Cars In The United States Essay, Research Paper

American Cars and Japanese Cars

Most people have their prefrences on what kind of car they want to buy. Japenese

cars and American cars are the most popular kind of cars in America. They both have their

similarities and differences.

About thirty years ago, the United States had difficulties in making cars; that was

before the Japanese caused competition. American cars are usually big. The average

American car weighs about 3000 pounds. A Japenese car weighs almost 3000 pounds.

They are both good cars but they both have their good and bad points. American cars are

not as reliable as Japenese cars. American cars burn oil faster than Japenese cars.

American cars also have a problem with their water pumps. After 90,000 miles the water

pumps usually go. This may cost up to two-hundred dollars to fix. But if a Japenese cars

water pump goes, it may cost upto a thousand dollars. The price of American cars are

usually more expensive than most Japenese cars; depending on what kind of car you want

to buy. A small American car is usually more money than a small Japanese car. American

cars have a distinctive style. The exhaust is on the left. It doesn t make a difference. They

are also known for their large amount of horse power. An American V6 (how many

cylinders an engine has) engine usually has about two-hundred horse power. Japanese cars

have a smaller engine than American cars but have just as much horsepower. It is better to

have a smaller engine because it will burn less gas. Today, with theh problem with the high

amounts of pollution, a smaller engine is better for the enviornment.

Many Americans buy Japanese cars for various reasons. They are cheaper than

American cars. The federal government put a two-thousand dollar tax on every Japanese

car entering the country and the Japanese still manage to keep their cars cheap. This was

done so American cars can compete with the Japanese cars. It is well known that Japanese

cars are the longest lasting cars on the market. I have seen many Japanese cars with well

over 200,000 miles on them. They do not really break down a lot. They don t have any

specific problems. Some people don t like them because they are small. Japanese people

are very small, so they make a small car like them. Americans like their cars big. We have

the American dream; therefore, most of us want a car that can fit the wife and kids.

Today, Japan tries meet American needs for bigger cars. When Japanese cars first came

out, they were very unsafe. The car was so little, a small impact may be fatal. Now, they

are much safer. The engine is not that big. On a four cylinder, it will have a1.6 liter engine;

that will put out the same power as an American car s 2.0 liter engine. Another reason

why people don t like them is the cost to fix the car. If anything ever goes wrong with it,

the cost of fixing it is much higher than fixing an American car. Everything for a Japanese

car must be imported from Japan. I own a Japanese car, I had to pay ten dollars for an oil

filter. It usually cost under five dollars.

There are many kinds of American and Japanese cars. They all have there

distinctive characteristics. We all like different cars. Some of us like big ones, small ones,

fast ones etc. It is up to our wallet and preferences to decide.