16th Apr 2009, 13:54
"I own a full size new pickup, but no matter what I do it's a truck. What I tow with it is what makes its ownership worthwhile."
This is a great point. Year before last when we were on vacation in the mountains we were stuck for a while behind a Toyota Tundra that had overheated trying to tow a modest little travel trailer up the mountain. Not only did our GMC zip up the mountain as if it were coasting downhill, but on the entire 1000+ mile trip we averaged closed to 20mpg. Larger domestic vehicles have the edge in both power and utility over flimsily built Japanese vehicles. Toyota is good at making little flimsy economy cars. They should stick to something they are good at and not try to compete with proven success in full-sized vehicles.
16th Apr 2009, 11:21
"The most valuable vehicle is one that you really enjoy, love driving and gives you the best quality of life."
Agreed. But that will mean different things to different people. Some people want the newest, latest fashioned, fastest, most expensive car money can buy because they like the attention and exclusivity of their cars.
Then there's people like me. I want a vehicle that runs for a very long time and do so reliably so as to not hinder my financial situation on the road to retirement. Additionally, the older my vehicles get, the more proud I get. I take great pride in keeping my now aged vehicles looking new. Believe it or not I get compliments on how good they look for their age. I also take pride in the fact that they run flawlessly despite the high mileage. So for me the pride in ownership is perhaps different from someone else's.
There's no problem with buying new cars frequently or keeping them forever just the same as there's also no problem buying small or large trucks. Neither type of vehicle will fulfill everyone's idea of what is perfect.