I've always been a GM guy myself, along with the rest of the family but some of the latest offerings have been pretty dismal. I can't stand GM's obsession with front wheel drive, while the rest of the world is going back to rear drive.
I did make the mistake of going with Hondas earlier in my driving life. I can't see what all the hype is with Hondas being so reliable. I owned a 1978 Honda Civic and a 1985 Prelude. Both of these cars had terrible electrical gremlins. Honda body work is terrible, with crappy paint jobs, poor rust protection, and the fact that they start falling apart after about 100K on the dial. Interiors are just as bad, with cheap plastic materials that fall apart, and upholstery that disentegrates by the stitching. Dyes used in the fabrics fade after about 6-8 years too. The Prelude was constantly overheating, and the battery would never stay charged. Both of the cars too had annoying carburator problems, and would never stay tuned up properly. Starting them on a cold morning took an act of congress!
On the flip side of the coin, I have known of many people why own GM cars that are supposedly terrible vehicles that are great. Personally, I own a 1988 Astro van with 300,000 miles on it. Yes, the van is starting to look a little shabby now, but it is still reliable, and runs great, and outlasted the Hondas by twice their age! GM developed one of the simpliest and reliable EFI systems in the market that this van is equipped with. Dad owned one of the Oldsmobile Diesel cars, and it was a great vehicle that took him many miles. I also own a Chevette, and I can honestly say, that car is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the same year Honda Civic when it comes to being properly engineered for Americans and the way they drive. The Chevette has a 4 speed overdrive automatic, computer controlled carb, full-side seats, and real shocks...the Honda had none of these! Why do I have a Chevette? It runs, handles good, gets great mileage, and I can depend on it to start and run everyday...can't say that about the Hondas I owned!!!
My thought into why Japanese cars are good "out of the box" is the taxing structure in Japan is different than it is here. In Japan, vehicles are taxed more as they get older. Here in the USA, cars get taxed less as they get older. Most Japanese cars rarely ever get older than 6 years in their native country. Because of this, the vehicles are not really designed to run over that time frame. They are however designed to be perfectly maintence free before that period, which means normal service parts, like shocks, are replaced by struts, which can give higher mileage, but are harder and more expensive to maintain. Interior materials do not need to be of high quality because the vehicle will not last particularly long.
This is in stark contrast to European vehicles, which in the past, were based on tried and true designs. They did it right the first time, and use the platforms for many years. Europeans held onto their cars the longest, so they typically wanted vehicles that were easier to maintain. With vehicles that were standardized, this was not a problem. Due to European driving habits too, utmost reliability was a major issue. Handling must be impeccable too, because the vehicles are driven over 100 mph at times, and at others, asked to navigate the narrow, twisty roads of ancient cities. Most European cars have leather interiors because they last a long time. Their paint jobs are extremely thick and frequently look brand new even though the car may be several years old.
Unfortunatley, Mercedes is falling into the style trap by attempting to sell their cars based on snob appeal and clout, versus substance like durability, handling and power. This is probably the reason why they are doing so bad today. They have alienated their longtime buyers by selling bling, instead of a trustworthy vehicle they can pass onto their children. Take a look at how many 240D's and 300D's are on the road. These models went out of production back in the early 80's. Around here, these cars are all over the place, and most look and run just as good as they did when they were new. The reseale price reflects it too, with these cars going for almost $4000 on the used lot...Try that with a Honda or Toyota!!!
