Why would anyone buy a Toyota?

[ragajungle]

People buy Toyotas because in most places they have a reputation for being far more reliable than domestics. I can't really comment on the quality of their trucks because I've never had a Toyota truck, but from my understanding it's at least as good as the S-10 I had which is pretty good. Their cars are dead reliable. My wife's Toyota has 135k miles on it and runs like it has 35k miles on it. It is by far the most reliable car I've owned.

I hear you on the value for your money front, but if that's all that matters you would (and I would) be driving a Dodge Dakota instead of a Ranger. When I was looking to buy a used truck my short list was:
1. 2005 Toyota Tacoma, the only manual one I could find was going for $22k which I felt was way to much, somebody bought it anyways.
2. 2003 Ford Ranger, the one I bought, $11k
3. 2003 Dodge Dakota, extended cab, 4x4, 4.7L V8, same miles as my Ranger $8k

It's a matter of preference. some people will pay more to get something they want more. The Dodge Dakotas ride real nice but I was scared off by Dodge's reputation for reliability.

Not to start a fight, as Toyota Does make a good car, but elsewhere in the world Yota is crap. Ask any mechanic in Australia, the UK, or pretty much anywhere. They sell more cars here because they spend a lot of money on ad campaigns. My mom and I had a running bet that my Taurus would last longer than her Camry and you know what? it did. The I-4 motor in her car seized a bearing at 130K miles (2002 model year) mine was an 01 Taurus 3.0L vulcan v6 - still on the road. I paid less money for mine and got all the options and she had no options and plastic hub caps. And now that they have been uncovered for the crappy engineering they are spending even more $ on ads.

FYI - google Toyota oil gelling / class action lawsuit /

AND for some reason the damn parts on a yota are astoundingly costly - did full brakes o camry -rotos, pads, shoes, calipers, and it cost $200 more than when did taurus???

I would drive a toyota yes, but will i spend $3000 more on a cars whose headquarters are off shore? Nope. I would rather feed the secretaries at Fords HQ.

 

[gribly]

How much were you expecting for an extended cab automatic pickup? Doesn't sound bad to me.

My father used to drive a '97 Tacoma 4cyl manual, extended cab on 31's, and it got 24mpg. Then it snapped the frame so he bought a Level II to replace it.

 

[press 1 for english]

I don't know what you are talking about. My wife and I drove a new 2010
4wd Ranger Super cab at our local Ford dealership last thursday and It was crap compared to the 4wd V6 Tocoma. Here is what we did last Friday afternoon... My wife and I went with my buddy to pick up his 2010 Tacoma 4 door v6 4wd last Friday. He paid $25,00 for it. It is such a nice ridding truck. I really liked driving it. My wife and I took it out for a day to Busch Gardens in Tampa and then to supper. I liked it real bad. But....I want a new SUV with a hatch back and I am going to keep my 99 Ranger. We will give my niece our 02 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4wd and she will use that for collage. We have an 03 Corolla we really like with 48,00 miles on it.

This was on his sticker: Fully loaded power everything

2010 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab, V6 Automatic 4-Door 4WD Pickup
Destination Fee $810
Options $0
Total $26,460* Price does not include advertising or applicable.

Sounds to me like your bias is getting in the way. I was comparing 4x2 trucks and not 4x4s.
When I get in a truck "feel of the road" in the steering wheel is important and the toyo and Ford were equal.......brakes were equal........the both rode busy but that is expected in a truck. Remember Ford will always have $3000 to $4000 rebates and deep factory to dealer discounts to boot.
Since my nephew is 18 a major goal was how cheap to keep and Toyota doesn't even come close to the Ranger in complete cost of ownership.
The Toyota V6 and 4.0 Rangers are gas hogs and for a young person commuting to and from school that would be a poor choice that you have to live with once you drive off the lot.
Sure some people think the sun rises and sets on Toyota and nothing will change the deep biases that some have.
I agree with rajajungle in that I would rather buy American than from another country.
My late Grandfather served in WW II and he would be turning in his grave if he knew I even thought about buying my nephew an asian truck.

 

[press 1 for english]

Not to start a fight, as Toyota Does make a good car, but elsewhere in the world Yota is crap. Ask any mechanic in Australia, the UK, or pretty much anywhere. They sell more cars here because they spend a lot of money on ad campaigns. My mom and I had a running bet that my Taurus would last longer than her Camry and you know what? it did. The I-4 motor in her car seized a bearing at 130K miles (2002 model year) mine was an 01 Taurus 3.0L vulcan v6 - still on the road. I paid less money for mine and got all the options and she had no options and plastic hub caps. And now that they have been uncovered for the crappy engineering they are spending even more $ on ads.

FYI - google Toyota oil gelling / class action lawsuit /

AND for some reason the damn parts on a yota are astoundingly costly - did full brakes o camry -rotos, pads, shoes, calipers, and it cost $200 more than when did taurus???

I would drive a toyota yes, but will i spend $3000 more on a cars whose headquarters are off shore? Nope. I would rather feed the secretaries at Fords HQ.

oil gelling? WTF?

 

[adsm08]

I know someone who bought a yota recently. She is a bit suicidal.

My grandparents just bought one too, but gramps is a service driver for a Lexus dealer and gets a pretty steep discount on yota products.

 

[exbass94]

oil gelling? WTF?

Google "Toyota sludge". It's a very well-known problem for certain Toyota engines.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/car-maintenance/engine-sludge/overview/index.htm

In a related case, Toyota settled a class-action engine-sludge suit in 2007 that covered an estimated 2.5-million Toyota and Lexus vehicles made between 1997 and 2002. In that case, Toyota agreed to repair sludged engines for up to eight years from the time of purchase

 

[darkspork]

Not to start a fight, as Toyota Does make a good car, but elsewhere in the world Yota is crap. Ask any mechanic in Australia, the UK, or pretty much anywhere. They sell more cars here because they spend a lot of money on ad campaigns. My mom and I had a running bet that my Taurus would last longer than her Camry and you know what? it did. The I-4 motor in her car seized a bearing at 130K miles (2002 model year) mine was an 01 Taurus 3.0L vulcan v6 - still on the road. I paid less money for mine and got all the options and she had no options and plastic hub caps. And now that they have been uncovered for the crappy engineering they are spending even more $ on ads.

FYI - google Toyota oil gelling / class action lawsuit /

AND for some reason the damn parts on a yota are astoundingly costly - did full brakes o camry -rotos, pads, shoes, calipers, and it cost $200 more than when did taurus???

I would drive a toyota yes, but will i spend $3000 more on a cars whose headquarters are off shore? Nope. I would rather feed the secretaries at Fords HQ.

I don't really want to argue with your Toyota expertise but it seems that there are people from the UK that think Toyotas are reliable http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVkedyQZfwQ (you've probably seen this video, it's several failed attempts to kill a Toyota Hilux).

I'm aware of the oil issues that some of Toyota's 3.0L v6 engines had, but it's a rare occurrence and the other 99% of those 3.0L v6 engines can (and have) gone 300k+ miles with standard maintenance. I've never owned one of the 2.4L I4 toyotas but they have a pretty good track record as well. In terms of cost of parts, a lot of the Taurus parts (and the Taurus itself) is made in Mexico, that will bring the price down. Most Toyotas sold in the US are made in the US or Japan, that will bring the price up. I think you got incredibly lucky with your Taurus, my dad had an Aerostar with a 3.0 and the engine was a piece of junk (never driven hard but needed 2 new engines, one before 100k miles and the second at 145k miles).

I don't know if Toyota's newer cars are as reliable as they used to be, my understanding is that Ford reliability ratings are about even with Toyota's at this point which means Fords have become better or Toyotas have become worse (probably both).

Vehicle reliability seems to be more based on these factors than brand:
1. Build quality/craftsmanship
2. Maintenance
3. Not being hard on the vehicle (drive like a granny, don't race it)
4. Avoid first year models (including redesigns)
5. Least complex

Honda and Toyota have spent more money recently on advertisement, but built their reputation on reliable vehicles.

 

[TheTopher]

I had wanted a Toyota when I was first looking at trucks. I was looking at them because I liked the looks and and Toyota's reputation. Then I came to find out that Toyota has been going downhill ever since they started a joint venture with GM and got infected with their crappy car syndrome. Which didn't bother me that much since I had wanted an older one anyway. After a little more research I discovered that I can buy a Ranger that's just as reliable, from a company in my own country and costs half as much. Guess what I drive now?


The answer to your question, "Why would anybody buy a Toyota?" The answer is simple. Ignorance.

 

[darkspork]

I had wanted a Toyota when I was first looking at trucks. I was looking at them because I liked the looks and and Toyota's reputation. Then I came to find out that Toyota has been going downhill ever since they started a joint venture with GM and got infected with their crappy car syndrome. Which didn't bother me that much since I had wanted an older one anyway. After a little more research I discovered that I can buy a Ranger that's just as reliable, from a company in my own country and costs half as much. Guess what I drive now?


The answer to your question, "Why would anybody buy a Toyota?" The answer is simple. Ignorance.

Ford Ranger: Built in St. Paul, MN
Toyota Tacoma: Until 2010 built in Fremont, CA. For 2011 onward built in San Antonio, TX alongside the Tundra
Three different parts of the same country, take your pick.

I'm not bashing the Ranger, I really like it and wouldn't replace it with any other truck, but there's no need to bash Toyota.

 

[TheTopher]

Ford Ranger: Built in St. Paul, MN
Toyota Tacoma: Until 2010 built in Fremont, CA. For 2011 onward built in San Antonio, TX alongside the Tundra
Three different parts of the same country, take your pick.

I'm not bashing the Ranger, I really like it and wouldn't replace it with any other truck, but there's no need to bash Toyota.

I'm well aware that the new Tacomas are built in America, except the beds which if I remember right are made in mexico. I said a company from my country. Toyota is still an asian company as far as I'm concerned.

They used to be some of the best trucks you could buy.

My point is Toyota trucks have gone downhill since the 90s, even though they were still pretty decent trucks 'til 2004, all the while the Ranger has stayed a great truck, and is less expensive all the way around.



I stand by my previous statement.

 

[OilPatch197]

Much of Ford is UNION. Toyota is much NON-UNION, that tells you something about how they treat the Employees.

 

[darkspork]

Much of Ford is UNION. Toyota is much NON-UNION, that tells you something about how they treat the Employees.

Much of Ford that is built in the US is union, the rest is built in Mexico. Toyota had many plants that were union. The one that closed in Fremont was union. To each his/her own.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

Google "Toyota sludge". It's a very well-known problem for certain Toyota engines.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/car-maintenance/engine-sludge/overview/index.htm

i saw a 01 camry with lots of that. and seems like the 97 tercel i had had that issue too.

and yes the parts for them were as expensive as the parts for my Ranger are now. but im using only motorcraft parts and with the yota i had some originals and some other brands. i hated that.

 

[OilPatch197]

Much of Ford that is built in the US is union, the rest is built in Mexico. Toyota had many plants that were union. The one that closed in Fremont was union. To each his/her own.

I've never owned a Toyota, but I would like to have one. Toyota may not "need" a union, because their workers may be treated fairly, and much better than the sweat-shop Big Three companies treat their employees.

It's all about the Benjamins – it's all about the money. Corporations may say it's fiscally risky to bring in some types of innovations to improve their products or to streamline their systems. They may be more worried about the bottom line of their shareholders and their own investments. Union management is willing to make some accessions in their bargaining positions as long as their cut, their portion of the pie isn't threatened. So who is looking out for whom?

There is something to be said when the UAW launches a "campaign" to Unionize Toyota plants. Toyota workers are not treated like shit.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I have something really witty and profound to say on this topic. I have the power to finally put closure to the toyota vs ford debate, but I'm tired and it's late...... tomorrow.

Frank