I would agree that is generally no longer the case but there are some exceptions to this rule noted at the end of this answer. This theory came about in a time when American cars were still being built as huge gas guzzling machines, before the early 1970's. In effect our cars were so large that everything on them was made proportionally bigger than it really needed to be - to a point. Space was not really an issue, thus everything could be designed and built to "overkill", making a vehicle that would tend to last longer than they do today. It is still common to find very old american cars that require very little repair other than to replace rubber components to make them driveable once again. After the oil crisis of the 1970's there was a major push to make cars more efficient on gas. Notwithstanding pollution issues, cars had to become smaller to use less fuel. This was a general trend evident after that time in most American cars. Simply put, our engineers had little experience making things lighter and smaller. Foreign cars had already been doing it for years and had a technological advantage to making well built small cars, thus for a time their cars were mechanically superior in a lot of ways. One thing learned from Japan has been in material science. Making any system perform reliably when downsizing it means increasing the strength of the materials used in its manufacture. Metal alloys used in older cars would not work as well when made smaller, thus we had to take some lessons from Japan. Since that time, we have adopted nearly every technology that Japanese cars use. There is one drawback to all this that has to do more with economics than good mechanical design. We are a throw-away nation and the US automakers would always like you to buy more cars and trucks as is feasible. This is greatly considered in the design of American vehicles. Everything is designed as cheaply as possible to both maximize profits and to meet the design criteria of the car's expected life. If a car lasted 50 or so years with no appreciable maintenance, car manufacturers would soon go out of business. There is no reason other than a sound business decision to make cars break down sooner rather than later other than cost and quality of materials, which is actually negligible.

The word "inferior" is probably a little too strong, but there is no denying that Japanese vehicles are of higher quality than American cars. Japanese cars last longer and retain higher resale value than American cars. After the first 100,000 miles, Japanese engines show very little wear and have lost less compression than American engines. A key element is attitude toward "manufacturing tolerances." The Japanese demand much closer tolerances and better fit than Detroit, which results in higher quality mechanisms. American manufacturers are content to have a "looser" fit for easier (and lower cost) construction. It is also no secret that Japanese cars cost more than American. This really is, in part, due to the fact that it does cost more to design and build a Japanese car, but the car does last longer. So, if it should need repair, it is worth it to invest the money to fix it, because the repair would still be less than the depreciated value of the car. By keeping their products lower priced, American firms create a dilemna when the car needs major repair. After factoring in depreciation, the owner often determines that he may as well spend the same amount of money on a new car. This pushes more sales, which is all American manufacturers are concerned with anyway.

There was an American man named W. Edwards Deming who invented Quality Control in the 1930's. He helped American manufacturers during World War II, to increase both quality and quantity of war materials. However, after the war, American business leaders gradually forgot about his ideas. But there were some people who did not forget: the Japanese! Deming was invited to come to Japan in 1950 to help Japan recover its economy from the devastation of WWII. The Japanese eagerly adopted Deming's ideas of quality control, and that helped them to eventually dominate in the manufacturing arena. One of Deming's greatest theories was that a quality product is actually cheaper to make (in the long run) than a non-quality product. In the 1980's, when American car makers were getting their butt kicked by the Japanese, they rediscovered Deming's quality control and started implementing it. Gradually, American cars began to match Japanese cars for quality, so that by 1990 they were pretty much equal. My personal thoughts, having been a Quality Engineer in the American automotive industry during the 1990's, is that Japanese cars may continue to have better quality, because in Japan, quality control has become a way of life; they really believe in it; while in America it's just a fad. Our business leaders would drop it if they could.

European engines, for example, generally are more fuel efficient, and achieve higher power outputs from the same displacement. This is partly to do with US cars running at lower compression ratios, although fuel ratings may also cause some differences. A higher amount of 'highway' driving rather than in city traffic, couple with lower compression ratios also means that they last longer, although the state of the roads in the US results in a lot more squeaks!

There was indeed a time when american cars didnt measure up to the same quality standards as the japanese. Part of the reason why the japanese have had such a good track record in the us is because when a car is designed and manufactured in Japan, it does not come to the US market for 3 to 5 years which gives them time to work out the bugs and handle any recalls. There was a movie that came out in the 80's called Gung Ho which was about how the american auto worker and the japanese auto worker had two different ideas when it came to work ethic. At one point in the movie Micheal Keaton's character talks about how americans were failing miserably because we tend to pat ourselves on the back about how great we think we are while the japanese are really doing much better.

This is really a question of business strategy rather then of craftsmanship, design or quality control, American automanufacturers produce vehilces with profit margin as the primary concern. This is obvious in the number of domestic high-powerd suv's available on the market. The US automakers make huge margins on those products.. The Japanese on the other hand are concerned with market share. Their government provides assistance to the automakers, and are directly involved in the business. What the manufacturers are concerned wiith are producing a vehicle of high value, to ensure their product will be selected over ther American counterparts. Now they don;t create the enormous profit margins that the Americans do, but they do now control almost 40% of the US auto market. That is up 25% from just 10 years ago. The japanese are adding product lines, we are losing them. It really comes down to different business philosiphies. The Japanese focus on winning the game, and when they start to, the Americans just change the rules. The Japanese spent billions on hybrid research expectin the market to completely turn that way, and what did he Americans do, decide that hydrogen will be the fuel of choice, and cars will be powered by fuel cells, a technology we have been working on for decades. We are not the worlds superpower because we are stupid. If domestic cars are mechancally inferior, it is done on purpose. Corporate US created the captiolist game, if Japan wants to compete buy building high quallity vehicles, so be it, It's all about increasing GDP. So, I guess the answer to the original question is probably yes, the Japanese build a product of higher quality and reliability. But remember, the Americans are specifically profit driven. If there were significant profit margins available in the mid and small size car range, you would see the US quality blow through the roof. I guess the botttom line is, the Japanese are a very disciplined, focused, wealthy society. And Americans are greedy, spoiled, and economically fully in command, and I suppose we expect to stay that way no matter who builds the best car, Sorry for the long answer, but i've read allot and discussed allot about this very topic.

That depends on what you mean by "mechanically inferior." As far as reliability, Japanese cars (especially Toyota and Honda) are still far better on average than American cars, but the gap has been narrowing for years. The Japanese cars are improving in reliability, but the American cars are improving a little faster. American cars are still significantly behind the Japanese, but hopefully the improvement trend will continue and we will catch up with (and possibly surpass) the Japanese in reliability.

There is a wide discrepancy in reports. Consumer Reports magazine wrote in April 2005: <Quote> April 2005 U.S. autos narrow the gap Our latest survey of subscribers’ experiences with their cars shows that the 2004 Hyundai Sonata is the single most reliable vehicle. The Nissan Quest and Lincoln Navigator are the least reliable 2004 models. Our survey also shows that improvement in the reliability of U.S. vehicles was no fluke. American cars and trucks continue to edge closer to Japanese and Korean makes. European vehicles continue to be among the least reliable overall. Here are highlights from this year’s survey focusing on the 2004 model year: • The Hyundai Sonata had only 2 problems per 100 vehicles (we call this figure the problem rate). That showing further establishes Hyundai’s remarkable turnaround from one of the least reliable brands to one of the best. • The most reliable 2004 brand overall is now Subaru, which averages 8 problems per 100. Honda, long a reliability leader, averaged 9 problems per 100. • Japanese and Korean automakers once again produced the most trouble-free vehicles, with an overall problem rate of 12 per 100 for the 2004 model year. That rate has not changed in the past three years. • Overall, Asian automakers are likely to produce the most reliable 2005 cars as well; see the chart below. • DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors inched a little closer to Asian automakers with an overall problem rate of 17 per 100. Last year U.S. automakers had a combined problem rate of 18 per 100. <end quote> This is consistent with what webgrunt wrote. However, J.D. Power paints a very different picture. Their top ten most reliable vehicle brands, with the average number of problems reported per 100 vehicles: Lexus 139 Porsche 149 Lincoln 151 Buick 163 Cadillac 175 Infiniti 178 Toyota 194 Mercury 195 Honda 201 Acura 203 So in the top ten, American brands Lincoln, Buick and Cadillac take third, fourth and fifth placed for reliability, while Toyota takes seventh and Honda takes ninth. Why do J. D. Power's studies show such different results? For example, J. D. Power ranks Subaru well below average in reliability for 2005, while Consumer Reports puts it at the top for 2005. In order to interpret the results of a study, the parameters of the study must be inderstood. For example, how far back do they go? Is one study looking at cars that came out within the past model year, while the other one goes back several years? Does one study subtract more points for more major and expensive repairs and another study weight a minor, inexpensive repair the same as one that's hugely expensive? I would say the results of these studies raise more questions than they answer.

American cars have been and will continue to be inferior to Japanese cars. Part of this is based on the way the cars are made in the first place. American cars are too big and their fuel economy is very poor compared to many other cars. They are also conceded "throw away items" with a shelf life of ten to fifteen years. How many Toyota&#8217;s are still on the road? They&#8217;re simple, small, and cheap to run, bulletproof, and have a high build quality. If this paint the picture, why are Ford and GM the two largest car manufactories in the world, on the verge of going bankrupt? The rules of car manufacturing world have changed and the only way that the big three (GM Ford Chrysler) can hope to keep up is to follow the leaders. 1. Alternative fuels 2. Smaller is better. 3. Better build quality. 4. World wide market. 5. Streamline

In 50 years of driving, i have owned mostly vehicles manufactured in the united states. every american built auto, i have owned, has been a mechanical nightmare. one day, i took a chance and bought a used 1991 toyota camry. i drove that vehicle for many years, without any mechanical problems. being overwhelmed at the complete performance of the camry, in 2002, i bought a brand new toyota solara, fully equipped. to this date, i have only changed the oil, bought new and roated the tires and very infrequently filled the gas tank. i have been thoroughly satisfied and will buy another. driving the solara is an experience. once you experience a japanese-built vehicle, everything else made in the usa.........is junk. the solara is a precision-built auto and gets 31 mpg on the road and 29 mpg in town. driving is believing. try one!

I think what we have here is a case of media hype. Let's look at it from a different perspective. Do the Japanese car dealerships here in America have service/repair departments? Do they have parts departments? Do auto parts stores in general sell foreign parts? As far as foreign cars retaining their value......What does a nice 1969 Toyota go for these days? What does a 1969 Mustang sell for in 2006? As an owner of a Southern California courier company who hires people that use their cars for work, I can tell you that foreign cars break just as much as American cars. I have employed over 800 people in the last 10 years, and seen EVERY kind of vehicle used in a severe service type of way every day, and if you think foreign cars are better than American cars, I'd like to sell you some beach front property in Vegas.

I owned a 1986 Nissan Pickup that was a piece of crap. Broke down all they time. I have a 2001 Dodge Dakota with 78k on it and so far I have spent a total of $387 on repairs. Not bad at all. The Nissan on the other hand, well, I stopped counting at $2k. Never again will I buy a Japanese car.. I have owned and driven Dodges and have logged over 1 million miles in my life on them and have had remarkable service. If you are one of those who has had a lot of problems with your American car, then I believe they problem more than likely lies with you and not your car. I have also found that foreign cars are much like their Guitars, no soul, no tone, and no vibe. Next.

No one here has stated the real reason? I wasn't aware it was still a secret. American car companies purposely design their products to fall apart after 5 years (which is the length of most car loans). American cars are also hard to work on, so you must take it to the dealership in order to get serviced (more $$$ for the manufacturer). Consumers have been catching on over the years. Take GM for instance, their stock price was around $100 30 years ago, now it's around $35/share. Instead of designing a better product, GM (just like Ford) closes down plants and has mass layoffs in order to attempt to make their x quarter earnings statements. This does nothing but leaves them with a smaller company. Management are too stubborn to make a quality product because they assume the consumer _still_ hasn't caught on to their tactics. Eventually these companies' stock will be work $5/share and they'll be left with 10,000 employees - still trying to fool the consumer by designing cars that break after 5 years. By this time EVERYONE will know what's going on and these companies will be history.

it depends on what you call american or japanese... any Honda or toyoa under 20 years old was probably built in the USA by americans... like wise with fords or GMs they were built in mexico or canada...

It used to be the case, now it's not. Foreign cars offer better performance; American cars are safer. That's the state of things now.

i'm sticking with foreign made cars, i still don't trust american made...

From my experience American cars were great in the the 1950's and up until 1967.They ran great and looked good,for the styles were very different.After that the cars were built like junk,breaking down,etc.Then I started buying foreign cars and found them to be far superior,VW,Toyota,Honda,Audi,etc.