They were just seriously bad cars with a poor reputation and worse resale value. It got to the stage where when buying cars, people I knew would check the VINs

They were just seriously bad cars with a poor reputation and worse resale value. It got to the stage where when buying cars, people I knew would check the VINs to ensure that they were not made in Australia. Fords made in Australia were particularly bad. Toyotas made in Australia were not up to the standards of the Japanese built Toyotas, but were far better than the pieces of rubbish turned out by the Australian subsidaries of American firms. Driving one of the US branded cars, was like having a big sign saying " I am a bogan" Australian slang for chav / redneck