26th Sep 2007, 15:26

OMG! Will this end. People keep on bringing in JD Power and associates. Like anyone cares when buying a car. They also go with first year initial quality, so after year one who knows what my grandparents really go through with their Buick or Mercury.

As for electronics, I can imagine this world totally different without JVC, Panasonic, Sony, and Onkyo to name a few and it does not look pretty. Go on... go on... tell me more... well I remember my young years ridding in my parents GM cars and when I saw my friends parents cars that were Japanese, they would have our GM car beat and it was half the price. People over look things these days, and compare features to features, as to how many cup holders my car has and how much plastic do I get on the outside of my doors.

It is of no surprise that American cars are scrambling to survive in my opinion.

26th Sep 2007, 17:54

Recently a coworker asked me to give him a ride to a dealership to pick up his 2007 Tundra from the Toyota service department because it had been recalled. I gave him a ride in my new Silverado. On the way to the dealership he asked if I could make a detour to the local Chevy dealership. When I asked him why, he said that even after a few miles riding in my new Silverado, he was so impressed that he wanted to buy a Silverado himself!

27th Sep 2007, 10:34

What all these super-nationalist arguments boils down to is that there's a whole slew of people in here who do not comprehend modern capitalistic economics. No - the US doesn't invent everything. The CD and DVD player were invented in Japan and the Netherlands. HDTV in Japan. So was the modern VCR. Yes - the US has invented many things, but so have other countries that have contributed technologies that are now manufactured by companies all over the world. That's why companies like RCA, Ford, Toshiba, Sony, and Bosch have licensing agreements with companies that utilize their technologies.

In regards to Japanese companies "stealing" us technology, well history shows that in Post WW2 Japan, many US companies actually gave patented information to Japanese companies in order to jump-start their economy. A economically successful world is a safer one, and this tactic was used in the case of Japan by providing them with the knowledge to do so. This was a long time ago and since then they have invented many original inventions. My point being is that the Japanese didn't "steal" anything.

You can't blame people for buying anything NOT made in the US as being unpatriotic. Simply put, the US is a capitalist country and by virtue of being one, we also exercise our right to free trade. If you don't like living in a capitalistic country, then perhaps you could suggest a better system.

In regards to those poor Southern states that you refer to as being victimized by Japanese companies, well seeing as how the Southern US now has less than 2% unemployment, which is the lowest in the country, I fail to see how building new plants there is causing a problem as you suggest. It isn't just Japanese companies setting up shop either. American, German, Dutch, and Korean companies are doing so as well. Simply put, the area costs much less do do business and by providing tax cuts, the state governments of these states encourage more businesses to move to their region, which in the long term creates economic opportunity and prosperity for the citizens who live there. In this respect, you are completely incorrect. My whole family lives in that region and are doing VERY well.

What we're dealing with now is a world economy that relies on a multi-national effort. Expect to see more products being manufactured in numerous countries, and sporting badges that have less to do with the original national origin, and more to do with the actual end product itself.

Welcome to the modern economy.

As for the guy still clinging to a tiny smattering of engine sludge problems from the late 90's, and holding up the copy of JD power and their first year "initial" quality; if this is your proof of how the fact that the vast majority of us driving Toyotas never have any problems with them are wrong, you still haven't convinced anybody of anything other than that you can cherry-pick.

Claiming that Toyotas are really just bad cars, and we who drive them somehow cover it up, is the real "myth" here.

27th Sep 2007, 16:59

Great comparison however I compared a new Tundra to a new much stronger Ford F250 and/or a 3/4 ton Silverado diesel... much superior in my opinion than the Tundra. The Ford F Series certainly include the F-150 but you neglected to review the complete larger line up which is perhaps why Tundra cannot compete. Take a test drive in a Ford F-250 and then get back to us. I did and forgot Tundras.

27th Sep 2007, 18:27

21:57 The round and round arguments on this site have no bearing on what is actually happening with Toyota and GM. It's the same 5 or 10 people writing in about how bad Toyota is. It's easy to see. The phrasing is the same in each of their comments, the only thing that usually changes is that their neighbor has a different Toyota that breaks down in each of their comments.

I used to read here for actual feedback about vehicles I might purchase, now I do just for kicks. I don't care how many stories people write about the 'bad' Toyota that they've obviously never owned. In reality, Toyota is known for making the best vehicles on the road. Most people understand this and have made Toyota #1. Most are sick of GM and Ford's poor quality cars, which is why Honda and Toyota cars outsell domestics every single year.

Americans don't accept change well. They usually stick to what is familiar, yet after 20 or 30 years, they've become so sick of having major problems with domestics that they have made a foreign automaker the best seller in the United States. It's no surprise to a Toyota owner. We all knew it was coming.

If you make good cars for long enough, the majority of the public will eventually recognize it and stop buying crappy ones. Hence Toyota outselling GM. The same thing WILL happen with the truck market, too. I couldn't care less who believes it and who doesn't, it'll happen. It will take a while, but it'll happen. It's as simple as this; if you drive a Ford or a GM, then you are driving something inferior in quality to a Toyota. Arguing that fact doesn't change anything. That's the way it is.