2nd Sep 2011, 16:11
This car under review is 20 years old. There are 2012 models available; that is a wide time frame. I have bought a lot of decent imports... then and prior to that date. The newest ones we had lately truly were a disgrace. Walking out the door today, I would choose and highly recommend a new Ford or GM. Back in the 80s and 90s we bought every few years 1 or 2. Quality retains a customer, if we can't call the last few just a lemon. I have never had an import car need a trans under 30000 miles prior to 2000. I guess I could spend a lot on repairs and celebrate that I made 200000 miles.
2nd Sep 2011, 18:06
Oh, I get it now you speak for millions of people whom you don't even know. I guess because they own a Toyota, they are suppose to have your great experiences also. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way, Toyota has let down many of its customers. There are many people who don't post their bad experiences on web sites like this, probably because they are too embarrassed.
6th Sep 2011, 07:29
Incorrect. People will most likely post on a site like this to vent their dissatisfaction with a problem. So if millions of satisfied customers are not heard from, then we could safely assume they are satisfied.
6th Sep 2011, 10:27
Not everyone vents on web sites, as people are busy with work and other issues. However word of mouth passes through family friends and coworkers. Brand loyalty and repeat business rests on the last experience. I think many go after mpg and maybe ad hype helps.
I have owned probably 20 imports, but none are in garage today. I left over quality issues. Now I am a current domestic growth statistic. Why change unless there were major drive train issues? I would have stayed, but it's not the 80s and 90s any more. I buy new, so real world data and service issues are easy to track over time. Early 90s were the best, then satisfactory and below average 2000 and beyond. I simply am not buying any new ones. I am willing to spend more for well optioned reliable cars as well.
6th Sep 2011, 12:49
Let's re-phrase this to make it easier to comprehend. All anyone has to do is thumb through any number of various consumer magazines and reviews to see that Toyota has had a majority positive rating - from consumers - over the past 30+ years. That I speak of having a positive experience merely adds to what these reviews and reports already state. I don't have to speak for millions, because millions have already done so. Simple as that.
6th Sep 2011, 13:35
And even better: There's a lot of statistics out there that show that Toyota and Honda owners are much, much more satisfied than GM and Ford owners.
6th Sep 2011, 17:07
There are many posts on this site with dissatisfied Toyota owners, just take a little look-see of posts from the past decade, that's when it all started, and it is a shame.
7th Sep 2011, 10:35
Yeah? How about take a look at the domestic car reviews on this site. There might be a few dissatisfied Toyota reviews, but those for the domestic brands take the cake. There's probably 10-fold more negative reviews for those brands.
7th Sep 2011, 12:21
What's your point? There are numerous reviews on this site with numerous negative reviews on GM, Ford and Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Fiat, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes and other manufacturers.
7th Sep 2011, 16:34
You don't have to re-phrase anything. Comment 10:27 states the simple fact and tells it like it is, just like many other comments and reviews of once loyal customers.
7th Sep 2011, 17:48
Many of my friends and co-workers have switched to domestics in the past 6-7 years because of the decline in reliability of imports. My experience with late 80's imports was so bad that I haven't bought one since then. I've driven Ford, GM and Chrysler vehicles, and none of them came remotely close to the horrible build quality of our best import.
I have never believed that imports were in any way superior to domestics, and definitely not since 2000 or so. All you have to do is just look at the flimsy structural members and plastic fasteners used on imports, and compare that to the rugged, heavy structural members on domestics. I see and hear reports of imports that can't be aligned because the suspension has sagged just from the weight of the car. We also had that problem with one of our imports as well, so I know it must be pretty common. I also notice that nearly every one of the Camrys that preceded the 2007 model (2003-2006 I think) has the exhaust system nearly dragging on the ground. This, too, is common knowledge and very east to see. And this is quality?
8th Sep 2011, 09:17
That is the point, Toyota is no better, and has it's problems, just like every other brand.
8th Sep 2011, 12:15
We're talking about hardware, nuts and bolts? I can most definitely assure you that "Imports" (I assume meaning Toyota and Honda and again - does that mean we can include all those US-branded "Domestic" cars that are imported in the whole "Flimsy" debate?) are NOT flimsy, are NOT inferior, and do NOT have a magical cut-off date where somehow, mysteriously the quality took a nosedive. In my family we personally own 4 post-2000 Toyota and Honda products. ALL of them are just as good, if not better than the previous generations we owned. Two of them now have over 200,000 miles, and these have not given us any issues- just like the ones we owned before.
My Mother's Honda CR-V was rear-ended by a 90's Buick Lesabre. The hood on the Buick was peeled back as a result. Mom's CR-V received a couple of deep scratches and one puncture in the rear plastic bumper cover. That was it. So we can put the "Flimsy" argument to rest, because there is not one once of truth to it.
8th Sep 2011, 12:35
Domestics?
The following "domestics" are imported into the U.S.A.
Chrysler: Town & Country, Caravan, 300, Charger, Challenger, imported from Canada.
Ford: Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Edge, Fiesta, MKX, Flex, Escape, imported from Canada.
GM: Camaro, Cruze, Impala, Allure, LaCrosse, Equinox, Torrent, imported from Canada.
Ford: Fusion, Milan, imported from Mexico.
GM: Regal, imported from Germany.
AND Chrysler is 50% foreign (Italian) owned.
8th Sep 2011, 17:02
I get a company car every few years, and it can be a different brand, primarily domestics, and I even had a new Legend company car back in the 90s. It was outstanding, yet I bought the TL as a personal choice, and had trans after trans. Same brand, Honda's best.
I figured the Legend was good, and so was its replacement. I have been driving since 1974, quite a few new vehicles. My take is that the most recent domestic ones keep getting better and better. I also have personal cars and quite a few imports along the way. When you start seeing trans and engine failures, that's major. If I were to walk out the door today and buy a personal new vehicle, it would be Ford. If I were buying a low mileage 90s, a Toyota, but certainly not any recent ones.
2nd Sep 2011, 13:42
"The August sales figures are out. GM is tops, selling twice as many cars as Toyota in the U.S. and Ford is a close second. Chrysler sales are also up and way ahead of Toyota as well. "
... and once again this proves absolutely nothing because Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are still repairing and re-tooling their plants and supplier chains in order to restore full production. Repeating over and over again that the Big three had big sales, and trying to frame it like it's because people don't want to buy Toyotas any more, is like saying the home baseball team won because the other team got delayed in traffic and missed the game. Yeah - real fair...