9th Apr 2007, 18:22

It's not minor things like odometers being off and Honda and Toyota using different methods to figure (and INFLATE) their real horsepower that bothers me. A test drive of a V-6 Accord will easily convince you it has only about 180 REAL horsepower. It's the BIG things, such as defective brakes, transmissions, airbags, steering, suspension, electrical systems, cooling systems, engine computers, and oil leaks that turn me off to Toyota and Honda.

6th May 2007, 05:32

1443 Both of my new 2007 GM's do not have door mounted seatbelts. I suspect many GM execs would proudly own mine.

15th May 2007, 13:32

I am sorry to hear about your troubles. I am not too familiar with the Camry, but I do know the Taurus pretty well. My sister has a 2001 SES and it has been a hell of a car. Considering she has four kids and drives them to school and day care every day and it hasn't given her an ounce of trouble, I say, "GO TAURUS!" Good luck with your next car, and I hope all goes well.

16th May 2007, 21:57

18:22 Well, you've obviously never driven a v-6 Accord. It's fast as hell. And by the way, Toyota's and Honda's don't have any of the problems you mentioned (almost never). You're thinking of Ford, Chevy, and Dodge.

21st May 2007, 12:21

I'm having a real problem believing many of the claims here. Very typically it's my car has gone half a billion miles and never needed anything, but gas and oil. HOGWASH!

I've never known 1 person (as in someone I actually know) who has gotten more than 100k out of ANY vehicle without at least 1 significant repair. Usually it's 2 or 3, and it's every make of vehicle, foreign and domestic.

What I do find believable is those who post the initial reviews, some saying their car has been great, others saying it's been problems from day 1.

As a new Ford Fusion owner, here's what I expect. I expect it to have 1 problem minor in nature to be fixed under warranty. I expect that somewhere in the 40-60k range, to have a major repair. I expect in the 60-100k range to have several minor ones and maybe another major repair. That's the price of owning and operating a car, and it's not significantly different than anyone else I've ever known.

21st May 2007, 23:31

My Honda accord v6 1999 had just breaks every 40,000 miles, wheel bearing, tires, and an alternator at 125,000 miles. Besides the timing belt at 105,000 miles this car has been flawless. The wheel bearing went on a very bad road and I was the only one driving in the lane that was bad. It was a 3000 mile road trip too. No complaints here...200,000 miles here I come.

22nd May 2007, 23:41

God, if you guys think the new domestics are so crappy, take a look at the new GMC Sierra. Good proof that they are IMPROVING.

27th Aug 2007, 14:38

Well... I find it difficult that some people are having a difficult time believing that a car like a Camry can go for 200k+ without any problems. Our family is yet another example.

What's more amazing is that from what I seem to read here, many of you GM/Ford guys are real car nuts, meaning you likely religiously change the oil, plugs, coolant, etc.

On the other hand, my mom has had a 92' Camry and a 98' Avalon. My mom knows NOTHING about cars. I live on the other side of the country, so the only time that car had the oil changed (or anything else) was when I visited, which was once every 6 months or even a year. As bad as that sounds, the Camry was sold at 220,000 miles and the Avalon was given to my brother with 210,000 miles. He's even WORSE than my mom at maintaining cars. SO even though both of these cars were used and abused, they STILL made it (and still running) with minimal maintenance. Oh yes; the Avalon and Camry needed new brakes and tires. That was truly it.

28th Aug 2007, 14:58

Yes, my uncle had an Avalon that he passed down to his son with 260,000 miles. It was driven around the country and it was beaten. He often would accidently shift the car into park while accelerating, and my dad always talked behind his back while I was growing up, about how he never did the maintenance on his cars.

This Avalon in 260,000 miles only needed a new power steering pinion; my uncle hit something; he got a new alternator at 260k; new ignition switch at 260k.

I also remember having to replace the hubcap and right side mirror when he hit a pheasant. It's been a great car otherwise, but the interior looks like a port o john from him never cleaning it.

6th Sep 2007, 17:58

12:21; You think that having major problems at 40-60,000 is normal? I feel bad for you, I really do.

I put 135,000 on my last Toyota with no repairs of any kind, and I sold it for one I like better that I have now put 60,000 on (75,000 total) and still no repairs. I don't expect any for at least another 75,000.

Do you Ford owners really think that it's normal for a new car to have a major repair in under 60,000 miles? That's sad. Try driving a Toyota.

1st Dec 2007, 23:24

To comment 12:21: I'm a mechanic and take absolutely IMMACULATE care of my cars. I have put over 200,000 on several domestics from all of the Big Three with NO problems other than belts, hoses and tune-ups.

One Chrysler product went 240,000+ miles with ONE hose replaced, TWO brake jobs, and TWO timings belts. I never even added freon to the A/C, which still worked flawlessly when it was sold.

One of our Fords made over 300,000 miles with ONE starter, ONE muffler, ONE carburetor, THREE hoses... and that's it.

Our 1977 Buick La Sabre went 270,000+ miles with virtually NOTHING in the way of repairs.

I routinely get 100,000 miles out of brake pads because I know how to drive. In recent years I have stopped even bothering to check such things as brake fluid, pad wear, power steering fluid and automatic transmission fluid in any of my domestics until around 50,000 miles because there is no need to. I checked these items on my 2001 GM compact at 50,000 miles and found nothing low and brake pads less than 50% worn. I performed the same check on our GM SUV at 50,000 with the same results.

People who do not take care of their vehicles have problems (though my personal experience has shown that domestic owners tend to have fewer major problems). People who properly maintain and drive their cars (even imports) should not have ANY repairs of ANY kind (no matter how minor) before 100,000 miles.

12th Dec 2007, 10:26

I just got back from vacation and rented two GM cars: A 2007 Chevy Malibu - the previous generation - and a 2008 Chevy Cobalt.

Anyone that thinks that GM is even remotely close to being on par with Toyota, Honda, or even Nissan is only fooling themselves, or has never driven anything except GM cars.

The Chevy Cobalt I rented had around 6,500 miles on it and already made some nasty squeaking noises when started in the morning. The handling was floaty, and overall, the build quality, interior, and body panels were bargain-basement cheapety-cheap. In fact, the interior on the Cobalt was so uncomfortable, I returned it the next day and 'upgraded' to a 2007 Malibu.

The Malibu had 16,000 miles on it, yet it too was showing premature signs of wear and tear. The E-brake cable was actually loose from one of the plastic secure clips and was flopping around. The belts squealed every single morning. I opened the hood and counted 4 hoses that already had cracks. The engine itself was cast using a foam forming process and you could actually see Styrofoam texture in the metal.

Lastly, the cars were neither fun nor exciting to drive. I saw absolutely no advantage in either one of these cars over any of the Japanese cars I've owned. Despite what GM might tell you, there is still a huge gap in quality between GM and Toyota. I fail to see the improvement. I see little reason why anyone would actually consider either one of these cars as they were both painfully mediocre and cheaply built.