Favorite cars :

[aden123]

Why is that the majority of the Asian Indians buy Toyota/Honda autos than others ?

[MunnaBhaiNRI]

What Old Spice mentioned is very correct.
Why do we buy Bajaj Chetak? Why do we buy Ambassidor(Before Maruti), Why do we buy Maruthi 800 like crazy? not even coming to US. Thats what the mentality that we are around..

Would you marry an Milk White American Gurl who may look good, may run low millage, which takes more gas per a mile, which needs frequent shop visits for change of parts&repairs etc? Such fancy cars are nice to rent and ride if you are too crazy about, but a cool Indian gurl is awesome to own and sleep in certainty without worrying about she disappearing from your bed by the sun raise :-)

[PeterGriffin]

When doing test drive, they cannot evaluate the handling, or quality of interior, or the general exterior design of the car. Honda/Toyota is a brand they are aware of before coming here, and have the perception that Japanese cars are reliable. Once, they know better, you see them buying other cars.

I would say its quite the opposite. Many young Indians, especially those who start their career, want to go with the Camaro or Passat type of cars but realize that the best value for money comes from these Japanese cars such as Toyota or Honda. There is a reason behind Toyota or Honda making the No.1 selling car for quite a few years. The amount of research that some of these Indians do before buying these cars makes me wonder if they are going to live in it.
When I was shopping for a car a few years ago, I tried the Passat, Audi and a Camry. I thought Camry was a lot better when it came to the smoothness and the handling around the curves. Again, my order winners were different from most.
But as OS2 put it, I needed a car with low maintenance, longer lifespan and a pretty darn good resale value!

[rabtag]

I thought Camry was a lot better when it came to the smoothness and the handling around the curves. Again, my order winners were different from most.
But as OS2 put it, I needed a car with low maintenance, longer lifespan and a pretty darn good resale value!

Once you get used to driving a German car you would not want to go anywhere near Honda or Toyota :). I never liked SUVs or mini vans, I feel like a truck driver or bus driver hauling people or merchandise. But when it comes to sedans, for me it is German cars.

[Chakra]

... but a cool Indian gurl is awesome to own and sleep in certainty ...

You are not married, right? Ask the owners about the certainty of your assumption!

[Chakra]

The amount of research that some of these Indians do before buying these cars makes me wonder if they are going to live in it.
When I was shopping for a car a few years ago, I tried the Passat, Audi and a Camry. I thought Camry was a lot better when it came to the smoothness and the handling around the curves. Again, my order winners were different from most.
But as OS2 put it, I needed a car with low maintenance, longer lifespan and a pretty darn good resale value!

I am a bit surprised at your evaluation. Camry has the softest suspension of the 3 cars you quoted. It's scary to drive a Camry around sharp turns even at modest speeds, while an Audi or Bimmer will zip through confidently around those turns at twice the speed, as if it is on rails.

I still stand by my theory about lack of experience or passion in Indians when buying cars, at least initially. An average European or American grows up with owning multiple cars starting with college days. They are exposed to a variety of brands, type and quality of cars. You need this to objectively evaluate a car to find what you really want. Other-wise you choose what is the most popular, or reliable, even through it may be plain looking and boring to drive.

[MunnaBhaiNRI]

You are not married, right? Ask the owners about the certainty of your assumption!

Yes, I own all Indian stuff.. cars and spousyyy .
BTW, I was talking about relative ownership in my last post.. :-)

[Old-Spice2]

Once you get used to driving a German car you would not want to go anywhere near Honda or Toyota :). I never liked SUVs or mini vans, I feel like a truck driver or bus driver hauling people or merchandise. But when it comes to sedans, for me it is German cars.

I agree, for driving pleasure German cars are the best. I owned 2001 model BMW-530i for 3+ years and enjoyed driving it. But here comes the true story - when I vacated my SFH, landlord complained the garage had oil slick, thanks to Bimmer. Previously I owned 14 years old Camry and other Japanese models and never had this issue.

Second part of the story - when I tried to sell the 530i, the mechanic gave me a big list of repairs to be done. Bill was $3000 and car was just 8 years old with less than 70K miles. Every fluid in the car leaked - poor quality and engineering perhaps? I took it to 3 BMW dealers for verification and everyone gave a longer list of repairs for the German beauty. Finally I was fed up and wanted someone to take the car off my hand. Used German cars are a money pit. Expenses for my Camry was never more than $100/year.

Final verdict is, buy German cars if you meet one of the condition - love driving, you know how to repair cars, won a powerball lottery or if your FIL is loaded. Of course you can enjoy low cost VW instead of Audi or BMW and get same type of thrill.

This is what CR has to say:
While European reliability had been improving, momentum seems to have stalled. All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. But Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are among the worst automakers overall. The Porsche Boxster has the best predicted reliability in our survey, while the Audi A6 3.0T and Jaguar XF have the worst.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/cr-recommended/best-worst-in-car-reliability-1005/reliability-findings/reliability-findings.htm

Acura/Honda is the best compromise. Japanese quality and close to BMW type of driving pleasure. I stay away from Toyota/Lexus.

[Chakra]

I agree, for driving pleasure German cars are the best. I owned 2001 model BMW-530i for 3+ years and enjoyed driving it. But here comes the true story - when I vacated my SFH, landlord complained the garage had oil slick, thanks to Bimmer. Previously I owned 14 years old Camry and other Japanese models and never had this issue.

Second part of the story - when I tried to sell the 530i, the mechanic gave me a big list of repairs to be done. Bill was $3000 and car was just 8 years old with less than 70K miles. Every fluid in the car leaked - poor quality and engineering perhaps? I took it to 3 BMW dealers for verification and everyone gave a longer list of repairs for the German beauty. Finally I was fed up and wanted someone to take the car off my hand. Used German cars are a money pit. Expenses for my Camry was never more than $100/year.

Final verdict is, buy German cars if you meet one of the condition - love driving, you know how to repair cars, won a powerball lottery or if your FIL is loaded. Of course you can enjoy low cost VW instead of Audi or BMW and get same type of thrill.

Final verdict based on one data point? Every car make has it share of lemons. You probably bought used, and the prior owner dumped it on you.

[QUOTE]This is what CR has to say:
While European reliability had been improving, momentum seems to have stalled. All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. But Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are among the worst automakers overall. The Porsche Boxster has the best predicted reliability in our survey, while the Audi A6 3.0T and Jaguar XF have the worst.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/cr-recommended/best-worst-in-car-reliability-1005/reliability-findings/reliability-findings.htm


Informed car buyers do not rely on Consumer reports for car advise. Consumer Reports are good only to evaluate refrigerators and washing machines.

[QUOTE]Acura/Honda is the best compromise. Japanese quality and close to BMW type of driving pleasure. I stay away from Toyota/Lexus.
Close to BMW type driving, really? Can you differentiate between a front wheel and rear wheel drive car? Honda/Acura's sell front wheel cars touting it as sporty to ignorant car buyers. They probably do not know what torque steer and understeer is.

Sorry if I was rude, but it bothers me when Honda/Toyota/Acura/Lexus buyers claim that their cars are as sporty as a BMW, or as luxurious as a Mercedes, or as pretty as an Audi.

[rajaR2I]

I have 2002 camry (owning for 9 years) and 2006 chrysler TC and I have to say I regret the money I spend for chrysler. its only in 4 years old and I already had to replace the battery and need major maintenance service already where as I never spend a penny for camry other than oil change, not even changed a battery so far. Big 3 sucks big time in my opinion.