@GabeLakmann @Rasterman @bronze @Groomschild the stereotype of japanese cars being reliable compared to american cars is usually a comparison of decade old higher end japanese cars like hondas and toyotas vs entry level american chevys and dodges which shouldnt have those badges at all. no one ever does the comparison with high end proven american cars like a ford crown vic or something with a cummins diesel. this comparison doesnt hold anymore because toyotas and hondas now sell for german prices. there are bad european cars too like some of the entry level peugeot/renault/citroen/fiat. the bad ford/chevy/dodge cars are comparible to them. and yes if you look after even them, they will last as well. most of the issues arrive from road salt rust, unavailable expensive parts and bad mechanics due to no diagrams or technical manuals and overly complex wiring. near all issues are always intermittant electrical. autoelectrical troubleshooting is one of the most retarded fields. personally cars should only have wiring and electronics for lights and other non essential stuff. there should be zero wiring going to the gearbox or engine. figure out a way to control or display status mechanically even if they need to use dial gauges or linkage in a dial like old vintage cars. wires only to the coil and starter and alternator. especially on cheap cars. nothing else. mechanical stuff is usually simple to figure out.