Let
me start this rant by saying that I have no problem with persons of Asian
descent, but I DO have issues with Japanese manufacturers. Years ago, when I was
working for one of the major oil companies managing an oil change for them, I
got to work on LOTS of vehicles. And invariably, Japanese cars and trucks were
the most difficult to work on. Nissan Maximas with the oil filter less
than an inch from the exhaust manifold, Toyotas with parts placed in the
most inaccessible spots, and so on and so forth. I base my opinion of vehicles
and their manufacturer on the engineering, and how easy they are to work on. And
lets be frank here, the Japanese generally have no clue about this. Now I
realize that new vehicles have to have a LOT of stuff packed into the smallest,
lightest box possible, but some things are just ridiculous! I give them credit,
what the Japanese do best is take someone else's idea,
and improve on it and then (at least try to) call it their own. But when they try to
improve upon an accepted concept, they fall flat on their collective faces.
Refer to the 1st generation Suzuki Samurai, an obvious attempt to improve
on the classic Jeep, which failed miserably. Also, look at a more successful
copy, the Toyota Land Cruiser. (didn't only rip-off the basic layout of a Jeep,
then they kinda ripped off the name of the Land Rover
too!) This one, in it's earlier versions (FJ40) was actually a good off
roader, but now, it has gone SUV, becoming big, bloated,
(see this) and no more capable than
my '92 Trans Am! And the much ballyhooed Nissan Armada? When I saw one the other
day at a red light, I nearly laughed myself silly when I saw the words "Off
Road" on the door. I'm fairly sure the driver of this vehicle was mad at
me, judging by the look on his face. Of course, this vehicle is from the same
company that thinks that if you gadget-up a pickup, Americans will buy it.
(Titan) Now some would argue that the Japanese build quality vehicles, and for
the most part, that's true. But that shouldn't be the only factor in
determining the make of vehicle one should buy. As I stated above, I prefer
American vehicles (Jeeps, especially) since US manufacturers realize that
eventually a vehicle needs repaired and one must be physically able to do
so.
