24th Oct 2007, 15:46

I spend about $200 week on gas; however, my full-sized domestic makes money, as do many other professional contractors. Homeowners have a different set of needs that are quite limited (in my opinion). Saving gas is great, but not having capabilities is a hindrance. Trucks are the best selling vehicles in America, not cars; you must lose the car mentality.

24th Oct 2007, 16:13

18:40 Toyota's factory warranty on the batteries and electrical system is 10 years, which is a lot longer than the 100,000 mile warranty on a domestic, unless you only drive 10,000 miles a year, and most people drive nearly double that.

Also, there's no way a Ford or Chevy V-8 is getting 20 mpg (which isn't very good anyway). Not unless you live right next to a freeway and that's all you ever drive on, with the truck empty, and a very light foot.

The larger V-8 in the Ford F-150 has a sticker with the EPA estimate of TEN!! miles to the gallon on it. My 1993 Toyota Tercel, with technology now 14 years old, got 38 mpg with me driving it like a racecar, and Ford and GM STILL don't make anything that can do that. And no, the Aveo won't do it either.

24th Oct 2007, 16:55

I agree with 10:15's statement. However, GM and Ford might possibly lose market share from where they stand, but in thinking that way, you must also realize that the Tundra is a big ol' honkin' truck also, with similar EPA standings.

If people will cease to purchase trucks, yes the domestics will lose market share, but Toyota will never gain it also.

I am making this statement EXCLUDING any reliability remarks, because in my mind these vehicles are equals. Focusing just on gas, ALL will lose.

24th Oct 2007, 17:35

I don't think it is exactly beneficial to deny the fact that while gas prices are high, they're bound to get even higher. In many parts of Europe, gas costs around $5 A LITER. I don't think it is entirely out of the question that gas could potentially be $5-$6 a gallon or more by the end of the decade.

I understand that there are people that depend on large trucks for their work. That said, something like 70% of the large trucks and SUVs are bought strictly for pleasure or as grocery-getters. If it eventually costs over $100 every single fillup, then people will stop buying large trucks regardless of brand. This goes for contractors too. If you're making the average contractor income, which is anywhere from 35-65k, then spending several hundred dollars a week just to keep the tank filled is going to eat up some serious income. That and the national housing market is crashing which means less work on top of all that to boot. I myself make well into a six figure income and even for me, I can't imagine paying what it must cost to fuel a full size truck these days.

I think it is safe to say that GM and Ford are still way too reliant on large SUV and truck sales. The writing is on the wall, which they're well aware of. The problem is that they ignored the car market for too long and produced really crappy cars more as fillers than anything competitive. Even if the new Taurus (re badged 500) or Malibu are actually better quality, they still have a lot of people to convince who got burned by their products earlier. Time will tell.

Hopefully, cars and trucks that run on things like high efficiency Diesel engines, ethanol - and perhaps even hydrogen will become realities because as it stands now, the cars and trucks on the market aren't acceptable in terms of what is inevitable in terms of gas prices.

25th Oct 2007, 14:39

16:13 if Toyota warranties the drivetrain the same as the electronics... as they are claimed to be perfect by some reviewers I will buy one.

25th Oct 2007, 19:01

A larger contractor which spends $700 a week on gas actually more likely diesel for vehicles typically has considerably more income plus business tax write offs. I know of one spending $8000 a month on fuel costs alone...the point is having plenty of room, load and towing capacity. You look more at what can be carried in the bed or behind not fixated on the fuel gauge(s).

25th Oct 2007, 21:20

15:46 No, we must lose the truck mentality. Very few people have the need for a truck.

I know that contractors and so forth DO have the need for trucks and vans, but they are still a very small percentage of the population.

Go survey 500 people and you might find one that actually NEEDS a truck. We have to start thinking like every other civilized country in the world; vehicles are nothing more than transportation, buy only what you need.

People worry about getting hit by a truck while driving a little economy car; well, the problem is, there are too many large vehicles on the road that shouldn't be there! Most big trucks and SUV's do nothing more than go to the grocery store, the hardware store, and once in a great while actually haul a load of gravel, bricks, whatever. Buying a truck so you can haul a heavy load once every six months is stupid. It costs you more to drive it for the rest of the year than it would cost to have a heavy load of whatever delivered to your house.

UNLESS you absolutely need a truck, almost daily, it's smarter to buy a small car. If we all followed this rule, oil consumption would drastically drop and so would gas prices. Not to mention the reduction in pollution and the benefits to all of us that this would have.

Some might say, 'well, this is America, and I'll buy what I like'; well, YOU are the problem if you're saying this.

26th Oct 2007, 08:33

It would be interesting to see how America would do without trucks for a month. They are the number one selling vehicle in America and I cannot see how you expect owning cars will perform new construction, renovations etc.

26th Oct 2007, 11:05

Thanks to Car Survey, I recently dodged a bullet. I was going to buy a Tundra, but after reading all the horror stories about Toyota in this chain of comments, I bought a Silverado instead and am very pleased. Thanks again to all you folks who called out Toyota for the poorly engineered, unreliable product it is!!!

26th Oct 2007, 13:34

I see many cars on construction sites. They park their cars and drive vehicles that are parked on the site. or have a trailer they leave at the site. There really is no need for a truck everyday. We have done it in Minnesota we can't everyone else do it?

26th Oct 2007, 16:38

11:05 If this is even true, you made a mistake you'll be paying for for a while.

26th Oct 2007, 19:02

13:34...perhaps employees then drive company larger full size pick ups with tow trailers and dumps. Who drives these so-called cars to building suppliers multiple times daily to pick up skids of cement, sand, lime, block, crusher run, stucco, EIFS, lath, concrete wire, rebar, sonotubes, ridgid insulation, metal studs, track and are towing mixers, concrete buggies, air compressors to name a few? I am not seeing cars, small pickups or Tundras lined up at 7 a. m every morning ready to work. I'd actually like to see what kind of car you own that carries 108 8" blocks (skid) and then meets at the job. I do see a large population of Ford F-250's Crew Cabs and even larger Fords, Silverado Diesels and Rams, that are heavy duty vehicles, that cannot be overlooked in why America's best-selling vehicles are trucks. A lot of equipment is rented and still has to be towed (by the way) back to rental centers or contractors yards in the evening. Things cannot be completely accomplished even with planned daily material deliveries without proper equipment available at all times. You cannot do this with cars; maybe you can tow with a large SUV.............but you will not replace large trucks.