kanna chop carrot head for 6 years
My take on conti vs Jap
Parts wise, you pay the same for quality
Jap engineering is more efficient, while conti is geared towards safety at a higher speed
Jap 180km/h vs conti 240km/h min or higher.
Conti cars contain more electronics compared to Jap cars
For the comfort and advanced engineering you get in a conti, you pay more compared to a Jap. ANd depending on how you look at cars, your decision will differ
Also, because of the advanced electronics, not all mechanics can see it
Eg: For DSG / Selespeed / SM / gearboxes there are only a select few specialising in its repairs.
But then again, Jap cars are catching up!
Err, the cars you are seeing, are a bit on the higher sid
My Grande Punto was <$500 monthly
Bravo is an executive class car.
If you want a cheaper ride
Look for the Fiat Grande Punto ( $500+ now ) or Ford Focus ( I think $600+ )
And Tatsit
Going back to AD is not chop carrot.
They do have to invest in training and that is a tangible cost to them, that many of us feel ought to be FREE.
3rd party mechanics, no training. Just OTJ usually. Cheaper. But when they fug up your car, guess who can repair your car? the trained ones. And by that time, you are paying deep deep.
a. Repair Cost
b. Downtime
Though training will not beat experience, it will be a boon if one can find an experienced mech out there, who can diagnose and repair the problem.