The Morris Marina was a mixed success.

Sold in the US as an Austin. I remember them well. They looked OK, but the underpinnings were mostly refugees from the 1950s. As for rust, cars that dissolved in 6-8 years were the norm in the 70s.

Seems that BL products were the only ones the car mags could criticize. The only thing I remember about the Marina test was the comment that the dashboard was so poorly built that the weight of the radio made the entire dash flex, when the car drove over a bump.

You win a Triumph TR-7 story. A coworker was sufficiently discouraged with his 1979 Mustang, bought new, that he dumped it in a year, for a TR-7. Something in the left rear of the car went *bang* when he made a right turn. The dealer pronounced all was well. Unsatisfied, Gary started pulling down the interior trim behind the seat. He found that the wheelwell stamping had never been welded to the fender stamping. The car would flex when it went around a corner, and the two stampings would shift against each other, producing the sound he heard. Leyland told him not being welded together was not a "defect in materials and workmanship". Sometime later, Gary finally said the right thing, and Leyland paid to have the car welded together.

Somehow, the Japanese learned that quality and customer service play a role in the company being a success. Some other companies never seem to have caught on.

Steve