GM vehicles are notoriously known for bad quality. Why do people still buy them? If they say because they only but Anerican made, aren't Ford vehicles better?
Mercedes and BMW and likewise luxury car makers know their machines are worse than those made by Lexus and Acura in term of both lifespan and resell value. Why don't they improve their quality? I think the German engineers are as smart as Japanese ones.
On the GM issue, all GM owners I know bought their cars because they were clueless and
they didn’t know that their Spark - advertised as the most powerful city car actually has practically 0 acceleration and one of the worst CVTs ever put in a car.
not many know that the Cruze - advertised as a chic sedan is actually an Opel with a less reliable gearbox and a turbo slapped onto an already notoriously unreliable engine.
If these people would’ve known that, they probably would have never bought these cars.
————
on the Mercedes / Bmw issue. The truth is that Mercedes and BMW have different cars for Europe and the states are different.
I know a taxi driver that has 350,000 miles (570,000 km) on his Mercedes Diesel and it’s still on it’s original engine.
BMW diesels are also alright quality, a lot of BMWs come with reliable Toyota based transmissions.
I’ve had great experience with the Mercedes A-class diesel. Great diesel ALLIANCE built engine and a great dual clutch automatic built by ALLIANCE (GETRAG 7 Speed).
Same thing with VW, they make cars like the Škoda Superb / Octavia vRs police interceptor - reliable and relatively cheap to run (especially compared to a dodge 🤣)
why make good cars when you can make a fortune selling Mexican built garbage with huge margins… just make it… fancy ✨.
https://youtu.be/QwlgQqeKs3k
These are very reliable and capable cars built by VW.
a much worse built version of this car is sold in the US as the Audi A3 and the quality of the US version of the A3 is depressing.
I wasn't "clueless" when I bought my GM. In fact it took me years to find the right one.
Same here, when I bought 2 of mine I was not clueless. I knew what I was getting into. But Dan referred to people that he knows.
@DayWalker
Yes thanks for clearing it up.
I mean people I know who fallen into a trap of buying their passenger cars new and falling into a trap.
theyre money pits that loose value faster then you’d probably be able to flush that money down the toilet in 50 dollar bills.
Of course. Brand new would be silly. I bought used and I don't plan on re-selling.
I hope you didn’t get a Cruze / Sonic / Spark but something that actually doesn’t break every other day…
I did the same with Hyundai (Accnet / Elantra / Veloster 1.6L gamma engine), buying cheap low mileage cars and keeping them until anything serious started to happen. Mostly the transmissions would get jerky or the engines would start developing rod knock and other unpleasant noises.
For the first question, several reasons: brand loyalty; America-made (or so they think); they fall for the marketing; styling/looks/performance; ignorant of issues in the first place (esp. if first time buyer) - just means they didn’t do all their research; got a good deal; also if they plan to keep only a few years while under warranty and trade in and/or lease they might be more willing to put up with the issues.
For the second question, here in North America the German automakers are counting on people leasing their vehicles and the best way to keep them leasing is buy introducing a newer and shinier vehicle with more bells and whistles every few years so they remain competitive and retain their customers. Also, some element of planned obsolescence.
American made used to mean something, sadly.
First off, Ford is also junk in quality
Second of all, (most) Americans don't know anything about the cars they buy. Not having a touch screen infotainment system or sunroof would be their deal breakers.
Then again, there is false sense of "Buy American to help the economy!"
Many of them don’t even know what engine and/or transmission is in their vehicle after they buy it.
and they may never need to know.
Do you know how the logic buffer board inside your TV works?
Not everyone wants to pay out of their nose for a Japanese vehicle, and it's part of American culture to buy American (even if they are assembled in Mexico)
I know plenty of people with Chevys that are perfectly happy and have enjoyed them for hundreds of thousands of miles.
They have a crossover or 2 in every size you could ever want. They have a major dealer network and good marketing. They are an icon of American culture and had a hella good Super Bowl commercial. It's not that hard of a concept to understand.
Because people don't care and want things cheap. Ford, is not as good as people think. BMW and Mercedes are for people who like to go fast or luxury, and don't care that the resale value will plummet.
I find that people that get brand new BMW or MB usually get a new car within 4-5 years, so they probably don’t even know of the long term problems that BMW or MB have.
I agree with you. These buyers aren't concerned with their cars holding up for 250,000 miles, etc. They will probably never keep one that long and the depreciation is just entertainment expense.
I hear ya. But let's not get carried away. Just cause someone buys a GM, Ford, or FCA product doesn't mean they're stupid. It all depends on priorities.
For example, in 2014 I bought a Toyota Tundra (which everyone who has watched a Scotty Kilmer video would agree is a quality vehicle). My second choice was a Ram 1500. The tundra had better QDR, for sure. But the Ram was much less expensive for a comparably-equipped truck, and had WAY BETTER performance, WAY BETTER handling, and WAY BETTER ride quality. I've always believed in QDR and buying things that will last, hence the Toyota, but how much ride comfort is that QDR worth?
Ultimately, what tipped the scale was the dealer: my local Toyota dealer was more honest & ethical than the Chrysler dealer. But if it was reversed, I probably would have bought the Ram.
It is simple really.
They want to make the cars as cheap as possible and sell them as expensive as possible to pocket the profit, please shareholders, and allow executives to purchase that third mansion they can't bear to live without.
Capitalism. Until enough people open their eyes and realize its downfalls, this is what we'll get.
because you are oversimplifying. And you're also wrong about Ford.
If the new generations of car buyers have no experience with quality, how are they ever going to demand it?
If the standard is that mechanical devices and electronic everything these days have the nuclear half life of an avocado, why should anyone expect more? Ignorance is truly bliss.
In regards to GM, for some folks, projected longevity and quality doesn’t matter as much as looks and features right now.
In regards to BMW and MB, likewise, for some folks, projected longevity and quality doesn’t matter as much as looks, features, and prestige.
I find that people that get brand new BMW or MB usually get a new car within 4-5 years, so they probably don’t even know of the long term problems that BMW or MB have.
Also, they aren’t so concerned with resell value.
BMW and MB don’t need to worry about the longevity of their cars if they still get buyers with their current quality and longevity.
People buy them for various reasons:
- Want all the bells and whistles
- like the looks
- dont intend to keep them long enough to be a bad money pit
- Incorrectly assume the car is well built
- because that is what the family has always driven
I'll be honest, I used to be a loyal Chevy buyer. In fact I still consider buying much older chevys (60s-80s) but will never buy anything new or close to new. When the bailouts went on years ago and I saw a misleading commercial where their CEO said they had fully paid back their bailout loan....but what they didn't say was that they paid it back with more bailout money. I dunno, that kind of really pissed me off, I swore off Chevys at that point and am glad I did.
Because deal breaker broken by good deals.
