Is the J that important in the VIN?

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: planeman223
Fellas,

I ask for your opinion on whether you'd rather have your vehicle made in Japan or in an American plant. Let's take loyalty out of the equation and say for example you had the choice between a made in Mississippi Corolla, and a made in Japan Scion...

Would you go out of your way for the J? Does anyone have experience with the assembly line/can comment on any differences in build quality?

-Alex



If it helps the owner sleep better at night, then sure, get the J. Both countries are equally capable of manufacturing a lousy car.

 

[PandaBear]

To me it is about design 1st, brand and model 2nd, but country of origin does make a tie breaker.

Example: Nissan Juke made in Japan, design with horrible wiring and interior (I forgot if it is the dome light or one of its switch, attached to the ceiling liner, not the car itself), still a piece of poop. A Lexus made in the US is still a fine car because of the quality put in.

My Corolla made in US back in mid 90s, that car has a lot of assembly mistakes and parts quality problem that shouldn't have happened: using the wrong vent piece and masking tape to shim it to the right size (warranty took care of it), alternator going out and ended up being recalled (AC Delco only), belt squeal (not sure if it is US or Japanese brand or origin), brake light bulb socket contact solder melted and disconnected the light, etc. This happened only on my corolla, not my father in law's camry made in Japan. Coincident? maybe, but that tape shim for vent pieces should never pass QC in Japan but somehow it was slipped in the US.

So to me it will be a tie breaker between two identical cars.

 

[newbe46]

I always prefer a car is that is made in the brand of the originating country. A counter example would be will you prefer a Mustang or Corvette made elsewhere other than America?

I think there is always an emotional part that's attached to a car regardless if the car is a family car or a garage queen. Also for better or for worse, the national stereotypes exist for the manufacturing country whatever that maybe is part of the purchasing decision.

 

[Silverado12]

I buy American whenever feasible, but my last car was made in Canada but had about a 70% domestic content. Canada doesn't really bother me as they buy a lot of our cars.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: planeman223
Fellas,

I ask for your opinion on whether you'd rather have your vehicle made in Japan or in an American plant. Let's take loyalty out of the equation and say for example you had the choice between a made in Mississippi Corolla, and a made in Japan Scion...

Would you go out of your way for the J?
-Alex

Quick answer:
NO
Long answer:
Maybe?
I've had some J-VIN pieces of junk, and I've had American-made Japan brand cars that were spectacularly well made. I actually have a mix of them right now. I have a lot of cars

Quote:
Does anyone have experience with the assembly line/can comment on any differences in build quality?

I can tell you about how Bosch runs their power steering rack manufacturing facilities in Florence, KY. But I don't want to get sued or disappeared. I always think of the German nihilists and their nice marmot interrupting the Dude's bath in the famous Lebowski scene.

 

[edhackett]

Originally Posted By: dparm

If it helps the owner sleep better at night, then sure, get the J. Both countries are equally capable of manufacturing a lousy car.


Yup, my J WRX was among the least reliable cars that I have owned. The two Indiana assembled Legacys were among the most reliable.

Ed

 

[PimTac]

"My Corolla made in US back in mid 90s, that car has a lot of assembly mistakes and parts quality problem that shouldn't have happened: using the wrong vent piece and masking tape to shim it to the right size (warranty took care of it), alternator going out and ended up being recalled (AC Delco only), belt squeal (not sure if it is US or Japanese brand or origin), brake light bulb socket contact solder melted and disconnected the light, etc. This happened only on my corolla, not my father in law's camry made in Japan. Coincident? maybe, but that tape shim for vent pieces should never pass QC in Japan but somehow it was slipped in the US."



That vehicle was probably made at the old NUMMI plant in the Bay Area. There are lots of stories regarding the work force there and a ongoing drug and alcohol issue on the job.

 

[eljefino]

My first car, a 1989 Mazda 323, had brilliant paint. I think at the time in Japan they could still use the bad solvents while Americans got that EPA water based stuff the same year.

I've had a slug of well-assembled Saturn s-series but the materials eventually gave out. Design was limited by the MSRP as well, as it is in all cases, but especially econoboxes.

My Camry is from Japan but is completely anonymous in its "style" of construction, for lack of a better term. It seems like it could have been built anywhere. I suppose you want this to show that your assembly plant is repeatable and consistent. They make them in America, too, but mine is from Japan. This comes up occasionally when buying parts.

I had a Cavalier made in Lordstown, OH, by the same nose-pickers that made the Vega. I had it near the end of its stinking life but the tail light was only held on by one stamped nut on its three studs. It took some massaging to get the light to fit in its socket properly, so it's not like someone just did a bad job replacing a bulb.

 

[Stag]

Back in 1989 my new bride and I were shopping for her dream car- a new VW Jetta. Many people in the industry recommended buying a German made version as opposed to one made in the then new Mexico plant. We found a W-marked one in the color she wanted and bought it. That car lasted only ten years. Many of us in the Isuzu community believe the 2nd gen Troopers (assembled in japan) hold up better than the Indiana built Rodeos and Honda Passports.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
That vehicle was probably made at the old NUMMI plant in the Bay Area. There are lots of stories regarding the work force there and a ongoing drug and alcohol issue on the job.


Yup, it was made in NUMMI.

 

[TinyVoices]

The Mexican built mk3 and mk4 Volkswagens were notorious for being far less reliable and having far more electrical issues than the ones built elsewhere.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: TinyVoices
The Mexican built mk3 and mk4 Volkswagens were notorious for being far less reliable and having far more electrical issues than the ones built elsewhere.

I had a '96 Meheeco Mk3 Jetta for almost a year - bought it to fix up, never really actually could become fixed up. Anyway, it ate fuses for breakfast. California car too, no rust anywhere at all! Still couldn't keep power window, power lock or stereo circuits running to save its life. I threw $750 away in that car. $250 for the car, $500 for parts I installed myself, including a clutch and a host of other things. I donated it to some nothing charity just so that I wouldn't ever have to see it again.

 

[Soggydog]

My wife had a Canadian built Corolla. Reconstructed title. I feared for safety.
We had a Canadian built matrix, great car. Still miss it.
Im fairly disappointed in our kentucky built camry.
A and B pillar interior trim is always working itself loose but not coming off.
If you turn into a driveway with a slight elevation, when the leading tire begins to climb a pop sound is heard from the roof. Google shows this is common on moonroof models.
Corrosion under the clearcoat (worming???) on alloy wheels.
Leather on steering wheel began to peel or something.
Most of these issues were brought to the dealers attention and supposedly denied by a regional toyota rep.
The drivetrain has been flawless.

 

[PimTac]

In most cases, the flaws can be traced back to human interventions. Engines for example are almost entirely made by robots or other automated systems. Things like electrical systems, trim pieces, etc are installed by the workers. While not every worker is bad, there are a few who go through the motions and don't care about their work or figure that's good enough.

 

[chrisri]

I had a Japanese built 93 Civic VTI saloon. Car was bought in 03 or 04 from a friend. At 170k car needed some work (front wishbones', struts, sway bar bushes,etc. It consumed oil, typical for a VTIs.

Compared with a UK built Honda/Rover(father in low had one at the time), car was in different dimension. Better overall.

 

[babyivan]

Originally Posted By: newbe46
I always prefer a car is that is made in the brand of the originating country. A counter example would be will you prefer a Mustang or Corvette made elsewhere other than America?

agreed