I'm personally down to trying to buy everything Japanese. Germany has gone seriously downhill in the last few years. BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagon, and Audi all get pretty terrible reviews these days for longterm quality, plus they cost an arm and a leg when things break on them. Which is a shame because I was really hoping to get an Audi for my next car...
I buy anything but American. All we produce is overpriced pieces of shit. If it were not for tariffs, the Detroit auto-industry would have been abandoned long ago. Paying someone $160 an hour to screw a screw is contributing to this messed up economy.
I have read some recent reliability report and Mercedes and Volkswagon are some of least reliable. GM is actually quite close with Toyota now, but I don't like the style of GM cars, and I don't need a gas guzzling truck. Nissan has been poor in the last few years. That said I own 2 Toyotas, but if I had to do it over again I would buy to Hyundai's as I firmly believe they are the Toyota of 25 years ago. Since they re-did the Sonata is a much better value than a Camry, and much better warranty to boot. The new Elantra is good looking at cheaper than a Corolla, with better horsepower too.
I know it bums me out. The only diesel passenger car you can get is German made for American markets. Toyota only offers diesel in Australia last time I checked. Post edit: A lot of the Volkswagons made, which are on avg. more expensive than even a Toyota when I last checked, our Mexican made just south of Tijuana. BS I say.
Relaibility is not the same as excellence, it is just one part of the puzzle. Buying an Audi or a BMW is totally different from owning a Toyota. I'm not saying one is better. Buying a Toyota just feels like buying a car, while buying a Audi 6 or 8 is like obtaining a piece of art. Don't get fixated on reliability numbers. The fact that GM is even mentioned means they are rigged. Ursa..
I've talked with probably 50 people who will never buy an American car because the Japanese cars that they have owned are so much more reliable. I have never met who has said the opposite. Reliability does make a difference and it's cost Detroit dearly... Actually, an exception is a friend who had a Mustang. He said it was very reliable, well made with great gas mileage. But, he grudgingly admitted that it was "the only good car that Ford makes"...