For many years now America has been known as home of the automobiles. Even in photos dating back forty years, American roads were always swarming with cars. In those times, the vast majority of cars in the U.S. were large and American made. However, on the same roads today almost half the cars are imported; of these, most of them are Japanese imports. The fact is that most people in America will decide between owning an American or a Japanese car (bookrags).
For a long time it was thought of un-American to buy a vehicle that wasn’t manufactured in the U.S. If someone didn’t have a Ford, Dodge or General Motors car then they weren’t considered to be living up to their patriotic obligation (checksnbalances).
However, around the time of the 1973 gas crisis, and then again during the energy crisis of 1979, foreign cars were suddenly considered acceptable. Japanese cars were the most tolerable due to their fuel economy and long driving life (checksnbalances).
For most buyers, high on the list of factors to be considered is the price. The price of Japanese cars tends to fluctuate, mainly due to the up-and-down nature of the currencies. At the times this can cause a medium priced Japanese car to be in the same range as a luxury American car. Conversely, the price of the American cars stays much more consistent.
However, when looking at second hand cars, the situation is altered. Japanese cars are likely to hold their value more than American models. Therefore, buyers looking for a second hand car will probably need to have more for a Japanese car than for the domestic one.
The next significant cost that buyers must consider is repair costs. Statistically speaking, Japanese models spend less time in the garage than American cars do (bookrags). However, when the actual repair costs are compared, the American cars tend to come out cheaper than the Japanese. Due to their structures, fixing a Japanese model can often necessitate a specialist mechanic. Furthermore, most of the parts are imported. This makes them more expensive to buy and ship, with the added problem of currency shifts.
On the other hand, American car parts are locally made and easily available. Additionally they do not require specially trained and more expensive mechanics.
Despite this, owning a buying a car is not solely based on financial outlay. A car should be easy and enjoyable to drive. Japanese cars tend to be smaller. Therefore they don’t require so much gas so often. They are also easier to park than the larger American cars. Nevertheless, for people who are used to driving an American car with all of its space and luxury, A Japanese car can feel quite pokey. As American cars are generally larger, they need more gas and oil, and this can easily counteract the money savings due to few repairs.
Most Americans or people who have immigrated into the states will, at some point, have to consider which car to purchase. If money were no object then a new American car with lots of space and ease of repair would be the ideal choice. On the other hand, for people who don’t have cash in abundance, a cheaper, second-hand Japanese model would probably have to suffice.
Works Cited
http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2004/8/31/340/64062
http://checksnbalances.blogspot.com/2008/09/american-vs-japanese-gas-mileage.html
