27th Feb 2008, 13:17

The new superior Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid gets better city mileage than the Camry. It is the the 2008 Green Vehicle of the year. The new Silverado is also slated for the same drivetrain and better warranty.

27th Feb 2008, 15:25

I guess I was also extremely lucky in having a dozen domestic cars from the 1970's to 1990's that went over 200,000 miles with nothing required other than routine maintenance and fluid changes. But Japanese is better, right? Yeah, right. They weren't better then, and my 2002 Ford says that they certainly aren't better now.

27th Feb 2008, 22:27

If any vehicle has NO problems, it is silly to say Toyota (or any other brand) is better. That makes no sense at all.

28th Feb 2008, 01:11

5:54 You may have been lucky as well with your old Toyota, but that's no guarantee you will not have major mechanical issues as many other late model model import owners have had lately. Including myself, and have switched to domestics.

With a business especially, it's more than just luck. Full size trucks get used and mileage accumulates rapidly with full loads and towing on a regular basis. Maybe you have been lucky so far, but at some point your newer one (some day perhaps) may experience the complete opposite, and it does happen.

The site is full and so is consumeraffairs.com, clearly indicating this concern that imports have had more issues than ever.

My old ones never had the amount of trouble, and what's that all about with new ones? I'll take the full size trucks and better warranty with domestics.

28th Feb 2008, 20:18

With me the odds are definitely in favor of the domestics. In over 40 years of driving I've driven about 35 or 40 domestics altogether (I've lost count now).

Not one of them that was bought new ever had a problem other than such routine items as hoses, belts and that sort of thing. Never, not once, have I had to replace an engine or transmission, or even have any repairs on them. Some were driven over 250,000-300,000 miles.

During that time we also had 4 imports (Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Mazda) NOT ONE of them ever made it to 100,000 miles without problems (very major problems in the case of the Volkswagen, Honda and Mazda).

Now if you are "lucky" to get a good domestic I must be the luckiest human on Earth. Out of 30 or so none had any problems. On the other hand, all 4 imports broke down repeatedly and were anything but reliable. What are the odds I'd get 3 bad imports and 30 good domestics if imports are so good and domestics so bad.

As for trucks, the domestics are so far ahead of anything made by any Japanese company that it is a joke to even compare them. Japanese companies make little toys. The big three make real trucks.

29th Feb 2008, 06:52

Japanese cars are better built and last longer. You can't skirt around that fact with any amount of talk. Let's say your rattle trap Ford never has any problems (not likely) but lets say it doesn't. And you have a BMW that also has no problems. Fine. Does that mean the Ford is as good a car as the BMW?

A Toyota is a much better built car, and despite all these stories, Toyota's of course are MUCH more likely to run flawlessly than any Ford. That's just the way things work in reality. Which is why the domestics are going downhill fast and Toyota keeps gaining and passing them; people don't want to drive junk anymore now that there are better choices.

Despite the 6 guys on this site who keep writing in about switching over to domestics from imports, that's not what's actually happening in this country. People are tired of Fords and GMs that break down, and are buying Toyotas and Hondas, and seeing how much better they are.

29th Feb 2008, 12:46

18th Feb 2008, 14:09: Where did you get your facts? One of my previous jobs was on the Ford hybrid program, so I have a pretty good handle on what happened during the development of that system. Ford did not consult Toyota engineers in designing its hybrid system. The engineering work was done before the Ford and Toyota lawyers sat down to work out a cross-licensing agreement that gave each company access to some of the other company's hybrid patents.

29th Feb 2008, 13:42

It seems that if you are relaying car comments on a full size truck site it may be better to be on the Camry review. There are far more domestic trucks sold than imports... you are addressing a very savvy segment that is focused on applications such as towing, load capacity otherwise they would be driving the little economy cars about. Would be interested in what late model full size truck that you own that has some relevance to the discussion at hand? I own a full size car and a full size truck try to focus on beneficial comments that are relevant to the type vehicle being discussed. I could talk about Ferraris for example even though I do not have one, but who is interested? Same as cars on a full size truck review.

29th Feb 2008, 13:48

I have had the same situation the only engine trans replacements have ever been imports. The very latest was a 2002. No domestics have ever had any replacements in our family... and I have been driving since 1969. The larger domestics I have had with V8's have been the best. The harder revving imports with small engines, ac loads etc. did not.

29th Feb 2008, 15:23

"29th Feb 2008, 06:52.

Japanese cars are better built and last longer. "

That's the opinion that you keep stating. I guess it isn't based on any of the reviews of disgruntled owners of Camries, Odysseys, or RX300's and RX330's. Nor is it based on CNN Money, which advises against buying a used Camry, and it must not be based on J.D. Power, which rates Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, and Buick in the top five slots for initial and 3-year quality. I guess it also isn't based on Consumer Reports, which no longer recommends Toyota. Sounds like you have a minority opinion, since the facts are against you.

Remind me again of how much Toyota sales were down, while GM sales were up last quarter?

29th Feb 2008, 17:01

That last comment made me think of my own "rattle trap Ford" or rather Mercury. My 1997 Mercury Sable has over 180,000 miles on it. It has no rust, it gets 30 mpg, and all that I have ever done to it is to change the spark plugs, change the oil, flush the cooling system, and buy tires. That's a perfect record that would be impossible to improve upon.

That's why I get a kick out of these Toyota promoters who like to say that Fords or whatever American car are junk, and will never be as good as a Toyota. What, do they have a Toyota that has never had the spark plugs changed, or never had a new set of tires or an oil change in 200,000 miles? I've seen lots of bland, rattle-trap Corollas, and brother, I'd far rather have my Sable!