Who Makes the Best Cars?

[The_Dude 1,142]

I've owned a Honda Civic..... the car was indestructable. Only onther Japanese car I'd consider is a Subaru.

My first love was and always will be american muscle cars. I've had a 67 camaro SS and a 69 Chevelle SS in addition to my first car, a 56 Ford F100. I will not consider purchasing an American car that was made after 1972. Hopefully they Big 3 will find a viable business plan and implement better design, performance, and safety standards to change my mind.

Now, I have an Audi, and can honestly say it's the best car i've ever driven. I've added a few exhaust and manifold modifications and it blows away any mercedes or BMW i've seen.

[Peikko 1,575]

I don't need no report to tell me what car I like to drive...BMW vroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom

Actually, I have always had a hankering to drive a Jaguar...

[The_Dude 1,142]

LoL, jaguar's are absolutely dreadful

Audi > BMW

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I have to say my husband's 1972 Jaguar XJ6 with a small-block Chevy V8 dropped in is one sweeeeeet ride. Don't be hatin' on the Jags.

[almaty 19]

mazda ftw.,..

[Laura+Tom 2]

My fiance says that new American cars are not built to last and foreign cars knock the socks off them. He says if you want a decent American car buy one from 80's back. He drives an 87 Crown Vic (see below) and 92 Lincoln MkVII.

[Peikko 1,575]

LoL, jaguar's are absolutely dreadful

Audi > BMW

That may be true, but I have never had the opportunity to give it a go, and I would still like to find out for myself.

I can't remember driving an Audi either - what makes it special?

[Peikko 1,575]

I would love to drive one of those old 'boat' like Cadillacs too, probably a red one

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

why do you hate America (USA) ??

Perhaps a better question would be, why do the Big 3 US Auto makers hate America

why do you hate America (USA) ??

Are all your guns made in the USA?

Mine is made in Austria.

elitist!

[Ladylethal 12]

I really really like the toyotas, very reliable cars.

Of course back in Brasil my mom always had Fiats and dad's trucks are always Toyotas.

[The_Dude 1,142]

I have to say my husband's 1972 Jaguar XJ6 with a small-block Chevy V8 dropped in is one sweeeeeet ride. Don't be hatin' on the Jags.

That is why. Old chevy big blocks are very good engines as far as performance and reliability goes. My main knock on Jags are their engines and especially their drivetrain.

LoL, jaguar's are absolutely dreadful

Audi > BMW

That may be true, but I have never had the opportunity to give it a go, and I would still like to find out for myself.

I can't remember driving an Audi either - what makes it special?

All wheel drive, and in some steering as well.

[Peikko 1,575]

You don't like over/understeer? Sometimes that's a bunch of fun

[NickD 203]

My wife's 1997 Toyota Corolla she purchased in Venezuela and still there is certainly not the same Toyota sold here in the USA. But looks the same from all outside appearances.

Big difference is no fuel injection, has a carburetor and a conventional distributor, no computer meaning no OBD II, no O2 sensor, no catalytic converter, no airbags, and a vehicle that I could do a master tuneup to. I love that car. Simple, basic, and very reliable. Wish I could bring my tuneup equipment with me next trip, but really don't want to haul down my distributor nor Air/Fuel ratio equipment. A lot easier to rebuild a carburetor than to pull injectors for testing and cleaning.

But Chavez won't let us take it, and if I do bring it here, could be fined up to $25,000 by our EPA as it won't meet our emission standards. But leaving it down there isn't good either because parts are extremely difficult to find in Venezuela, and if you can find them, the prices are astronomical. Her AC went out, and I am totally useless without my tools. We kind of go around when I roll down my window, but do when she tells me we are in very dangerous areas. She does all the driving, really incredible the way streets are not marked and two lanes merge into one, fastest idiot goes first. But at least the steering wheel is on the right (meaning left) side.

With my son in Japan, telling me the quality of Toyotas' is much greater there than here. Now that I cannot verify.

[NickD 203]

You don't like over/understeer? Sometimes that's a bunch of fun

You mean like our muscle cars with a two ton engine in the front and nothing on the rear? Oh, my goodness, the perfect vehicle for squealing tires. Never did like those death traps.

Over/understeer is if you increase power and you have to turn the steering wheel more to the right to maintain the radius of the turn, your chassis is not turning as much as the steering angle would indicate, hence the vehicle is 'under' steering with respect to the steering angle. Also, if you require less steering angle (lock) as you increase the power, your vehicle is 'over' steering (the vehicle is describing a smaller arc than the angle of the front wheels would indicate). Increasing the power further will reduce the cornering power available at the rear tires (assuming rear wheel drive) and will increase the amount of oversteer.

Muscle cars redefine the meaning of understeer.

[Peikko 1,575]

As in, some cars are engineered to reduce the possibility of either of those options occurring giving a very smooth but boring ride to the driver.

No interest in the 'muscle cars' you described.