European or American cars: what to buy?

Camry Black · Oct 12, 2023 01:46 AM

American and European cars continue to compete. For each market, cars are produced with certain technical features that are dictated by customer preferences, climatic conditions, and laws. We will have to find the main differences between European and American cars that can influence our choice.

Features of European cars

Features of European cars

European ones have a number of design features that distinguish them from similar vehicles made for other markets. Most often they are manifested in some details. For example, the presence of a spare tire. European cars have voluminous deep trunks, which is made possible by the absence of a spare tire. 

Now about the quality of fuel. For example, German cars are very demanding of its quality. In recent years, the cars of German car manufacturers have begun to use powerful power units, but they remain very economical. The disadvantages of German cars include the high cost of spare parts, so it is expensive to repair them (provided that original parts are used). And a couple of words about SUVs. They appeared in all manufacturers, but their off-road qualities, according to experts, leave much to be desired. They have a large ground clearance, an oversized body, but their off-road performance is much lower than that of their competitors.

Europe supplies quite a few budget autos. Say, French cars, which are available to a wide range of buyers. They are unpretentious and inexpensive to maintain. But it is not very convenient to repair them. Even minor repairs, such as replacing a bulb in the headlight, may require removing the bumper. 

Features of American automobiles

Features of American automobiles

American cars, if we evaluate their technical characteristics and price, are very serious competitors to European cars. The availability of vehicles for the average American is the main reason for the low prices of cars at auctions. On average, the average American uses his car for 3-4 years, after which he sends it to the auction. In case of an insured event, this happens even earlier.

Americans love oversized cars. Among the technical features, we note the following:

  • Turn signals. In the USA, they are red in color, which may cause problems when certifying the car.
  • Transmission. Automatic transmissions are most commonly found in American cars.
  • Measurement Systems. North American cars provide basic information in different units of measurement than European cars. This applies to speed and temperature, which are measured in miles and degrees, respectively.
  • Equipment. American manufacturers and suppliers of cars to the US market fully satisfy the need of locals to travel in comfort. Almost every model is equipped with air conditioning, a full electric package, cup holders, parktronics. Only quality materials are used for finishing, which is one of the prerequisites for competitiveness. 

Which is better: European or American cars

Both the first and the second option have their pros and cons. When choosing, you should take into account the climate zone where the car will be used, your personal preferences (transmission, equipment), maintenance costs, etc. Americans like larger cars, while Europeans prefer compact cars, the former will favor automatic transmissions, while the latter will not mind a manual transmission.

If you buy a used car, in addition to the above factors, do not forget that an obligatory stage of this process should be to check the car by VIN-code in Europe, to do this, you can follow the link to a special service. Checking the history of the car is an opportunity to get information about hidden defects (facts of participation in accidents), operating conditions, legal restrictions (pledge, loan), maintenance and repairs, etc.