European cars are considered unreliable in the US because they're generally high-end models with newer tech (and more of it), and that kind of stuff tends to br

European cars are considered unreliable in the US because they're generally high-end models with newer tech (and more of it), and that kind of stuff tends to break and be expensive to fix. From a mechanical standpoint, they're not particularly unreliable, but again, parts can be pricier (particularly in the US). The way I view it is that Japanese cars are built with extreme precision in high volume to exactly the right tolerances. They tend to be very consistent and reliable and parts are cheap due to volume. However, if things DO fail, it's generally because they're just slightly underbuilt and built to a pricepoint. German cars tend to be overbuilt from a mechanical standpoint (heavier/sturdier parts) but that doesn't mean they're more reliable as a finished product.