Comments: 1-15, 16-17
I've owned four Toyota's each of them reliable and well built. One of these was a 1985 four cylinder Camry which, in my mind, was the best.
This car was a pleasure to drive regardless of road or weather conditions. Fuel efficiency was excellent and performance was more than adequate. This was one of the best cars I've owned.
I traded the Camry in on a 1989 rear wheel drive Cressida which came equipped with Toyota's in-line six. Granted this was a nice car in it's day, but it suffered some mechanical faults that ultimately lead me to reconsider other makes. This car was Toyota's flag ship model, but the Camry was superior when it came to performance and reliability. My Cressida ownership experience was less than what I expected from Toyota.
I traded the Cressida in on a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville equipped with GM's 3.8 V6. Yes, I was a bit leery about GM's perceived level of quality and reliability but this car surprised me. I bought the Pontiac because it was less expensive than a comparably equipped Camry. It was a tough decision, but one that worked out well.
I did not trade the Bonneville, my wife liked the car and ultimately took it on as her own. She kept it until 2002 and put over 300k on it. This honestly was a very good car.
Since the Bonneville, I've owned a Tercel (commuter vehicle), a Kia Sedona and now a Pontiac SV6. The Tercel was a great little car and one that I would recommend to anyone. It suited the purpose at the time although it was a little small.
My next vehicle was a 2002 Kia Sedona, not a good choice. Extremely expensive to maintain and little if any resale value. No comparison to Toyota whatsoever.
The SV6 was much less expensive than Toyota's offering and as well, I've read a few less than complimentary reviews on the Sienna. I bought a Pontiac again because of my ownership experience with the Bonneville. Time will tell. I liked the Sienna, but the price difference was just too much to ignore. Toyota does have an excellent reputation, but I can't see the price difference. The cost of ownership is not as feasible as you might think and Toyota's quality isn't what it once was.
Goodness, what a wonderful group of comments here! I will admit that I am a V-8 loving fool, muscle rules! They are fun, but I drive on gas @ $3/gallon...so, Now I drive a '96 Chevy S-10 Blazer, huge V-6, 20 mpg. I work out of my truck so it is full of tools. The Blazer only has 271,000 miles on it, I have replaced the trans @ 218,000 miles. I owned a '78 Toyota p-up, 20R, 4-spd & 4.11 gears. Good truck, but without an overdrive it ran the valves out of the head at only 125,000 miles, I rebuilt the head and sold it due to a child on the way. It ran well many more years. I had a 2000 Chevy Imp, only replaced the heater core and tie rod ends, sold it @ 134,000 miles. It had the most impressive factory brakes I have ever owned. Now own a '96 Intrepid, it is bigger than the Imp, quicker get-up and good seats, but less mpg and pitiful bushings through out the car. I have replaced most, but have eight that needs replacing now. It has 124,000 miles on it. O.K. my favorite! 1975 Chevy C-10, 4 X 4, 350 V-8 @ 350HP/400tq, 3 spd manuel trans, power steering and brakes. It has NO A/C, radio, ride or handling, gets 9 mpg, but will pull a house down. It does get good mpg as long as it is in the driveway, not running! The speedo was broken when the last owner bought the truck, it was showing 140,000 then. That was 1982, I have no idea how many miles it has on it!