dealer Wagon, finish with
Either you are not very old, or you have a very short memory. Having owned import cars or dealt with family members that owned them in the 70's, 80's and even 90's, I can promise you that there were (and still are), wretched import car dealers and crappy import cars. My list of problematic import cars include a 1975 Datsun 280Z (clutch, EFI), 1980 Honda Accord (rust), 1983 Toyota Cressida (a wretched piece of junk with so many problem I can't list them all), 1983 Mazda (AC, cooling system, trim), 1986 VW Jetta (fuel pumps, transmission, CV joint boots, electricals), 1990 VW Pbuttat (motor mounts, interior and exterior trim, cam drive, electricals). When we owned the Cressida, the local Toyota dealer was run like an extortion racket. Over price the new cars, sell you unreliable crap, and then hold you hostage for parts that cost two and three time the US equivalents. Things are a little better in my area now, since there actually multiple Toyota and Honda dealers, but they still treat you like they are doing you a favor by agreeing to consider selling you one of their cars. And the service departments are still run by extortionist. Maybe things are better over at the Lexus and Acura dealerships, but how would I know? I don't trust the opinion of anybody dumb enough to pay 25% more for a Toyota or Honda because they have cool brand name. At least two people I know recently ditched their unreliable Japanese cars and bought American. I have seen it go from people not buying foreign cars because there Grandfather said they were crap, to people not buying American cars for the same reason. During my lifetime, my Father has only purchased one new car that was not a Ford. Of the 21 Fords he bought over 50 years, only one was problematic (1957 Station Wagon - blew the engine in 1964 at 85,000+ miles, he had the engine rebuilt and trade the car). One other one was irritating (1979 Station Wagon - exhaust leak the dealer couldn't fix, but there was no cost since car was totaled in an accident before it was fixed). Of the other 19, I doubt he ever spent more than $300 in repairs on any of them. I spent more on the Toyota every year I owned it. So when people tell me how great Toyotas are, I just have to wonder what they are comparing them to. Everything is much better now than in 1972. I might very well buy a Toyota in the next few year, but it will be because the particular product I buy offers the features I want at an acceptable price - not because some Usenet expert claims US cars are junk and Toyotas are great. I've been to the Toyota dealership and seen the service bays filled with broken cars. I've seen my neighbors Camry lay down a cloud of blue smoke every morning. I've seen a local farmer's broken and rusted out hulk of a Tundra.
Ed
