31st May 2012, 09:46
I see that the "ad hype" comment strikes again.
I do not own a Toyota (never have); in fact both of my vehicles are domestics, however I find the constant attacks on Toyota & imports tiresome.
As for your opinion of most car buyers, I guess that depends on what your definition of "clueless" is. Based on your comments, my guess is your definition of "clueless" is anybody who disagrees with your opinion.
My experience (and I've owned about 30 cars, both imports & domestics over 40 years) is that there is not a big difference between imports & domestics - in fact most vehicles are more or less "Global" nowadays anyway.
31st May 2012, 16:49
I, like many others, go by actual experience and not ratings. So far for me domestics were better.
31st May 2012, 20:28
The Toyota Camry gets an "average" rating from Consumer Reports. The Ford Fusion gets a "much better than average" reliability rating. Just setting the record straight. You can't rely on ad hype.
1st Jun 2012, 11:44
Doesn't matter either way. The Camry was and still is the standard that most automakers strive to achieve, simply because the cars are simply that good. So good that people almost find them boring, since all they do is run for years and years reliably, with very few if any problems.
The fact that I see many, many Camrys that are over 20 years old being driven as daily commuter cars - some pushing over 300,000+ miles, is more or less proof of this. Every single Camry we ever owned was exactly the same... again - nearly flawless and almost to the point of being boring. We just changed the oil, and other stuff like air filters and spark plugs if we got around to it.
People can try and bend the story and make attempts to make people think that a top-notch, high quality automaker like Toyota has somehow pulled the wool over everyone's eyes by fooling them into "thinking" their products are that good, when in fact the story here is and has always been that people tend to be repeat buyers from a company that gives them good service. Toyota won that loyalty not from building crappy cars. They did it with plain, old-fashioned hard work and dedication to engineering.
Their products are good, that reputation was hard-earned, and that's not about to change.
1st Jun 2012, 21:01
My parents purchased a Corolla in 2011. It already has 12000 miles on it. It is a GREAT little car that is getting 35 MPG.
My Solara, which is a 1999, will not die. It has 230000 miles and runs perfect.
I plan to buy a Corolla when the Solara does die.
4th Jun 2012, 22:14
"Top-notch, high quality auto makers" don't generally hold the title of "World's Most Recalled Automobile". Toyota has recalled more cars than some manufacturers have built in their entire history. That is "quality?" Sorry. Not in my book.
5th Jun 2012, 10:37
The Big three most definitely had millions upon millions of recalls for decades on end, and all the while produced inferior, unreliable products, while Toyota and Honda quietly built up a roster of satisfied customers by building reliable cars.
Interesting the intense interest in pointing out Toyota's recalls - yet another attempt to try and find something wrong with them, to once again try and disprove a known fact - that they build better products to start with.
5th Jun 2012, 12:32
I lost count how many times our 2007 Camry was brought back to the dealer for a recall.
5th Jun 2012, 22:40
One of my clients today asked for a recommendation of a car to replace his unsafe and unreliable 2009 Corolla. I recommended either the Hyundai Elantra or Ford Focus, both of which are ranked way higher than Corolla in every comparison test. I have no idea what anyone sees in the bland and unsophisticated Corolla. The thing still has a FOUR SPEED automatic even!
6th Jun 2012, 11:15
I had a buddy one time come in and ask what sort of car I would recommend, and I told em' he ought to buy a Corolla or Camry... much better than any of the bland and otherwise not-as-reliable models from the big three...
6th Jun 2012, 11:28
What is it with your hate for Toyota products?
Do you "flip-off" Toyota drivers on the road?
Get a hobby & learn to relax, people have a RIGHT to buy any vehicle they choose, and just because you don't like them, doesn't mean others can't.
Personally I drive domestics, however I would probably buy a Corolla or a Civic over a Focus if I were in the market for an A to B economy car (which I'm not).
By the way, while you're bashing Toyota and touting Ford, take a look at Ford's recall numbers - they have had more than a few themselves.
6th Jun 2012, 16:55
For well over the past three decades, family members and myself have owned a handful of Buicks and an Olds, that all went way beyond the 100k mark without major problems.
My old 84 Grand Prix made it to 210k before the motor showed any signs of fatigue.
Recently my brother traded in a 2002 Caravan at 180k that he beat the hell out of; again, no major issues of any kind.
Right now in the family there is an 2003 Park Avenue, 2007 Ford Edge and 2005 Buick Rainer, all surpassing 100k with ease, not to mention my current 16 year old Town Car, prancing along with 165k, and it runs like new.
Yep, you just gotta love those "inferior", "unreliable" cars that the "Big 3" produce! (Me and the millions of people who buy still buy them)
7th Jun 2012, 10:03
Nobody is arguing that the domestic automakers can't build reliable products. This topic comes up again and again, because there are the exact same comments being made over and over again, that "imports" are bad or whatnot, with hardly any real concrete evidence or facts. Sure - We've had a few domestic brands in our family that also made it beyond 100k, but on the other hand, every single Toyota we've owned made it well beyond 150k, and most beyond 200k without issue.
7th Jun 2012, 15:59
Until a Grand Jury forced Toyota to recall millions of cars, Japanese car makers refused to issue recalls in most cases, while domestics recalled cars for even the most minor problems.
I've had a Ford recalled at 105,000 miles for a defective interior trim piece that MIGHT warp due to exposure to the Sun (it hadn't). Can you even imagine a Japanese company recalling a car for such a minor issue? They have to be forced by a court to recall their cars when they are killing innocent drivers and passengers.
31st May 2012, 09:20
On the other hand, buying a car from one of the top-rated automakers in the world is also a not half-bad idea, seeing as how Toyota is still ahead reliability-wise of any of the domestic automakers...