Saw the new '07 Sebring Thursday

"Dave" > wrote in message
news:VTo%g.2080$GJ.850@trnddc07...
> Ray O wrote:
>
>>
>> I am not aware of any law in Japan that prohibits driving any car past 50
>> K miles. The website for the Japan's National Agency of Vehicle
>> Inspection (English web site: http://www.navi.go.jp/english/index.html
>> outlines a pretty thorough inspection process but there is no mention
>> anywhere of a limit on vehicle mileage.
>>
>
> Yes, but these inspections end up being so expensive that the Japanese
> trade in for new. The law was written as such to keep their auto industry
> going.

I believe that the actual cost of the inspection works out to about $250 if
an owner takes the car in for an inspection him or herself. The inspection
process is very thorough, and every safety and emissions component is
visually inspected and measured or tested. That cost will jump to about
$2,000 if the owner pays a garage to take the car through the inspection
process and the garage tells the owner to fix a long laundry list of things
before taking it through the inspection.

The reason people change cars so often in Japan is consumer preference. The
average Japanese salaryman spends as little money as possible on housing and
furnishings and will spend money on cars, vacations, and designer clothing
and accessories for his wife.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Rich wrote:

> "Steve" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>True Believers in Japanese cars are harder to reprogram than
>>Scientologists, and just as well-grounded in fact. :-/
>
>
> Chrysler fans ripping on the reliability of Japanese cars are like Detroit
> Lions fans making fun of the Colts for choking every year in the playoffs.

How many Japanese cars do YOU have 438,000 miles on and still use them
every day?

Thought so.

DeserTBoB wrote:

> On 23 Oct 2006 17:08:06 -0700, "cavedweller" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>DeserTBoB wrote:
>>
>>
>>>One problem they had were their ancient, decaying assembly plants,
>>>like the Hamtramck "Dodge Main" plant and Highland Park Assembly,
>>
>>Highland Park Assembly?? <snip>
>
>
> Well, HQ was there, but there was a "something Park" assembly plant
> somewhere near Detroit that was a chronic problem...now I forgot!
> Iacocca wrote about it in one of his books.

Iacocca wrote his books over 20 years ago. Welcome to the new century,
Desert Troll.

Steve wrote:
> DeserTBoB wrote:
>
> > On 23 Oct 2006 17:08:06 -0700, "cavedweller" >
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>DeserTBoB wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>One problem they had were their ancient, decaying assembly plants,
> >>>like the Hamtramck "Dodge Main" plant and Highland Park Assembly,
> >>
> >>Highland Park Assembly?? <snip>
> >
> >
> > Well, HQ was there, but there was a "something Park" assembly plant
> > somewhere near Detroit that was a chronic problem...now I forgot!
> > Iacocca wrote about it in one of his books.
>
> Iacocca wrote his books over 20 years ago. Welcome to the new century,
> Desert Troll.

Well, in context:

"Assembly quality on late '70s Chrysler products was dismal at best,
but once all the goofs were fixed, they were pretty darned good, "

....so spake DeserTBob

"Steve" > wrote in message
...
> Rich wrote:
>
>> "Steve" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>
>>>True Believers in Japanese cars are harder to reprogram than
>>>Scientologists, and just as well-grounded in fact. :-/
>>
>>
>> Chrysler fans ripping on the reliability of Japanese cars are like
>> Detroit Lions fans making fun of the Colts for choking every year in the
>> playoffs.
>
> How many Japanese cars do YOU have 438,000 miles on and still use them
> every day?
>
> Thought so.

My old man has two Toyota Landcruisers, both over a half-million miles.
Granted, one he keeps the '68 for fun, but the '78 he uses for hauling,
snowplowing, etc.

If you use a 438,000 mile Chrysler as your daily driver, I'm not sure that's
something worth bragging about.

Visit any Nissan Maxima forum - not only do those people keep their cars for
hundreds of thousands of miles, the interior actually holds up too.

On 22 Oct 2006 20:55:29 -0600, Joe Pfeiffer >
graced this newsgroup with:

writes:
>>
>> yeesh..that takes "butt ugly" to a whole new dimension.
>>
>> IMHO of course. :-)
>
>So far, your opinions seem to be about as humble as they are
>well-informed.


and your credentials are as questionable as your logic. I'm sorry
that *my* opinion isn't acceptable to you. Not that I or anyone else
for that matter care one bit who you think or claim to me.

You see, some of us are confident enough in ourselves that we don't
need to prop ourselves up with titles.

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:54:48 -0700, DeserTBoB >
graced this newsgroup with:

>On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:49:07 -0500, "Ray O"
><rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
>
>>I am not aware of any law in Japan that prohibits driving any car past 50 K
>>miles. The website for the Japan's National Agency of Vehicle Inspection
>>(English web site: http://www.navi.go.jp/english/index.html outlines a
>>pretty thorough inspection process but there is no mention anywhere of a
>>limit on vehicle mileage. <snip>
>
>Gee, I guess the LA Times was wrong! Perhaps they CAN be driven
>longer than 50K, but inspections get purposely onerous? I know the
>Times had a big writeup about this back when Chrysler was down in the
>pits.


gee..a newspaper that's got their facts *wrong*? Whoda thunk? Having
lived in Japan, that pure and utter BS. There's no limit in the miles
you can have on your car. It just has to pass their safety inspection
like any other car.

On 23 Oct 2006 21:52:19 -0600, Joe Pfeiffer >
graced this newsgroup with:

>DeserTBoB > writes:
>
>> On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:49:07 -0500, "Ray O"
>> <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
>>
>> >I am not aware of any law in Japan that prohibits driving any car past 50 K
>> >miles. The website for the Japan's National Agency of Vehicle Inspection
>> >(English web site: http://www.navi.go.jp/english/index.html outlines a
>> >pretty thorough inspection process but there is no mention anywhere of a
>> >limit on vehicle mileage. <snip>
>>
>> Gee, I guess the LA Times was wrong! Perhaps they CAN be driven
>> longer than 50K, but inspections get purposely onerous? I know the
>> Times had a big writeup about this back when Chrysler was down in the
>> pits.
>
>Right -- last I heard, there was no law forbidding driving a vehicle
>past 50K miles. It's just that the refurbishing required makes it
>completely impractical.


utter BS. Do you just make this up as you go along?

On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 11:33:31 -0500, "Ray O"
<rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
>"Dave" > wrote in message
>news:VTo%g.2080$GJ.850@trnddc07...
>> Ray O wrote:

>>> I am not aware of any law in Japan that prohibits driving any car past 50
>>> K miles. The website for the Japan's National Agency of Vehicle
>>> Inspection (English web site: http://www.navi.go.jp/english/index.html
>>> outlines a pretty thorough inspection process but there is no mention
>>> anywhere of a limit on vehicle mileage.
>>
>> Yes, but these inspections end up being so expensive that the Japanese
>> trade in for new. The law was written as such to keep their auto industry
>> going.
>
>I believe that the actual cost of the inspection works out to about $250 if
>an owner takes the car in for an inspection him or herself. The inspection
>process is very thorough, and every safety and emissions component is
>visually inspected and measured or tested. That cost will jump to about
>$2,000 if the owner pays a garage to take the car through the inspection
>process and the garage tells the owner to fix a long laundry list of things
>before taking it through the inspection.

Right - but I can read between the lines on this one, and no matter
the country Bureaucrats is Bureaucrats...

What the Government wants, the Government gets. QED.

The DIY car owner doesn't have to pay a mechanic and shop to do the
pre-inspection work and take the car in for them - but s/he is still
going to have to buy the parts and supplies needed to tear down the
brakes, axles, trans, suspension, and other items that the inspection
calls for ahead of time, to make sure he passes on the first try.

Or the owner can do the obvious items and take the car through cold,
and get Failed several times as they pick up on other "worn items"
that he has to repair or tear down for a closer inspection and bring
the car back later - only to fail the test again for something else...

Or you "scrap" the car (to be shipped overseas either as parts or
whole and sold as used) and buy a new one from a domestic Japanese
manufacturer, which supports the Home Country economy.

Again, QED. You can easily adjust the inspection rules and criteria
to get the desired results. You want to up the percentage failed, you
tighten the regs a bit.

Go ask Marv Specter where he gets a lot of his used FJ and truck
parts. Same thing for the engines at K. Watanabe Co., Et Al.

They come in from Japanese breakers by the container load, most of
them surprisingly grease free with lots of yellow paint dots on every
bolt head, nut and thread from the inspection process - and when the
owner decides to stop paying for the inspections, it's scrap to them.

>The reason people change cars so often in Japan is consumer preference. The
>average Japanese salaryman spends as little money as possible on housing and
>furnishings and will spend money on cars, vacations, and designer clothing
>and accessories for his wife.

Can't argue with that one as I don't know the culture in such
minutiae. But as an external observer it makes sense.

Show me any Chrysler that has made it to 480,000 miles. 1-2, that
maybe you've heard of? I know of 30 or 40 Toyotas in my small little
neighbourhood on Vancouver Island alone. My '89 Camry LE, 5sp. with
the 3.0L has 347,000Kms on it and the air still blows cold. Hasn't
needed a quart of oil between changes ever. Drives like a new car!
How many Lebarons are out there with that kind of mileage?


On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:47:59 -0500, Steve > wrote:

>Rich wrote:
>
>> "Steve" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>
>>>True Believers in Japanese cars are harder to reprogram than
>>>Scientologists, and just as well-grounded in fact. :-/
>>
>>
>> Chrysler fans ripping on the reliability of Japanese cars are like Detroit
>> Lions fans making fun of the Colts for choking every year in the playoffs.
>
>How many Japanese cars do YOU have 438,000 miles on and still use them
>every day?
>
>Thought so.