Meh, German cars are good as long as you're within the warranty/lease period. Out of warranty, I wouldn't touch any modern German car. Japanese brands tend to be more reliable.
Yeah, fair enough, same with washing machines and fridges. Toyota are good, old Land Rovers from about 1998 to early 2000s were built to last - now, not so much. The good thing is we can see which modern cars weren't built to last and not buy them :)