korean vs. japanese

South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
of quality has been impressive.

I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.

badgolferman wrote:
[color=blue]
> South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
> lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
> gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
> other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
> of quality has been impressive.
>
> I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
> their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
> timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
> Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
> What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
> Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]

As far as cars go, Hyundai certainly deserves some consideration. The
Sonata has been a very reliable car for years (even though early models
had tranny issues), and hopefully the new model will be no exception.
Their other current models have been kind of hit-and-miss, although they
are certainly nowhere near as bad as they were in the 80s and early 90s.
How well they will hold up compared to a Toyota or Honda after 10 years
and 100,000 miles is a question mark.

Some, if not all, of Kia's current cars are based on existing Hyundais, so
hopefully that will mean improved reliability for them. Daewoo, on the
other hand, is entirely owned by GM and should be avoided. I don't even
know if Daewoo-badged cars are still sold in North America, but Chevy
Aveo, for example, is Daewoo-built.

One area where the Korean car makers still lag behind Toyota and Honda is
in fuel economy, although the EPA claims vastly improved mileage for both
engines in the new Sonata. Also, if you trade up every few years, Korean
cars still depreciate at a higher rate than Toyota and Honda.

"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:xn0eaif4j6miak000@news.readfreenews.net...[color=blue]
> South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
> lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
> gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
> other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
> of quality has been impressive.
>
> I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
> their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
> timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
> Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
> What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
> Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]

There are many factors when comparing cars. If you're talking about build
quality, I'd say South Korean vehicles are at least on a par with Japanese
vehicles. "Build quality" is defined as adherence to a standard. If you
are talking about how close they can get moveable body panels like doors,
hoods, deck lids, etc. to fit, they are on a par with U.S. domestic vehicles
and at least a generation behind Toyota, or about 1 mm wider. If you're
talking about engine sophistication, performance, fuel efficiency, NVH, etc,
I'd say they are about 1 generation behind the Japanese and U.S domestic.
In terms of the quality of interior materials, IMO, that is more a choice of
materials and cost. Korean brands use lower cost interior materials - some
people can tell the difference, many people cannot tell the difference or
don't care.

As far as other products, I don't really have much experience other than my
sons' cell phones, which have held up very well.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:xn0eaif4j6miak000@news.readfreenews.net...[color=blue]
> South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
> lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
> gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
> other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
> of quality has been impressive.
>
> I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
> their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
> timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
> Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
> What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
> Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]

My sister in law bought a Kia. Each time I am in it it feels like I am
driving on rails. Also, the damn car is falling apart. latest is the window
stopped working... It's the biggest piece of crap ever. I really would
consider an American brand over a Korean one.

And you are right, Samsung is a good company, but LG is not. Look at
consumer reports or talk to someone that owned their appliances or cell
phones. Absolutely bad.

In article <11p14o13prlr830@news.supernews.com>,
"Dan J.S." <me@hyperx.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> "badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:xn0eaif4j6miak000@news.readfreenews.net...[color=green]
> > South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
> > lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
> > gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
> > other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
> > of quality has been impressive.
> >
> > I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
> > their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
> > timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
> > Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
> > What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
> > Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]
>
> My sister in law bought a Kia. Each time I am in it it feels like I am
> driving on rails. Also, the damn car is falling apart. latest is the window
> stopped working... It's the biggest piece of crap ever. I really would
> consider an American brand over a Korean one.
>
> And you are right, Samsung is a good company, but LG is not. Look at
> consumer reports or talk to someone that owned their appliances or cell
> phones. Absolutely bad.[/color]

How much did the Kia cost as compared to say a Toyota, Ford and a equal
model?
--

In article <gl51p113manpotvmhsh4ls7tnp0nftfr6t@4ax.com>,
Scott in Florida <JustAsk@Florida.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> On Fri, 2 Dec 2005 12:31:28 -0600, "Dan J.S." <me@hyperx.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >
> >"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >news:xn0eaif4j6miak000@news.readfreenews.net...[color=darkred]
> >> South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
> >> lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
> >> gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
> >> other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
> >> of quality has been impressive.
> >>
> >> I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
> >> their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
> >> timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
> >> Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
> >> What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
> >> Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]
> >
> >My sister in law bought a Kia. Each time I am in it it feels like I am
> >driving on rails. Also, the damn car is falling apart. latest is the window
> >stopped working... It's the biggest piece of crap ever. I really would
> >consider an American brand over a Korean one.
> >
> >And you are right, Samsung is a good company, but LG is not. Look at
> >consumer reports or talk to someone that owned their appliances or cell
> >phones. Absolutely bad.
> >[/color]
>
> I had a LG cell phone that became a 'hand warmer' within a week. I
> took it back to the store...and the gal just smiled and gave me a
> Motorola...[/color]

We have a LG microwave and it works great.
--

The benevolent dbu wrote:
[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>> >And you are right, Samsung is a good company, but LG is not. Look at
>> >consumer reports or talk to someone that owned their appliances or cell
>> >phones. Absolutely bad.[/color]
>>
>> I had a LG cell phone that became a 'hand warmer' within a week. I
>> took it back to the store...and the gal just smiled and gave me a
>> Motorola...[/color]
>
> We have a LG microwave and it works great.[/color]

I know that LG had quality problems at first, but I think they are
improving. I have had an LG CD-burner for 2 years now and have never had
a problem with it.

On 02 Dec 2005 16:56:36 GMT, "badgolferman"
<REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
>lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
>gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
>other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
>of quality has been impressive.
>
>I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
>their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
>timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
>Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
>What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
>Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]

They certainly look pretty decent from the outside, and the magazine
reviews are pretty respectable - every year you just get the feeling
that they are coming closer to the best in their markets. Experience
with models only a few years old don't apply. It would be very
intesting to test-drive a modern example, like the new made-in-USA
Hyundai Sonota, back-to-back with an Accord.

On 02 Dec 2005 16:56:36 GMT, "badgolferman"
<REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>South Korean products have certainly gained a foothold in America
>lately. Automobiles, electronics, and perhaps other products have
>gained respectability with consumers. Hyundai, Samsung, LG and some
>other name brands are among the top names these days. The progression
>of quality has been impressive.
>
>I was wondering about South Korean automobiles and how they compare to
>their Japanese counterparts of yesteryear. Where in the Japanese
>timeline of products do you think the Korean products are now? Do
>Hyundais, etc. compare to the 80's, 90's, 00's of Japanese products?
>What about other products? I know some would even argue the South
>Korean electronics products have surpassed the Japanese quality.[/color]


I used to refer to the Hyundais as "high and dry", as in leaving you
such ;-)

....

"High Tech Misfit" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.12.02.22.38.13.254936@hightech.misfit...[color=blue]
> The benevolent dbu wrote:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> >And you are right, Samsung is a good company, but LG is not. Look at
>>> >consumer reports or talk to someone that owned their appliances or cell
>>> >phones. Absolutely bad.
>>>
>>> I had a LG cell phone that became a 'hand warmer' within a week. I
>>> took it back to the store...and the gal just smiled and gave me a
>>> Motorola...[/color]
>>
>> We have a LG microwave and it works great.[/color]
>
> I know that LG had quality problems at first, but I think they are
> improving. I have had an LG CD-burner for 2 years now and have never had
> a problem with it.[/color]

LG makes the best High Definition ATSC tuners right now. They are the only
5th generation models available.

Pat

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 22:35:44 GMT, The benevolent dbu
<relaxand@smelltheroses.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>We have a LG microwave and it works great.[/color]

I've been very happy with an LG 'fridge.