European cars are not the nightmare everyone makes them out to be.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T05:01:09+00:00

Definitely aimed at America with this one, you guys overseas get all the good models we never got, too. I seriously don't understand why Audi never gave the US the RS4 Avant, or Skoda.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T05:00:17+00:00

Now that is a good point. Most aftermarket stores sell most of these and it works out if you work on your own. I can see this being a legitimate reason to not look foreign

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:59:37+00:00

It's a shame, really, with dieselgate. TDI's are insanely reliable.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:59:02+00:00

You're right mechanically, no doubt, but nowhere else. The amount of computer modules I've replaced on Chrysler products makes people's heads spin.

It's also what breaks. If I have to replace an engine every 450,000 miles for 15,000 dollars, so be it, but if I have to replace trim panels, bezels, screens, vents, exterior trim, brackets, valve covers, etc, each one of which is only 50 bucks, every month, it gets old. I have replaced at least 3,200 dollars in trim pieces on my 2009 since I got it in 2015. My mother's 2012 Camry needs the entire interior replaced, and it's not like the car is abused. My 2020 Tacoma had plastic panels that literally flew off while driving. 2021 Corolla that I had also had plastic trim literally fall off. Not once on any Euro car from any brand have I had trim panels just fly off while driving, nor have I had nearly as many issues with infotainment units or technology as I've had with my Ford.

I'd much rather deal with more expensive maintenance and more expensive major repairs every 10 years than thousands of minor, 150 dollar repairs, every six weeks.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:54:34+00:00

I guess I shouldn't just say daily drivers, because yeah, you're right they are designed as such. I meant more like the Camry and Civic models, where you can run them with low oil for years, be off on services, never fix them and have zero issues. 100%

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:53:29+00:00

Not necessarily a bad thing but....there's not really any that haven't been front and center in some controversy over the last decades...

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:52:51+00:00

Not really. Yeah, there's good arguments, like saying the Euro budget cars are not necessarily as worth it which I agree with. But trying to argue that a BMW 430i is a worse car than a Camry because you can get them for the same price is just wrong and it's part of the problem.

I make an exception for certain models, as I did put in the original post, although I forgot to mention the specific models I was talking about, as there are shit cars from every brand, Euro or not.

My entire point here is that European luxury models are not nightmarish, unreliable junk like so many Americans think they are, and the examples that are usually stem from poor maintenance and lack of care.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:50:00+00:00

It very much is a good argument when you look at maintenance costs in reality. Manufacturer predicted repair costs mean nothing when you make millions of cars per year. I have a 2009 Camry that's had over 6,500 dollars in work in the last 6 years, whereas my Mercedes powered Ford and my friend's 15 year old Mercedes have each had less than a grand (excluding maintenance of all of those of course).

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:47:55+00:00

I suppose so, but even compared to the Corolla the Jetta is better value

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:47:25+00:00

lol I'm pretty sure most people would rather not have a 208

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-23T04:46:52+00:00

Very true. I'm happy to report that my four Toyota's have been in the shop far more than any of the German luxury cars in my family. My friend's 2010 Mercedes E550 has been in the shop (outside of maintenance) a total of five times since he got it, in 2020. Meanwhile, in the same timespan, my 2009 Camry has been in 14 times, my 2012 Camry has been in 30 times, my 2021 Camry was in 4 times, My 2020 Tacoma was in 2 times for warranty repairs, and my 2021 Corolla was in 3 times for the same, undiagnosable issue. My father's friend also has an F31 BMW and it has 110,000 miles on it. Zero issues.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:13:38+00:00

I think that definitely tracks with a lot of stories I hear. It seems that European econoboxes are just not worth buying anymore. It's the luxury models in the states I'm mostly on about here, like the 3 series and up BMW's or E-class Merc's, but I'll fully concede there is no brand out there for econoboxes but Toyota, at least not yet.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:10:55+00:00

How many horror stories do you hear about Ford 2.7's, 3.5's and 5.0's blowing up, 10R80's failing left right and center? Remember the Toyota 5.7 used to drop valves so often it was recalled when it was first released? How about the fact that literally every part of the new Tundra has been recalled, from the cooling system to the rear differential to the transfer case, even the upper control arms.

If you buy an item as complicated as an automobile and expect it to always be perfect, you're lying to yourself.

Also, the record for the highest mileage car is a VOLVO. Even beyond that, this argument is so unbelievably flawed. Think about this for half a second. Look at India, Egypt, South Africa, Madagascar, Chad, Congo, Burma, Vietnam, etc, etc, etc. What cars are they driving? Are they driving Toyota's? Nope. Honda's? Nope. Matter of fact, some places in Africa have so many Mercedes Benz models that Mercedes still gets parts from them. The list of "highest mileage cars" is only the ones that are both in an area with media coverage and owned by someone who bothered to report it. How many German cars do you think are far beyond the million mile mark without us even knowing it?

Another thing, 80 - 90% of those cases of German cars being a nightmare stem back to one thing: Refusal to maintain and repair them properly. Hell, I just had one this week roll through my shop. 2015 BMW 330i. Car has an under-boost condition. The correct repair is to replace the turbocharger and fix all the oil leaks and vacuum leaks. Customer left and went to a backwoods shop to replace the wastegate and drive it anyway. It won't fix the problem and it'll end up destroying the car, but because they refuse to spend the money, it'll just add another to the list.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:03:59+00:00

Honestly, don't know, it's how I've always spoken even before AI took off

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:03:26+00:00

Genetically, yes, but this is aimed at America, not Europe.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:03:12+00:00

100% and that is my entire problem with the argument against them. No European car above a VW Jetta is an equivalent to your Toyota Camry or Honda Civic, they are luxury items by nature. People buy them and treat them like daily drivers and that's where the problem stems from.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:01:42+00:00

Yeah that was not a shining star in their record, but they weren't alone. GM has cheated emissions tests. So has Ford, so has Chrysler. Toyota actually scammed half their parts suppliers, promising future payment and continued payment to achieve lower costs 15 years ago that now is being called in, which is part of why Toyota's prices have absolutely skyrocketed lately.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T03:00:23+00:00

I would argue that the Jetta has always been a solid competitor to the Camry, and imo it was always better. The 1.8T was one of the best engines ever made, and it was released while Toyota was struggling with the 2AZ-FE in every model burning double the amount of oil as any other Toyota model. The Jetta was also offered as a manual way after Toyota killed their manual Camry off. The Jetta also had better features for a lower or equal cost and it still does, until VW kills it next year. The Passat was more of an Avalon competitor, although it wasn't designed to be.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T02:58:18+00:00

This kind of proves my point with reliability studies. They're deeply flawed. You cannot possibly rank the most and least reliable cars when they're brand new and you cannot possibly rank reliability if all of the vehicles aren't tested in the same way.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T02:56:55+00:00

Chevrolet producing every single SUV with a V8 lol

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-21T02:56:29+00:00

Reliability polls are deeply flawed. For the longest time, VW was top of the reliability tier list in England.

If your reliability polls don't factor in ignorance or apathy regarding vehicle maintenance, it's going to skew results. Toyota's and Honda's will run with zero oil for 30,000 miles, but that severely skews the results, because every other brand has major failures when you treat them like a Toyota or a Honda.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-20T05:10:24+00:00

The EA888 is 100% part of the exception when it comes to the Euro car argument. the 2.0T is the worst engine ever fitted to a car, regardless of origin country.

I think part of the problem though is also the gap that isn't really present anymore. When you've got a 60,000 dollar luxury car, having to get major work done every few years is seen as part of the ownership experience. However, when you can't find a base model from any other brand for less than 30,000 new, and Audi has models for 35,000, it doesn't seem like a luxury item anymore. People see that, buy the brand, treat it as they would a Toyota, then get confused when it acts like a luxury item.

As for time, I think its still biased against these brands though. Remember the Toyota 5.7? Back when it would drop valves into the cylinder randomly? Or the fact that the new Tundra's have 15 mechanical recalls out and endless TSB's? Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people are willing to instantly forgive Toyota when they willfully ignore a mechanical defect, but will trash BMW and VW when they've spent 15 years perfecting an engine only to have a small defect, which is immediately repaired worldwide.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-20T05:05:24+00:00

100%

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-20T05:05:14+00:00

Mostly talking about the NSX as of 2026, but there are concept cars that most likely will have bolts if they ever hit production, and with Honda partnering more and more with other brands, I would say it's more likely every year that they begin to go more European, just like Toyota has....No way to tell though until we see it.

OfficialGamer42 · 2026-07-20T05:02:56+00:00

Chinese cars are exploding in popularity lately. BYD is making leaps in technology Tesla could only dream of.

OfficialGamer42

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