Look Out Toyota, Here Comes The Good Enough Chinese Car

[caineroad]

Germans like Chinese.

[bentjazz]

I'm forced to buy too much Chinese stuff, as is. For pure ideological reasons alone, I'd never buy a Chinese car. Ever. That combined with the fact that the quality will most likely suck.....no thanks. I'm sure the political left in this country will jump at the opportunity to assist China in its ascendency to Super Power status, because we all know about their respective love affair with government control over the individual. But me, I value the individual over all else and will therefore stick with my Yaris and when my Yaris dies, I'll get another Japanese car.....

[DMZ]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Thats the past. The future might be different.

If you would have told me when I bought my Yaris three years ago Id be replacing the waterpump under warranty at ~ 25k miles I wouldnt have believed it.

A waterpump going sour at 25k is one thing.

An engine sucking a valve at 25k is another.

[TPA5]

Main problem with this? I value my life. VW may have built no-frill cars, but I actually trust a VW car to keep my butt safe. I'm not trusting the Chinese industry to actually build something that won't;

1) Randomly have parts fail or rip apart

2) Flake apart like a paper crane in a collision

I'll stick to brands I know. I'm good with being adventurous and switching up toilet paper and breakfast cereal brands every now and again, but I'm not putting my life in the hands of a country famous for shoddy goods.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by DMZ

A waterpump going sour at 25k is one thing.

An engine sucking a valve at 25k is another.

A water pump failure at this point is totally unacceptable from a car maker like Toyota.

If they dont fix this problem I will be entertaining all options come new car time.

Yes a dropped valve is a bad thing.

But its in the past and near present and not the future.

[12 yaris]

Bring on the Chinese,What is everyone afraid of???

[Deathegg]

Originally Posted by bronsin

For years now we have been at the mercy of domestic and foriegn cars making us buy cars with features we do not want. Electric windows, power mirrors, remote entry, ABS, airbags, automatic transmission the list is endless. They use mind control to make us want these things. They use mind control to make us think its OK to PAY for them too.

Well all that may be about to change. Like the VW of the 50s and 60s which made as basic reliable no frills car, China may be about to rock the automotive world:

http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/...nough-car?lite

Mind control? Really? Please give me an example of how, let's say, Mazda uses mind control to make me buy one of their cars.

Also, as someone said, the safety things you mention are mandated by the government, not the automakers.

[OTA'sTOY]

Originally Posted by 12 yaris

Bring on the Chinese,What is everyone afraid of???

!MSG!

[OTA'sTOY]

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...D047519C0F42C8

wow rear doors open but windows popout not roll down not for me would have made more sense if it was a 2dr hatch instead of 4dr

[12 yaris]

Too bad we'll never see any here,I might be tempted to trade...
Personlized plate? MSG...

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Deathegg

Mind control? Really? Please give me an example of how, let's say, Mazda uses mind control to make me buy one of their cars.
.

I didnt say they use mind control to make you buy one of their cars.

By their commercials they make the public want fancy expensive cars. Like BMWs.

A large segment of the public thinks their social status is measured by their car.

Fortunately I am unaffected by this so I can warn everybody before its too late.

Or they chop my head off.

[12 yaris]

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by bentjazz

I'm forced to buy too much Chinese stuff, as is. For pure ideological reasons alone, I'd never buy a Chinese car. Ever. That combined with the fact that the quality will most likely suck.....no thanks. I'm sure the political left in this country will jump at the opportunity to assist China in its ascendency to Super Power status, because we all know about their respective love affair with government control over the individual. But me, I value the individual over all else and will therefore stick with my Yaris and when my Yaris dies, I'll get another Japanese car.....

ITA with you on everything you stated! I guess it's our Midwestern values kickin' in.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Germans get to drive VWs and they dont like Chinese?

Caineroad's comment made me laugh as well. I used to belong to a German cultural group (a social group) and spent tons of time with German nationals who are now U.S. citizens. Lets just say the German people are unique. Germans don't specifically dislike the Chinese, they are just very precise and don't like things being done cheaply (in a less than optimal quality sense....at least as they perceive quality).

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bentjazz

I'm forced to buy too much Chinese stuff, as is. For pure ideological reasons alone, I'd never buy a Chinese car. Ever. That combined with the fact that the quality will most likely suck.....no thanks. I'm sure the political left in this country will jump at the opportunity to assist China in its ascendency to Super Power status, because we all know about their respective love affair with government control over the individual. But me, I value the individual over all else and will therefore stick with my Yaris and when my Yaris dies, I'll get another Japanese car.....

You sir, deserve a parade!

[Hershey]

" A water pump failure at this point is totally unacceptable from a car maker like Toyota. "

Agree . Had a '86 Corolla with 240,000+ miles and never an issue with a water pump . Had to get the alternator rebuilt twice and did the removal / install . The alternator had well over 100,000 both times it failed . The cost was reasonable as well . Ain't what they used to be .

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

ITA with you on everything you stated! I guess it's our Midwestern values kickin' in.

A few years ago I was at a Starbucks in a major metro in California. I ended up getting in an hours long conversation with the guy sitting next to me. Interesting guy. He was from Kenya and had come to UC Berkeley to study. He was probably in his late 20's and is a Software Engineer. He was working at Oracle at that time. While studying, he met a fellow student who had come to UC Berkeley from Texas. Eventually, she wanted to get married and he didn't. She came back to Texas and met and married someone here. He looks upon her as the one that got away. His parents live in Kenya and want him to come back to Kenya and find a nice Kenyan girl to marry. He told me he might do that, or he might stay here in the U.S. He said if he stays here, he would never marry a woman raised on either coast. He said he would only marry a Midwestern girl!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Hershey

" A water pump failure at this point is totally unacceptable from a car maker like Toyota. "

Agree . Had a '86 Corolla with 240,000+ miles and never an issue with a water pump . Had to get the alternator rebuilt twice and did the removal / install . The alternator had well over 100,000 both times it failed . The cost was reasonable as well . Ain't what they used to be .

I wonder if Bronsin got what my dad used to call "a Friday car" or "a Monday car". I think I got "a Wednesday car" --- over 226k on my original water pump and my first alternator lasted 159k......and the replacement is still going strong.