Not really sure I want to fully go there, but in my experience, newer airliners have reduced maintenance costs. This is achieved by more reliable systems, the ability to have longer maintenance intervals, the ability of the planes to use monitoring software to notify and plan maintenance tasks, etc. And yes, there are exceptions to that.

However, the cost of replacement parts is going up. So maintaining the airplane may be a lower cost than it used to be, but when something does go wrong, it's more expensive to fix. And again, yes, there are exceptions.

 

this late 1980s. Can’t remember if it was sold in the US

Toyota Supra was a twin turbo




1994 Celica

 

VW not rusting? HA! That's a great joke, the things started rusting and leaking like it was a competition in the early 2000s. That and blowing up balance shafts, wiping cams, killing DI pumps, carbon locking, failing gain tensioners requiring 4 revision, failing chains, DMF failures, DSG failures, lighting issues.....

I really do not like VW products and the early/mid 2000s up to 2015 are just horrible. Without fail they are some the absolute most broken cars I deal with with stupidness aplenty in both design, packaging and random failures.

 

Yes, the Celica Alltrac Turbo was indeed sold in the US.

 

However if something does go wrong it's insanely costly. Saturday I did a cam swap on a 5.7 hemi, had the heads off and on in under 7 hours and it went from 365hp to 480 with only a 5k overall cost to the owner.

It's WAY easier to work on domestic engines are they have a totally different league of power than anything Toyota has ever made. This is considered very basic work on one of these, you can actually pull the entire engine out in the same time it takes to do valve covers on something like a LS460

 

Factor in training time, facilities, and cost per unit as well.....all are massively higher.

 

That is the not the argument. Basic stuff should be easier to fix. Toyotas DOHC engines are engineered to be reliable. In contrast to GM 32V DOHC Northstar which is claimed to be unreliable. Complex technology can be reliable…but they have to be made to be reliable

The argument that the lack of new tech means less to go wrong..that I agree.

 

Training, procedures are big part of engineering, System Engineering to be more specific. These training and procedures are result of good engineering work. Engineering is more than "nuts and bolts".

 

I think we are going way off topic IMO when going into planes, just saying. lol

What's your idea of Permium.
I'm guessing from your first post you thinking the Germans do Permium best?

 

Yeah but you get nothing from the added complexity. The domestic V8s seal club the Lexus/Toyota units and have done so ever since the latter decided to stop trying and just use the same engine for 15+ years

This old 5.7 I cammed made 390 wheel on nothing but a 6.4 cam and springs, this new cam is even better. Thats more than the RCF out of a 180k mile ex-police car that is an E-class underneath.

 

Funny enough I think Lexus are the ones who did it the best overall, there was a time when ALL their products were uniformly excellent and stood above anything in their price with extreme attention to details even in the cheaper cars. There was something to be said when they offered stuff like the RX and ES that felt so much higher quality inside than the rivals unless you SPENT money and even then they have enduring quality that the others didn't have. This isn't the case anymore and if anything it's flipped, see the melting interior issues vs in those years the Germans LEAPED forward in reliability and quality.....because Lexus forced them to.

Now instead of playing their own game they are following the Germans at theirs and losing. They used to match all but the highest level Germans in performance but now they barely keep up with their entry level cars....I really think the brand was "done" post 2013. They just can't compete with how the Germans drive/feel past that point

 

Depends on your priorities.
Germans definitely make it look better. And given that aesthetics are very important for premium / luxury buyers, I would agree that yes, Germans do it better.
They also do it better in terms of driving experience. Their cars are generally more engaging and deliver a more thrilling performance.
In terms of reliability and long-term ownership cost, Lexus has an edge. But few people buy a luxury car with cost-of-ownership in mind. Cost-conscious people rarely buy luxury good.
Bottom line, I think the Germans understand their target customers better - they give them exactly what they want - and this translates into sales and obscene profits margins.
I had a BMW in the past, and I bought a Lexus for my wife, because I do want her to enjoy a pleasant, comfortable vehicle, while keeping the overall ownership cost reasonable. And she doesn't care about "sporty" (she didn't like driving the BMW). But I would not spend that amount of money on a Lexus for myself. If I want reliability and low cost of ownership, there are plenty of cheaper options. On the other hand, if I spend money on a premium vehicle, I want it to come with a premium driving experience (while still being highly practical).

 

‘There are pros and cons to both. DOHC engines breathe better. REV higher and have higher peak HP. This is essential for small engines. VVT is also easier to implement. But there are cons to DOHC as well. Also, technically speaking, pushrods have more moving parts..and more tiny parts to make everything work.

 

Uh....no. For a given physical size and weight the pushrod engines make more power since they can fit larger overall intake valve area owing to massive bore sizes and huge displacement to drive that intake potential. And there are so many less parts it's not even funny, double the valve springs and retainers, double the rockers, double the lifters, double the valves, quad cams, quad chains, etc. You are also totally wrong about VVT being easier to implement, pushrod engines can do it with ONE phaser for both intake and exhaust, look up the mechadine cam system, thats one vs 4 parts once again.

There are FAR more parts in a DOHC engine. I own both and I can tell you what design is simpler, more powerful, and easier to work on. The only drawback is emissions and refinement. If you don't care about those then, well...there is no point to DOHC.

My pushrod engine outrevs ALL of my DOHC engines as is LARGER than them as well, look up standard LS/Hemi builds and you will find that a nodal redline is 7200 and some guys spin 9k with 30lb boost.



That said those types of engines are unrefined fury, not appropriate for these types of cars IMO. The valve noise alone is so loud vs the 1UR/3UZ/CEJA that it actually sounds like something is broken in the pushrod engines. Power delivery is also savage and not exactly smooth, it's fun as hell feeling the hit but they do not cruise well/elegantly at all

 

uh—yeah. It’s fact that a DOHC breathes better than a pushrod. A pushrod could only dream of revving to where a DOHC can rev. Like I said, there are pros and cons to both. You claimed there are no pros to a DOHC engine and you wrong. DOHC engines do not need the higher displacement required in a pushrod, makes them more fuel efficient.

I do not care what someone can build aftermarket.