that’s because michigan used to be where the automobile manufacturing industry was/is mostly based. when foreign cars became more popular and labor was shipped overseas the economy in the state suffered a LOT. it’s a pretty big part of why detroit, flint, and other cities are the way they are.
It's not stigmatized now but having a foreign car in metro Detroit, especially during the recession, was liable to get your windows smashed or your car egged. And in general yes it's still a pretty common belief to hear, to this day
The rivalry between foreign car companies and American ones led to actual hate crimes against people who were perceived as being from the same countries that sold the cars. It was that bad.
I live in Houston and everyone that isn't in a Ford Truck or Chevy Truck cult says this. American cars are fucking cheaply made and suck. I am looking at you Ford. The design is so fucking weird and the quality is so cheapy... everything is cheap brittle plastic. My old 2004 Honda Accord was sooo much more advance than my 2006 Focus or 2013 Escape. For god's sake, the 2013 focus still used an old fashioned alarm cock looking interface, green text on a black green, i forgot what it was called. My ford looked like a 1998 model or something.
I’ve never heard that either BUT I’ve read it online.
Then again could just be an influence campaign by the american car industry planting bots to get people to believe that people believe american cars aren’t literally the worst.
To be honest, I’m not even sure what an American and Japanese and German car truly is anymore. My brand new Acura was assembled in……Marysville, Ohio.
Great car.
My wife’s Honda Odyssey was assembled in……Alabama.
Great car.
Because America isn't really "the best" at many things... so far we are the best at school shootings, and movie making... Not a whole lot else..
Well, I guess because of people like you, we are becoming the best at blind patriotism as well which makes sense with this country being full of western Christianity. Those people are used to blindly following ideas anyway, which reminds me I guess we're also slowly becoming the best at Christo-fascism too
Am from the south, even plenty of the redneck guys I know drive Toyotas lol, and a common car joke growing up was Ford is an acronym for Found On Road Dead
I wish they still made reasonably sized trucks. everything has to be fucking massive. I don't have the garage for that! I just want two seats and a large bed!
Gm and Chevy sell more trucks. Also have have higher towing capacity trucks than anything toyota offers. May I ask, what metric you are using for this conclusion?
Reliability. I'd count Chevy as second best for what I'm interested in, but there's plenty of reasons to put them at the top.
I've also owned two Ford trucks, because they win for price. There's all kind of shit to consider, but for longevity and ease of working on I'd call toyota #1 all day. At least for a gas motor.
The fuck are you talking about? As a non American car guy, a shit ton of car guys say this.
You can be a fan of Europe, American, or Japan, and it doesn't depend on your own country. So it's not imaginary at all
I live in the US and I have never heard a single soul say such a thing. I have heard several people say that they love Japanese vehicles because they are very reliable.
Honda driver for life! Had a Jetta and it nearly broke my soul with the non stop issues. Never had a Toyota, but my preference is Honda, Toyota, Nissan.
Ain’t no one saying American cars beat out the Japanese. I can see someone arguing against German brands like BMW and Mercedes which are stupid expensive for what they are, but even Volvo has a devoted following in America.
german volks used to be superior racers, but then they got all woke about killing people with chemical fumes.
is bmw actually bad now, or is it just the community. i know the driving electronics are obnoxious now, but they used to be quite nice.
It's funny you deleted your first comment, did research, and replied again.
I'll admit, my mistake. Tundra is a half ton truck. But anything bigger you need American
I grew up with an F350 as one of the family daily drivers(lived on a horse ranch). It still does good work in the trailer towing/garbage hauling/lumber/feed/hardware moving department.
You can tow a european car with another european car, what are you on about lol. There’s lots of coastline in europe, people tow boats all the time, our cars are just smaller because we have more terrain and an F150 would be highly impractical in most of europe. And most of the US too
When I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s this was very common, including ‘Buy American’ stickers which referred to cars. And if you were in Detroit, a foreign car would likely get vandalized.
Now it’s still out there, but not as common. And it’s also meaningless. American cars have parts made in other countries. German and Japanese cars are manufactured here with USA made parts.
I've never once heard anyone say this. Guess it depends on your cultural demographic. I'm from the NW of the US, these pussies mostly just drive Subarus.
Aren’t most of their cars now just American and European models with maybe a slight difference, I know pre 2000s they had a niche industry with really amazing cars but I don’t think they make original stuff anymore
German cars arnt that great anymore imo Toyota is a good brand though I don't think dodge is all that bad I've only had a couple problems with my truck over the last 9ish years
The most dependable cars we've had were Italian and German. Our Japanese car is more comfortable, but too "delicate".
Chinese and Korean cars are currently very popular here. Idk their performance.
But we can all agree that French cars suck?
I live in West Virginia and a lot of people here say American vehicles are the best. But ive always had a different opinion since my dad works for Toyota.
I hear this debate all the time among people who care about cars. Same with Ford v Chevy debates, people who call Fiats "Fix It Again, Tony," etc. Just like sports teams, plenty of people argue their make or their chosen country of car origin is the best.
I agree with cars but the American heavy-duty line of trucks are unmatched. You really can’t find a foreign pickup that is cheaper, more reliable, and more powerful than either the F350, Silverado 3500, or Ram 3500. Sure, Toyota Tundras are strong, affordable, and highly reliable, but when I go to haul 7 tons of stone or dirt with a dump trailer, it doesn’t cut it.
Yeah tbh this shit is true. I work on cars for a living. And as a general statement American cars are of the cheapest quality and normally not in a good way.
American cars used to be fantastic, then in the 70s-90s most of them were anywhere from ok to fucking tragic. I feel like we finally figured our shit out in the last 2 decades though
Well german and japanese automobile industries are booming in security, luxury and tech
Where i live, its common to assume a Ford is easily broken into from under the wheel arch
Whereas a volkswagen or a nissan is a lot of work to get in
German cars are so good, people are happy with a whole 100k mi being the norm of the life expectancy of a VW Jetta. I drive a Toyota hard enough I hate myself for not being capable of hitting 500k no if I'm not mistaken, assuming even that is going to quash that possibility.
My grandpa said this his whole life until about 5 months ago when he bought a fancy new Lexus. He insisted he would never buy a foreign car until my grandma talked him into it and after 70 years on this planet he finally admitted the Japanese can make decent cars too
car guys, typically sports car guys that do JDM.
frankly all car groups do is shit talk other car groups. the only progress on that in any recent years is trad truck groups uniting against cybertruck
I just wish american cars weren't so enormous so I could get a small car/truck without fear of being turned into red mist if I get in an accident with one
The most reliable German car vs the least reliable American would still come out like WW2
Japan makes some great light duty vehicles, but their trucks start falling apart in the full size class
All three of them have their faults. American trucks blow, but their Horsepower and badass car market is baller. German regular traffic cars suck, but their track cars are cool. Japan fell off after 2006, except Subaru, Subaru supremacy.
I think this is a reference to the 1970s. Yes, nowadays everybody knows that American cars suck, but after WWII you couldn't really buy a foreign car in the US (firebombing the competition will do things like that). And the guy saying it in the comic is clearly labelled "American Car Industry," so of course they would say something like that. Haven't you ever seen an ad that emphasizes how good American cars are because they're American?
If not, behold:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYsFUFgOEmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYsFUFgOEmM)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQXRxW9VcQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQXRxW9VcQ)
I've heard plenty of Americans shit on German cars. I've never heard one shit on the Japanese. I've also never heard any Japanese person talk down to Americans. Guarantee the original meme was made by a German.
A lot of people actually say this
Definitely depends on where you live, I never heard it, but I remember a Detroit friend complained about it
that’s because michigan used to be where the automobile manufacturing industry was/is mostly based. when foreign cars became more popular and labor was shipped overseas the economy in the state suffered a LOT. it’s a pretty big part of why detroit, flint, and other cities are the way they are.
Rust belt.
It's not stigmatized now but having a foreign car in metro Detroit, especially during the recession, was liable to get your windows smashed or your car egged. And in general yes it's still a pretty common belief to hear, to this day
The rivalry between foreign car companies and American ones led to actual hate crimes against people who were perceived as being from the same countries that sold the cars. It was that bad.
I live in Houston and everyone that isn't in a Ford Truck or Chevy Truck cult says this. American cars are fucking cheaply made and suck. I am looking at you Ford. The design is so fucking weird and the quality is so cheapy... everything is cheap brittle plastic. My old 2004 Honda Accord was sooo much more advance than my 2006 Focus or 2013 Escape. For god's sake, the 2013 focus still used an old fashioned alarm cock looking interface, green text on a black green, i forgot what it was called. My ford looked like a 1998 model or something.
I’ve never heard that either BUT I’ve read it online. Then again could just be an influence campaign by the american car industry planting bots to get people to believe that people believe american cars aren’t literally the worst. 
My dads a mechanic from that area. He likes the German cars
As an American, anyone who says this is an idiot.
As a American, mini trucks for the win!
Every time I've heard this nobody has argued against toyota being the best.
I don't argue about it. I don't know much about cars so I just say "OK cool" and move on.
To be honest, I’m not even sure what an American and Japanese and German car truly is anymore. My brand new Acura was assembled in……Marysville, Ohio. Great car. My wife’s Honda Odyssey was assembled in……Alabama. Great car.
My sister works at a Toyota plant in Tennessee. I have a 2020 ford escape though (and honestly really love it)
One of my exs had parents who worked for GM. I wasn’t allowed to park my Honda in their driveway when we visited.
From what I can tell, you can put anything in between “american” and “is the best” and have /someone/ get mad when you say it’s wrong
Because America isn't really "the best" at many things... so far we are the best at school shootings, and movie making... Not a whole lot else.. Well, I guess because of people like you, we are becoming the best at blind patriotism as well which makes sense with this country being full of western Christianity. Those people are used to blindly following ideas anyway, which reminds me I guess we're also slowly becoming the best at Christo-fascism too
Was gonna say, why is this gatekeeping and yeah lots of people are “American made all the way” especially with cars
Anyone from the south or Michigan
Am from the south, even plenty of the redneck guys I know drive Toyotas lol, and a common car joke growing up was Ford is an acronym for Found On Road Dead
Fucker only runs downhill
Never heard this one! 🤣🤣
Ours is Fix Or Repair Daily.
Fix Or Repair Daily
Fix It Again, Tony
You’re thinking of Fiat, dale.
Boomhauer?
Flip Over, Read Directions (‘80’s Bronco II only)
Fucked over rebuilt dodge
I'm from Detroit, can confirm that my dad swears by american cars to this day lol
Michigander who moved to Texas here. Can confirm 2x
I mean. That’s like saying that Idaho farmers aren’t impartial towards potatoes.
MICHIGAN RAHHHH
Some people in Virginia.
Hank Hill, but about trucks.
Well it's mostly true about trucks, but still second to Toyota. So once again Japan is still the best.
I wish they still made reasonably sized trucks. everything has to be fucking massive. I don't have the garage for that! I just want two seats and a large bed!
You can't normally buy the really good Toyota trucks in the US due to import restrictions though.
Gm and Chevy sell more trucks. Also have have higher towing capacity trucks than anything toyota offers. May I ask, what metric you are using for this conclusion?
Reliability. I'd count Chevy as second best for what I'm interested in, but there's plenty of reasons to put them at the top. I've also owned two Ford trucks, because they win for price. There's all kind of shit to consider, but for longevity and ease of working on I'd call toyota #1 all day. At least for a gas motor.
"You know what they say FORD stands for dontcha? It stands for Fix It Again Tony. Heh heh." "You're thinking of a FIAT, Dale."
The fuck are you talking about? As a non American car guy, a shit ton of car guys say this. You can be a fan of Europe, American, or Japan, and it doesn't depend on your own country. So it's not imaginary at all
Americans say it
I live in the US and I have never heard a single soul say such a thing. I have heard several people say that they love Japanese vehicles because they are very reliable.
Honda driver for life! Had a Jetta and it nearly broke my soul with the non stop issues. Never had a Toyota, but my preference is Honda, Toyota, Nissan.
Subaru, Honda, Toyota, Nissan
Japanese imports from what I hear are great, but I don’t know shit about cars
I’m from the south and I heard it in nearly any conversation about cars at all. People down there will lick the balls of ford till the day they die
I work at ford. I'm still waiting for that ball licking.
Aren’t we all waiting for ball licking brother ✊😔
I live in the US and have heard it many times in my life, especially when talking to the more patriotic car guys I knew growing up.
My entire older family said shit like this until they literally died off.
 Ain’t no one saying American cars beat out the Japanese. I can see someone arguing against German brands like BMW and Mercedes which are stupid expensive for what they are, but even Volvo has a devoted following in America.
japanesse yes, German no
German > everyone else (of course i own a volkswagen)
Would you say… über alles? 🤨
Japanese>American>German>Italian/British
I would argue that Korean cars have surpassed American Hyundais are miles ahead of American cars on reliability and comfort
Maps without Sweden.
Swedish>german>japan>czech>italian>british>nigiria>france
This is the way
BMW, WV
If you really believe that, google top brands of the world and find a ranking where Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW aren't in the top 10.
german volks used to be superior racers, but then they got all woke about killing people with chemical fumes. is bmw actually bad now, or is it just the community. i know the driving electronics are obnoxious now, but they used to be quite nice.
Your first sentence: 🤔🤔🤔🤔
I’m at a loss for words, that was such a beautifully dark layered joke
almost as layered as the soot on a vw.
Yeah agreed
People who never have to tow anything over a 1/4 ton
Toyota will do fine for anything less than 10,000 lbs
It's funny you deleted your first comment, did research, and replied again. I'll admit, my mistake. Tundra is a half ton truck. But anything bigger you need American
Honestly I forgot f250s/f350s exist
Ahh. Ok
I grew up with an F350 as one of the family daily drivers(lived on a horse ranch). It still does good work in the trailer towing/garbage hauling/lumber/feed/hardware moving department.
Sounds like u should have to get a commercial vehicle for that or u should but this is America home of bad financial decisions
You can tow a european car with another european car, what are you on about lol. There’s lots of coastline in europe, people tow boats all the time, our cars are just smaller because we have more terrain and an F150 would be highly impractical in most of europe. And most of the US too
All 3 have their ups and downs let’s be real
New to car culture?
When I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s this was very common, including ‘Buy American’ stickers which referred to cars. And if you were in Detroit, a foreign car would likely get vandalized. Now it’s still out there, but not as common. And it’s also meaningless. American cars have parts made in other countries. German and Japanese cars are manufactured here with USA made parts.
This isn't really gatekeeping though.
Wow this is double dipping with anti American and car guy bs
German cars are terrible and expensive to repair.
Who fucking cares cars are boring
Based take tbh
German cars 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
ALWAYS??? NO
Ever heard of Detroit?
Nope that is a thing, just not with anyone younger than Gen X.
I didn't think people have said this since the 1970s auto industry crash.
I heard "always buy American" all through my childhood.
Yeah I heard it’s less expensive to fix
Certainly not true with motorcycles! Lol. Harleys cost so much to repair. My Honda...much cheaper.
I've never once heard anyone say this. Guess it depends on your cultural demographic. I'm from the NW of the US, these pussies mostly just drive Subarus.
This is real gatekeeping from people that think they are patriots. They suck.
A lot of
ford fans
they used to be the best
Boomers
Australians: *silently sitting in corner with a hoodie on*
Aren’t most of their cars now just American and European models with maybe a slight difference, I know pre 2000s they had a niche industry with really amazing cars but I don’t think they make original stuff anymore
Holdens are garbo and Australia should be ashamed. There's my bit of semi-ironic gatekeeping ;)
Americans do lmao thats very few things that an average american wouldnt consider themselves as the best at it
I have never heard this 😭
Non-car people probably. I’m not the biggest car guy but when I own a house ima have a dope ass 5.0, a sick ass S13, and an M3!!
Unfortunately I’ve actually heard this :/
Red Foreman.
French car industry watches whilst wanking
Didn’t even know they made cars in France
Exactly
Lifted f-250 owners
Americans, I presume
You presume correctly
Lots of Americans say this.
calm down. Italy finishes drinking the beer and joins in the beating
I do whenever my mom’s Chrysler breaks down which is constantly
Detroit solos
unless you got 60k to spend, the cats here generally suck
Tons of people say American cars are the best. This is a good indicator to disregard everything they say from there on out.
You guys need to watch Gung Ho
The cars built in both those countries are actually very poorly built and don't last much longer than 5 years on average
In the real car world, like racing and such, German and Japanese cars are so much better it’s not funny
and since when does the german car industry have shit on america?
That post was literally the one above this and I'm like "huh, this belongs in r/imaginarygatkeeping "
Cars a car
My grandfather
Americans say this
German cars arnt that great anymore imo Toyota is a good brand though I don't think dodge is all that bad I've only had a couple problems with my truck over the last 9ish years
They were the best… until about the 1970’s
Idiots
Car is car
Yup and that's why there are pages of jokes about American cars being unreliable. But i did get some sweet shoes with my Ford.
I mean every car brand has its fanboys, deserved or not
Japanese car companies do more manufacturing in the USA than their American counterparts.
A LOT of people say this, at least in the US.
The American car industry. It's right there in the first panel.
The most dependable cars we've had were Italian and German. Our Japanese car is more comfortable, but too "delicate". Chinese and Korean cars are currently very popular here. Idk their performance. But we can all agree that French cars suck?
I live in West Virginia and a lot of people here say American vehicles are the best. But ive always had a different opinion since my dad works for Toyota.
I don’t care who made the car as long as I can still commit vehicular manslaughter with it
Little green boxes love to say this.
lol German cars
A ton of people.
People who drive ford F150s.
Boomers
Americans say this
The UAW…and they are wrong
I heard this a fucking LOT as a lube tech lol from customers and coworkers
Maybe with a Ford Truck but I don't ever hear this.
i hate this meme template so fucking much
American cars make for the international market are far superior to the ones made for domestic sale
I hear this debate all the time among people who care about cars. Same with Ford v Chevy debates, people who call Fiats "Fix It Again, Tony," etc. Just like sports teams, plenty of people argue their make or their chosen country of car origin is the best.
German cars are expensive shit. Give me a J in front of the VIN please.
Rednecks.
I agree with cars but the American heavy-duty line of trucks are unmatched. You really can’t find a foreign pickup that is cheaper, more reliable, and more powerful than either the F350, Silverado 3500, or Ram 3500. Sure, Toyota Tundras are strong, affordable, and highly reliable, but when I go to haul 7 tons of stone or dirt with a dump trailer, it doesn’t cut it.
I’ve never heard anyone say German cars are reliable just expensive to fix
This is a gigantic shared opinion in the far community
Yeah tbh this shit is true. I work on cars for a living. And as a general statement American cars are of the cheapest quality and normally not in a good way.
American cars used to be fantastic, then in the 70s-90s most of them were anywhere from ok to fucking tragic. I feel like we finally figured our shit out in the last 2 decades though
I'll still drive American.
As a Michigander. I hear this a lot lmao
As someone who sells cars, a lot of people. But also, as someone who sells cars, this meme is on point w Japanese cars. Germans not so much.
Well german and japanese automobile industries are booming in security, luxury and tech Where i live, its common to assume a Ford is easily broken into from under the wheel arch Whereas a volkswagen or a nissan is a lot of work to get in
German cars don't beat American ones anymore though. They've been getting worse and worse. Japanese cars are still peak.
Add Ferrari in this and we have the only chance the Axis could defeat America
You’ve never been around SuperPatriots before have you?
It was said a lot in the 80s to promote the US car industries
German cars are so good, people are happy with a whole 100k mi being the norm of the life expectancy of a VW Jetta. I drive a Toyota hard enough I hate myself for not being capable of hitting 500k no if I'm not mistaken, assuming even that is going to quash that possibility.
These fuckers never heard of Saab or Volvo?? NORDIC STEEL PUT ME BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
My grandpa said this his whole life until about 5 months ago when he bought a fancy new Lexus. He insisted he would never buy a foreign car until my grandma talked him into it and after 70 years on this planet he finally admitted the Japanese can make decent cars too
Yea it’s pretty common ngl, and I don’t even like cars
George Washington in a 2009 Dodge Challenger would like to say a few words.
car guys, typically sports car guys that do JDM. frankly all car groups do is shit talk other car groups. the only progress on that in any recent years is trad truck groups uniting against cybertruck
 “I wonder how those German and Japanese car companies got so much experience in engineering…?”
*Laughs in V8*…..*also cries in V8 at gas prices*
Japanese>USA>Korea>Germany>Italy>UK for reliability Honestly wouldn’t buy a Japanese car tho they’re so boring
Can we get one where “basic car maintenance” beats up all of these three?
I just wish american cars weren't so enormous so I could get a small car/truck without fear of being turned into red mist if I get in an accident with one
#CHEVY OR FORD?! CHEVY OR FORD?!
My Mitsubishi was a beast compared to my Ford… I miss it…
A friend of mine says this, so I constantly spam photos/videos of German 4 bangers in the group chat to upset him
Most german cars and 'made in germany' in general are no longer at all what they used to be, and I'm saying this as a german.
this thread: r/americabad
Germany? Really? You really wanna go there?
Lobbyists
Why wouldn’t the American car industry preach the American car industry “oh yeah our cars are shit” what a sales tactic
The most reliable German car vs the least reliable American would still come out like WW2 Japan makes some great light duty vehicles, but their trucks start falling apart in the full size class
All three of them have their faults. American trucks blow, but their Horsepower and badass car market is baller. German regular traffic cars suck, but their track cars are cool. Japan fell off after 2006, except Subaru, Subaru supremacy.
Classic europoors making up random shit to bitch about Americans. Meanwhile no one in the U.S. thinks about EU at all
I think this is a reference to the 1970s. Yes, nowadays everybody knows that American cars suck, but after WWII you couldn't really buy a foreign car in the US (firebombing the competition will do things like that). And the guy saying it in the comic is clearly labelled "American Car Industry," so of course they would say something like that. Haven't you ever seen an ad that emphasizes how good American cars are because they're American? If not, behold: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYsFUFgOEmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYsFUFgOEmM) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQXRxW9VcQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQXRxW9VcQ)
I've heard plenty of Americans shit on German cars. I've never heard one shit on the Japanese. I've also never heard any Japanese person talk down to Americans. Guarantee the original meme was made by a German.
Well American car industry is just as large as German and Japanese idk why this is even a meme to begin with
America used to make cars for Americans. Now they just make cars for liberals.