Hashemian Blog
Huh? What?
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
German cars, Japanese cars
I have to admit that unlike many of my male counterparts, I am not fussy about the kind of car I drive. If the vehicle can get me from point A to B in relative safety, that's my kind of car. New cars? forget it; fast cars? who needs it; flashy cars? don't have the money.
My approach to buying a car is pretty simple. We have a distant relative is in the used car wholesale business. When I need a new car, I call him up, get some quotes on low-priced models he has on his list, and choose one quickly. My last pick was a used red Subaru Impreza wagon, nicely priced. It's a girlish car, but I have no problems with it. It drives well, and it's a good winter car being an all-wheeler. Cheap to operate, cheap to maintain, cheap to insure, and cheap for taxes. Lest you think I have no male ego, when the urge to show a little manhood comes around, I just rev up my Ninja 750 (which of course I bought used) and go for a ride. A few rides a year on the rice rocket validates my man-ness and I can get back in my little car, feeling confident in my masculinity.
Since I drive a girlie car, what else would my wife drive but a manly car? A large, high-octane guzzling, 6-cylinder dark green Audi is her ride. The problem is that when this car needs work, it creates a considerable dent in my pocket. I have always admired Germans for their ingenuity and engineering prowess. German cars are great to drive and look great too, but I have finally decided that they are for the super rich with large disposable incomes. When it comes to quality, they don't even come close to Japanese cars. They're probably more on par with the American cars, save one big difference, the repair bill. It's not just the Audi. Many years ago I had a VW Golf that gave me more headaches than I care to remember, and I had purchased this one new (well, actually it was a demo car and it remains the only new car I have ever bought).
So if you have lots of money, buy German. If you want quality and value, it's hard to beat the Japanese brands. American brand? My first and only American car was a used Chevy Chevette. That was probably all the American I would ever put up with, although I have flirted with the idea of owning a Mustang, a used one, of course.
german cars,japanese cars,cars,subaru,audi,vw <German cars, Japanese cars>
// posted by rh
|
Links
Technorati Profile
TMCnet.com
ARCHIVES
09/01/2003 - 10/01/200303/01/2004 - 04/01/200404/01/2004 - 05/01/200405/01/2004 - 06/01/200406/01/2004 - 07/01/200407/01/2004 - 08/01/200408/01/2004 - 09/01/200409/01/2004 - 10/01/200410/01/2004 - 11/01/200411/01/2004 - 12/01/200412/01/2004 - 01/01/200501/01/2005 - 02/01/200502/01/2005 - 03/01/200503/01/2005 - 04/01/200504/01/2005 - 05/01/200505/01/2005 - 06/01/200506/01/2005 - 07/01/200507/01/2005 - 08/01/200508/01/2005 - 09/01/200509/01/2005 - 10/01/200510/01/2005 - 11/01/200511/01/2005 - 12/01/200512/01/2005 - 01/01/200601/01/2006 - 02/01/200602/01/2006 - 03/01/200603/01/2006 - 04/01/200604/01/2006 - 05/01/200605/01/2006 - 06/01/200606/01/2006 - 07/01/200607/01/2006 - 08/01/200608/01/2006 - 09/01/200609/01/2006 - 10/01/200610/01/2006 - 11/01/200611/01/2006 - 12/01/200612/01/2006 - 01/01/200701/01/2007 - 02/01/200702/01/2007 - 03/01/200703/01/2007 - 04/01/200704/01/2007 - 05/01/200705/01/2007 - 06/01/200706/01/2007 - 07/01/200707/01/2007 - 08/01/2007
|
