5th Feb 2009, 21:46

The Tundra bends just driving down the road. Sure.

For your information, it has more horsepower, torque, and towing capacity than the F-150.

As far as sales, that doesn't mean much either. The domestics have been making full size trucks for several decades, people unfortunately still buy them out of habit, as there were no other choices till recently. That's changing for the better, which is why the Big 3 are all on their way out and Toyota only grows stronger over the years. Old (bad) habits die hard.

Want to talk about Consumer Reports ratings? Japanese automobiles are still the most reliable out there... their words, to paraphrase roughly.

Your friend traded in a Toyota for a domestic? Who cares. If your 'friend' did this, then it's his loss and his mistake.

The Tundra is a more capable, better built, more reliable, much higher quality truck than the F-150 (an outdated dinosaur), the Silverado (not worth looking at), or the Dodge Ram. If you're not driving a Toyota, you're driving something of lesser quality. Period. Unless it's a Honda...

5th Feb 2009, 21:51

Sales don't mean anything. More cheeseburgers are sold than health foods; that doesn't mean they're better...

All other comments on here are opinion, other than those that present the facts: those facts, to repeat again, are that all the experts, from every major auto. publication, STILL rate Japanese automobiles as the most reliable. That's something you domestic owners can't talk your way around, and that's the facts. Refusing to believe it or arguing against it doesn't change anything. Japanese auto's are number ONE in reliability.

5th Feb 2009, 23:10

Having owned 4 Ford trucks and 1 Dodge, and never having spent one penny on repairs on any of them, I doubt that I'll be gambling on a foreign company that has never built trucks before for a dependable work truck or personal vehicle.

Incidentally, with the January figures, the F-150 is now the top selling truck for twenty-EIGHT years in a row. Nissan tried to compete with the world's best truck with the pathetic Titan and failed. Now Toyota has done the same and the Tundra is (thankfully) biting the dust too.

6th Feb 2009, 13:08

"The Tundra bends just driving down the road. Sure."

I guess these photographs and the petitions going around for Toyota to address the problem are just people's imaginations:

http://www.bodyshopzone.com/editorial/about_Toyota/Tundra_quality_problem.html

"All other comments on here are opinion, other than those that present the facts: those facts, to repeat again, are that all the experts, from every major auto. publication, STILL rate Japanese automobiles as the most reliable."

Those same "experts" (Consumer Reports) who had to do an about face with their tails between their legs and renege on their ratings of the Camry and Tundra, and admit that their reliabilities are actually much worse than average, as opposed to their pompous assumptions that they would be better than average. Never mind the fact that all the while, none of their ratings were ever corresponding to the actual real world experience of people outside of their brain washed subscribers, who seem to think Consumer Reports is God's visible organization on Earth, and adjust their evaluations to agree with (and preach) whatever Consumer Reports has trained them to believe.

I do not mean this as an offense to you, but the organization(s) you consider to be "expert," I consider to be a joke.

I have never had any problems with my domestics, but have seen friends of mine with countless very serious problems with their imports, ESPECIALLY TOYOTA's. In science, which is my profession, a theory (e.g., the notion of Toyota's being reliable) is tested by experiment (e.g., real world ownership experience). Experimental results always take precedence over theory. If the experimental results agree with the theory, the theory is validated. If the experimental results disagree with the theory, the theory is considered to be proven wrong.

Based on my real world observations, and that of countless other people on this thread, your "experts," and their theory that Toyota's are reliable, are wrong.

6th Feb 2009, 16:06

"the Tundra is (thankfully) biting the dust too."

Why "thankfully"?

"never having spent one penny on repairs on any of them, I doubt that I'll be gambling on a foreign company that has never built trucks before"

I doubt it too, considering that you find it good news that the Tundra is "biting the dust". Let's face it, this has nothing to do with reliability, capacity, relative inexperience at building trucks, or anything at all that has to do with the vehicle. It's doubtful that you would buy the Tundra even if it walked on water -- carrying 2 tons of bricks in its bed. You just said you were hoping they'd fail... without having owned one.

6th Feb 2009, 16:33

So if no one cares about sales numbers, then who cares what people prefer owing, driving, Consumer Reports etc.

I tend to agree with that direction myself, basing my buying decisions on performance, features, utility, towing, load carrying, ride, handling, warranty, and then did not buy a Tundra. I test drive one after another, especially with the full size truck...

I disagree Toyota has the best. Put loads towing and aforementioned points in your personal test and find out first hand. I could care less what others drive, but I expect them to perform under load not just an empty interstate commute.

If you think people buy new full size trucks with zero applications or just out of habit, it's not so in 2009. The problem on a new full size truck is mainly when it's your own wallet being hit for repairs, not anyone elses. I have a lot of fun because of mine and do not want my free time destroyed languishing in a new dealership with a really crap warranty. I credit most for being wise enough to test drive before they hand over money to buy in 2009.

6th Feb 2009, 16:34

"Additionally, the avg commute here is longer and further than the avg American's. So Toyota and Hondas get used on a much more abusive scale than elsewhere"

Flawed logic. Freeway mileage is far EASIER on vehicles than short hops that don't allow for the engine to warm up or the transmissions to get into top gear as much. Short, in-town commutes are the MOST abusive type of driving one can do. We put 325,000 miles of in-town, red-light to red-light rush hour driving on a Ford. THAT is abusive driving, not cruising along a freeway for 25 miles. It never required any repairs beyond a muffler, starter, catalytic converter and hoses and belts. Our pampered imports never lasted HALF that long.

"Sales don't mean anything. More cheeseburgers are sold than health foods; that doesn't mean they're better..."

Isn't it ironic that when a Japanese car sells well, it is "proof of how good they are", but if a domestic sells well, "Sales don't mean anything". Gee boys and girls, can we say "HYPOCRISY"??