Totally agree with this, Gary:
Indeed, fighting the war against overpriced/underperforming 'badge-fi', expensive for the wrong reasons, is fundamentally what AoS is all about. However, this:
...is more an educated generalisation than a fact, as it it depends on a whole raft of factors, and crucially on comparing like for like within a certain price range. Also, define "quality", in the context of the above? That largely depends on what the car is being used for and what kind of driver you are.
In reality, "quality" means different things to different people, and if you're a genuine car enthusiast and love driving nice, sporty cars with high-performance engines [count me in], what's likely to be ultimately more important to you: driving a boring car that's reliable and lasts for years, or one that lasts for not quite as long, but puts a BIG GRIN on your face, every time you get behind the wheel?
BMW 330i M Sport vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid 2.5? I know which one I'd choose, even if it didn't last as long or needed more work to maintain!
Marco.