11th Apr 2009, 22:30

Once more, people like me - who are from other states where Toyota and Nissan have large plants, in my case Tennessee and our neighbors in KY, don't really care about the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, or the rest of the rust belt states, which have been in decline for decades. Toyota, Honda and Nissan actually make major strides to take care of their employees, regardless of nation, and as such have been great for our state's economies. So when I buy a Toyota, I'm helping people that I know who live in states that I care about. Honestly, I could care less about Michigan. Sorry.

13th Apr 2009, 12:29

I think you're misunderstanding a few things here. First of all, I've kept my truck for 14 years so far and so far has had no major problems. All told, I spend perhaps less than $200 a year on repairs, and of these, most are redundant items like spark plugs, air filters, plug wires, and so forth. Like I said before, the truck is in fantastic mechanical condition and I would trust this truck to go anywhere, night or day, short trip or long trip.

A mechanical device is easy to monitor. Just because something gets old doesn't mean it's automatically going to become problematic. Age in regard to a mechanical thing is only incidental. I've seen some cars that have 80,000 miles that run and look awful. Likewise I've seen some that have 300,000 that look and run like new. It all depends on how well that car or truck was treated.

But I have my own way of driving and determining when the time to replace a vehicle is appropriate. As I said before, I am 31 years old and have significant savings in cash and retirement, not because I make tons of money, but because I don't think in black and white terms when it comes to buying stuff, which ultimately means debt, I have saved more than even the typical 50 year old mainly because most people are bad with their money and waste it buying the latest-greatest cars and trucks just because they have seat warmers and "safety". You want to know what the greatest safety device a car could have? The driver.

But you're free to keep buying cars and trucks every few years if you want. To each their own.

13th Apr 2009, 18:21

It depends on how you define "worth." When you decide to drive an old car, it means that you are not a slave to used car "value" which is only important when you get caught in the trap of trading in every four years. It doesn't matter if you only paid $1,000 for the vehicle. It has "value" so long as it continues to move under its own power and serve its function of transportation. Its value is defined in terms of how much money you save every month on a car payment. If you had a vehicle that ran and drove, but was only "worth" $50, and it needed a new alternator for $60, would you seriously junk it and decide to make a $500 car payment? Now which method is "not worth it?" Your example of spending $4,000 on an old $1,000 beater is extreme. No, of course you wouldn't spend that on that car. You would go buy another $1,000 car and drive it for 2-3 years.

13th Apr 2009, 22:13

12:29 with the mechanical complexity of vehicles today, unless its very minor... I would say most are better off checking fluids, fixing a flat and that's the extent of that.

I suspect your repair comments are specific to a very small truck 4 cylinder perhaps? If you had a V8 larger Tundra I suspect you might amplify your expenditures annually. I doubt you tow or carry loads, which does factor into the wear and tear. I would like to see the Tundra owner that tows a larger travel trailer and keeps it for 14 years and see the actual expenditures. Do they match to yours? Theres not enough comments on here to inform us. It's who's in office, the economy, multiple car and it seems like I have read more about Tacomas than Tundras. Maybe the Tundra owner can hold out for 14 years keep towing and add up his costs for us. Anyone price a Tundra engine or trans out of warranty?

14th Apr 2009, 19:35

Sure. You're helping the 9% of all automotive workers in the U.S. who work for foreign companies. Apparently you have little concern for the other 91% of auto workers OR the entire economic stability of a country that consists of 50 states, not just a handful that employ a miniscule number of people.

14th Apr 2009, 19:50

It's funny how different people view things. I've test-driven two Aveos and my best friend owns a Hyundai Accent, which I've drive quite a bit. My impression is just the opposite. Though the Hyundai is a VERY good car (way ahead of the Yaris) the interior is not one iota better in any way, shape, or form than that of the Aveo. In addition, the Aveo was one of the quietest, smoothest small cars I've ever driven. It was quieter and smoother than the much higher quality GM compacts I've test-driven.

Since the Aveo is a virtual CLONE of the Hyundai, it's ludicrous to try and persuade anyone there is any really great difference in the two cars. Both are Korean imports. Both have nearly identical 4-cylinder engines, as well as comparable drive trains. Interior quality is actually just a tad BETTER in the Aveo. The materials used are slightly higher quality. I wouldn't buy either because they are imports and I don't buy anything made by a foreign-owned company (even if GM does sell it), but there is virtually ZERO difference in these two cars. For the money the larger GM compacts or the Ford Focus are a far better buy and much better quality, so in a subcompact one of those would be my choice.