[ijcr]

Wait until they discover they fitted the same ignition system to the Eurofighter.... go Lucas.

[sc2_ct]

Don't you mean Mexican-manufactured German cars? :)

[ikka]

There is a well-known problem with the VW Jetta power window system; it is a design flaw and not fixable by simply replacing the parts. Also some of the Jetta's made in Mexico have many more flaws than the ones made in Germany.

By the way I have an ancient 1988 Jetta made in W. Germany and I am amazed at its solidity.

[lizma]

"German cars were once known for their solid-build quality and dependability but it seems that no major German marque has escaped the steady decline we've noticed in recent years."

AHHH! The price you pay for socialism.

The best car I ever had was my '83 Toyota Corrola. I donated it to charity after 100,000+ miles, 6 oil changes (hey I'm a girl!) when it was still going strong.

No maintenance + no problems = perfect car.

[oceanview]

german cars were never reliable, dependable yes, but never reliable. and parts for them will never be cheap. a set of wipers on a new Benz goes for $120+.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Socialism and trade unions have a direct influence on quality. When England went socialist and heavy unionization the Jaguar and Rolls Royce went from top of the line to "don't buy". They are better now even though England is still socialist. Germany is just beginning to bear the fruit of their transformation. France? Forget it.

[Peace will be here soon]

I prefer Volvo`s myself. I spent 17 years in the auto repair business and found the Volvo`s to be a very reliable car, and very easy to service ( not cheap though ). BMW`s , Mercedes , Audi`s etc.. I absolutely hated. Always a pain to service. Don`t even get me started on Peugots ! ( French built piece of #@&^ !! ). The SAAB is not far behind, another gem of awful engineering.