24th Nov 2009, 19:51
I always buy used vehicles. Have owned both imports and domestics. Only vehicles requiring out of the ordinary repairs were domestics. First car was a used Civic that went over 300,000 miles with zero repairs. 2nd car was a used Dodge Challenger that required a new transmission about a week after I bought it (had about 50,000 miles on it at the time.) Those are just some examples. I've owned to many vehicles to name them all.
25th Nov 2009, 13:36
I'm a senior citizen who has owned over 40 vehicles over the past 50 years (we generally own 3 to 5 vehicles at a time, as I am a car enthusiast). We have put over 300,000 miles on some of these cars. No domestic we've owned has ever required a single repair before 100,000 miles (which is why domestic makers can offer such good warranties). No import we've owned (including German) has ever MADE 100,000 miles. That's reason enough for me to stick with Ford or GM vehicles.
23rd Dec 2009, 20:55
I've had over 350 cars and I'm 42. Not too many of the US makes even made it to 100K, but I've had several European makes with over 250K on them and no major engine or trans problems... I wish I could say that about the crap I bought from GM...
9th Apr 2012, 04:23
My V6 2k made 400,000 kms (250,000 miles) and the the engine is still kicking great! I live in Alberta, and drove my truck on and off road (mountains, mud, gravel, rocks, and a lot of snow).
9th Apr 2012, 20:28
We've put over a quarter of a million miles on cars from Ford, GM and Chrysler with no mechanical problems at all. Our Ford required a whopping $500 worth of maintenance in just over 300,000 miles. Not one of our imports (German or Japanese) has ever made 100,000 miles without major repairs.
10th Apr 2012, 15:34
Oh yeah? Well all of my Toyotas have made it well and beyond 250,000 miles without a hiccup, which isn't surprising, since Toyota makes the best cars out there.
11th Apr 2012, 10:58
Oh yeah? Well we have had a few Buicks in our family do the same thing. What's the point?
11th Apr 2012, 12:55
Please don't start with the whole Toyota makes the best cars jive.
We inherited a low mileage 09 RAV-4, and it was total garbage for the year and a half we had it.
Our other 2 domestic models have well over 100k on them, and never gave us the problems that the Toyota did.
11th Apr 2012, 18:08
I continue to see comments about Toyotas with 250,000 miles and never a problem. All of them usually date back to the 80's, before Toyota's build quality went to Hell in a hand basket.
I know of no post-2000 Toyota that has seen the high side of 100,000 miles, without brake, suspension, transmission, steering or engine issues. None of our friends have gotten even 70,000 miles out of late-model Toyotas without numerous trips to the shop.
Maybe a tiny handful of older Toyotas made over 100,000 miles with no problems, but I know of none newer than 2000 that have.
I think 23 million recalls is a good indication that their quality has gone sour.
11th Apr 2012, 22:38
We have a 2004 Toyota Corolla with 135,000 miles on it, not a single problem.
The rear brakes went to 106k, front brakes were still good then, but replaced anyway.
Battery to 127k, still OK, but replaced anyway because we hate surprises.
The clutch was still good, even after I learned how to drive on the car, including trying to start in 3rd 8 times in a row, 45 straight minutes of bucking in a parking lot (two sessions of that, when I was just beginning), etc. Oh, and it gets over 42 MPG on the highway.
We LOVE our Corolla :)
And I'm not saying that all American cars stink, etc. There are certain Toyotas (Tacoma) I would not buy, just as there are American cars I would buy in a heartbeat (including the Ford Fusion), just as there are many imports I would not touch with a 10-foot pole (think: every Volkswagen except the Golf).
I think it's wrong to say that "all cars from this country are good", or: "all cars from this manufacturer are bad", etc.
**Quality Varies**
12th Apr 2012, 10:40
I see that the same old, worn-out arguments are making their way out of the closet again. All I can say is that if Toyota made such bad products as some people claim, then they wouldn't:
A: Be a top-rated automaker in terms of reliability, year after year, by most if not all auto rankings and quality reporting agencies.
B: Wouldn't sell as many cars as they do, because if you make a bad product, people tend to stop buying them.
C: Have gained a solid reputation for building highly reliable, high quality vehicles, that in turn attract the attention of pro-domestic automaker fans, who then repeatedly try to disprove this reputation.
I think that pretty much sums it up. Toyota makes good, reliable products. That isn't to say that domestic automakers don't. But if you like domestic cars and will never buy a Toyota... then STOP posting negative comments about them.
13th Apr 2012, 17:35
These are not negative comments, they are more along the lines of bad experiences from actual owners and not pro-domestic fans.
17th Apr 2012, 16:01
Forgot to add: Before this, we owned a 1990 Corolla that made it to 160,000 miles and 8 years in New England (salt) with one $305 repair, before a Ford Econoline rear-ended it at 50 MPH, while we were stopped at a red light.
17th Apr 2012, 20:15
First (A) Toyota is not ranked number one in reliability. Ford is.
(B) Ford and GM both outsell Toyota.
(C) Toyota, due to billions spent on ad hype, once had a very undeserved mythical reputation for quality. That was three Grand Jury subpoenas and 23 MILLION recalls ago.
Also, Ward's 10 Best Engines list includes engines from Ford, GM and Chrysler... and not ONE from Toyota or Honda.
24th Nov 2009, 12:01
"You should always set aside a fair amount of money when buying used"
You should have added "if you're buying an import". Not one of our last three cars that were purchased used required a dime in repairs. One was a Buick. We drove it over 200,000 after we bought it. Never a single repair. One was a Pontiac. At 85,000 miles it has yet to have a single repair. The third is a 2006 Ford Fusion. It is flawless and has required nothing. Yes, buying a used car is risky but only if it is a less reliable import.