View Poll Results: Which Country Builds The Best Cars?

Voters
66. You may not vote on this poll
  • Britain

    16 24.24%
  • Germany

    20 30.30%
  • Italy

    17 25.76%
  • France

    1 1.52%
  • America

    2 3.03%
  • Australia

    1 1.52%
  • Japan

    6 9.09%
  • Other

    3 4.55%
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 36

Thread: Which Country Builds The Best Cars?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    St Marys Western Sydney
    Posts
    20,953
    for me, best would hav to be the Japanese, but the ocals here come up with some of the best value for money cars in the world
    I am the Stig

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    S. California, USA
    Posts
    1,174
    Quote Originally Posted by NoOne
    I chose Germany, Japan is a close second and in different price ranges their positions would be reversed.
    I strongly agree!

    My friend had a Lexus 430 for about a year then changed to a Mercedes S500. I had ride in both cars a lot and we both agreed that the Lexus was more comfortable, more roomy and quieter. Truth!

    But the Mercedes has lot more 'class'
    " I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect; therefore, I am perfect."

    My bumper sticker "If you can read this...I can slam on my brakes and sue you"

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Ontario Canada
    Posts
    127
    It depends on what you mean by "better" cars.
    I chose Japan because I define "better" as being superior engineering/reliability. You could just as easily define "better" as referring to performance, ergonomics, asthetics, sales, owner satisfaction, history (of a company), legacy (of a model), manufacturing, fuel efficiency, capability, environmentally-friendly, etc....
    Life begins @ 200 MPH
    There's no replacement for displacement.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ACT,Canberra Australia
    Posts
    6,086
    Quote Originally Posted by fpv_gtho
    for me, best would hav to be the Japanese, but the ocals here come up with some of the best value for money cars in the world
    I Personally chose australian cars...not many are as hardy of as good for the money....and they a very easy on the wallet to fix comapred to a jap car....japs have second...america thrid...we have some common parts make them cheaper to fix....
    And nothing else rates a mention to me...german cars are boring...itias they seem to build cars that brak down...french have a tallent for that as well...

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    St Marys Western Sydney
    Posts
    20,953
    Well i dont know if everyone is going to agree with you there Falc, but the way i see it, 10 years ago the Germans were leading on quality whilst the Italians seemed to be the best for performance, but i cant say the same today. I strongly thing Japan has now got better quality than Germany, but mainly because it seems Germanies standards seem to be slipping, perhaps with things like the X5 being built in the US. Australian manufacturers are 10x what they were 10 years ago now and edging onto the global scene, but still they're just a spec in the ocean. America seems to be improving their quality but its sneaking in under the radar, so no one seems to notice. As for Italy, well Ferrari has come under fire pretty strong from fellow Italians, Germans and the odd American. France, well theyre rather controversial, a love it or hate it situation, especially with cars like the new Megane. I think their technology is on the level, but i dont like French designers
    I am the Stig

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Haberfield, Sydney
    Posts
    1,759
    I'd have to say the Germans. Cars like the BMW M5, Audi RS6, Mercedes E500 do everything so well and are so desirable that, as Falc said, they are 'almost' boring. If you threw me the keys to any of the above three cars, I'd take them in a second. Also, cars like the new VW Golf and Opel (Vauxhall/Holden) Astra show that the Germans also know how to make extremely good, efficient, excellent handling, high quality compact cars.
    The Japanese rate second. The German cars may be extremely good and classy, but they do tend to lack soul, especially these days. The Japanese are actually producing cars that stir the passion - Subaru Impreza WRX, Subaru Legacy GT, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX8, Mazda MX5, Toyota Supra Turbo and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 are current standouts. Skyline GTR and Mazda RX7 Turbo are recent standouts. Each of these cars attracts very passionate fans(though it has to be said that some of these fans give these cars a bad name), and to do so they must stir the soul.
    The current mid-size cars from the Japanese, such as the Honda Accord Euro and Mazda 6 show that the Japanese are more than capable of building non-performance cars that still offer a degree of passion and driving enjoyment.
    In third, for me, are the Australians. The hot Falcons and Commodores stir the above mentioned passion. Also, whether we're talking the bread and butter Falcons and Commodores or the hot versions are probably the best value for money cars in the world.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ACT,Canberra Australia
    Posts
    6,086
    Well im comparing alotof things and perofrmance is very low down on the list...the reason because we are in a huge industry here and the biggest majority vehicals are the family saloons...and the things that are important about them and in no order Fuel ecconmy,Reliablility,Cost of parts,insurence,practicality,useable performance etc etc....Germans cars are far to expensive to fix...even worse then ultra expensive jap cars....american cars are cheap and while nast and apprently have numerous problems arnt as bad as the select (what the media chooses to share) shares with you...i have chatted to numerous american who are quite happy with the cars they have/currently own and breakdowns are not very prelavent...and in the few cases they where they where very cost effective to fix....
    I still think German cars within my parametres are themost boring cars on the planet!(for their price tag)
    I stand by my statements of italian cars....and the french cars though i will add that you are right there technology is just as good as anyone elses...just doesnt seem to last as long....

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    St Marys Western Sydney
    Posts
    20,953
    Quote Originally Posted by Falcon500
    american cars are cheap and while nast and apprently have numerous problems arnt as bad as the select (what the media chooses to share) shares with you...i have chatted to numerous american who are quite happy with the cars they have/currently own and breakdowns are not very prelavent...and in the few cases they where they where very cost effective to fix.......

    well i dont know if its because of the market or not, but it seems American cars attract a low resale value. ive seen a report saying new Impala's have about 35% 3 year resale value, compared to the locals getting between 50-60%
    I am the Stig

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ACT,Canberra Australia
    Posts
    6,086
    Wel;l becuase between model they usually change every year....and for exmaple like ford who pull in as much money as some oil rich companys every year or chevrolet whith even more resources...its not overly expensive thing to do...and in three years the cars while similar have numerous diffrences...some of the time...and if you look closley new cars in america are cheap compred to mostother places as well...even the genral cost of liveing is quite cheap there....

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    St Marys Western Sydney
    Posts
    20,953
    well they do get a better deal on the GTO than we do for the Monaro. they get it for about $10K less, yet the performance times claim its as fast as the GTS
    I am the Stig

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ACT,Canberra Australia
    Posts
    6,086
    Quote Originally Posted by fpv_gtho
    well they do get a better deal on the GTO than we do for the Monaro. they get it for about $10K less, yet the performance times claim its as fast as the GTS
    Well one thing i didn learn from a few amricans was these times are possible...but....they are always and i mean always done in the bestpossible weather Cold and not humid...usually have no spare and with a drained fuel tank...and in some cases (apprently GM where bad for this) had their 1/4s on a slight incline going down this is what i was told and i actually believe most of it...other then the incline part now that is just wrong...isnt there laws against that?

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    St Marys Western Sydney
    Posts
    20,953
    well everyone uses diffrent methods, but the ones used by the Americans have always been a mystery to me. Wheels for one put half a tank of petrol with 2 people, whilst Motor have a full tank but only the driver. Wheels usually only do 2 runs as well which is a bit cheeap i think.

    i think as long as they made it clear the methods for testing, there shouldnt be wrong with it. the troubles would come when comparisons are made with conflicting methods
    I am the Stig

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    ACT,Canberra Australia
    Posts
    6,086
    Well personally i think there should be a test fully stipped out...like the american one an optimised figure...then they should return it to normal comparison...so you know what it could do in a perfect world...but alsoknow what it normally does...

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Coventrysucks
    We've done this before:
    Britain makes the best cars.

    Caterham
    Westfield
    Radical
    Ariel
    Noble
    MG
    TVR
    Lotus
    Morgan
    Lister
    Marcos
    McLaren
    Williams
    Jordan
    Triple 8
    Lola
    Prodrive
    Ultima
    Ford GT40
    Bristol

    Jaguar
    Bentley
    Rolls Royce
    Aston Martin
    (Not technically 100% British, but hey..)

    A true Petrolheads dream garage.
    Especially if you add all the other marques, here are some I have remembered:

    Delfino
    Ascari
    Tiger Racing

    Lola? Williams? If we're gonna include racing teams and manufacturers we'll be here all week (TWR... BAR... in fact over half the F1 teams... oh and weren't a load of Indycar chassis made in the UK until a few years ago... well half the WRC teams are based in the UK anyway).


    Doesn't it all depend on what you mean by 'best'? If you want mad cars with no carpets (sometimes no body panels even) and plastic switch gear, that can go round a circuit faster than any other (even faster than your Tifosi beloved Italian posermobiles and stuff), then yes British. If you want a car you can drive your mum down the shops in then there are better countries. For track-day performance buy British, just expect to get wet driving home with no stereo, and your shopping on the passenger seat.

    Meio

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    2,452
    Italy all the way, it's hard to beat Ferrari or Lamborghini. Italy also makes amazing motorbikes.................Ducatti...
    My Photography: flickr.com/photos/a-m-photo/
    "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. German cars VS American cars
    By Swissbeatz in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 284
    Last Post: 10-03-2009, 08:43 AM
  2. Sultan of Brunei!!
    By lfb666 in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 131
    Last Post: 12-11-2006, 05:58 AM
  3. Rice burners
    By cobrapower in forum General Automotive
    Replies: 392
    Last Post: 08-26-2006, 08:55 PM
  4. would german or american cars ever replace italian cars?
    By silverhawk in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 93
    Last Post: 10-06-2005, 09:06 AM
  5. which country gets cheated out of the coolest cars?
    By kennyknoxville in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 42
    Last Post: 12-19-2003, 03:01 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •