What's Japanese build quality like?

[DeanVRS]

Hi all,was wondering your opinions on japanese car manafacturers and the build quality etc.

I was always of the impression they are all highly regarded..Or is there a general hierachy,with 1 or 2 more outstanding then the others.

Seeing as some builds are assembled outside of japan..ie nissan in sunderland etc and sure there are other examples like this,would this affect the general quality.
Would you class the likes of mazda/nissan and suzuki in the same league as Honda and the like?

[Wadeski]

All are at the upper end of the quality scale, but certain models (or even years of a particular model) are to be watched out for when buying.

Like anything, read a buyers guide - owners clubs are the best place to start.

Also, many people assume anything Japanese will be reliable of ANY AGE - 20 year old cars are 20 year old cars. Even more importantly, try and think about previous owners. Cheap, fast Jap stuff may have run by a prat in the past, so buy very carefully when looking at cheaper popular models like evos, subarus, MR2 turbos, RX-7s etc.

[Scooby72]

IMHO Jap cars have always let themselves down on the interiors, plastics etc. which may give them a bit of a cheap feel.

But when it comes down to what really matters reliability, there is nothing to touch them.

Having recently worked with FHI/Subaru's aerospace arm they are infuriatingly knit picking, but I guess that's why the end product is so good, attention to detail !!

[y282]

always feel a bit plasticky compared to german stuff, but never seem to actually break IME.

[rovermorris999]

^^This. There's more to quality than soft-touch plastic. Whereas the interior of a Citroen will fall apart before your eyes something like a Subaru won't.

[Heathwood]

Well there's quality of trim, plastics etc (I think this tends to be known as perceived quality i.e. whether something feels like a quality product) and true build / engineering quality. From my experience you don't get too much of the former but lots of the latter.

[MMTWRX]

I've just sold a 1995 WRX and the interior/exterior both looked like new. I know the interior may have looked a little bland by todays standards but it all worked and looked good. I don't see many cars of that age on the road let alone in that good a condition.

[y282]

i went from a reasonable condition s14a to a 328i e36 a while back and was instantly aware of the difference in perceived finish quality, soundproofing, interior, etc even though the bmw was older. having said that though, none of the trim of equipment in the 200 ever played up, it just didn't feel quite as complete. much better chassis though.

[douglasr]

I've had, '78 Accord, '91 CRX, '94 VTI, '02 S2000 and '05 350Z. Part of the reason I chose those cars was tha the engineering of major components is second to none at a given price point. None of them ever let me down or cost me more than normal consumables (apart from a water pump on the accord).

I had a BMW in between the VTI and the S2000 and it had superior build quality and interior, but was no where near as reliable (never let me down, but I had problems with electrics and suspension and surprisingly, bodywork).

[Matt_N]

In my epxerience:

1992 Mitsubishi Colt Gti - has spent the last 3 years being thrashed around Castle Combe and has coped admirably. One small patch of rust on the nearside sill. The mechanical components seem to have been engineered very well, I have not come across one seized bolt during the times parts have been changed due to upgrades. The only things to fail have been a broken flexi on the exhaust, which looked original, track rod ends and now after 3 years of abuse the head gasket has started to weep oil on one corner of the block, no oil / water mix though.

1998 MX-5 1.6 - again mechanically very good, didn't let us down once in 2 and bit years of ownership. Only failed it's last MoT due to a rusty sill that I think got battered last winter and it's also a very common problem on Mk1 and 2 MX-5's.

2000 Accord Type R - only owned for a few months and had to replace the front droplinks the other week due to a broken one, but it feels very well screwed together and has proved to be reliable so far. The interior is a bit bland and the plastic's aren't the best but I'm hoping the mechanicals have been put together as well as Honda's reputation seems to suggest it would have been.

[youngsyr]

If the modifying scene is anything to go by, then Jap cars are massively over-engineered for anything the average UK owner is likely to throw at them.

In my direct experience, both Mitsubishi Evo and Mazda MX-5 engines and drivetrains will easily and reliably handle 30% more power than they left the factory with. From reading around it's not uncommon to hear about similar power hikes from Nissans, Subarus and Toyotas.

[Heaveho]

Toyota / Lexus have had a bad press recently, ( and largely unnecessarily, but that's journalism for you, ), but generally I still view them as the standard setter for the industry....certainly, when I worked for them, and was responsible for processing the warranty claims, I simply turned up for work, hung around for 8 hours, and went home again. Easiest 7 years of employment I'm ever likely to have! They just didn't go wrong.

[johnyboy1976]

I worked for Toyota from 92 to 99 and the japanese made cars were superb for build quality.
However when they started building cars in uk then things went wrong.
From having more or less zero warranty claims we were inundated.
also the later cars like 7th gen celica are very flimsy and not as well built as the earlier celicas that had a carved from stone feel.