German Car Zone

i have never owned an asian car, like those toyotas and nissans that greece is full of, and for some reasons i don't know, i would never buy one. Ok, i can't deny they are reliable or have a good value for money but something inside me sais don't.

Honda on the other hand is something great. Accord euro is a great car. And i still have faith in french cars. the previous cars that i owned were french...

If you like the Euro Accord, you could always get the Acura TSX if you're down in California.

Hmm, I reckon that when Giannis is talking about midsize, he means "small" for us Aussies, ie. Corollas and Civics.. those Europeans are a funny bunch

Anyhow, if price is a consideration, like you say, then I'd be keen to get Japanese. We've already had more Japanese cars than European, anyhow. They've been reliable in general. I'm not going to say they are more reliable than the few European cars we've had just because it's not really fair to make one family's ownership a representative sample.

The Civic is hardly a 'small' car now, anyhow - it's within a few centimetres' width and height of an Accord Euro, and maybe (IIRC) 15cm? shorter, only.

It's also a cheaper car than the Euros. Other Japanese cars are also cheaper, and I'm hoping that Hyundai will continue to do well (although the new Accent looks crap) so that they will also become a decent player. Only time will tell.

However, Giannis, where you have some bias against Japanese cars, then I have a bias against French cars. Nothing personal, but I've heard enough stories and seen enough reports on their overall level of complaints that I'm not willing to gamble.

Well, that's simple - because the TSX is lame. In California, it's a hoser car for college students and uptights who wanted a luxury car but couldn't/wouldn't quite hack getting something they really wanted.

For me the Euro Accord is an unsung hero, delivering all the goods in a restrained yet handsome package.

It's all about context. The TSX says something different about you than it's Accord sibling. Seems silly since they're essentially the same car, but I'm just turned off by the Acura badging.

lol, yes europeans are a funny bunch, lol
Anyway, i guess you Aussies don't get those ultra small cars like Getz, Jazz, Seicento, Yaris, and so on...

Anyway, yes i have a bias towards japanese cars. I don't know why. my whole family has the same bias towards japanese and american cars. It's something inherited. As for the french ones, i can garantee it. Very crappy. I have a clio. I complain about it more time than i drive it. But it just does its job....

If I was on a tight budget and needed a new car, I would have no hesitation in buying a Honda Civic sedan or Toyota Corolla. 4 doors, very practical and roomy, and fuel efficient.

If I had a little more cash to play with, I would get the Acura CSX (a Civic dipped in gold with the Si engine - Canadian only model) or even the Acura TSX (rebadged Euro Accord).

I have no hesitation in getting these cars because of my positive experiences with them in the past. In general, you get more features/performance for your money compared to European or American competitors.

I have no emotional attraction to any Japanese cars but they are very reliable and economical so I can certainly justify buying a small Japanese car for around the city.

I have an confession to make - Right now I'm driving a very made in Japan 1988 Honda Civic which I'm very emotionally attached to. I bought the thing off my friend's grandfather for a mere $1,500 with less than 75k on the odometer.

My first car was a 1987 CRX, which is very similar to the car I'm driving today. It was a steller car that took all sorts of abuse and never complained.

Typically, I'd be loathe to drive around in an old POS, but the late 80s Civic has such sentimental value to me that I don't mind driving the thing at all. Also, it doesn't hurt that the thing was garaged its whole life and was very well maintained. Threw some new pads/rotors on the thing and it cost me less than $100!

It's strange, I get much more pleasure and satisfaction out of the thing than I would driving around a much newer car that I'm completely indifferent to. I guess another part of the appeal is that I got the car for such a low price and the thing runs like a dream. Everytime I head out somewhere I sorta feel like I'm getting away with something.

In any case - I guess when you're talking about cars that carry sentimental value all the rules go out the window. I couldn't imagine myself bonding with any of the modern Asian cars because the fabrication processes leave me feeling cold.

German cars>>>>Japanese cars>>Korean cars>>Italian cars>>French cars

(Talking about mainsteam car makers here not Ferrari or something)

So i 'd rather own a Huyndai instead of a Citroen or a Fiat. At least they are cheap to own and reliable while French cars are more expensive and not reliable at all.

Giannis, we do get those cars (though not the Seicento - Fiat's not here just yet, they do plan to make a return with the Grande Punto). They've become sales hits over the past half year or so, as petrol prices have begun to "skyrocket" (currently about AUD$1.30/L, which might be only a little over half what the Brits pay..). On that size, I'd probably have less brand or country loyalty than in other segments, but as always, the overall feel of each individual car is the final arbiter.

Osna, I can't really say I develop too much of an emotional attachment to any car whilst I'm driving it. Usually only after it's gone do I reminisce about how I enjoyed driving whatever. Whilst it's still being driven, usually things like the performance and the interior override anything else. However, familiarity is certainly something to 'value'.

Anyhow, heh, I agree with Yannis, though I suspect the difference between "German" and "Japanese" on my scale is less than on his. Plus, the Koreans are making headway these days, certainly.

However, with these small cars, again, I think that there's a lot less to differentiate brands than on larger cars. Sometimes a brand makes a good one, sometimes a bad one. Plus, for the purposes that small or low-budget cars are used for, reliability is a major factor, and I still think that Japanese cars deliver than more often than other countries' brands.