by ElSecundo » Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:59 am
Yeah, for some reason, Germans get a lot of credit for building quality vehicles, when in reality, they don't. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW, ALL require frequent and expensive maintenance, and often break in spite of the good (or exceptional) care their owners give them.
They got a good reputation for building quality European vehicles, as they were being compared for decades against Fiat, Jaguar, Austin, Renault, etc. It's easy to look good in that crowd. And mind you, I'm a European car guy, but I don't confuse 'good driving' with 'reliable'. Americans make much more reliable cars. The way the current European cars drive is fantastic, and their quality is found in the engineering of the performance bits. But for reliability? No way.