2001 Toyota Highlander Limited from North America - Comments

To 00:13

That's not necessarily true. I compared the resale prices of a few cars in the Oregonian's Drivetime Illustrated.

1. 2005 Mazda 6i: $14995

2. 2005 Honda Accord LX VTEC: $16995

3. 2006 Nissan Altima $14888.

4. 2006 Toyota Camry LE $16988

5. 2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS: $15995.

6. 2005 Chevy Malibu MAXX LS: $16997

7. 2005 Dodge Magnum RT: $28888

8. 2005 Chrysler 300c: $27988

9. 2003 Ford Crown Victoria LX: $12488.

As always, the import buyers are refusing to accept PURCHASE PRICE as the basis for resale value. "Low" resale value is totally irrelevant if you paid a "low" purchase price to begin with. It's the PERCENTAGE of return on the vehicle that matters, NOT the difference between original LIST PRICE and the eventual sales price when it is sold.

My friend bought a brand new Ford Escort for $9300, drove it 4 years and sold it for $6500. That's almost a 70% return on his ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE. The LIST PRICE was much higher (almost twice as much), but HE DIDN'T BUY IT FOR LIST. That is how the myth of higher resale values of imports is perpetuated.

Its always resale on here... where are the true driving enthusiasts? Do they exist? I drove new Toyota cars and trucks and fail to find why you like to drive them. Imagine driving for 3 years being unhappy and trading for another and driving around unhappy with how they drive again... I could ride the bus equally about as boring for $3.00 a day save wear and tear, vehicle insurance and have more money. To me quality is in the driving, handling and performance. If it costs me another grand a year so what... its just cheapening a life experience settling for something that doesn't drive as nice. I am not into the hype... I have to get behind the wheel and have driving proof of my own. I hope others realize this is the only best way as well.

While your comment is exactly what I feel, the reality is that most car buyers do not car about handling or performance. If that was the case, SUVs, Camrys, and other appliance vehicles would never exist. Most people buy cars to get from point A to point B and just think of them as rolling living rooms.

To the 13:33 poster:

Funny you don't mention all the out-of-pocket costs that your friend had to pay to keep his Escort going until he sold it. Escorts were renowned for being unreliable and requiring lots of repairs.

But the only way to really settle this argument would be to look at a third party source, and Intellichoice would seem to be the best. They rate the REAL cost of ownership of vehicles, although I don't think they include out of warranty repairs.

So you are saying that you get excited when you drive your Chevy Malibu or Ford Taurus? I think you are one of those average American car drivers that compares a Mustang V8 to a Camry 1-4. You keep missing the point. They are not competitors at all!!! Compare a Malibu to a Camry or Accord!!! NOT a VIPER or CORVETTE. You wonder why you have so much excitement, because you have not realized you are driving a sports car and not a midsized car. GET REAL!

Your facts seem skewed about resale values. It seems that someone had to change the real facts to make his Malibu a better car than it really is. You have to remember that an Accord LX is a lower down model and in my market a 2005 LX will grab around 18,000 dollars. I have seen maybe a 2003 Accord LX go for about 14,000-15,000 thousand if it has a manual tranny and over 60,000 miles. I have seen the Malibu Maxx being thrown away by dealers for about 12995$. They are desperate to get rid of the inventory plugged with unsold used vehicles.

When you discuss resale by price keep in mind the following...Auctions, cars with any damage of body repairs, running condition mileage etc. I bought mine internet price all cash with lower price. To find out the rue cost of ownership... take the purchase price with taxes, tags and destination and certainly add in all finance charges... then subtract your selling price. You can't pull prices out of the paper... Houses are the same principle. People pay in many cases all settlement charges for the buyer, but all people see is selling prices. Always look at what you paid before what you sell at...

I seldom rush to the defense of import buyers (I've had HORRIBLE experience with imports myself), but in reading comment 13:28 I both agree and disagree. Yes, I like driving cars that have some degree of fun and excitement, which is why I don't drive Toyotas, but there are a great number of people who find them well suited to their needs. An elderly person who isn't concerned with power or performance may enjoy them. My elderly aunt loves her Camry, and since she only drives 5,000 miles a year (or less) reliability is not a concern. Several of our older friends seem to enjoy their Camrys, and likewise drive very few miles a year. As I get older I find myself leaning more toward more comfortable and smoother riding cars like the larger GM cars, but the Camry isn't a bad riding car at all for a smaller car.

As someone who has owned a Highlander, I feel amply qualified to comment regarding them. In February of 2003 we decided to get my wife a new SUV. Her '97 Explorer had gone 89,000 trouble-free miles, but she wanted something newer. A friend insisted we look at the Highlander, due to Toyota's better quality. We drove a beautiful white V-6 and although I wasn't impressed (it was very slow) my wife wanted it. We traded my old Taurus in on it and I inherited the Explorer.

Well, after only a week, my wife was complaining that it was "scary" merging onto the freeway, and the brakes pulled to the right. She also said it was shifting "hard". Well, to make a long story short, this car ended up being taking back to the dealership no less than 8 times, with little good done. After the SECOND time it left a carpool load of kids and my harried wife stranded in traffic, I insisted she take back the Explorer and I'd drive the Highlander for a while. After three months, I was so sick of it I traded it (at a big loss) for a new GMC Envoy in April of 2005. The Envoy is faster (even faster than the old V-8 Explorer), has FAR BETTER build quality, and on a recent vacation averaged an amazing 23 mpg on the highway with the cruise set on the speed limit. The Highlander never got over 20. I have now taken back the Explorer (it now has 156,000 miles with nary a problem) and my wife is thrilled with her far more comfortable, safer, and most importantly RELIABLE Envoy. The next time someone suggests that we look at a Toyota, I'm going to laugh at them.

Mustangs, Corvettes, Vipers and a number of sport trucks by the big 3 are relevant. You routinely hear generalizations bashing the big 3...the fact is a lot of people like sports cars and sport trucks including myself. If you want to identify one model do so, but not all. My family owns and or has owned all of the above and take exception to the comments.

To comment 08:37: There were ZERO out of pocket expenses for my friend's Escort in the time he owned it. He is handicapped and has to have a reliable vehicle. That is why he chose Ford. His previous Ford (a 4-cylinder Mustang) went 186,000 miles with no repairs other than a timing belt, one drive belt and two brake jobs. Driving a reliable car is very important for handicapped people (and mothers who drive carpool. Check out comment 13:04). I owned one of the early Escorts and had not one problem with it. I know people who still drive early 80's Escorts. They are FAR from unreliable vehicles. That was why I recommended the Escort (and previous Mustang) to my handicapped friend.

Oh, you mean that Explorer that holds the record for killing its occupants due to design flaws more than any other vehicle on the road. Guess you skipped over that PBS special.

Just to be clear here. If you are not handicapped you have a choice between unreliable and reliable cars?

I suppose if you're not handicapped you can choose to drive unreliable cars, such as the Highlander, though I can't fathom why anyone would want to. Handicapped drivers have far more concern about being stranded with mechanical problems because they can't get out and work on their vehicle or walk somewhere for help. Of course with cell phones it is not as big an issue as it once was.