US and European Cars who is the best what do you prefer?

[frostie]

So guys what do you think about european and US cars? what do you prefer in terms of quality looks performance or anything else?

[gmacdo1]

Corvette all the way.

[aleks_City]

anyone who has seen shows, read magazines and talked to people about cars( and have an objective point of view) would know what is the better car, in every aspect. European or American car??? Honestly, that is the easiest choice you are ever going to make. i would admit, though that American cars in most of the cases are most noticeable in terms of appearance , due to their size.

[Tallboy]

American cars are all I've ever owned. I'd own a European car, but never a Japanese one.

[frostie]

Personally speaking i believe that european cars have higher quality and performance. When it comes to beauty that's subjective but i believe that nobody can compete europeans in the automotive market.

[aleks_City]

can anyone who thinks otherwise tell me what is America's match for Ferrari, Porsche, Merc, Buggati, Lambo......the list is endless:):):)

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Mercedes!

[frostie]

Originally Posted by SPACE-DWELLER

Mercedes!

I am bit germanised when it comes to cars

[SLRdude]

Originally Posted by aleks_City

can anyone who thinks otherwise tell me what is America's match for Ferrari, Porsche, Merc, Buggati, Lambo......the list is endless:):):)

Let's see...

World's fastest car:
The Shelby SSC Aero.
SSC announced they broke the speed record for the world's fastest production car with 255.83 mph (411.72 km/h) in West Richland, WA on September 13, 2007. The reported record speed comes from an average of two runs, one in each direction, in accordance with Guinness Book of World Record rules. The first run clocked 257.41 The return trip came up with 254.88 for the previously mentioned average of 256.18 besting Bugatti Veyron's speed by more than 2 mph (3 km/h). The results of this test, verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007, gave the SSC Aero the world's fastest production car title



Let's not forget the Viper!


OR the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo


OR... the Ford GT


Let's not forget the Corvette Z06, which for about 77K USD boasts a 3.4 second 0 to 60 times, a top speed of 200 mph, AND you can drive it to the supermarket and have it as a daily driver!



I can give you more examples if you want to.

Don't get me wrong... I would rather have a European car over an American or Japanese car. I'm a DIE HARD Lamborghini and Jaguar fan myself.
HOWEVER... One has got to give credit where credit is due!

[JJ Irani]

Neither.....give me a reliabe, dependable and trustworthy Jap import any day!!

Classic example: A Lexus would put virtually most European, British and American cars to shame!!

[diamonddatejust]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Neither.....give me a reliabe, dependable and trustworthy Jap import any day!!

Classic example: A Lexus would put virtually most European, British and American cars to shame!!

edit:

[diamonddatejust]

edit

[sherwin]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Neither.....give me a reliabe, dependable and trustworthy Jap import any day!!

Classic example: A Lexus would put virtually most European, British and American cars to shame!!

i have to agree with this comment. im currently driving a toyota and have just clocked 300,000kms and the engine is still going strong. also id rather a lousy car, so that i can just park it, leave the doors unlocked, and no one will even take a second look at it

[aleks_City]

Originally Posted by SLRdude

Let's see...

World's fastest car:
The Shelby SSC Aero.
SSC announced they broke the speed record for the world's fastest production car with 255.83 mph (411.72 km/h) in West Richland, WA on September 13, 2007. The reported record speed comes from an average of two runs, one in each direction, in accordance with Guinness Book of World Record rules. The first run clocked 257.41 The return trip came up with 254.88 for the previously mentioned average of 256.18 besting Bugatti Veyron's speed by more than 2 mph (3 km/h). The results of this test, verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007, gave the SSC Aero the world's fastest production car title



Let's not forget the Viper!


OR the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo


OR... the Ford GT


Let's not forget the Corvette Z06, which for about 77K USD boasts a 3.4 second 0 to 60 times, a top speed of 200 mph, AND you can drive it to the supermarket and have it as a daily driver!



I can give you more examples if you want to.

Don't get me wrong... I would rather have a European car over an American or Japanese car. I'm a DIE HARD Lamborghini and Jaguar fan myself.
HOWEVER... One has got to give credit where credit is due!

no one denies these cars go fast IN A STRAIGHT line but Americans still have a lot of trouble making cars that go round corners and handle as well as European cars. this is very clearly showed on car shows like Top Gear. the other thing we can notice is the price difference between the comparable cars(in terms of performance). here you can find many examples if you compare a Ferrari with a Corvette. and the really big one is between the Veyron and the SSC Aero. the reason why American cars are so much cheaper than European is because they are made with cheap materials, and you can not compare everyday usage of a Ferrari or Bugatti with a Corvette or some other car from the States. and if i am not wrong in your reply i saw the latest improved version of the Ford GT, which is a limited production, right?? Do you remember what Jerremy Clarkson said, after he sold his Ford GT?? HE NEVER COMPLETED A SINGLE JOURNEY WITH THAT CAR. the list of problems he had with that was endless. what i will admit is that they accelerate fast in a straight line, that is unquestionable, but what about inside technology, stearing, build quality....cars is a lot more than just 0-60. by the way i am also a Lambo fan, from Jaguar i am with the XKR only, but Merc is definitely my no.1

[SLRdude]

If you say so... OK.
American Supercars can't handle.

Every single one of the cars posted above by me has better skidpad figures than pretty much any European import.

And cheap materials? I take it you have never seen one of those in person.

[billychildish]

I love my Mazda 6 Sport. Fantastic and EXTREMELY reliable car.

I will have to say Volkswagens suck dog doo-doo.

[aleks_City]

Originally Posted by SLRdude

If you say so... OK.
American Supercars can't handle.

Every single one of the cars posted above by me has better skidpad figures than pretty much any European import.

And cheap materials? I take it you have never seen one of those in person.

explain the price difference then if there is no difference in the quality of the materials. which american car can handle like an F430, 911 Turbo or which saloon can go against the S Class???

[frostie]

Originally Posted by SLRdude

If you say so... OK.
American Supercars can't handle.

Every single one of the cars posted above by me has better skidpad figures than pretty much any European import.

And cheap materials? I take it you have never seen one of those in person.

The first Ford GT40 was a complete failure with no handling. Well the new Ford GT is not completely manufactured by US.They needed european help to improve and mainly the 90% of the car is made in europe.The wheels are german the brakes are italian the gearbox is british the body is british a the steering comes from an aston martin vanquish and the main frame of the car is made by lotus. As for the Z06 i don't think it's an everyday car too much of noise and low quality interior compared to other european cars of it's category. The price though is really good and i do agree with you about that one allthough it is the only successful corvette after half century of manufacturing corvettes something that does not happen in european automotive industry. As for the viper it has great engine not such a great handling. Personally i don't think that it is something i could drive every day but for that money your are buying plastic interior which means that the interior of the car has really low quality i saw many pics of it and the interior is literally plastic. The saleen S7 twinturbo is a limited production car and not a mass produced like a ferrari or a lambo. The funny thing is that it's a 7 liter car with 2 turbos and it can produce 550 hp only. The sl brabus has 6.3 liter with 730 hp and 2 turbos and it is mass produced of course. The 585.000 $that they ask for the saleen is way too much for that performance and the Sl brabus which is way faster and higher quality overall costs 309.664 $. For 585.000 $ you can get european cars that are much faster and with higher quality compared to that one and i bet that the european ones are going to last for decades cause that's what they are meant to do. As for the SSC aero i do believe that a european responce will come soon as we are on of the biggest manufacturers in luxurious and fast cars.Let's not mention the depreciation of the cars. Personally i believe and i've seen that the majority of european cars hold really good aftersale value something that can't happen with a US produced car. Time will tell. I don't try to insult anybody i am cool with everybody that share a different opinion . Correct me if i am wrong

[GrandDaddy]

Originally Posted by aleks_City

no one denies these cars go fast IN A STRAIGHT line but Americans still have a lot of trouble making cars that go round corners and handle as well as European cars. this is very clearly showed on car shows like Top Gear. the other thing we can notice is the price difference between the comparable cars(in terms of performance). here you can find many examples if you compare a Ferrari with a Corvette. and the really big one is between the Veyron and the SSC Aero. the reason why American cars are so much cheaper than European is because they are made with cheap materials, and you can not compare everyday usage of a Ferrari or Bugatti with a Corvette or some other car from the States. and if i am not wrong in your reply i saw the latest improved version of the Ford GT, which is a limited production, right?? Do you remember what Jerremy Clarkson said, after he sold his Ford GT?? HE NEVER COMPLETED A SINGLE JOURNEY WITH THAT CAR. the list of problems he had with that was endless. what i will admit is that they accelerate fast in a straight line, that is unquestionable, but what about inside technology, stearing, build quality....cars is a lot more than just 0-60. by the way i am also a Lambo fan, from Jaguar i am with the XKR only, but Merc is definitely my no.1

These are not all "regular production cars". It's sad if it takes American specialty cars to compete with European regular production cars. $150,000 for a Ford? Now matter how fast or "special" you think it is, it's still A FORD!

I lost faith in American cars when I bought a brand new Corvette in 1994, what a piece of crap. You'll probably say they make them better nowadays - sorry, I don't want to find out if I am lucky this time.

That said, wife and each drive German cars and a Lexus SUV.

[aleks_City]

Originally Posted by GrandDaddy

These are not all "regular production cars". It's sad if it takes American specialty cars to compete with European regular production cars. $150,000 for a Ford? Now matter how fast or "special" you think it is, it's still A FORD!

I lost faith in American cars when I bought a brand new Corvette in 1994, what a piece of crap. You'll probably say they make them better nowadays - sorry, I don't want to find out if I am lucky this time.

That said, wife and each drive German cars and a Lexus SUV.

i didn't say they are making them better these days, i absolutely agree with everything you said. don't get e wrong

[frostie]

Bugatti veyron that's one of a helluva fast car. 1001 horsepower baby with 16.4 liter engine and 4 turbos. That's a serious machine. Top speed 250mph

[aleks_City]

a bit?:):):)

[East Bay Rider]

Are you asking about higher priced cars $30,000 US and above or the lower priced cars? I believe there will be a huge shift between the two.

[frostie]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

Are you asking about higher priced cars $30,000 US and above or the lower priced cars? I believe there will be a huge shift between the two.

Highly priced and low priced european cars have really high quality. You can buy a really good quality car for 10.000 euro that's around 14.000$

[ohsixx]

German cars are always my first choice. I am currently waiting on the redesigned 2009 MB E Class.

[frostie]

Originally Posted by ohsixx

German cars are always my first choice. I am currently waiting on the redesigned 2009 MB E Class.

Great choice. I 've seen many of them here in greece. It deserves the waiting

[aleks_City]

East We Are Living With Are Means But The Topic Is American Vs European, And No Price Range Was Mentioned

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by aleks_City

East We Are Living With Are Means But The Topic Is American Vs European, And No Price Range Was Mentioned

Kind of hard to draw a line there. Many "American" cars and their components are manufactured in Canada and Mexico. Maybe we should refer to them as "North American" cars.
But also many "Japanese" cars are assembled in America.

I see that most posters mentioned the high end European cars and the quintessential American sports car, Corvette. Not much mention of Cadillac or Lincoln or Buick but this is a young energetic crowd here so that's understandable
I'm always more interested in the regular guy and his life. The daily struggles...
Anyway, I was thinking about average cars. The daily drivers of regular working folk. The low end Fiats, Opel, Renault, Citroen, etc. found on every street and in every lot.
Depending on the country (Denmark for example) cost of purchase, taxes and ownership are considerably high even for one of those "lower end" cars. This initial "buy in" would purchase a much nicer car in America for the same $$.
Also consider that America has not embraced diesel engines in small personal family cars and they're so highly priced even in pickup trucks that most consumers eschew it in spite of it's long term savings. There are two kinds of drivers in the U.S. Those who buy a new car every few years and those who buy them and run them into the ground.
So is a comparably priced European car as good or better than a North American car?
I say it depends on the country it's purchased in.

[Tripp11]

Well, in my garage I have:

2 Japanese cars
1 German car

IMO, the best overall value (including styling, price, features, handling, performance, etc...) goes to the Japanese engineered vehicles right now.

[Timber Loftis]

I say German cars.

Some Japanese brands are the best bet for value *on a new car price.* I've had excellent experiences with Mazda and Toyota (though to be honest these days Toyota is more American than Ford).

If you're willing to buy a car with a few years of wear on it, though, you can pick up some great ones at great prices.