25th Mar 2009, 11:17
Again, it would be nice to see some supporting data for such a claim. The Fusion is rated 2 full levels above the Camry in predicted reliability and 1 full level above Accord. And no, my friend didn't fall for "advertising". He "fell for" good advice from a friend and tons of supporting documentation indicating the Fusion was the better vehicle. He also drove my 2006 Fusion and agreed it was better handling and had a more solid feel than the brand new 2009 Camry or Accord he had driven.
Selecting a vehicle requires more than reading a sales brochure. It requires checking out reviews, frequency of repair records, and talking to people who actually drive the vehicles. If saving $5000 over the price of a less reliable vehicle was a result of "advertising", then I need to check out more Ford ads.
Members of our family drive full size trucks both in their businesses and for personal use. One relative's 2001 F-150 quad-cab tows a heavy trailer on virtually every trip, and has amassed over 118,000 miles at this point with not a single problem. The other relative also does much towing and takes long trips as well. His 2000 Dodge Ram crew cab has just over 143,000 miles with no problems.
Since this review is about full-sized trucks (which the Tundra barely qualifies for) the comments and evidence presented by actual owners of full sized trucks carries far more weight than any "It's better because I say so" remarks from people who have never owned a full sized truck or new domestic vehicle of any kind.
When my friend read about the last 100 or so comments on this site his comment as he turned off the computer was "WOW!! I see what you are saying! The domestic owner's comments seem a lot more fact-based. Let's go look at some Fusions." The negative (and undocumented) comments did more to convince him to look at Ford than the pro-domestic comments did.
Oh, and I forgot to mention before, but he traded in a 1999 Camry. It had just over 119,000 miles and had been a pretty decent car. He had had several very minor issues only, so he was not a "push-over" in persuading him to look at the Fusion.
As I say, this site alone did 90% of the selling because he felt that no evidence was put forth to justify the claims of import owners while much personal testimony and tons of documentation backed up the claims of domestic owners. He is wild about his Fusion, and is very happy that I showed him this site and encouraged him to do some real research before making a serious mistake.
25th Mar 2009, 16:25
Why not own a Tundra if you are going to expect the recommendations to be heeded? Zero interest in Tacoma, no applications.
25th Mar 2009, 17:04
Funny how my real-world experience is so vastly different from yours. My family has bought used domestic vehicles since the 1970's, paying a few hundred dollars for them, and driving them with no problems past 200,000 miles. I can't imagine how you and your friends spent "thousands" on domestic vehicles, unless you all were driving a bunch of old hoopties that were trashed and you didn't know how to work on a car. That's your own fault.
26th Mar 2009, 10:18
"My Ford Ranger was pure garbage. You couldn't give me another one."
The Ranger has had the exact same predicted reliability rating as the Toyota Tacoma for years until recently. As of a few days ago the long-range reliability figures released by J.D. Powers and Associates elevated it to "Best in Class", beating out the Tacoma. Your old, used Ranger may have been beaten to death before you ever bought it. None of my 4 Rangers (all bought new) ever saw the inside of a repair shop. Comparing used vehicles with unknown pasts to new ones is not very accurate practice.
26th Mar 2009, 11:11
Good luck on that Fusion, which by the way as pointed out numerous times is based on a Mazda Platform with a crank made in India, with the car itself manufactured in Mexico. My Tacoma is way more American made than the Fusion.
Oh - and by the way, I have a co-worker with a 2 year old Fusion. The steering wheel is already disintegrating, the seats look like they are 10 years old, and the car has been in for repairs 3 times since I've worked here. Sounds pretty much like every Ford I've ever seen.
26th Mar 2009, 16:32
"Then had three consecutive Toyota's over a 15 year span and spent exactly $90 in repairs on all three."
Sounds like my friend with a 27 year old Corvette garaged show car with only 19,000 miles with the original tires still on the car. He's had truly amazingly low repairs too. The classic car insurance alone is nearly $300 a year. What truly amazes me is that you you had 3 vehicles changed the oil, fluids, filters, brakes, tires, wiper blades, etc. for 3 vehicles for only $90.00 for 15 years. That's remarkable maybe you have a free oil field in the back yard. It costs me $40 a year just to tag each of mine also. No mileage was ever indicated for the "Toyota" and somehow it's likely irrelevant to a full size truck prospect reading your repair illustration. Is it Tundra or is it "Toyota"... I have had German cars; it cost less to repair my VW than my Mercedes, or should I just say they are German cars. That's why I like specific make, specific model and year, and the other commenter has a good point, were all your domestics (Rangers) ever bought brand new?
When you also read just the mfr. such as "Toyota", Big 3, GM, Dodge, Ford" it is clearly evident it has not or never has been been a full size truck owners comments or it would be clearly identified by a specific full size model... it tends to distort a true full size ownership cost to acquire, if new, options and repair expenditures of this full size class vehicle. I tend to skip these general comments and ones with compact 4 cylinder cars on a full size review. I especially found one of the most recent posts on 3/25 very helpful with a domestic business owner that tows helpful when comparing to my full size new Silverado truck with their late model full sizes indicating model and year of vehicle. It was refreshing and certainly on topic.
26th Mar 2009, 20:19
I have a soon-to-be 4-year-old Fusion. The steering wheel is NOT disintegrating (just HOW can a STEERING WHEEL disintegrate??). The leather seats could easily pass for brand new. It has NEVER been in the shop. Sounds like every Ford I've ever owned.
26th Mar 2009, 22:43
10:18 Well, I've bought domestics new and used, and imports new and used, without knowing what their histories were. As is to be expected, the Toyota's were still flawless, even used, as well as new, and the domestics were junk, new OR used. I don't care what rating the Ranger gets, mine was junk. It's hard to abuse a SENSOR, no matter how you drive the truck, and I replaced about 3 of those, as well as a LOONNGG list of other parts. My Toyota's were flawless. Ford and Chevy fans can talk all they want here. Toyota's are the better vehicles. Period.
25th Mar 2009, 10:51
Look - nobody who LOVES domestic cars - regardless of how bad or good they are - is going to convince those who LOVE Toyotas and Hondas that GM or Ford makes a better car. Likewise, Toyota owners will never convince Ford and GM lowers to buy Toyotas. It's a pointless debate. Just let it be.