I feel safest of all

Kim had a post the other day that mentioned cars, and of course it all went back to the American vs everyone else car debate.

First of all, esthetics is the item most touted- “europeans simply make prettier cars than Americans. ”

That’s a matter of taste. Alfa makes some nice looking cars. So does BMW (now). There were some old mercedes cars that were gorgeous. But that’s my opinion. I am not an artist. However, plenty of artists DO love american cars, and some notable artists helped create them. BMW, VW, Volvo, all WISH they had Harley Earl. Styling is a matter of taste, and for everyone who swoons over a 70’s vintage MG, there are thousands who love the lines of the Buick Wildcat. So, I’ll discount taste- the idea that one car looks better than another? You’re welcome to it. People buy Honda Elements, futhuchrissakes, even though the “Element” in question is clearly “Butt Uglium”. Hell, I myself owned a Land Rover. No, not one of those cushymobiles they sell these days, but a REAL land rover with a tire on the hood. OK, a “Tyre on the Bonnet”.

While esthetics can be a matter of some opinion, what isn’t open to discussion is function. Euro cars function in a way suited best to their environment, which consists of predominantly narrow, twisty roads. American cars are suited to their function, which consists predominantly of long straight stretches of highway. Since little cornering is required, the suspensions are made to provide the best possible ride for the commonest conditions.

if America was full of twisty little roads, the car manufacturers would have made cars that were suited to that, but it isn’t, and they don’t. Does this make american cars worse? No. It makes them what the market wants and asks for. And for the purpose for which they were designed, they are perfectly designed.

As far as quality is concerned, there is no contest. The sheer numbers of cars manufactured in the united states, on either a car for car basis or a percentage basis, American cars are more reliable, on the whole.
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