26th Aug 2010, 18:59

"I bought Toyota, because even with recalls, they are better than anything domestic."

Since when is 21st place better than 5th place??

26th Aug 2010, 20:58

"I bought Toyota, because even with recalls, they are better than anything domestic. People are so afraid because they buy into the over-exaggeration of the media in this country. The chance that one or both of their Toyotas are in need of fixing from the recalls is next to 0. They recalled millions, and continue to do so, so they can be sure that every last car is okay. To keep going on about the millions of recalled cars... like they ALL have problems, is misleading. Gee, you should never drive a Ford with Firestone tires on it either huh or you might die in a rollover accident. Yeah, how quickly people forget!"

I agree. I drive a 14 year old Toyota Corolla with 183,000 miles. It runs great and has never given me any problems. I wouldn't even think twice of buying a new Toyota (if this one ever wears out. With only 183,000, it's certainly got a lot more miles left in it!)

I know many people who bought Toyota's in the heat of the accelerator recall. They all love their Toyota's, and got an excellent deal on them because not a lot of people were buying at the time. Not a single one of their Toyota's actually needed to be recalled (they were checked over, but like you said, they did not need any parts).

27th Aug 2010, 06:09

It seems like resale comes before comfort, great handling, performance, nicer ride, and especially fun to drive when I read most import car reviews.

If you take out a 5 year loan and hate driving a terrible riding car, it perplexes me why it has appeal. I do however find a better warranty, a 100000 mile one, and go for a great driving experience that is fun to drive first. I am driving domestics.

28th Aug 2010, 07:58

We had a Corolla for a month while our car was being repaired in an accident. Just around town we managed. It was uncomfortable and not anything to write home about.

28th Aug 2010, 10:21

Huh, I buy imports over domestics for all of the things you listed. Domestic cars have harsh running engines, cheap suspension components that wear out prematurely, and an overall lack of refinement. Imports are smoother, better handling and much more fun to drive than any comparable domestic. The only domestic cars that are any good are the sports cars like Mustangs and Challengers. Since the Camaro is GM, I would never touch one.

And here we go again claiming GM's identical 5 year warranty is so much better, because 5% of people can use the extra mileage. How people fall for these marketing ploys is beyond me. The only true 100K mile warranty is Hyundai's at 10 years... you know that import company that makes better cars than GM could ever dream of?

The latest commercials with the Ford Fusion make me laugh too. They have forecast the resale value to be higher than the Camry. That is rich! Now we are going to guess as to what the value will be in the next 5 years. They can't even tell you the weather in three days, but now we know the future of car values! Talk about ridiculous marketing strategy! Domestic fans will rejoice... until reality sets in that is...

28th Aug 2010, 12:52

I have a 2005 Buick Park Avenue, and I can guarantee you that the comparable Toyota Avalon and even Lexus and Acura can't begin to compare to the comfort level (honestly, I don't even think Lincoln and Cadillac can match it). My car has a lot more road hugging weight and much softer suspension with similar reliability and fuel economy to the imports. Resale value may be poor, but I bought mine used with 16,000 miles for less than half of what it was new.

The new Buick Enclave seems to have a better resale value than many imports; a 2008 with over 30,000 miles only loses about 20% of its value, and they are much nicer looking than any SUV from Japan.

28th Aug 2010, 13:50

It seems like most of the enthusiastic fans of Toyotas are that way because of good experiences with cars with over 100,000 miles. But the great company that built those cars does not exist anymore. The president of Toyota did not resign in disgrace for no reason. Instead, his poor leadership resulted in bad cars being built. Toyota in 2010 has serious internal problems that will take years to straighten out.

28th Aug 2010, 19:20

I left Acura TL 3.2 VTEC engines for GM LSI and LS2 V8 engines and better transmissions. Great ride, performance amenities, and we drive a lot. I did not like Lexus handling and ride as well. But we are likely driving different vehicles than the basic grocery getters. My money goes into upgrades; new intakes, stainless Magnaflow exhaust, and better rotors and braking upgrades. Not needed, but maybe why we drive a lot more as well. Beats repair bills and being towed. I got AAA premier towing strictly over the import mechanical issues.

29th Aug 2010, 09:35

You might have wanted to book that vehicle before quoting value losses. A new CX starts at $37,615 for AWD. I am sure that hasn't changed much since 2008. A 2008 CX AWD with 30K miles on it books at $24,375 or roughly 36% lower than MSRP. You can say "well the deal would have been lower than MSRP" BUT so would the trade in offer be lower than book... much lower. You'd be lucky to get over $20K offered on trade in from any dealer. They too take that fact into account that you probably made a deal for less than sticker. Most dealers work from auction prices and wholesale books, so under $20K would be their starting point, which would be about 50% from sticker at 2 years old. I used trade in values to compare, because it isn't likely you'd sell a vehicle like this outright in this economy where banks aren't giving loans out too easily, and not too many people have $20K + laying around for a used car purchase. If they did, they'd be at the dealer, trust me.

Since I have already booked Toyota against Ford, and the Toyota came out above the Ford by over $1,500 (the stickers were the same), I am thinking the GM would fare about the same or worse against the Toyota. Looks are subjective and 100% opinion. I like the looks of the Enclave, but I also like many of the imports as well.