cheers

Consider that a lot of what are referred to as American cars are made in Mexico. Buick and Ford come to mind. Fiat and Volkswagon are also made in Mexico.
I've had Hondas since they first imported the Civic around 1972. They don't have the same quality anymore. I don't think they are recommended by Consumers Report anymore. The last Honda I had was new in 2005 and I had trouble with it. It was an Accord. I have read that the new Hondas are stripped of what you would normally expect to find in a car. The materials are also cheap plastic.
My present car is a Mazda 3 Sport and I have no problems with it but when the lease is up at the end of next year I hope to get an American car or failing that a Korean car.
Cheers.
PS as a fellow scouse I agree with your post on American cars.

LillyRobeson

The reputation might not be justified anymore but the reputation definitely exists - and it's not good. Why switch a winning horse?

fatbrit

I'd buy a Subaru or a Subaru or a Subaru. Mrs. FB nearly went and bought a Merc GLK, but relented at the last minute and chose an Outback. 10k plus saved.

cluedweasel

Maybe I'm just weird. I buy what I like regardless of where it comes from. Quite co-coincidentally, they all happen to be Japanese at the moment - a Toyota, Honda and Infiniti. The Honda was actually built in the U.S. although (according to the sticker) only 55% of the parts come from here.

cheers

The Honda could be made in Canada.
The Honda Fit is made in Japan.

cheers

Yes I'm interested in the Subaru even though I've seen some of the 'boxer' engines in workshops. I almost bought one before I got the Mazda.
They seem to be popular with the British police.

fatbrit

Well made, handle beautifully, good resale, reasonably priced, bit design quirky.

cheers

........and made in the USA

Kaffy Mintcake

I used to feel as you do and always bought Toyota. However, the recent plethora of recalls for Toyota have really disappointed me. Like FatBrit, I think I'll look seriously at Subaru for a future vehicle.

robin1234

We had a 1998 Subaru Outback & kept it for ten or eleven years. Very nice vehicles, good in the snow & ice obviously, but they are "high maintenance" compared to a Toyota or a Honda. In other words, something was always going wrong and it was expensive. There was some kind of a design fault with the brakes, for instance, and the brakes failed spectacularly a couple of times.. eventually Subaru recognized the problem and had a master cylinder recall. Plenty of silly little things too; hatchback lock mechanism kept failing, for instance. Friend of mine has a much newer one, 2004 I think, and it still has a lot of the same problems. The current one is a complete redesign, though, so it might be better..

fatbrit

I drive a 2003 or 4 (can't remember!) Forester. It's had new batteries (battery never lasts more than a couple of years in this heat), tires and brake pads. Nothing else except I broke the AC compressor off-roading in it. It's never cleaned or especially looked after, but gets its oil changes and major 30k services @ $500 a pop. I estimate it's probably half way though its life.

VenturaBlvd

Back to your original question on US cars most similar to a Corolla Verso - the soon-to-be discontinued Toyota Matrix is similar in size but lacks those 2 extra seats you might be used to.

I would suggest that if you are happy with Toyota, try the new Venza crossover - it's bigger than a Corolla Verso but that's proportionate to the fact most cars are bigger in the US. It gets good mileage, looks nice and is very well appointed (mechanically related to a Lexus RX). It's also got those extra seats in the boot but at least $10k cheaper.

Failing that, a Ford Edge crossover is a sound buy. I hear very good things about new Fords.

Tarkak9

.... um, did we have a midlife crisis in 07?

We had a '81 Starlet growing up... great, great car.
Sadly, when it was given to my brother, it very quickly met its demise after he put it on a dolly, hitched it up to the back of a U-Haul, hopped onto I-495 ... all the while forgetting to disengage the clutch and releasing the e-brake beforehand. According to accounts, both rear tires blew, sparks flew as he ground flat the hubs; dislodged the rear axle and toasted the gearbox... Obviously, the radio drowned out all the screeching and grinding noises.

Brit3964

Indeed. Check out the resale values for a used Ford or GM. Nowhere near that of a used Honda or Toyota of the same age.

Hovik

The US counterpart would be Toyota Sienna. Get used to things being different over here, and enjoy a much larger car.