5th Sep 2007, 23:06
You're totally wrong on those numbers: Roughly 70% of all Tacomas are made from parts produced in the U.S. with the rest coming from Japan. The bulk of the parts are made by Denso USA in plants throughout TN and KY as well as TX, and IN. The Tacoma is manufactured in Fremont CA called NUMI (National United Manufacturing Inc.) This was the same plant that used to make Geo Prizms for GM.
6th Sep 2007, 02:48
This review however is not about small light trucks... I had 2 of them at one time and would never own one again. Ford has a complete line of trucks; small, and also F-250 and above that address every need of the American consumer. I feel GM also has much more to offer.
I feel individuals are more discerning that purchase trucks, especially ones that have bought new ones before. Small trucks are a compromise, and many times I had to call friends with bigger trucks. I also own a new domestic SUV that actually is capable of doing everything my small trucks once did; keep the contents dry, locked up, and has superior towing capability as well than the small trucks.
6th Sep 2007, 10:29
18:52, My dad has a 2001 Tundra that he uses as a REAL work truck. Yes-He he pulls more than 12,000 pounds with it, in this case a 32 foot 5th wheel trailer. He uses it for landscape work as well. The new Tundra will haul even more.
In regards to these 'puny' little trucks you refer to, as I mentioned earlier, Ford and Chevy and probably Chrysler before long have totally lost the small truck market. The Ranger is soon going to be discontinued. The model was never updated simply because Ford concentrated on building disposable junk in the 90's, like Explorers, Expeditions, and that huge school bus looking SUV, the Excursion. These clunky SUVs could be sold for 30-40k and made Ford a lot of money since they were cheaper than cars to manufacture. It is well known in the US auto industry that small trucks are referred to as "bottom feeders" Hence Ford and Chevy made zero investments into improving their designs. At least Chevy updated theirs. That said, I went and looked at a new Colorado when they first came out and frankly, the truck isn't worth the cheap plastic and tin its made out of.
Toyota and Nissan not only improved their smaller trucks, but they also listened to what consumers wanted. They wanted more choices in that segment. So the Tacoma now comes in two sizes: a smaller 4 banger econo-truck and a mid sized v6. More fine touches were added. These trucks just about blow Ford and Chevy out of the water. Don't even try to tell me that the Ranger or Colorado even have a chance at being classified in the same bracket because they aren't.The reason Ford is dropping the Ranger is because they have totally lost that market and the sales volume is too small, especially given Ford's current financial situation.
By the way, we had two smaller 80's Toyota trucks that we used to haul a trailer loaded with 2,000 pounds of flea market junk as well as a bed full of junk. We hauled this, along with me, my mom and dad all across the Southeast. Considering that this truck had a tiny 4 cylinder engine yet hauled all 3,500 pounds of our stuff for years tells me that it not only worked hard, but worked well.
In regards to California, well being the state that produces more produce and agricultural goods than all the other states combined, I can't tell you how many fields I pass every single day that have these old beater toyota trucks being used for "real" work.
The question that I think that some of you need to ask yourselves is what will happen once Toyota and Nissan start making some serious inroads on the domestic truck market. If you look at how Toyota works, they test products and listen to what the consumer wants. If they don't get it right the first time (the T-100 and maybe the first gen Tundra) they will eventually. They did it with the small car market (Corolla) mid sized market (Camry) the small truck market (Tacoma). The large truck market is next.
So instead of scoffing at what a company like Toyota does and does right, how can companies like Ford and Chevy prevent themselves from losing another segement? Perhaps you as consumers can actually step in and tell them what you like in a truck and they'll make it better. There is a reason why Toyota is successful.
5th Sep 2007, 20:58
21:48 That's your major complaint about Toyota? The position of the oil filter? There is no problem with it.
Their world famous 22re is the best example. I've owned two of them, but a good friend of mine's truck is the best example: it is an '89 Toyota truck.
First off, those engines, from that era, had 135 hp at probably 5 grand. The point is, you run them hard all the time to move the truck. My friend put a suspension lift and 33" tires on this truck almost as soon as he bought it used in '91 or somewhere around there.
On a DAILY basis, after work or school, we piled in this truck and drove it through a muddy limestone quarry, all hills and rocks; the truck rarely shut off after 3:00 in the afternoon. We ran it like a racecar, with absolutely no regard for rpm's or anything else.
He NEVER changed oil to my knowledge. When it finally began to tap, every year or so maybe, he'd dump some more in. We revved it through the mud, pulled trees out with it, or tried to; we drove it like it was stolen EVERY day. Finally, somewhere around 2000 or so, we rolled it again (not the first time), and it was totalled.
I should mention that there were two Toyota's out that day, and we still flipped this one back over and drove it home. At this point, the odometer had long since stopped working; no one knows how many miles were on it, but a conservative estimate is 350,000. Easily. Could have been a lot more. Someone he knows actually bought it privately, and, as of a couple of years ago, it was STILL running and had the original engine, never opened up, and same transmission and gears. Believe me, I'm grossly editing all of the things we put this truck through just for the sake of the length of this comment. It NEVER quit running.
So as for you argument about the oil filters; forget it. This kid probably never even saw his to know what position it was in. Someone trying to tell me that a Ranger or an S-10, or ANYTHING else would have lived through this will hear me laugh in their face.
I could go on about my '93 Tercel that I could not destroy no matter how hard I tried, but I won't. Or my '95 truck (abused almost as bad). Or my '98 Tacoma that I drive today. I take care of this one, but I know from many experiences that I really don't have to. I'm just a lot older now and a lot more cautious.
I will probably still be driving this Tacoma when the brand new Fords and Chevy's on the sales lots are in the junkyard. That's how good Toyota's are.