I can't disagree, even with my personal experience, imports have very good quality, I can't attack that, I just wouldn't buy one.

 

Ditto.
Whens the last time Toyota, Honda et al. brought out a Mustang competitor?

 

1998, when Toyota stopped importing the Supra. Not even the Cobra of that year could touch the twin turbo version. Ford didn't have anything that could take it until the '03 Cobra. At 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, no factory Camaro could hold a candle to it as well.

 

Or a comptitor for the SuperDuty?

 

Here for you guys that want some eye openers.... www.thevanman.us/truth.html

 

A Supra might be quick (and they are...), but its not, and never will be a Mustang, its reliable as all buggery, and quick, thats about all it has going for it.

 

I agree that that is true now. The only Japanese car I ever owned was a 1980 Toyota Supra and I vaguely remeber that stangs were only a nambe at the time.

When I buy a pair of Italian dress shoes, I expect them to be made in Italy, not China. Go to the Dodgie dealer and look under the hoods of all the car models and see how many Mitsibishi engines you find. Its hard to be loyal to a brand thats not loyal to me.

 

How many? I bet you'll find one car with a mistu engine in it. Why not look under the hood of a Mazda6 and a Ford Taurus? Or how about the Mazda3 and the Focus? Or The Escape and Tribute? Or how about GM with the New GTO-GM engine in an Australian car, Or the Saturn Vue Redline with the Honda V6 or the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix? The Big 3 isn't all american anymore, plus most the cars and trucks are either built in Mexico or Canada.

 

Ditto - couldn't have said it better ...

 

Remember those toyota pickups that would go 300-500k miles without any major repairs. Too small for me but a good buy.

Competition for the mustang. Nissan skyline, subaru impreza sti and svx, NSX, 300z, MR2 and acura has a few in their stable. Japanese car companies are weird about going over 300 hp.

I think anyone who would buy an inferior product because of where its made. Doesnt understand the idea of capatalism. How many of you own a marantz stereo? It doesnt happen. We own sonys and kenwoods. Why? Because they cost less and have higher quality. Now thats capatalism at work. Its made by a japanese company. But its sold and profits are made by an american company. When it comes time to get repaired. Again americans are put to work.

 

I feel you there. I have had the priviledge of owning both supras and mustangs. The only one I still have now is my 71 Mustang. The supra was darn quick, reliable, and responded excellent to tuning, but it also had the distinction of being the target of every stoplight racer Honda on the road. I loved my last supra (352RWHP), but it didn't have any low end. And everyone will stare at a 71 Boss, especially if it's painted good.

 

Yeah, all Japanese Auto companies have an agreement that they wont make a car over 280hp and sell there (thats why the supra you guys saw was slightly different to the Japanese one...)

You also forgot the RX-7, 180/200SX, Legacy B4, Lancer Evo and there are plenty more...

But of all those cars few have "character" like a mustang.
Prehaps only the RX-7, because of its gorgeous looks, and rotary engine, and the Subarus with their awesome flat four off-beat rumble, but these still aint a stang.

All of these cars are, and have the potential to be rediculosly fast.
I have a friend with an R33 Skyline GTR with 550hp at the wheels, and it is the fastest car I have ever driven bar none. And that includes my Falcon, and a tuned Porshe 911...
Would I own one though? No
Would I sell some vital organs for a 2005 RHD Mustang? Yes

 

i wonder if these foreign auto companies made and sold as many vehicles as ford or chevy or dodge... i wonder if they wouldn't have more lemons? and what is a foreign car? my '95 f150 has made in mexico or made in canada all over it. a lot of japanese brands have plants here in the states- so what is foreign? and are we not the melting pot? are we not the hub of the planet? my ancesters were drunk Irishmen (and still are). i am all for made in the USA , that is why i work here, live here and pay my taxes here. i check the price tag and check for quality the best i can and then make my purchase, but i really do not care where the stuff is made. if i could only buy american made i would be running around naked and wouldn't have a tv or a computer. sorry, i'm drifting, i think i need a beer. MILLER HIGH LIFE, made in th USA , i think. goodnight all.

 

I have a couple of those myself...bad thing I am Irish and Scottish…..too funny
To some it is very important where an item is made, many think they can read a magazine article and believe that particular item is perfect, so says the article.....few ever keep that item long enough to realize if it is the best in class….butt they know it because they read it

 

Interesting thread going here. My perspective comes from almost 30 years in the car biz, working for a dealer group that handles all the major domestics (GM, Ford, Chrysler/Dodge) and most of the Japanese majors as well- so consider that the disclaimer. I'm also a car nut from years ago, and I've bought many vehicles that our outside of our business lines over the years.

Full-Size truck buyers are the most loyal on the planet, and it isn't always for objective reasons. What makes a Ford, Chevy, or Dodge truck buyer has less to do with the objective quality and capabilties of the products (they're pretty darned close, truth be known) than the statement their vehicles make. Ford has a decades long reputation for building a solid, hard working truck for a decent price. GM's claim to fame is that they make the plushest, most comfortable truck (they do), while Dodge's "in your face" styling is a statement in itself. You either love or hate the Dodge Ram styling- there's not much middle-ground there, and it's by design. If we lived in "perfect," I could go out and buy a pickup that had a GM chassis and transmission, a Cummins engine, a Ford interior, styled by Dodge....and built by Toyota.

Toyota (and Honda), on the other hand, bases it's owner loyalty on two key points: quality and durability. Styling is never ground-breaking, and they rarely surpass the competition in any one area of competance. On the other hand, it's hard to find any glaring flaws in any of their product line either, and that's true from a cheapo Paseo to the big Lexus. (BTW, I prefer Honda, but only because they seem more fun to drive. Can't go wrong with either brand, IMO).

All that being said, passenger car loyalty is abysmal. I credit this to the lack of original styling or features right now. Between safety, EPA and gas mileage requirements, it's gotten hard to tell individual products apart. Put a design in a wind tunnel, and you're bound to come up with the same basic shape. Remember when you could spot a '64 T-Bird from blocks away? And the decision between that T-Bird and the Riviera was easy to make, because they were wildly different cars, even though they sold in the same market segment? No more. Cadillac and Chrysler are trying to break out of this mold, and have met with some success- but those high-end products won't impact what the average consumer puts in their garage. I'm really curious to see how the new Mustang is recieved (my guess, a home run) and the Ford 500 (boring but nice, IMO).

My own thinking is that the domestics are going to have to give the consumer a real reason to buy one of their products, like innovative styling and design, since the "quality" banner is already taken.