I swear I'm not a Honda guy...

[neech]

all cars = junk

True that dude

[Rettax3]

So if one studies the facts, you find all car companies have had their share embarrassing defects.

I agree with most, or at least much of your statement, and I further agree that all cars are junk in some regards, and they all either do have problems or will have problems -obviously they are complex machines with multiple interlaced systems, and eventually something will fail if the car isn't wrecked first. However, not everyone bases reliability solely on surveys, and enough anecdotal evidence eventually becomes simply evidence: some vehicles are superior in quality than others. I have already stated some of my opinion on which ones are better than others (please note that nowhere in the Japanese manufacturers that I mentioned as 'superior quality' did I mention Mitsubishis ). Personally, I judge the quality of the car mostly on how many miles it can be expected to go before a major component requires rebuilding (like the engine or transmission), and to a lesser extent how few smaller components have to be replaced (such as starters/alternators). As a professional mechanic, I can say that from what I have seen over the years, most American cars simply do not last as long as a typical import before encountering major problems -I base this on my own observations as well as anecdotal inputs from people (owners) I have talked with over the years. But just to clarify, I do not say that just because a car is an import that it is automatically better quality than a domestic car... The highest-mileage engine I have is an '88 GMC TBI 350 (somewhere around 350,000 miles), and the only thing ever done to it besides routine maintenance and an RV cam and ported Cross Fire intake was new crank bearings and a replacement crankshaft because the previous owner ran it out of oil and kept driving it until they spun a bearing -that engine is in my 'old' '88 Camaro and is now smoking a bit but still runs very strong. The next highest-mileage car in the family is a 2000 Toyota with about 232,000 miles, which has gotten a few tune-ups and regular brake-work, a new wheel-bearing and CV joint on one side due to accident damage, a new clutch (after 200k) and a new alternator (at around 225k). We have another 2000 Toyota, also with over 200k miles, and we have done almost nothing to it beyond oil changes and tires, but it supposedly got a new engine at ~190k, before we bought it. On the other hand, my two oldest cars have great engines and transmissions, and are both American made -AMC (47 years old) and Plymouth (45 years old) -it is hard for me to picture ANY of the newer cars lasting that long, although many of them probably will. These are anecdotes though, and mean nothing... BTW, I am trying not to be inflammatory here -I have deleted whole sentences of opinionated crap I could inflict upon the other car owners here, but I do not need to be so negative (this isn't bstuff, after all ). Sorry, I am still rambling...

Basically, if you like the car you have and it treats you well, it is a good car, regardless of who makes it. If it has taken more to maintain it each year than the purchase price of a new car and it STILL leaves you stranded on the side of the road every other month, it isn't a good car no matter how much you like it. And if it is a Ford or a Mitsubishi and wasn't built prior to 1973, then it is just junk and always has been.

ifixalot, do you still have your Sabre? I still own a pair of '82 (first year) V45 Sabres -I love those bikes! I always wanted to add a V65 to the family too...

[ifixalot]

Yes, I still have my V65 Sabre. It has about 14K miles, looks and runs great.( like new)
You want to add a V65 to the family? Maybe we should talk. I'm sixty and really don't
ride all that much anymore. I maybe put a couple hundred miles on it per year.

[DanteGTZ]

So we've had the car about 50 days now and honestly, we love it. Couldn't be any happier with it. The engine is the biggest surprise. I hadn't expected much in the way of performance out of considering the car isn't exactly small. The 2.4 "Earth Dreams" engine is rated at 182hp and it has some really nice pull to it. It just always seems to be in a nice power band, especially for low end torque. Mated with the 6 speed, the car no slouch - It's actually really fun to drive. The chassis doesn't really inspire handling performance, but at least it isn't slow.

It'd be kind of fun to take this engine and swap it into something a bit cooler...

[Rettax3]

182 H.P.... That is really healthy. I know that the Quads with 180 are still hard to match even 25 years later (for four-cylinders with similar displacement and no power-adders), I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Honda can match that though! Glad the car is working out for you so well. I must say, I too enjoy having that extra gear on top!