It all depends on the make/model. One can't just argue that Japanese are better or worse. It makes no sense. I don't think German cars are worse in dependability in general but they are certainly more expensive to maintain. And performance wise Japanese cars are on the same level now... take IS300 or Acura's Type S cars, they will give you the same thrill as any same level Audi or BMW. The German ones that are VERY good at performance (like Audi S4 or S6 or BMW M3 or M5 or AMG Benzes) will cost you MUCH MUCH more than an Acura for example. So price/performance/dependability-wise they are more or less the same.
