German Vs Japanese Cars; Euro/American Vs Asian Cars (Reliability, Durability & performance)

German vs Japanese Cars: What made you think one is more reliable or durable than the other? Out of experience, journalist, trend, propaganda,etc?

Likewise, Euro or American vs Asian Cars: reliability & durability. Which one would you like to own or stick with, as long as you can afford it(them). What are your reasons.

Also, which of them do you think performs better than the other.

Please, do remember that reliability and durability don't exactly mean the same. State which one is reliable or durable more than the other, to you.

Ikenna.

Honestly speaking, it is like comparing death with sleep. Till today, Japanese or Asian dosen't knw d secret of German Technology. German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. Today people do say dat Jap cars are more pocket friendly, it is d biggest lie of d century. Those who own jap cars visit there mechanic more frequent and often than those using german cars.
The problem of car users in Nigeria is maintenance culture. When u maintain ur car properly, u will see dat German cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. I do say dis dat Japanese cars get expiry date even with d best maintenance culture (it dies wit age) but German car or Euro car no get expiry date once you maintain it properly.
And I also see it as d insult of d highest order comparing Jap car with German or Euro cars. Average cost of acquiring a 2012 Jap car is seven million while 2012 German car is around Thirteen Million Naira.
Germans or Euro countries don't produce fake or substandard equipments but fake and substandard equipments are common to Japan, China or Asia as a whole.

Finally everybody (inclusive of those who drives Jap car) knows dat German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than Jap cars.

Advocate

The reasons why most people buy Jap cars are cost, trend (follow follow syndrone), lazy mech (who dosen't advance their knowledge) advise, and fuel mileage.

But I can authoritatively say that most German cars have better fuel mileage than Jap cars provided u compare the same size of both cars. But most people will compare a 1.8L engine wit 3.0L engine.

Pls moderator, front page

advocate Sam is angryyyyyyy!!!! Lol
This is a highly debatable topic Ikenna, many views and opinions are going to be generated.
The word ''duarbility'' will be difficult to define because people may choose to refer to life span of exterior body parts and longevity of external and internal components.
''Reliability'' index on the other hand could mean susceptibility to failure, or how well you trust a component to last as designated by factory specification.
The japanese cars were designed with a simplistic philosophy, majority of their cars weren't designed with a performance-oriented philosophy. Performance comes at a premium when compared with most euro brands e.g, the Mercedes. Today,the new toyota corolla still comes with a 4-speed auto...now you cannot compare that with e.g, a BMW that provided the F1 type SMG as far back as 1999/2000, or the DCT...these drivetrain types are way more advanced than the former and hence you wouldn't compare them to the type found in the best lexus, mitsubishi, toyota, nissan, subaru of the time...
Because of the different orientation of both the German/Euro and Asian cars, for me, this would be hard to compare. People say Japanese cars can ''run forever'' i would agree (to an extent)...but i would also agree that they (german and asian cars) gratify their respective owners differently, and for me, this is the turning point.
A toyota's engine can be ''abused'' by a makeshift technician, but you don't abuse the German cars without paying dearly.
Sometime in 2011 when i went about asking for a BMW mechanic, i met a person who withdrew from touching my car because, though by specialty he was unauthorized but from simple deduction, he attempted diagnosing a prob for someone who owned a BMW and it backfired on him, he tried jump-testing some component and according to him, this he would ''ordinarily do in other cars'' without a problem, and he ended up paying dearly...(forgotten what it was)...
The japanese cars have the basic engineering/automotive design, the Euro/German cars have been engineered with all kinds of unproven technology, from suspension to driveline innovations, edging towards performance and not so much of reliabilty or durability (my views) as the toyota and its pioneer Hybrid Technology but of course, you dig a little deeper into your pocket for maintenance, but this the price you pay for the performance it offers. Maybe we should bring two cars to question:
the 2012 Merc S Class 63 Amg vs 2012 Lexus LS 600h and break down each technology to see what's more basic...and prone to last longer (maintenance cost) for an average Nigerian (independent market). Trac and siena can do justice to this aspect.
J.D. Power and Associates rates lexus above the Merc, BMW, VW,Porsche based on consumer reports...but in their performance band, the opposite was the result.
This topic cannot be exhausted, but in summary i'll choose the Gratification and performance of a Euro car over the easily accessible 'relaibility' of the Asian car...
Ikenna,
sorry i may have strayed from the topic a little, pardon me.

Ikenna351: German Vs Japanese Cars; Euro/American Vs Asian Cars (Reliability & Durability)

German vs Japanese Cars: What made you think one is more reliable or durable than the other? Out of experience, journalist, trend, propaganda,etc?

Likewise, Euro or American vs Asian Cars: reliability & durability. Which one would you like to own or stick with, as long as you can afford it(them). What are your reasons.

Please, do remember that reliability and durability don't mean the same. State which one is reliable or durable more than the other, to you.

Ikenna.

These terms mean different things to different people so I expect vigorous debates. But essentially what is reliable was created to be durable in the first place except when speaking exoterically.

European luxury cars tend to become nightmarish to own when they start ageing- the more electronics U̶̲̥̅̊ load in a vehicle, the more likely the number of issues that will arise as the age increases. Let's look @​ the 9yr+ examples of these luxury cars :
1. 2002 mercedes S500 (W220)
2. 2002 Bmw 745i (E65)
3. 2003 Audi A8 4.2 quattro (D3,
Typ 4E).
4. 2003 Lexus LS430 (XF30)
5. 2004 Maserati Quattroporte (quattroporte V)

All 5 are full size V8-luxury cars. The first 3 are german, the 4th is japanese while the fifth is italian. The four europeans were praised for their driving dynamics and technological features then, the favourite of the automotive press was the S-class during that era. It was praised for its 'magic carpet' ride. The chris bangle-designed 7series wasn't far behind..the Audi A8 was praised for it torque-vectoring AWD and its interior (the styling,fit & finish won awards then) . The lexus was labelled 'dull and boring' and bland to look at/drive. The pininfarina designed-maserati was hailed for its italian flavour and ferrari-sourced powertrains. Fastforward to the present day; of all these luxury cars, only the lexus has stood the test of time reliability-wise. it has the least amount of problems per 100 vehicles. The w220 was panned for its reliability and build quality (engine,transmission/suspension failures were rampant on vehicles with less than 20k miles on the odometer). The e65 7series is also problematic- its ZF transmission has had a lot of failures, in addition to cooling/electrical gremlins. The others have their issues too (their case files are long)..and their repair bills are outrageously expensive.

.

Asian cars are way stronger; and they are also cheaper

Advocate sam: Honestly speaking, it is like comparing death with sleep. Till today, Japanese or Asian dosen't knw d secret of German Technology. German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. Today people do say dat Jap cars are more pocket friendly, it is d biggest lie of d century. Those who own jap cars visit there mechanic more frequent and often than those using german cars.
The problem of car users in Nigeria is maintenance culture. When u maintain ur car properly, u will see dat German cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. I do say dis dat Japanese cars get expiry date even with d best maintenance culture (it dies wit age) but German car or Euro car no get expiry date once you maintain it properly.
And I also see it as d insult of d highest order comparing Jap car with German or Euro cars. Average cost of acquiring a 2012 Jap car is seven million while 2012 German car is around Thirteen Million Naira.
Germans or Euro countries don't produce fake or substandard equipments but fake and substandard equipments are common to Japan, China or Asia as a whole.

Finally everybody (inclusive of those who drives Jap car) knows dat German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than Jap cars.

Advocate

I disagree with the above statement. I will be back with facts. European marques tend to rush into applying new tech in their vehicles within 6months while the japanese tend to wait for 18months+ b4 mainstream application in their products-by then, most reliability issues would have been eliminated. The germans always strive to be first @​ d expense of reliability. VW/Audi have been dropping in the J.D power reliability index for a while now- thanx to their complex electronics.

I'll go for japanese cars.

Comparing BMW(German) to Toyota(Japanese)
Or Benz(german) to Honda(Japanese).

Haven tested both product Toyota and BMW, I'll say the Japanese cars are by far more efficient, reliable and by far more durable than those of the germans.

Or is it Nissan we want to bring down to the level of GM(general motors) from the US.

Japanese are the best in this aspect.
Other asian countries are not in the class of these two: Japanese and Euro/American cars.

The only American made motor I think I can vouch for as per durability is Ford, but it seems it running out

My thought

bizarre thread

german cars are typically performance, luxury cars, japanese cars are typically economy cars

completely different mindsets in design

a german car is a gas guzzling precision piece of machinery - a jap car is a high mileage vehicle with wide tolerances

comparisons within a country like nigeria with our lousy roads , poor maintenance culture and incompetent mechanics is just a waste of time

First and foremost,τ̲̅ȍ comment here you are supposed τ̲̅ȍ have driven cars from all the above mentioned continents and •̸№t just d recent follow follow d crowd mentality τ̲̅ȍ be able τ̲̅ȍ make useful comments here.for me the German cars come first in durability and declines in reliability if •̸№t well maintained due τ̲̅ȍ age.The japanese comes first in reliability and fails in the durability department cos they don't last under stress.And the euro cars. Which is where the Peugeot comes from is a balance of durability and reliability with serious attention τ̲̅ȍ detail by the owner they stay fit for long.Asian?Kia,Hyundai,joylong,greatwall,chinese cars? Hmm,I can't say cos I will never test drive such cars •̸№t τ̲̅ȍ talk of owning them.

Advocate sam: Honestly speaking, it is like comparing death with sleep. Till today, Japanese or Asian dosen't knw d secret of German Technology. German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. Today people do say dat Jap cars are more pocket friendly, it is d biggest lie of d century. Those who own jap cars visit there mechanic more frequent and often than those using german cars.
The problem of car users in Nigeria is maintenance culture. When u maintain ur car properly, u will see dat German cars are more reliable n durable than jap cars. I do say dis dat Japanese cars get expiry date even with d best maintenance culture (it dies wit age) but German car or Euro car no get expiry date once you maintain it properly.
And I also see it as d insult of d highest order comparing Jap car with German or Euro cars. Average cost of acquiring a 2012 Jap car is seven million while 2012 German car is around Thirteen Million Naira.
Germans or Euro countries don't produce fake or substandard equipments but fake and substandard equipments are common to Japan, China or Asia as a whole.

Finally everybody (inclusive of those who drives Jap car) knows dat German or Euro cars are more reliable n durable than Jap cars.

Advocate

You just said it all, I use Peugeot, I service my vehicle once a year, top my engine up with less 0.2 litre of oil per year, never had a single problem since I bought the car in 2007.

On both durability and reliability I would say Japanese cars.Without consulting Consumers Report...and disregarding maintenance costs...I live in a city over run by Japanese and Euro cars ...and certified auto mechanics.There are far more older Japanese (Toyota)cars on the road than Euro cars.I also find that the Euro car depreciates far faster than the Japanese.Disregarding the fuel price and consumption...on durability and reliability...I would say it is three times more likely you would find let's say a 1994 Lexus LS 400 looking much better and way more reliable than let's say a 1994 BMW 5 series.Durability and reliability to me are the main reasons why Toyota is the #1 auto seller worldwide...if it were about price tben Hyundai would heve been up there. My view...and I'm not wearing shades!

Nice thread........it's simple. German cars create CLASS for consumers while d JAPS produce cars for EVERYONE!

Between an American and European car, I will go for European one because the spare parts are readily available and not as costlier as The American one.

Between Asian And European/American car, I prefer the latter to the former because it is more durable (i.e lasts longer) though more expensive. The Asian is good on mileage but needs to be replaces between 4-5 years.

Try going Maiduguri to and fro Lagos with the car full, three at the back and a passenger and driver at the front. The Asian will feel it more and looked ragged. And when you consider the fuel consumption during the said journey, the European comes out better.

I have an honda concerto and a audi a6
I feel d honda is too weak and febble but when am in my audi I feel strength and power. Me think japanese cars are like indomie very sweet with no content but german cars are like satana with less taste and more content

When it comes to Eletronics, European stuffs might be the best, but mehnnn for cars, no one beats God own country (USA)

We all know that European cars are more advanced in technology and peformance than Japanese cars. If u think am lieing, ask GEJ why he spent N280million on just 2 German BENZ knowing fully well that d amount can get him over a dozen of d best Japanese cars but in a country where most of the population are living below poverty level/line, durability, affordability, availability of spare parts, fuel consumption and availability of its mechanic comes into play. Besides, all those powerful machines of Germans and europe, na for which road they wann show-off their engines in Nigeria abi we tell them say we get F1 competition?

Originalsly: On both durability and reliability I would say Japanese cars.Without consulting Consumers Report...and disregarding maintenance costs...I live in a city over run by Japanese and Euro cars ...and certified auto mechanics.There are far more older Japanese (Toyota)cars on the road than Euro cars.I also find that the Euro car depreciates far faster than the Japanese.Disregarding the fuel price and consumption...on durability and reliability...I would say it is three times more likely you would find let's say a 1994 Lexus LS 400 looking much better and way more reliable than let's say a 1994 BMW 5 series.Durability and reliability to me are the main reasons why Toyota is the #1 auto seller worldwide...if it were about price tben Hyundai would heve been up there. My view...and I'm not wearing shades!

Infact God wil Bless u jare,@Topic I just want to say that Japan does not produce substandard like others in Asia, so remember they called, JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, the most selling autos are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, so u Jap haters accept fact, German cars were known in the olden days they are now going into dormant, there motor get old quickly. so when am talking about Asian cars am not talking of Kia and come, cost they are paper to me,But the real is technology are Toyota, Honda and Nissan they own the roads u see them everywhere

Seyilome: Infact God wil Bless u jare,@Topic I just want to say that Japan does not produce substandard like others in Asia, so remember they called, JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, the most selling autos are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, so u Jap haters accept fact, German cars were known in the olden days they are now going into dormant, there motor get old quickly. so when am talking about Asian cars am not talking of Kia and come, cost they are paper to me,But the real is technology are Toyota, Honda and Nissan they own the roads u see them everywhere

your views are parochial my friend. Move away from Nigeria (here is more of a dumping ground), ask the guys in motorsports these questions lets here the results, not the poor Nigerian Bankers and traders who know nothing about vehicles...

European brands are known for their performance cars -ferrari,bugatti,lamborghini,pagani,aston martin to mention but a few. But with high performance comes a higher tendency to overheat and burn. The following have been observed to have a thing for self immolation; Audi R8,lamborghini gallardo/murcielago/aventador and the italians with a 'burning passion' for excellence...ferrari . The number of ferraris (458s,f430s,FFs) that go up in flames makes me wonder if the manufacturer added 'spontaneous combustion' as an option.
How many japanese performance cars (Lexus LFA,Acura NSX,R35 skyline GTR) have a tendency to do this?

val_dubem: Asian cars are way stronger; and they are also cheaper

strong and cheap? ...what a combination.

yungboss: advocate Sam is angryyyyyyy!!!! Lol
This is a highly debatable topic Ikenna, many views and opinions are going to be generated.
The word ''duarbility'' will be difficult to define because people may choose to refer to life span of exterior body parts and longevity of external and internal components.
''Reliability'' index on the other hand could mean susceptibility to failure, or how well you trust a component to last as designated by factory specification.
The japanese cars were designed with a simplistic philosophy, majority of their cars weren't designed with a performance-oriented philosophy. Performance comes at a premium when compared with most euro brands e.g, the Mercedes. Today,the new toyota corolla still comes with a 4-speed auto...now you cannot compare that with e.g, a BMW that provided the F1 type SMG as far back as 1999/2000, or the DCT...these drivetrain types are way more advanced than the former and hence you wouldn't compare them to the type found in the best lexus, mitsubishi, toyota, nissan, subaru of the time...
Because of the different orientation of both the German/Euro and Asian cars, for me, this would be hard to compare. People say Japanese cars can ''run forever'' i would agree (to an extent)...but i would also agree that they gratify their respective owners differently, and for me, this is the turning point.
A toyota's engine can be ''abused'' by a makeshift technician, but you don't abuse the German cars without paying dearly.
Sometime in 2011 when i went about asking for a BMW mechanic, i met a person who withdrew from touching my car because, though by specialty he was unauthorized but from simple deduction, he attempted diagnosing a prob for a someone who owned a BMW and it backfired on him, he tried jump-testing some component and according to him, this he would ''ordinarily do in other cars'' without a problem, and he ended up paying dearly...(forgotten what it was)...
The japanese cars have the basic engineering/automotive design, the Euro/German cars have been engineered with all kinds of unproven technology, from its suspension to its driveline innovations, edging towards performance and not so much of reliabilty or durability (my views) as the toyota and its pioneer Hybrid Technology but of course, you dig a little deeper into your pocket for maintenance, but this the price you pay for the performance it offers. Maybe we should bring two cars to question:
the 2012 Merc S Class 63 Amg vs 2012 Lexus LS 600h and break down each technology to see what's more basic...and prone to last longer (maintenance cost) for an average Nigerian (independent market). Trac and siena can do justice to this aspect.
J.D. Power and Associates rates lexus above the Merc, BMW, VW,Porsche based on consumer reports...but in their performance band, the opposite was the result.
This topic cannot be exhausted, but in summary i'll choose the Gratification and performance of a Euro car over the easily accessible 'relaibility' of the Asian car...
Ikenna,
sorry i may have strayed from the topic a little, pardon me.

...Now dis is d grouse I av with some nutheads on dis site,u want contributions frm an average Nigerian and of all cars on our roads 2day u single out a 2012 Benz S-Class 63 AMG vs a 2012 Toyota Lexus LS 600H. Dude r u resident in Naija at all? D average Nigerian has not driven a 2006 Benz talkless a 2012 model! Truth is if u want a review for those 2 cars u mentioned u do av to go to d National Assembly to interview d likes of Farouk Lawan et al. If we truly want to compare Euro/American vs Asia/Jap cars,let's do it wit vehichles like Benz 190/V-Boot vs Camry,Corolla,(up to 2003 models). Golf 3,Golf 4,Peguot 406,Opel Vectra vs Optima,Rio,Cerrato (up to 2008 models),Sienna,Maxima,Previa etc. Hia's a fair challenge; put a Benz C-Class 23O (Kompressor,2001) vs a Camry xle 2007, Abuja to Lagos back to Abuja same day and see which car wud outperform d other. I bet u,d benz wud do better fuel wise,reliability wise,radiator water wise,...and in every way. And dts for a 2001 Benz against a 2007 Toyota. Dia is simply no way u can compare a German ride wit a Jap one year for year

Seyilome: Infact God wil Bless u jare,@Topic I just want to say that Japan does not produce substandard like others in Asia, so remember they called, JAPAN TECHNOLOGY, the most selling autos are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, so u Jap haters accept fact, German cars were known in the olden days they are now going into dormant, there motor get old quickly. so when am talking about Asian cars am not talking of Kia and come, cost they are paper to me,But the real is technology are Toyota, Honda and Nissan they own the roads u see them everywhere

forget about hating Jap cars but let us be sincere to ourselves. Japan tech or Asia tech is just bread n butter tech compared to German tech/Euro tech. Why is it dat Volvo n Benz are the major producers of Trucks and heavy cars. Why is that BMW produces most of our aircraft engines? Why is it that VW sold d highest number of hatchback and sport cars so far? I imagine when people compare Jap cars wit German cars. Why shud u be comparing Toyota wit BMW or VW or Benz etc. Have u 4goten dat Bosch produces most of the parts for dis German n Euro cars. Dis shud be d last time we will be comparing Jap tech n German tech. I think we shud be comparing d German/Euro cars i.e. Benz vs BMW or Pegeout vs VW or VW vs Audi etc.
Most Nigerians use Jap cars because of the follow follow syndrone n I dont want to spend my money but pile it up in bank syndrone.

I am very sure dat 99.999999999% will pick German cars if it is given free n maintenance will be free. It is only a mad man that will pick 2012 toyota camry or any model over 2012 Benz or BMW or VW etc

So d problem is dat Nigerians don't want to spend their money or enjoy it but dis reminds me dat Solomon in Ecclesiates said it takes d Grace of God for u 2 enjoy ur labour. Nigerians ve 4gotten dat keeping of dis wealth somewhere is vanity upon vanity. All is vanity

In terms of a long term durability n reliability,I wld say the german cars we have this days from year. 2000 models up have really been able to step to most japanese cars in terms of gas mileage.the gas mileage was the edge japaneses cars had prevoiusly over the german cars which made them one of d highest sellin cars.but really,its like comparing apple to oranges.german whips re built on performance,high technology(5years ahead of d japanese) n durability which usually balls down to individual maitenance culture.e.g...a 2005 benz c class 230 kompressor L4cycl with 189HP built on high performance and engine power has a wayyyy better gas mileage than ur average camrys n honda...Maitenance on this german cars comes easy with ur up to date mechs n not jus d average road side mechs...the german cars have it all