17th Aug 2008, 02:02

Toyotas are the biggest pieces of garbage on the road? Consumer Reports, Edmunds, JD Power, and a dozen people I know that drive Toyotas along with another couple of dozen people I know that drive Cavaliers, Sunfires or other small GM vehicles would disagree with you.

A friend of mine drove a 1984 Corolla wagon for two years without putting a single cent into it for maintenance. He put 100,000 kms (60,000 miles).

I know far more people that have had major problems with well maintained Cavs/Sunfires than Corollas. The comparison could be made for any of the other vehicles either one produces. Do a little research.. don't just buy that propaganda.

4th Sep 2008, 19:13

I liked the Vibe except for its lack of power, but the real clincher in my decision to buy another make was the fact that the Vibe is made by Toyota, which means it isn't up to the standards of domestics. I think the 100,000 mile warranty from GM DOES cover the Vibe, but I was afraid of having to constantly take it in for repairs.

16th Oct 2008, 06:32

Sure the Toyota Matrix was assembled in California. But Toyota still is a foreign company, thus making any car produced by that company a foreign car. If the profits go to Japan instead of the United States, it's a foreign automobile.

26th Dec 2008, 13:08

"Toyotas are the biggest pieces of garbage on the road."

Really? I have friends with 200000 miles on them and have done practically nothing but routine maintenance. I would love that kind of garbage.

21st Apr 2010, 19:24

Let's not get into this silliness about foreign vs. domestic cars... I'm a retired computer service manager. I got a dealers license about 15 years ago and sell about 2 or 3 cars a week. I grew up with Olds 442s & Pontiac GTOs, and my best friend's dad owned a large Austin Healey, & MG dealership - so after 50+ years in just about everything, allow me to make a couple of observations based on factual personal experience, not b.s.

1. American manufacturers had a couple of troublesome decades in the 70s & 80s, but have come a long way back (yes, they did have a long way to come back). Today, Chev & Buick are among the most reliable cars made. Even Ford & Chrysler mechanics swear by GMs 3800s, now finally replaced by the 3400s & 3500s. I see Impalas, Impala LSs & LeSabres approaching 250,000+ miles all the time and they run amazingly well, and generally get 30 mpg hwy doing it! I personally own a '01 Park with 150k on it, finally had to replace the original battery!

2. Some foreign manufacturers have excellent track records. In particular Toyota, Nissan, and Hondas are durable. Unfortunately on the used car market, while they're good cars, they're not good values because they're artificially high priced, especially in large city areas.

3. Seems almost every manufacturer has their one or two problem areas. Late 80s thru the 90s Taurus & Sables all had bad trannys, many on their third tranny by 90,000 miles... Ford 3.0 engines are great, their 3.8s leave a lot to be desired. Chrysler replaced their Mits. tried & true 2.5 V6 in their Sebrings with their own 3.7 V6 piece of junk, arguably one of the worse American engines ever built. GMs Quad 4 was their disaster due to head gasket problems, while their 3800s are among the very best American engines ever built. Subaru's had some Outbacks in the late 90s with engines that were nothing but trouble... and of course VWs have great little engines, but most everything else on their cars fall off or break.

Probably the most damning issue with the majority of foreign cars is the outrageous price of replacement parts, ie. for the price of an alternator for a Audi, you can buy 4 or more for your Chevy or Ford! VW TDIs get super great mileage, but your fuel savings will go bye bye when you need servicing!

Bottom line - most cars being made today are significantly better than their counterparts were 15 years ago. Keep an open mind and do your research... you might be surprised what you learn! Good luck!

22nd Aug 2011, 18:28

NO, the Vibe is not a Toyota; the only thing that’s Toyota on this car is the frame. EVERYTHING else is made by GM. Not to mention this is the only bad review on this car so... that must be saying something!

20th Feb 2012, 20:18

The Pontiac Vibe does not have a frame per se, it is a unibody car. It shares that unibody design with the Matrix, although it has slight cosmetic alterations. Furthermore, it has a Toyota engine. It is very much a rebadged Toyota, in every sense of the word.

15th Aug 2012, 09:31

I found that last comment offensive! I also bought a Pontiac Vibe. I thought it was a US car since it said Pontiac! Nowhere on it does it say Toyota. If I had wanted a Toyota, I would have gone to the Toyota dealership and bought the Matrix. Kinda thought I was going with an American product by choosing Pontiac. Nice to know!

16th Aug 2012, 23:06

We passed up the Vibe because it was a Toyota. Poor build quality and low reliability.

16th Jun 2013, 10:39

I have a Toyota from the 1980's, and yes, 20 years ago the Toyota quality was better. Not so today or since about 2004 really.

The Vibe's design has some flaws, and this is a throwaway car. It is not built to last, but to be replaced in 8-10 years. Those people buying it used may be in for a surprise to find the A/C does not cool well in the hotter areas, and alternators and wiring issues occur more often than years ago as well.

Maybe it is hit or miss, but there are more misses with the Vibe.

26th Jul 2013, 06:29

Yes, imports are terrible. That is why there is a more devout following on imports as opposed to repeat buyers for a domestic product.

Considering the quality of NA built vehicles, the recalls on Toyota pale in comparison to those built here. Pretty sure I have a clue what I'm referring to, as I have the luxury of reviewing all warranty work for one of the former Big 3.

By the way, we own 3 imports. 80% of my vehicles I've owned are imports and I get a full GM discount. I've bought 2 brand new GM vehicles, a Pontiac Vibe (Toyota) and a Traverse. That was in the shop 3 weeks after we bought it, as it left us stranded 5 hours from home on a long weekend.

28th Apr 2018, 05:29

I got a used Vibe for my daughter with 244,000 miles on it. The first owner maintained it well, was used by three of his kids for college. He then used it as a work vehicle. He got a work truck and sold me the Vibe. Ran well, everything worked, he had replaced the wheel bearings at 220000. My daughter, having been given a class by me about caring for the car, her first non borrowed car, was sent off to college. She called a while back, said it blew up and needs a new engine. Myself, her birth father, boyfriend's father and her boyfriend all reminded her about oil changes, fluid checks etc multiple times; she did none of that. The car had over 300000 miles. So I would say it did its duty under duress very well.

My Acura MDX had over 300k when traded in, my Mazda RX7 189k when I sold it, my Toyota Previa, 2 of them each over 190k. My Saab 900 turbo 189k. Only the Saab had minor repairs needed; the Acura, Mazda and Toyotas did not need an alternator, water pump, exhaust, or any hydraulic parts or radiator at any time.

I last owned a U.S. vehicle in 1989, a 78 AMC Gremlin that ran like a top (258 4 speed).

The king so far is my 89 Volvo 240, original engine and tranny etc, 382k and still going strong. It did need a water pump and radiator, but they were cheap and easy to replace.

Good cars can be had from many makes, though U.S. tend to be less durable.