. Some only see Mercedes, some BMW, some Honda, ect.

That's why I've said that the future looks even worse for American car companies as the older generations that are currently keeping Ford and GM in business will be dying off. Younger generations don't base their car buying decisions on what Germany and Japan did in the past.

Loyalty is very strong in the auto industry - especialy with trucks. That's why the new Tundra will be ignored by so many regardless of the fact that it will be superior in some ways to the American trucks.

mmarshall

Part of the Tundra ( and earlier T-100 / 150 ) problem, JLSC, has been Toyota's own fault. They have had 12 years to get the design right and are ONLY doing it NOW. Toyota, since 1994, has marketed mid-size trucks and CALLED them full-size. People weren't fooled.

Now, however, for 2007, Toyota finally DOES have a TRUE full-size truck with a TRUE full-size engine.....and REAL competiton.