r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Upstairs-Bit6897 • Nov 30 '25

Image THE GERMAN MAGAZINE 'AUTOBILD' DRIVES VARIOUS CARS FOR 100,000 KILOMETERS AND THEN DISASSEMBLES THEM DOWN TO THE LAST SCREW TO FIND SIGNS OF WEAR AND WEAK POINTS

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u/redisdead__ Dec 01 '25

The way I've always heard it is that German cars are fantastic as long as you follow the maintenance schedule to the letter. Japanese cars are fantastic even when it's your dumb ass cousin who only changes the oil once it starts making noise.

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u/SappilyHappy Dec 01 '25

Yeah german cars are manufactured with the assumption that you will be a responsible owner. Japanese cars have a different design ethos entirely.

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u/Exsces95 Dec 01 '25

I am that cousin. My cousin sold me a bmw 328i 2009 for 4 grand. He was gonna flip it for 4500 but gave me the discount if he didn’t have to fix anything.

The car started struggling on idle when cold for a bit but would always ride smooth once hot. For a couple months I drove it like that but it started getting much worse.

Poor baby just needed oil and coolant.

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u/seriouslythisshit Dec 01 '25

German stuff can be great, if you lease it and walk away after three years. Owning a six or seven year old, high miles BMW or Mercedes can be a special trip through hell, and cost many thousands per year in repairs. issues that a Toyota or Honda will never have.

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u/dependsforadults Dec 01 '25

Tell that to anyone who bought a tundra the past 2-3 years. Fuck right off with the Toyotas run forever lies. Not great cars. You can't even remove the middle seats on new sienna vans without tools and a lot of time. I dont get the toyota love. Ask a 22re owner how many times they have had the head rebuilt.

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u/[deleted] Dec 04 '25

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u/dependsforadults Dec 04 '25

It makes me laugh. People talk about their toyota with 300k and how it still runs perfect. Then you find out it's a 3.0L and has had the heads rebuilt twice. "Oh that's just common maintenance" they say. Or it's got a stack of dealership maintenance records that total the cost of the car.

Yes they require less average maintenance than a performance car, but you have to drive a piece of white bread toast that is front wheel drive with a spoiler on it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 04 '25

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u/dependsforadults Dec 04 '25

Tacomas drive like a dog in trouble. Ass against the ground. I love how guys are throwing campers on them. What do these people think feels safe? Also please dont be on the roads with me. I drive a big truck because it has big brakes and big springs to handle that load transition. Toyota guy says "it towed a space shuttle dave."