Personal Insights on Car Selection: American vs Foreign

When it comes to automotive preferences, I have no allegiance to a car's nationality. My criteria for choosing a car are based on features, styling, performance, and utility. As of now, I own two cars and a motorcycle. Depending on my needs, the third car option could be a veritable luxury addition.

Criteria for Car Selection

For my personal car, I sought a small sedan with good performance and a manual transmission. There were very few choices like this, and they were not from American brands. My current choice is the Volkswagen Jetta GLI - a reliable and stylish automoibe, regardless of its place of manufacture. If I were to pick a new car, I would consider a Chevy Blazer, often referred to as the Camaro of SUVs.

Evaluation of Various Car Brands

After some experience with various car brands, my view is quite clear:

American Cars: These are generally not as reliable as I have found them to break down more often. However, if I were to purchase an American car today, my choice would be a Tesla, as they are the only American cars I would consider buying. Japanese Cars: Early models were not powerful enough, but this has changed. The modern Japanese cars are reliable and rarely have issues. My previous Honda Civic stands as a testament to this reliability. German Cars: Initially, I found them to be superior in terms of build quality and reliability. For instance, a Jaguar I owned faced several mechanical issues, which made me question the overall reliability of foreign cars. Overall Experience: In general, foreign cars bought used tend to break down more than American-made cars. When they do, repairs are more complicated and costly compared to their American counterparts.

Present Fleet and Future Intentions

Currently, my car fleet consists of Fords and Jeeps, both modern and antique. Due to my imminent retirement, the likelihood of purchasing another new car or truck is slim. I will instead rely on existing vehicles—my current fleet stands at seven, including hot rods and antique cars. Within the week, I can drive a different car each day. However, post-retirement, I expect to drive no more than two or three days per week, so this existing fleet should suffice for the rest of my life.