Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Import vs Domestic

GM!!!

i had a vw gti that used to leak when i'd wash it...actually it would leak inside the car under the dash whenever i would wash it and focus too much water near the upper right corner of the hood/windshield area....when it would rain i'l have to open the hood and place a plastic (trash) bag under that same corner of the hood to keep the car from leaking inside....if i'd forget i'd have a nice mildew smell for a few days

There may be a reliability difference but isn't there also a repair cost difference that goes the other way. So some imports may be more reliable but when they do need repairs it is much more expensive.

Another higher cost with imports is insurance...you generally have to pay more for collision insurance due to higher cost of parts should you have a claim.

I think the diffence in percieved reliability is greater than the actual difference in relaibility. One effect of this is if you are buying used, domestic is generally a much better deal than imports. OTOH, if you buy new and plan to resell then you might have less depreciation with some imports.

I do not think that import car have better quality, I live it. I always think domestic car is a better deal (cheaper to buy) and have more horse power. But after I owned three brand new domestic car, the Grand Am, the Pontiac GTP, and the Contour SVT, I know the import is a better car. And it is not only about things that breaks. It is the import design and attention to the details that wins me over. There is alot more than horse power rating and skid pad number, and the cheaper sticker price does not indicates a good deal.

Yes. as an example, an oxygen sensor for a Honda is around $200 or so, even the aftermarket ones.

Cost breakdown:

$50 for the O2 sensor itself (same O2 sensor as any other car uses)

$150 for the special Honda connector at the end of the 4 wires

That's just ridiculous. The sad part is that the average person buying one will see that it costs $200 and probably assume that the reason for the extra cost is that it's a better part.

If you've noticed, the most-stolen cars are often Toyotas and Hondas. If cars are stolen for their parts, that's a direct result of how ridiculous the parts cost of those cars is.

Brian

I think what bothers me more than the car itself, if it has a problem, is the domestic car dealer's approach to service....
I told my dealer the other day that I loved my Contour, but you guys suck....right in his face....What would stop me from buying a domestic sometimes is the service...

Italians made crappy cars,,,French made crappy cars,,,we made crappy cars...its all part of the technological curve of invention and catch up...

I was just thinking about it and I suspect that another part of it may be that import owners take better care of their cars. Paying more for a car seems like it'd be sufficient motivation to take better care of it, particularly if you are doing so because you want a more reliable car.

Brian

Ford cutting labor time estimates which resulted in lower payments to mechanics for warranty work probably didn't help much!

Perhaps if Nasser had cared as much about quality as he did about workplace diversity, Ford would be in a better place right now.

Brian

Not to mention the value of being able to brag about how reliable your car is.

Back on the parts price issue...A guy I work with drives older mercedes. He generally pays as much for a just the part (does work himself) as I would pay for parts and labor combined.

True.

I had to replace my secondary a month ago. I got a used one from a dude on The Parts Trader. The Bosch sensors are actually MORE than OEM. It sucks. Gimme the damn sensor and lemme hard-wire it in myself!