15th Jun 2011, 13:12
Thanks for an honest review. Few people actually bother to research the facts on cars, and settle for friend's advice, or fall for ad hype. At present Toyota ranks near the bottom of the barrel in initial quality (21st out of 33 car makers). The Initial Quality Survey (IQS) is based on actual problems encountered with new cars in the first few months of ownership. It is fact-based and not simply someone's opinion. Not even Lexus is rated number one in long-term reliability any more. Based on repairs required in the first three years, Ford's Lincoln brand is now the world's most reliable car. Since the study goes back 3 years, it means that Ford has been building the world's best cars since 2008. That was BEFORE the major recession in the auto industry, and before Toyota's record 22-million car recalls.
15th Jun 2011, 14:12
To the poster claiming Toyota is ranked 21th of 33. Please cite your source. I found, for example:
And all other sources rank I've checked show the Asian makers (Honda, Toyota,... etc.) tops in OVERALL long term reliability. Initial quality means very little if the parts fail quickly, and, in general, is not a good indicator of overall reliability.
16th Jun 2011, 06:11
"The Initial Quality Survey (IQS) is based on actual problems encountered with new cars in the first few months of ownership."
No, it isn't. It's mainly based on subjective criteria and generic value statement (check for yourself).
Talking about the hype? Do you wonder why Toyota dropped in IQS in the first place? Market analysts do. Because of the "brake problems" claimed that Toyota had, that went up like a balloon of hot air and then dropped like a lump of lead after people realized that the surge problems in 99.9% of the cases investigated was non existent (check for the facts at NHTSA yourself).
Sorry, I've got problems believing anything written on this site on Toyotas in general. It's apparent that some people are targeting basically all active Toyota threads here with misinformation.
16th Jun 2011, 09:22
@ 16th Jun 2011, 06:11.
OK; we heard you; you are in love with Toyota. You will believe only what appreciates it! Don't take me wrong, I'm not Anti-Toyota/Japanese, and I'm not sympathetic to them.
For me they're just another brand in the market (no, they are not on top). Just they used to make people believe they're greater than others. From what I read and based on talking with a few owners, I know they're not. On the other hand, they are not worse than domestics/Honda/Nissan/Mazda. If you are lucky, you will own a good car with a few minor issues from all of them these days.
16th Jun 2011, 13:41
Both J.D. Powers Initial Quality Survey (IQS) and Long-term reliability surveys are based on actual problems with the cars, not subjective opinions. If you question this, simply go to their site and you can read it for yourself.
Initial Quality Surveys are based on actual problems encountered with new cars in the first 90 days of ownership. In 2010 Toyota ranked 21st out of 33 car makers (again, if you question this check it out). Ford ranked 4th (ahead of Honda). This has nothing to do with subjective opinions or emotional reactions to Toyota's 22 million recalls. it is purely and simply the number of problems actually encountered with each brand. Toyota had more initial quality problems than 20 other car makers... period. Nothing "subjective" about that.
As of May 2011, Ford took number one spot in J.D. Powers LONG-TERM reliability survey with its Lincoln brand. This was an intensive study based on problems encountered with 44,000 cars over a three year period. Again, if you question this, look it up. Since the long-term reliability study goes back to 2008, it means that even BEFORE the brunt of the recession in the automotive business Ford was building the world's most reliable cars. And again these studies have nothing whatsoever to do with OPINION. They are totally based on actual repairs required by the cars themselves. So, to sum it up, Ford has been building the best cars on the planet since 2008. Even before that, Buick traded places almost every other year with Lexus, so domestic makers have always been at or near the top.
I am not "anti-Toyota". I am "anti-misinformation", and when I see blatant misinformation, I am going to correct those misperceptions. Some of the information out there is very confusing to car buyers. At present a Toyota ad is claiming that we buy more Toyotas than any other car. That is only true on a WORLD-WIDE scale due to Toyotas extensive world market. In the U.S., GM outsold Toyota by 2 to 1 last month, and Ford outsold them almost 2 to 1. Even CHRYSLER outsold them! To run such ads is slightly deceiving. It gives the impression that Toyota outsells other brands IN THE U.S., which it certainly does not. In truth, Kia-Hyundai only sold 900 less cars last month in the U.S. than Toyota did.
One of my best friends has a 2-year-old Toyota. It is already having pretty major issues, such as suspension sag (it can't be aligned without special shims) and the A/C is going out. That is on a TWO-YEAR-OLD car. It is out of the puny mileage warranty, so he is selling it. Although I am a strong supporter of domestic cars, I am encouraging him to go with a Hyundai Elantra or 2012 Hyundai Accent because they are now the top-rated small cars. In a recent comparison, the Elantra came in first and the Corolla dead last. In another comparison, the Elantra came in first, the Chevy Cruze second, and they didn't even waste time testing the Corolla.
I stay on top of things in the automotive world, and help a lot of people buy cars. I am very objective. As a Ford fan (and owner of two Fords and one GM), I naturally try to steer people to one of them. However, I want my friends to get what is best for them. After checking out the Focus and Fiesta, I feel that they are overpriced and don't offer as much as the small Hyundais do. I still staunchly recommend the Ford Fusion for those seeking the best mid-sized car, the Lincoln MKZ for those wanting to show off their ego (it's basically a Fusion with 10 grand tacked on), and the Explorer for those wanting a gas-guzzling crossover to haul the kids to soccer and impress the other soccer moms.
Due to the very real problems Toyota is encountering, I would be very hesitant to recommend a Toyota to anyone at this point. I want to see an improvement in their Initial Quality ranking first.
17th Jun 2011, 02:19
No, I drive very carefully, and maintain my cars very well. The reason I bought a Toyota was because apparently they are one of the world's most reliable, and since I don't know that much about cars, I bought one, and no, they are simply terrible. I have had three European cars, which have all been fantastic, and this is just terrible. I bought that car for $7,000, and I've spent $5,000 on repairs!
15th Jun 2011, 00:55
Hmmmmm, yeah, but you wouldn't expect it to break down on the motorway 100 km after I bought it. It's nice now to have a vehicle that doesn't have some crazy expensive issue every five minutes.