Jap Cars: They're just sh!te.

Gurgle · 02-07-2012 11:46am

dgt wrote: »

How in the name of goodness can anyone wake up in the morning, look into their yard to see an avensis 2.0td beside a corolla 2.0dlx and be proud of that?

Maybe not 'proud', but its good to know you'll get in, turn the key, and drive to work.

I've dabbled in European cars a couple of times, and then dabbled right the hell back to Toyota. Yes, I am aware that it won't get from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds. It takes me a whole 45 seconds longer to find someone to get stuck behind :rolleyes:

andyseadog · 02-07-2012 11:49am

Gurgle wrote: »

Maybe not 'proud', but its good to know you'll get in, turn the key, and drive to work.

I've dabbled in European cars a couple of times, and then dabbled right the hell back to Toyota. Yes, I am aware that it won't get from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds. It takes me a whole 45 seconds longer to find someone to get stuck behind :rolleyes:

agree.

dgt wrote: »

Not petrol ones, diesels. Much more room in a petrol.

You'd need a childs hand to get in at that left hand lamp without taking the light out or moving the battery. That's a very clean engine bay if I may add...

A clutch change required the subframe to be removed on a corolla 2.0d for example.

sure you have to remove the headlamp or have the hand of a newborn child to change a headlight bulb in virtually any car today. i could name endless, and they are a fine mix of european and jap.

the subframe also has to be dropped in a good lot of modern diesels too to do a clutch change, that too is not an arguement.

Greyfoot · 02-07-2012 11:53am

Saab Ed=Saab dealer or just really awkward body, ie. way too long legs and/or body weight combo?

I currently own a 99 SRi primera and a 97 GSR Lancer, both with great comfort level, but cheapo interior. Nothing high end executive but of course the price tag reflects that too.
5 series beemers and other german makes should be compared to the likes of Honda Legend, Toyota Avensis etc...

dgt · 02-07-2012 12:04pm

Gurgle wrote: »

Maybe not 'proud', but its good to know you'll get in, turn the key, and drive to work.

I've dabbled in European cars a couple of times, and then dabbled right the hell back to Toyota. Yes, I am aware that it won't get from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds. It takes me a whole 45 seconds longer to find someone to get stuck behind :rolleyes:

I can think of many people I know, that had all kinds of toyotas and nissans that gave plenty of bother. A perfect example is a guy who bought a 2.0td avensis in 2000, a chap who minded his cars well. The head cracked after just 2 years. Or another chap with an almera, input shaft bearing on his car colapsed, making all sorts of horriffic noises. Or another chap with a corolla, with all sorts of weird electric problems, it locked him in his car and nearly smashed the window to get out. Or another chap with yet another corolla, where the car would randomly go into limp home mode.

I can go on and on but I don't see the point...

andyseadog wrote: »

sure you have to remove the headlamp or have the hand of a newborn child to change a headlight bulb in virtually any car today. i could name endless, and they are a fine mix of european and jap.

the subframe also has to be dropped in a good lot of modern diesels too to do a clutch change, that too is not an arguement.

Very true, a lot of cars nowadays are like that. But that was unnecessarly complicated in those days imo.

But tell me why some parts are so expensive? Like why was a bluebird tail light 200 punts new from nissan? Why?

It seems obvious to me that most of the breed are totally gutless. They want a nice, safe, reliable little yoke to go from a to b, with plenty of grey misery inbetween and no smiles per gallon... Too afraid to stand up and be different, too afraid the breed will point the out, the black sheep not in a yaris or the likes... Cowards with too much money and nowhere to go.

As I said before, I quite like a few JDM cars. Much more of an appeal to me. But anyone who tries telling me that the stuff we get marketed for here is the bees knees is a liar, simple as. I'm sure a lot of them deep down know it too

andyseadog · 02-07-2012 12:08pm

dgt wrote: »

But tell me why some parts are so expensive? Like why was a bluebird tail light 200 punts new from nissan? Why?

It seems obvious to me that most of the breed are totally gutless. They want a nice, safe, reliable little yoke to go from a to b, with plenty of grey misery inbetween and no smiles per gallon... Too afraid to stand up and be different, too afraid the breed will point the out, the black sheep not in a yaris or the likes... Cowards with too much money and nowhere to go.

As I said before, I quite like a few JDM cars. Much more of an appeal to me. But anyone who tries telling me that the stuff we get marketed for here is the bees knees is a liar, simple as. I'm sure a lot of them deep down know it too

for the same reason that today a headlamp for a 6 year old santa fe from a main dealer is 600 euro or a tail light for a peugeot 5008 is around 300 euro. main dealers are dear for parts. an imo european marques are the worst for this carry on.

what could a 1990 passat do that a 1990 carina couldn't. without bringing in the "premium feel" arguement.

dgt · 02-07-2012 12:15pm

andyseadog wrote: »

for the same reason that today a headlamp for a 6 year old santa fe from a main dealer is 600 euro or a tail light for a peugeot 5008 is around 300 euro. main dealers are dear for parts. an imo european marques are the worst for this carry on.

what could a 1990 passat do that a 1990 carina couldn't. without bringing in the "premium feel" arguement.

Not all main dealers. Ford are pretty reasonable with parts as an example. An oil filter for a 1.4 corolla a few years back from a main dealer cost a ridiculous €25... But I understand that there are other far worse dealers.

I'm not going to debate on something I don't know about, no experience with those písshats which were awful looking in the day imo. Both those are before my time.

But why did people import coronas and the like throughout the 80s and 90s? Did they not want the toys...?

dr.fuzzenstein · 02-07-2012 12:18pm

LIGHTNING wrote: »

My misses has a Mk1 Yaris and its a soul destroying place to be in every time I jumped back into my Punto I was a happy man. The Punto interior was nicer, comfier, handled better and generally felt more organic than the Yaris.Not to mention the fact that my Punto was far more reliable than the Yaris over its lifespan :eek:

Satan must be ice-skating to work these days...;)

Paparazzo · 02-07-2012 12:27pm

dgt wrote: »

How in the name of goodness can anyone wake up in the morning, look into their yard to see an avensis 2.0td beside a corolla 2.0dlx and be proud of that? That's what they aspired to? A cheap feeling, nasty, unreliable, dull, back breaking lump of expensive festering rubbish? How sad! :mad:

I don't know anyone that's "proud" of one of those. It's just a car to do your commute.
However I do know a few people who are proud of their 318D because it has one of these on the front:
BMW%20badge.50.gif

mitosis · 02-07-2012 12:40pm

We can only speak of our own experiences. I had a Honda Accord for a while - will never willingly drive one again. Admittedly I have only driven maybe 10 different cards ever, but this was a nasty, cheap undesirable place to be. Given that I have yet to be let down by a car, legendary reliability is moot.

Yakuza · 02-07-2012 12:42pm

OP, generalise much? As a previous owner of an ST-182 Celica I can wholeheartedly confirm that that is not a "sh1te" car - one of the best I've ever owned (bulletproof), followed closely by my E46 saloon.

As a current "cashcow" owner I think the interior is great (I went for the SVE spec; GPS/bluetooth/aircon etc) and it's very comfortable to drive long distances in. Yes, I won't deny it's boring, but it serves a function for me at this point in my life, taking my kids' ages into consideration) and it serves it well. Having said that, I do look forward to getting something with more oomph in a few years' time when the smallest is out of her full booster and we don't need to lug a buggy and nappy change bag everywhere

Thatnastyboy · 02-07-2012 1:07pm

Op must be basing his claims on Saabs (basing this on username only) impeccable record of reliability, dependability, lack of need of constant care and attention, economy and brilliant resale values.

I see you are saying they are boring, bland and plasticky - yes they are (in general-base model terms.. in particular "paddy spec" models), but you generally don't need to change the oil every ten minutes, or refinance the manufacturer every half hour. (no point having a nice place to sit if your crank bearings have shat themselves)

Theres good and bad in every make and model, I personally will not avoid purchasing any more 'european' cars again despite having had spectacularly bad experiences with each and every one that i have owned to date, I am yet to be let down by any japper i have ever owned,

but I remain open minded and avoid blatant generalisations. :pac:

Gurgle · 02-07-2012 1:14pm

dgt wrote: »

It seems obvious to me that most of the breed are totally gutless. They want a nice, safe, reliable little yoke to go from a to b, with plenty of grey misery inbetween and no smiles per gallon... Too afraid to stand up and be different, too afraid the breed will point the out, the black sheep not in a yaris or the likes...

If you're not worried about getting from a to b, why not go for a nice shiny garden shed with a comfy couch? (Fiat make a whole range of these)

dgt wrote:

Cowards with too much money and nowhere to go.

People with too much money buy a Yaris, while those looking for reliable efficient motoring buy... erm... a 5-series? and those who want to stand out from the crowd buy... erm... a 5-series... and those who want everyone to know they're petrol heads with distinctive individual taste buy... a 5-series with some extra plastic for whacking off speed bumps.

Chris_Heilong · 02-07-2012 1:18pm

I drove a friends 2001 Golf recently and Shock horror; it had cheap plastics inside, uncomfortable cloth seats and even didnt have electric windows or Air- Con. I was shocked. My Civic was better in every way.

I dont like German cars in general and peoples obsession with VW. Usually when a car speeds past a few of us stopping at an amber light and breaks the red they are BMW and Audi are just driven by BMW drivers wives.:P

166man · 02-07-2012 1:20pm

In my opinion it looks to me like the OP was bored some Sunday evening and decided to kick start a controversial thread. I think he went too far in saying that all Japanese cars are terrible because plainly that isn't true.

My 2 cents on the topic is that, I don't like most Japanese cars. I don't like Nissan and Toyota in general. I think they look ugly, have poor interiors and are noisy things to be in. However that doesn't mean they aren't a good car for somebody else. For the majority of people who want cheap reliable and practical transport they do the job perfectly.

Problem is people who like cars/enthusiasts will generally prefer something a bit more exciting with a nicer interior and better engines as these are the things that matter to enthusiasts.

To sum up, I think there's the classic case of a car enthusiast driving a car that wasn't made for being driven enthusiastically. I do think that the OP went a little far on the thread/thread title though.

pburns · 02-07-2012 1:27pm

To label all Jap cars with the one brush in such a way is just trolling.

I've never driven a Quasqai bit I'm fairly sure it's no worse - probably a bit better - than many Euro cars in the same price sector that are aimed at the mass market.

Speaking personally, I own a Legacy and tbh, for me, it was superior to a contempory 3-series when I test-drove them at the time. To say it was better than an A4 would be an understatement but the road is full of them - the same type of people that drive Avensis (only a bit more badge-conscious).

There are some great German cars out there that I will strongly consider next time I change - from Golf GTi to the new 3 series to the latest A6. But engineering and dynamics are more important to me than slightly better interior plastics.

dgt · 02-07-2012 1:42pm

Gurgle wrote: »

If you're not worried about getting from a to b, why not go for a nice shiny garden shed with a comfy couch? (Fiat make a whole range of these)

I practically have a dealership in my garden and am quite happy with them, thank you very much

I'd rather walk than drive a euro marketed jap car

Gurgle wrote: »

People with too much money buy a Yaris, while those looking for reliable efficient motoring buy... erm... a 5-series? and those who want to stand out from the crowd buy... erm... a 5-series... and those who want everyone to know they're petrol heads with distinctive individual taste buy... a 5-series with some extra plastic for whacking off speed bumps.

Some yaris drivers are people who haven't a choice, others are miserable mean people and the rest are sheep. It's not a car but a basic, cost minimised transportation device. A real nasty, soulless little tinbox (we had to straighten one out). There are many other cars out there far superior but because it has the sub 1.0l engine and the badge, its a great yoke that everyone must have :rolleyes:

It's the breed moving on from one thing to another. The real die hards stick with the old faithful toyotas. Moving from the toyotas in the 90s to the vag stuff in the 00s and now the 520d... Whatever is cheap to run with the most flash (or in the 90s, jap bland boxes for the euro market)

If that's how people want to be, leave em to it, their choice. But when people try telling me rubbish expecting me to believe it and come crying back complaining of rsi or rising expenses I can't do anything else but say told you so...

andyseadog · 02-07-2012 1:51pm

dgt wrote: »

Some yaris drivers are people who haven't a choice, others are miserable mean people and the rest are sheep. It's not a car but a basic, cost minimised transportation device. A real nasty, soulless little tinbox (we had to straighten one out). There are many other cars out there far superior but because it has the sub 1.0l engine and the badge, its a great yoke that everyone must have :rolleyes:

lad what the **** are you on about? i always had a great appreciation for your posts but your so wrong here its unbelievable.

i mean, in what regard is a 2000 yaris notably worse than a 2000 fiesta, 2000 punto, 2000 polo etc etc. its as good or as bad as any of them. any of them could be branded as "not a car but a basic, cost minimised transportation device. A real nasty, soulless little tinbox"...

horses for courses.

like imo that blue bravo van your always banging on about is horiffic, like borderline i wouldn't be seen dead in it. pure ****e, you've replaced everything, its in tatters and its filthy. but you love it, i understand your love of it, you love taking it apart and tinkering with it and whatever but its pure ****e.

i'd rather be in my 98 starlet any day over it, my car is statistically infinitely more reliable, equally as noisy, equally as slow, equally as "hard plastic" on the inside, equally as uncomfortable and in the matter of opinion of others equally as ugly.

how can you not see past your blinkers?

Gurgle · 02-07-2012 1:52pm

dgt wrote: »

I'd rather walk than drive a euro marketed jap car...
There are many other cars out there far superior...

I'd avoid the Yaris myself, but only because I cover quite a lot of mileage on country roads and with 4 to 5 in the car. As an urban / suburban runaround I can see nothing wrong with it.

I notice you don't name a 'better' brand. What would your recommendation be to give the optimal balance of efficiency, looks, performance, reliability, cost?

andyseadog wrote:

i mean, in what regard is a 2000 yaris notably worse than a 2000 fiesta, 2000 punto, 2000 polo etc etc. its as good or as bad as any of them. any of them could be branded as "not a car but a basic, cost minimised transportation device. A real nasty, soulless little tinbox"...

The 2000 Fiesta, Punto and Polo have been crushed to the size of a coffee table while the Yaris is still taxed, tested and on the road

Damokc · 02-07-2012 2:01pm

190E2.516 wrote: »

of course jap cars are scrap. jap cars are for people who cant afford to be fixing german cars every few months

FYP:D

MuppetCheck · 02-07-2012 2:02pm

dgt wrote: »

I can think of many people I know, that had all kinds of toyotas and nissans that gave plenty of bother. A perfect example is a guy who bought a 2.0td avensis in 2000, a chap who minded his cars well. The head cracked after just 2 years. Or another chap with an almera, input shaft bearing on his car colapsed, making all sorts of horriffic noises. Or another chap with a corolla, with all sorts of weird electric problems, it locked him in his car and nearly smashed the window to get out. Or another chap with yet another corolla, where the car would randomly go into limp home mode.

Yes and Euro cars are incredibly reliable. Statistically they would p1ss all over your FIAT. I know you say yours is well looked after and they have served you well and I truely believe that. However for every one of your well served by FIAT family there are a vast number more that have been served equally as well by a Toyota or Nissan for example.

dgt wrote: »

As I said before, I quite like a few JDM cars. Much more of an appeal to me. But anyone who tries telling me that the stuff we get marketed for here is the bees knees is a liar, simple as. I'm sure a lot of them deep down know it too

That's a generalisation, much like the trolling that opened this thread.

dgt wrote: »

I'd rather walk than drive a euro marketed jap car

More SaabEd generalisation throwing/trolling. If I were to say I wouldn't touch any Fiat/Alfa/Lancia as it will break and be a general ball ache I bet you would argue that it was an ill-informed, non-sensical rant?

I'm not pushed either way on this argument - I have had a mix of both Japs and European cars and have bought each on it's merits against other options. What entertains me no end is the bull that some people come out with and in reality just seems to show an element of snobbery/begrudgery/lack of knowledge/lack of experience.

high horse · 02-07-2012 2:02pm

This thread is going nowhere...

Gurgle · 02-07-2012 2:05pm

high horse wrote: »

This thread is going nowhere...

That was clear on post #1
but its fun

dgt · 02-07-2012 2:29pm

andyseadog wrote: »

lad what the **** are you on about? i always had a great appreciation for your posts but your so wrong here its unbelievable.

i mean, in what regard is a 2000 yaris notably worse than a 2000 fiesta, 2000 punto, 2000 polo etc etc. its as good or as bad as any of them. any of them could be branded as "not a car but a basic, cost minimised transportation device. A real nasty, soulless little tinbox"...

horses for courses.

It's exactly that.

Right, I might have gone a little ott but at the end of the day, opinions of mine won't effect anyones views and I'm certainly not trying to do that. I feel from being in a yaris, the interior is just horrible, plasticy feeling. The whole car isn't happy at speeds above 65 on the motorway. Different years, different wiring looms. It has 2 different wiper motors (00 won't fit a 02) Maybe you have had better experiences, I don't know. But those are just some of my opinions and experiences and as you can see, negative

andyseadog wrote: »

like imo that blue bravo van your always banging on about is horiffic, like borderline i wouldn't be seen dead in it. pure ****e, you've replaced everything, its in tatters and its filthy. but you love it, i understand your love of it, you love taking it apart and tinkering with it and whatever but its pure ****e.

i'd rather be in my 98 starlet any day over it, my car is statistically infinitely more reliable, equally as noisy, equally as slow, equally as "hard plastic" on the inside, equally as uncomfortable and in the matter of opinion of others equally as ugly.

how can you not see past your blinkers?

Were getting very personal here, have I hit a nerve?

I get such a kick out of that thing, it's not clean, bodywork in bits and all mechanically sound makes for some surprises. And that's the thing, I don't care what people think of it, more negative the better. It gives a nice wake up call when they're just píssed on, really aggravates people, really gives me a swelled head

you haven't a clue about the work that goes on in the background with my van, only some of the stuff ends up on boards...

Fair enough if you have a more reliable car/ more powerful/ exclusive etc. And the Glanza is probably all that and even more (just more expensive tax and insurance is the only downside I see). You are a Jap car fan, I am not, simple as. Yet I do appreciate a lot of cars they made, why they were so popular, how they were marketed.

I always thought you were better than that. I'm very open minded and don't take things personally but others might not be the same. I'm very disappointed with that to say the least

Gurgle wrote: »

I'd avoid the Yaris myself, but only because I cover quite a lot of mileage on country roads and with 4 to 5 in the car. As an urban / suburban runaround I can see nothing wrong with it.

I notice you don't name a 'better' brand. What would your recommendation be to give the optimal balance of efficiency, looks, performance, reliability, cost?

The 2000 Fiesta, Punto and Polo have been crushed to the size of a coffee table while the Yaris is still taxed, tested and on the road

Plenty of Fiestas, Puntos and Polos knocking around, you need to look harder

I can't name a better brand, simple as. Most others do similar jobs, some better than others. French cars, some are lovely to sit into but absolute pigs to work on. Italian cars love to be driven hard but don't give the attention and they give up.

The yokes I mentioned earlier do those jobs, just not in the same way. Definitely not what I'd be looking for in a car.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Yes and Euro cars are incredibly reliable. Statistically they would p1ss all over your FIAT. I know you say yours is well looked after and they have served you well and I truely believe that. However for every one of your well served by FIAT family there are a vast number more that have been served equally as well by a Toyota or Nissan for example.

Toyota and Nissans keep going with far less attention than I give my Fiats.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

That's a generalisation, much like the trolling that opened this thread.

More SaabEd generalisation throwing/trolling. If I were to say I wouldn't touch any Fiat/Alfa/Lancia as it will break and be a general ball ache I bet you would argue that it was an ill-informed, non-sensical rant?

I'm not pushed either way on this argument - I have had a mix of both Japs and European cars and have bought each on it's merits against other options. What entertains me no end is the bull that some people come out with and in reality just seems to show an element of snobbery/begrudgery/lack of knowledge/lack of experience.

Many of the people that have said stuff like that to me are complete idiots who know absolutely nothing about cars, costs, driving pleasure etc. Tried telling me their blandbox is better than my Fiat, I ask why, they say because everyone has one great car, I point out something that's gone wrong with their car or similar, they get thick and strop off :P

Since I started browsing the motors forum, most of the posters aren't like that, I've learned that.

Gurgle · 02-07-2012 2:43pm

dgt wrote: »

Tried telling me their blandbox is better than my Fiat

I guess its down to criteria.

To you, a car is an endless series of puzzle games that should be fun to work on and not too easy to figure out. An engine should surprise you randomly with one of these little puzzles so you can enjoyably pass a wet morning on the side of the road.

I just don't know how much fun it is to work on the VVTi engine in my blandbox, its never been taken apart. It's the really cheap basic model without the puzzle generator.

dgt · 02-07-2012 2:51pm

Gurgle wrote: »

I guess its down to criteria.

To you, a car is an endless series of puzzle games that should be fun to work on and not too easy to figure out. An engine should surprise you randomly with one of these little puzzles so you can enjoyably pass a wet morning on the side of the road.

I just don't know how much fun it is to work on the VVTi engine in my blandbox, its never been taken apart. It's the really cheap basic model without the puzzle generator.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone but I've been there. Gives one time to think, what's gone wrong, where do I get the parts, how much time will it take, how do I prevent this etc... Another way I get my kicks :cool:

I absolutely love working on cars no matter what they are. That's just who I am

If you're happy to drive a car like that well you aren't the only one. Most people are like that. As little fuss as possible and I can see why.

That's not for me thank you very much

Chris_Heilong · 02-07-2012 2:59pm

It seems like an argument on Luxury vs regular cars, for the price of one of the Luxury German brands you could deck out your Japanese car with a lovely leather interior with soft plastics and still have the reliability that comes with a Japanese designed engine. When I was young the only people who bought BMW or Audi were wealthy.

Zubeneschamali · 02-07-2012 3:26pm

andyseadog wrote: »

my car is statistically infinitely more reliable

You should see if you can get your money back on that statistics course.

metzengerstein · 02-07-2012 3:46pm

Saab Ed wrote: »

A cash cow......dung

well theres your problem right there !!!!

try a real jap car,these monstrositys are probably really made in india or something .new cars are pretty much sh**e anyway, in every way .

bring back the old style where everyone made their own unique cars and not looking like eveything else or a ball of sh*t.i wouldnt buy anything past at least 05.

TrailerBob · 02-07-2012 4:03pm

Two words.... Landcruiser Amazon....

The Tyre Dude · 02-07-2012 4:07pm

TrailerBob wrote: »

Two words.... Landcruiser Amazon....

More like two time zones.

andyseadog · 02-07-2012 4:16pm

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

You should see if you can get your money back on that statistics course.

i think the 4E-FE engine has proven itself to be an extremely reliable one across its many applications within toyota.

and as has been pointed out in this thread, the rest of my car is made from hard plastic and not much else so to be perfectly honest i dont see hwo my car could fail me once i keep it serviced.

dgt wrote:

Fair enough if you have a more reliable car/ more powerful/ exclusive etc. And the Glanza is probably all that and even more (just more expensive tax and insurance is the only downside I see). You are a Jap car fan, I am not, simple as. Yet I do appreciate a lot of cars they made, why they were so popular, how they were marketed.

I always thought you were better than that. I'm very open minded and don't take things personally but others might not be the same. I'm very disappointed with that to say the least

i woldn't call a glanza exclusive, or powerfull etc, merely a by and large reliable bit of fun. i do not mean to fall out with you by any means dgt.

i find a lot of your posts very entertaining, and you amongst a few others on here have broadened my mind to some euro marques and their merits, i just felt that you made a bit of a "saab-ed statment" regarding the japanese manufacturers and thought more of you than to wipe out a whole side of the world as far as cars are concerned. i hope this is not the case.

Matt Simis · 02-07-2012 4:27pm

I drove an Infinity (aka Nissan) G37 Sedan all week last week, who wants to hear about that instead of all this $hite talk?

Slattsy · 02-07-2012 4:29pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

I drove an Infinity (aka Nissan) G37 Sedan all week last week, who wants to hear about that instead of all this $hite talk?

Not me, but can we talk about the car beside it though ??

Matt Simis · 02-07-2012 5:27pm

LIGHTNING wrote: »

It probably has a really nice engine hooked up to some awful 4 speed slushbox right :pac:

In a way you are correct and incorrect at the same time... its a slushbox and its awful yes, but (the website says) its a 7speed!

The "Nissan" G37 in summary:

- Interior is decent, looks a little dated and a little common, but its fine. Seats also fine.
- Cluster/Rev counter was nice
- Exhaust note was terrible (whined not growled) with the windows up but a nice little rasp with the windows down. Strange.
- Boot opening too small, but boot quite big. Like the Camaro, just a stupid design.
- Engine and Gearbox seem totally mismatched:
*Very fast off the line
*No power at all in the critical 30-50mph zone until the autobox eventually dropped a gear.
*Sports more in the Auto didnt seem any better just jittery.
*Lots of power at over 80mph, but whats the point in that?
*I swear I think it dropped to 2nd on the freeway, pressed it on at 60mph and whatever gear it dropped to (cluster doesnt indicate current gear) it was at 7000+rpm, pretty horrible.

- Seemed to be quite rare over there, only saw one other.
- Used up about half the fuel tank pottering around and driving about 100miles to the airport and back. I dont think that sounds like good economy but didnt calculate.

Visually is ok, but the G37 (or 35 for that matter) coupe is way nicer to look at.

dgt · 02-07-2012 5:51pm

andyseadog wrote: »

i woldn't call a glanza exclusive, or powerfull etc, merely a by and large reliable bit of fun. i do not mean to fall out with you by any means dgt.

i find a lot of your posts very entertaining, and you amongst a few others on here have broadened my mind to some euro marques and their merits, i just felt that you made a bit of a "saab-ed statment" regarding the japanese manufacturers and thought more of you than to wipe out a whole side of the world as far as cars are concerned. i hope this is not the case.

That's not my intention either, to fall out with other posters over something like this. Opinions differ, often conflicting. I respect the points you made earlier too and it's something to think about.

No, I wouldn't slate an entire nation based on hearsay or the likes. Only a complete twit does that! Just a lot of my experiences with said vehicles are mostly negative and as someone who has a fair amount of experience driving different vehicles, it's harder and harder to change that view as the weeks and months roll by. It's also what I'm used to, step into one of those cars and I'm out of my depth already!

Since joining boards, I learned a lot in general (not just motoring) and seeing how people treat their cars, how they look after them, why they chose their car etc has broadened my horizon in that sense

I won't be in a Fiat as of August, gone French. Just a small example of how things have changed...

SouperComputer · 02-07-2012 8:01pm

I'm strongly considering an 04-06 G35 as our next car. Comfortable, somewhat luxurious car with 300ish HP, Six speed manual, RWD and Japanese reliability.

Yes plz.

MugMugs · 02-07-2012 8:12pm

Saab Ed wrote: »

They're all dung. I drove a Toyota something or other during the week and it was worse. How in the name of God can people put up with driving this motoring equivalent of old toast, nevermind spend their money on one.

What kind of tripe is this?

Seriously? "I drove a car from Japan and now they're all rubbish in my opinion"

I actually had a nice long speel typed out for this but I won't even bother. There's some posters here who have gone way down in my estimation now.

Did we not move past sterotyping motors a long time back?

Burt Lancaster · 02-07-2012 8:46pm

Jap and German cars are all way over rated today and living on past rep, but they are still better than most. Like them or loathe them, Korean motors are starting to catch up with other brands in the way jap cars did in the late 70's / early 80's.

Anyway, the thing to look out for these days is no longer the make, its the model.
Thats a far better guide than make these days.

crosstownk · 02-07-2012 8:53pm

high horse wrote: »

This thread is going nowhere...

Arguing over which model, brand, country of manufacture, engine size, etc is futile. It's about as productive as arguing about which type of music is best. The argument just goes around in circles.

Opinions are like ar$eholes and everyone has one. Everybody is right because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Different aspects such as design, reliability, materials mean different things to different people.

I like Queen. I don't like Jap cars. Nobody cares about this except me and that's all that matters.

Zubeneschamali · 02-07-2012 8:57pm

Burt Lancaster wrote: »

JKorean motors are starting to catch up with other brands in the way jap cars did in the late 70's / early 80's.

Since the Jap cars never did catch up and have been going backwards for some years now, I don't think the quality Euro makers need to sweat too much. I'd say the Koreans are a threat to the Japanese and bargain Euro makes.

MugMugs · 02-07-2012 8:58pm

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Since the Jap cars never did catch up and have been going backwards for some years now, I don't think the quality Euro makers need to sweat too much. I'd say the Koreans are a threat to the Japanese and bargain Euro makes.

Very vague statement. Where did the Japanese not catch up exactly?

scamalert · 02-07-2012 9:05pm

Saab Ed wrote: »

I've had the misfortune to have driven a Jap car this week and I have to say, its just rubbish. And it got me thinking, all of the Jappo crap that I've driven recently is just muck. The plastics are God awful, the driving postion is for someone with arms longer than their legs and the blandness is criminal. Now I know they're supposed to be reliable but really, lifes too short for this mulch.

Why, you might ask , I'm I ranting about this now. Well I've just finished a 3 hour drive in one of these crap boxes ( Nissan if you must know) and it was some ordeal. My back is shot to bits, my ears are still ringing after what seemed like a CIA style interrogation by noise and I felt half way between a nun and a scumbag driving the pile of dung. Every one else on the road driving a jap box seems to have either settled for their lot or they look like they're about to rob you.

I can safely say that Jap stuff is now firmly behind the Korean boxes that they pass off as cars, and that says a lot.

Rant over

the bmers and Mercedes cost penny's now,cars that cost 3-4years ago about 40-100e grand can be bought for less then 20k now,thanks to the irish goverment,now anyone on the dole and with a bit of savings can buy nice bmw 5 series or audi a6 no problems and keep it parked until world ends.While jap cars have ****ty interior but to this day its no1 seller in the world and quality /service vise its cheap and requires little attention,and some models costs more then the highly rated German cars even thou they might be 10-15 years old :pac:
but with variety and different purpose cars and manufacturers to choose today you have to be a bum in your head to express your opinion based on one car you drove for 3 hours :rolleyes: SAAB MAN :pac:

dr.fuzzenstein · 02-07-2012 9:19pm

MugMugs wrote: »

Very vague statement. Where did the Japanese not catch up exactly?

Exactly.
They had caught up by the 80's, what they did back then was to offer alloys, power steering, electric windows, radio, sunroof, tinted windows and some had 16v and 4WD, when you had to pay extra to get a clock in a Golf.
The German argument was "People will happily pay more for less, because it's a German car"
This was the argument that finished off German motorbikes, cameras, TV's, electronics, VCR's and many other industries.
How German car makers survived, I don't know, but I'm sure massive subsidies where involved.
Things have swung back again these days.

eringobragh · 02-07-2012 9:56pm

What I will say is you cant beat the driving position of a mk2 MR2...everything is where it should be, I get frustrated driving "normal" cars now

Syllabus · 02-07-2012 10:13pm

Saab Ed wrote: »

I've had the misfortune to have driven a Jap car this week and I have to say, its just rubbish. And it got me thinking, all of the Jappo crap that I've driven recently is just muck. The plastics are God awful, the driving postion is for someone with arms longer than their legs and the blandness is criminal. Now I know they're supposed to be reliable but really, lifes too short for this mulch.

Why, you might ask , I'm I ranting about this now. Well I've just finished a 3 hour drive in one of these crap boxes ( Nissan if you must know) and it was some ordeal. My back is shot to bits, my ears are still ringing after what seemed like a CIA style interrogation by noise and I felt half way between a nun and a scumbag driving the pile of dung. Every one else on the road driving a jap box seems to have either settled for their lot or they look like they're about to rob you.

I can safely say that Jap stuff is now firmly behind the Korean boxes that they pass off as cars, and that says a lot.

Rant over

I like Jap ahead of any other make

However,

EVERY car made in the last 5-7 yrs all look the same as each other. They're all being made either in the same building or with the same chassis or the like.

i.e. the Aygo is french, fords are jags or vise versa and so on and so on

So, I'll agree with your rant so far as the jap car you drove IS a POS, surpassed only by the Nissan Juke

I would, however, suggest you drive an original jap car from the 90's or early 00's before you tar them all with the same brush.

As for your 'lifes too short for reliability' comment you must have deep pockets. I suggest you buy an Alfa to remedy this. You will soon see the benefits of jap build quality.

I do not currently drive a jap car but have had a number of them over the years. I never robbed anyone.

im sure captain pedantic and the keyboard warriors will be along soon to slate my opinion but there you go.

Syllabus · 02-07-2012 10:17pm

Saab Ed wrote: »

Just for it not to be so bad.

Is'nt a good seat, a half decent place to be in and the exclusion of severe road noise a prerequisite for just about anything these days. Is it that much to expect. If I want crap transport the I'll take the bus ( considerably quieter I might add )

i would suspect the road noise was down to the tyres

you can find ****e tyres on any make of car afaik

eringobragh · 02-07-2012 10:23pm

Syllabus wrote: »

i would suspect the road noise was down to the tyres

you can find ****e tyres on any make of car afaik

x2 mine was a noisey mofo before changing the back tyres to 225 falkens.....quiet as a mouse now:cool:

Burt Lancaster · 02-07-2012 10:35pm

eringobragh wrote: »

What I will say is you cant beat the driving position of a mk2 MR2...everything is where it should be

Great, apart for the fact your arse and your elbows end up lower down than your feet.

2qk4u · 02-07-2012 10:42pm

Ive driven and owned a lot of Jap cars and I find them easier to drive, more responsive and more reliable that all that other muck.
Much more choice from Jap cars too everything you want in any type of car.
I can live with a bit of plastic if that sacrifice means I get reliability..

colm_mcm · 02-07-2012 11:01pm

Time to close the tinny door on this one, and shudder at the hollow clang noise as it locks.

Jap Cars: They're just sh!te.

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