Why are American cars still so unreliable.

I'm glad you didn't twist my words around.

How long have GM and Ford been selling large pickups in the U.S? How long have Japanese companies been doing that?

Consumer Reports writes about cars. Motor Trend is just a fashion magazine for guys and takes bribes from the auto industry

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Ford has been selling Pickups since Mike Hunter was in diapers (Ford made a model A pickup).

GM has been making pickups for a long time, too, probably since before the war Mike fought in.

Toyota has been selling pickups in the US since the early 70s. However, Toyota made only small pickups, back then. I think the biggest pickup Toyota sells, the Tundra, is considered a midsize pickup. The only other Japanese automakers to sell a pickup that I am aware of are Subura (the Brat), Mazda B-series and the Honda Ridgeline, which is a midsize pickup. The Brat was a small pickup, and the Mazda B-series was about the same size as the Ranger (in fact the later models are rebadged Rangers - I am not sure about the earlier ones).

Besides the Japanese pickups, the only pickups I can remember ever being imported were some VW pickups a while back.

Jeff

Your forgot to mention appliances and weed whackers LOL

mike hunt

You forget to mention the best of the Jap pickups, the Nissan Titan. Unlike the Tundra, the Titan is actually made in this county, in Tennessee, but it is way overpriced vis a v Ford and GM to compete. The Mazda B-series is a rebaged Ford Ranger with a longer warranty and a higher price. The Honda Ridgeline can hardly be considered a truck, it is built off a FWD car chassis, that is why it only comes in AWD, thus nothing more than a crossover like the Subaru 4 dr 'truck'

mike hunt

Somebody's forgetting the VEGA. It outsold all Toyota's combined in Canada ( and likely the US)in 1971.58,800 sedans, 168,000 coupes, and

42,800 wagons in the first year of production. 55,800 sedans, 262,700 coupes, and 72,000 wagons the second year.395,792 of all combined the third year (1973), and 452,888 in 1974.

OBVIOUSLY nothing to do with Quality. Never heard of a VEGA being used as any kind of a yardstick by which to measure quality of small cars.

Early Ford compact pickups were rebadged Mazdas.(can't remember the name) Mitsubishi sells pickups in North America too (some were sold as Dodges), as does NISSAN.

There were a FEW Austin/Morris pickups imported years ago, as well as ISUZU (P'Up and Chevy LUV), and a few Peugot 403s 404s and 504s? and Citroens. Also some lesser models that could ALMOST be called pickups, like the UniMog. I've likely missed a few others as well.

Datsun 510s were also great "sporty" cars in the early years (known as "bluebirds" elsewhere in the world) - the poor man's BMW 2002. Then there was the 1500 and 1600 "failady" sports cars - looked a lot like an MGB. Not many of them but very cool.The Z was also a "fairlady".

Toyota had the Celicas - very capable cars for their time as well, as well as the SR5 Corollas and stood up as well as or better than the European offerings such as BMW, FIAT, Renault, Puegot, etc.

The Euros were more expensive, and therefore more likely to be preserved - whether better or not is definitely open for question.

All Mazda had back then was the RX series, (RX2, RX3 RX4, and RX7) and the Cosmos.

NISSAN was the international brand for years before it was switched in North America. They finally rationalized their marketting and made the whole line Nissan. The company was ALWAYS known as Nissan Motor Corp. Just as the Toyo Kogyo company builds Mazda vehicles, and Fuji Heavy Industries builds Subaru.

I totally forgot about the Isuzus.My uncle even owned one. I even remember it idiot who used to do their ads (Joe Isuzu).

The Peugeot 404 and 504 were cars, not trucks. I don't think Peugeot ever imported trucks or even made many trucks. I remember the 504, because I learned to drive on the 504 diesel.

Unfortunately, Peugeot never made any money in the US and withdrew from the market. It was a great car, with four wheel independent suspension about 10 years before any American car company offered a car with 4-wheel independent suspension and 4 wheel disk brakes. And there was even the oppurtunity to learn how to remove and replace the cylinder head (let's just say the idea of an aluminum head and iron block did not work out as well as some would have liked).

Jeff

And exactly how many TOYOPETS were sold in the USA? Or even ISUZU BELLETs? or Toyota UP7s (7 UP), or Toyota 2000s? They were not even a blip on the radar. If as high a percentage of, say Toyopets survived as , say 1959 Sport Fury Hardtops,(approx 21, 500 built in the US) you might find 2 or 3 in all of North America. There are more than that surviving (possibly half a dozen) and the Sport Fury IS a collectable. Not too many of THEM around either. Or 1956s - even MORE collectable - (24,700 built in the US) I'd be surprised if there were 5000 Toyopets sold in total in North America. They sold 287 in their first year in the USA. In 1965, with the Corona, they finally hit their stride.

Rare doesn't make collectible.

Well, perhaps collectible, but perhaps not valuable :)

clare at snyder.> >

They also built trucks. 403 and 404 for sure - not sure of the 504.

There were some in Canada. There were LOTS in Zambia.

Worked good when properly installed with a proper gasket. Worst problem with Peugot in North America was terminal rust.

Ever price a 1956 Sport Fury coupe or c>> >>

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You're correct. However, I don't think htey imported them into the US.

Jeff

I guess that explains why the Camry is the number one selling car in the US. ;)

mike hunt

Then how do you explain all of the British, German and Italian cars that show up at car shows. Did they import thousands of those.

The question remains where are the old Jap cars, from the same tie period, if they are so good? :)

mike

Peugeot made and still makes wonderful cars. The REAL problem with them back in the 70's 80's and early 90's ( my only years of experience with them ) is the ridiculous French engineering. I never meet a mechanic other than one that worked of a dealer that knew how to fix the dammed things. Absolutely nothing was logical by American or other Western European standards. I used to borrow my cousins 504 when I lived in the Caribbean and my Lada was in the shop, which was not to often. However I LOVED the ride on that 504.

Being a true American, and Patriot, if I saw a Peugeot on the streets here in NYC today I would unquestionably and unequivocally spit on the dam drivers door handle and leave a note telling the jeck that owns it to leave my country.

Mike, the people that bought the British, German and Italian cars were more of autophile/snob type of person. The buyer of the Japanese cars in the early days were looking for cheap transportation and did not give a hoot about preserving the things after their useful life was over. Just send it to the scrap heap and by the next car as opposed the guy that got his jollies driving an European import and the cache that went with it. Euro cars were a personality statement while Jap cars were cheap transportation.