2007 Toyota Camry CE from North America - Off Topic Comments

Uhhh...so just when is the domestic poster supposed to start having "more problems with a domestic than a Camry" with his 270,000 mile Buick?? At a MILLION miles???

<<BTW, as far as I know, we haven't even had the Ford Focus for 10 years have we?>.

The Ford Focus we have in America debuted in Europe in 1997, and then in America three years later. Not even Mercedes or BMW (makers previously known for long product cycles) kept a car in production that long.

<<21:32...try 20 years ago Grand National. You cannot have it both ways... comment negatively on a Buick when someone contradicts then say Toyota only. Toyotas are boring... maybe 2009 when the new concept Supra replacement hits mid thirties price range. Until then theres nothing fun to drive in my opinion. Just basic boring transportation from Toyota. We deserve better and I will look at that new model if it becomes avail.>.

What are you talking about? The MAJORITY of car buyers want boring cars. Why do you think Toyota sells 400K Camrys a year?

I am not in that category, but then I'm not the average car buyer. But to say "we deserve better" means you do not understand how cars are sold.

The 270,000 is probably grossly exaggerated, and if it isn't then it's a rarity for any car that's not an import. Toyota's do this every day. Anyone that wants to keep a car for that long and buys a Toyota can do so 99% of the time. With Big 3 stuff, you might get 170,000, maybe a little more if it's a fleet vehicle and piles on a lot of miles in a short time frame. I've seen a lot of Dodge's get into the 200,000 range, but not so with a Ford or Chevy, they don't last that long MOST of the time. No need for someone else to write in and tell us how their Buick has 600,000 miles on the original tires or something else ridiculous. If you're not severely distorting the facts, then your vehicle is a lucky exception to the rule.

<<Uhhh...so just when is the domestic poster supposed to start having "more problems with a domestic than a Camry" with his 270,000 mile Buick?? At a MILLION miles???>.

Uhhh... so just why are the Big Three in such financial trouble - because all their cars are so flawless?

These one-off examples are just typical of the way American manufacturers have always been. A car built on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday has a better chance of being reliable than one built ona weekend, Monday or Friday. But the MAJORITY of the cars are bad.

Want proof? Here in California cars don't rust, so theoretically you would see MORE old domestics running around than anything else. Yet the opposite is true, and I see 30 and 40 year old imports still buzzing by.

Now how to do you explain this, especially given California is by far THE largest car market in the country?

I mean, why would any Californian even consider an import if the domestic makers have this long, long history of building extreme quality cars that last forever?

Oh, and before you start saying how unAmerican Californians are, remember that the largest seller of communist goods in the world is Arkansas-based Wal-Mart.

"The 270,000 is probably grossly exaggerated, and if it isn't then it's a rarity for any car that's not an import. Toyota's do this every day. Anyone that wants to keep a car for that long and buys a Toyota can do so 99% of the time. "

If you think that guy is grossly exaggerating, then surely you will think I'm a lowdown liar. Check out these domestic cars and mileages from my immediate family:

1977 Dodge Van 100, 220,000 miles

1983 Chevy Cavalier, 208,000 miles

1984 Plymouth Reliant, 225,000 miles

1985 Dodge Ramcharger, 255,000 miles

1989 Chevy Van 20, 190,000 miles

1990 Pontiac 6000, 215,000 miles

1994 Cadillac STS, 170,000 miles

1997 Mercury Topaz, 165,000 miles.

Drat those grossly unreliable American cars! Do you really think that so many different kinds of vehicles, from three different decades, can all be flukes built on Tuesday?

"and I see 30 and 40 year old imports still buzzing by."

Now it is you who are stating the exception. Where did you see these 1967 Hondas and Toyotas? Maybe you've seen a handful of VW Beetles, but Toyota hardly had a presence prior to the early 1970's. In California, I know you will see more 40-year-old Mustangs than 40-year-old Toyotas. At least you admit that the imports will have rusted away.

Will no one answer my question? Why are you guys that drive that domestic junk commenting here on a Toyota site? They're junk, no matter how much you like them, this thread is for people who buy quality cars such as a Camry. Who cares about an '83 Cavalier with 200,000 miles? It must have taken parts from at least 6 other Cavaliers in the graveyard to make that happen. Let me guess; it never had any major work done, right. Yeah, when pigs fly. But seriously, why post a list of older, junk domestic cars that were scrap to begin with? You're not going to convince any Toyota owner that I ever met that your list of junk cars are half as good as a Camry or any other import. WHY are you not writing that crap on a Cavalier thread? Tell me.

Really the kind of cars you see depend on were you live.

I live in the South and so you see more domestic cars than anything. You also see a lot of trucks. If you live in a city you may see cars common to a certain area. Were I live in one part of the city you see a lot of Volvos, BMWs or Hondas, in another part of the city you see more domestic cars, buicks fords, and chevey's. Then in another part of the city you tend to see more trucks and suv's (mainly chevey and fords) and sports cars. You do not see a lot of fast and furious looking cars around. Most of the sports cars you see are mustangs. a lot of the younger people tend to drive honda's and you see them all around. You also see toyota's all around mostly the 90's models not the 2000's models. (I'm not saying thier everywhere in mass I mean they're evenly spread and I'm not saying their bad cars. I had to clarify this for domestic and import bashers). What I'm trying to say in short is that the cars you see most of the time is a matter of taste and practicability. I doubt there are a lot of f-150's in NYC for instance.

What I don't understand after reading all these comments is why the American car companies are in such financial trouble if their products are so dependable.

Anyone care to comment?

"What I don't understand after reading all these comments is why the American car companies are in such financial trouble if their products are so dependable.

Anyone care to comment?"

This is because of the union pay situation that took place many years ago, and is now only ended. If you look at the new line of GM vehicles, the quality is much improved over recent years affected by the union pay. Because they don't have to deal with it anymore, they can afford the new re-designing and to use higher quality materials. I believe Ford's contract ended sometime in 2005, hence the new re-designs, and updates year to year. I have siad this once and I will say it again, once people begin to realize that the superior quality of the Domestic vehicles has returned, they will begin to buy them again. In no time the Domestic's will be out of debt, and back in business, because of the pure profit they will be making off their vehicles. It may be a fairly time consuming process, but it will happen.

Even though their recent quality has dropped, it does NOT make them junk. I feel that they always have been, and always will be, superior to the imports. In these past years the margin may have thinned some, but because of Toyota's recent decline in quality and the Domestic's incline in quality, that margin will soon return to its former glory.

Wow, 109 comments and I about forgot that the Camry is the car we are commenting about here. My, My, how we lose track when we debate insignificant differences...

"Toyota is the best auto manufacturer on the planet. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong."

AHEM HEM HEM AHEM, excuse me?

-Because they don't have to deal with it anymore, they can afford the new re-designing and to use higher quality materials.-

This makes no sense. ALL union contracts for ALL three automakers are in full force. GM is still paying something like $1,600 PER vehicle in union costs.

But you are right in that this next round of union talks over the next few years will radically alter the landscape.

What is ultimately going to happen, as outlined by GM in January, is that virtually everything will be offshored, with only minor functions (marketing, etc.) staying in America.

Paying some Czech or Chinese worker $300 a month vs. $5,000+ a month for an American worker is far too tempting for the big three.

<<"Toyota is the best auto manufacturer on the planet. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong."

AHEM HEM HEM AHEM, excuse me?>.

Well, like it or not, Toyota has a market cap greater than the big three combined, generates more money than any other car maker (although Porsche is the most profitable car maker), revolutinized the car world with its hybrids (that the big three outright dismissed as folly), and is expanding at a rapid rate while the big three are contracting.

By definition, Toyota is the best car manufacturer on the planet.

Do they make the "best" cars and trucks? That is up to opinion and personal taste. I love the Scion xB, but everything else is uninteresting.