January 27th, 2004
The current lucky generation of automotive customers has no real understanding of how truly awful a car can be.
Even entry-level vehicles and subcompacts these days are surprisingly well made, thanks to a revolution started mainly by Japanese automakers likeToyota and Honda Motor. Honda’s first-generation Accordcame out in the days when Detroit was producing real stinkers like General Motors’ Chevy Vega and Ford Motor’s Pinto. Between that time and today, the Japanese proved to the world that just because a car was cheap, it didn’t mean it also couldn’t be a well-built, value-laden automobile that looked and drove well.