4th Nov 2008, 17:15
"Honda and Toyota make a superior product, hands down, end of argument."
I'll keep that in mind as I continue to drive the same Dodge that I've been driving for over 20 years. Yup, those lousy Dodges sure are unreliable. My last one only lasted 21 years and 260,000 miles before I had to sell it, and my current Dodge is only 35 years old with god knows how many miles. Yup, I sure wish I could find a more reliable car. Maybe I'll look for one in another ten years when my current Dodge quits. Should I look for a Toyota? No... I've had pretty good luck with Dodge. Sorry, no sale, 'yo.
5th Nov 2008, 10:43
OK, well if direct ownership is more telling and you want more "proof" from more recent Toyota model owners since the new theory amongst domestic owners is that new Toyotas aren't as good as the old ones, I have several cases for you.
First, my Mom has a 2007 Honda CRV. She has a long commute and so far has put over 60,000 miles on it. So far so good. No problems. Not even in need of brake pads.
Second, my Dad has a 2001 Tundra - which according to you all are the "bad" Tundra. He uses it as an actual work truck. So far, it has 210,000 miles. Again - zero problems.
Third, My Uncle who after owning nothing but Fords for 50 years bought a Honda Pilot. They put 40,000 miles on it. His Wife had a head-on collision in it, totaling it. She was totally unscathed and got another one.
Fourth, me and my Wife have a 2002 Prius - the first generation. It spent the first 6 years in rural PA, in sub-zero winters. So far, no problems. It runs great and is just as reliable as all the other Toyotas we've owned.
Lastly, even though it's older, my 96 Tacoma has 230,000 miles. No problems. Runs like it was new.
What more can I say?
5th Nov 2008, 10:50
To 17:15. Well, your Dodge was SORT OF reliable. A co-worker of mine drove his old Plymouth 410,000 miles before that unreliable piece of American crap fell apart. Gosh, you can't even get a mere million miles out of most of this domestic junk.
5th Nov 2008, 17:28
This is for comment 11:58 who claims he is a mechanic and car enthusiast. I am not going to argue about what you said, but to correct you on what you said wrong. The best selling vehicle in America has been the Honda Civic, then Toyota Camry, then Toyota Corolla, then Honda Civic; if you want proof here is the link to the website :-
And yes, you did say it may be knocked off by fuel prices, and well yes I think that is the reason it got knocked off top position, but why couldn't a domestic fuel efficient car make it in the top 4!? Look at all the cars in the top four - they are Japanese! So many people could not be wrong, there must be something that Japanese automakers are doing better than domestic - oh I know! Making better cars.
Oh and you love your Fords, look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0araA0T_k&eurl=http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/the_bestselling_car_in_the_world_uhoh_9225.asp
It seems like a 2000 model Ford F-150, hmm sure wouldn't want to be in that.
Why is Toyota the number 1 maker? Is it because a majority of consumers can't see domestics are better as you claim? No that's not the reason, it's because it is better! If it was not better, Toyota wouldn't be the number one automaker. I am sorry but the domestics you owned back in the 60s are not the same now, they are worse.
5th Nov 2008, 17:50
11:16 Toyotas sales are way down from a year ago... What's your point? My last imports have been crap and expensive to repair.
I think there should be archived forums for the import owner with his head in the sand for ancient ownership issues. I would love to see this person ever read or comment on specific late model Toyota issues on consumeraffairs.com. As usual, they point the finger in the other direction rather than address the sludging, braking, air bags and engine concerns. It's OK to have these issues on Toyota, because Ford had a faulty fuel filler design in the past.
6th Nov 2008, 07:12
The best selling full size truck is not a Toyota. The actual topic of the review. Maybe we can tow a small Toyota car though.
6th Nov 2008, 17:43
To comment 10:43. I heartily agree that ownership is one of the best indicators of quality and reliability in any vehicle. We owned imports during the era when they were supposed too be "good". During that time we also owned domestics, as we are a multi-car family. Only one import made 100,000 miles without rather major engine or transmission issues. None of our domestics ever required even one engine or transmission repair. We traded our last import for a Ford in 1999. I doubt we'll ever buy another import again.
7th Nov 2008, 13:59
Pretty soon there will be no such thing as a domestic car anyway, since both Ford and GM announced today that unless they get government funding, they will be out of cash by early 2009. Of course much of this was caused by the credit market. But GM and Ford have been bleeding money for years, and from none other than having a poor product portfolio for years and years. They focused entirely on large trucks and SUVs.
GM makes the claim that they would've been stupid for not providing what the consumer wanted at the time. But they also failed to update their midsized and compact car segments. Back as recently as the early 2000's, their small car offerings were cars like the Cavalier, Corsica, and Buick Century. These cars were jokes and had zero appeal whatsoever, which was fine at the time since they made up a tiny segment of GM's total sales and profits. So they were ignored. In the meantime, Toyota and Honda have always kept a fairly trim, well-developed lineup of cars and trucks ranging from the Camry down to the Scion line. All with value built in, and more importantly - a better choice over what GM offered at the time.
GM and Ford have sort of gotten their act together and have a decent lineup. But for one thing, they made such garbage for so many years that those who might have been buyers long ago have written them off and largely ignore what they have now. Secondly, it's simply too late and the credit crisis is a real threat. I hope for the sake of the US economy that they get that cash infusion. But if they do, they are going to have to make nothing but extremely high quality, value-added vehicles.
In regards to "Imports" being unreliable, it's funny how all of these supposed factual anecdotal tid-bits claiming that every import they ever owned was a piece of junk. First of all, the same posters have this undeniable love affair with anything domestic, hence why would they buy an import since it violates their taste? Secondly, I don't know hardly any people with Toyotas or Hondas that have had any major problems with them. Most just drive them and do so for years and years without even worrying about it. I don't buy it.
4th Nov 2008, 15:06
I find first hand direct ownership as the most revealing. Sorry but imports have dropped significantly, and domestic full size trucks are better than ever. I had a 2004 Silverado; racked up 80,000 miles quickly, even towing a lot. No issues... tires, brakes and frequent fluid filter changes. So I bought more, but not without looking at both import and domestic new full size trucks. Still not impressed enough to switch... imagine buying a new vehicle ever few years and hating the actual driving, handling and capability. I hope we are not going back to the small truck/car comparisons again.
I also would like direct late model Toyota comments, addressing actual owner issues on consumeraffairs.com as well. Even better, look at features and benefits of domestic and import full size trucks by test driving them. By saying you don't have to drive late model vehicles before basing an opinion, is not how I approach and actually buy mine.