How to Choose a Used Car by Country of Origin

So you’re in the market for a new used car, truck, SUV, mini-van, crossover, or whatever best suits your needs. Integrity Auto Finance has developed a series of blog articles looking at different factors for you to consider. Today we look at country of origin.

Vehicles from different countries have different characteristics. For example, vehicles from Japan have a reputation for reliability, vehicles from Korea have a reputation for being relatively affordable, vehicles from Europe have a reputation for being expensive to maintain, and vehicles from the U.S. have varying reputations depending on the manufacturer and specific model.

European Vehicles

As a rule, Integrity Auto Finance does not carry vehicles from Europe. These can be attractive, sporty, luxurious and fun to own and drive vehicles, but they are also tend to be complicated and expensive to maintain. They can be fun to drive and costly to own. They are fun to have on the lot because they have curb appeal and sell quickly, so it is tempting to carry them for those reasons. But over time we have found that it can be expensive to maintain European vehicles properly, and if they are not maintained properly they can be prone to catastrophic failure.

Japanese Vehicles

Japan was an innovator in building quality economy vehicles beginning 40 years ago or so. The Japanese manufacturers made quality control a priority and became very competitive in the U.S. market, forcing the U.S. manufacturers to play catch up. In recent years the Japanese models have lost their competitive edge for quality, and have suffered some embarrassments. These vehicles continue to represent quality combined with luxury in some models and economy in others. Integrity Auto Finance regularly carries inventory of Japanese vehicles — mainly Toyotas, Nissans and Mazdas — and, depending on cost and mileage, Lexus and Infiniti.

U.S. Manufacturers

The U.S. companies have made great strides in quality, reliability, styling and value. Integrity Auto Finance regularly carries many models produced by the U.S. companies.

Korean Vehicles

The Koreans seem to have copied the Japanese and mimicked Japanese quality at lower cost. The quality improvements seem to have been significant in recent years, and as today’s new Korean vehicles are traded in we expect that Integrity Auto Finance will increase the number of Korean vehicles sold and financed in Oklahoma City.

As consumers we are fortunate to have many vehicle models to choose from. Integrity Auto Finance is committed to carrying those vehicles that represent the best value, reliability and consumer satisfaction.