2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

00:15 If you'd actually researched anything at all, you wouldn't make a comment like that where every single sentence is either completely baseless opinion, or 100% incorrect on the 'stab in the dark' attempt at facts. I hope that entire comment was made in jest. If it wasn't...wow. That WAS a joke, right?

You know, we can sit here and throw stories around back and forth about who had what truck that blew up, or performed in an 'unacceptable' way, or who heard that such and such said that their Silverado/Tundra/F-150 was the best truck since sliced bread all day long. That's not exactly productive or conducive.

As for myself, I wonder why there are so many super pro-domestic people on here who are trying their best to try and convince us of how BAD Toyota trucks are, how that their reliability is a big fat lie, and that we're just arrogant and full of ourselves for possibly believing that we could actually be very happy with our trucks. All I know is that I've driven the exact same Toyota truck for 12 years, with no problems, and with no signs of wear, tear, or mechanical failure past 200,000 miles. In fact, I just waxed, washed, and cleaned her up yesterday and guess what? It still looks brand-spanking new. Ask me. Ask my neighbor. Ask my family. Ask the vast majority of the Toyota truck owners out there just how many problems they have/had. Then try to convince them that they were really wrong and that the fact that their truck just keeps right on running flawlessly is a giant fib and conspiracy theory. "Those darned Japanese trucks- how come they keep on running forever?!- it's because they don't know how to make a truck!

Ya... whatever...

PS: Yes- I did go look at the new Silverados at my local dealership on Saturday. Seeing as how several BRAND NEW trucks already had small dents in the bed does not impress me.

I think you would be a.

"In the past year and half I have had to replace one tail light bulb on my late model Silverado...that's it. I drive a lot and have saved vs. import repairs."

Some of these comments are somewhat hilarious. First of all, the import repairs, which many still equate with our-of-date 1970's terms are inaccurate. I've repaired both foreign and domestic brands and believe it or not, they actually cost just about the same, which isn't surprising given the fact that both domestic and import brands now use foreign and domestic parts. Secondly... WHAT import repairs?

"As for myself, I wonder why there are so many super pro-domestic people on here who are trying their best to try and convince us of how BAD Toyota trucks are, how that their reliability is a big fat lie, and that we're just arrogant and full of ourselves for possibly believing that we could actually be very happy with our trucks. All I know is that I've driven the exact same Toyota truck for 12 years, with no problems, and with no signs of wear, tear, or mechanical failure past 200,000 miles. In fact, I just waxed, washed, and cleaned her up yesterday and guess what? It still looks brand-spanking new. Ask me. Ask my neighbor. Ask my family. Ask the vast majority of the Toyota truck owners out there just how many problems they have/had. Then try to convince them that they were really wrong and that the fact that their truck just keeps right on running flawlessly is a giant fib and conspiracy theory. "Those darned Japanese trucks- how come they keep on running forever?!- it's because they don't know how to make a truck"

It seems interesting that someone could take your comment and re-write it using domestic vehicles and have it turn out the same. And have it be true. As you said, Then try to convince them that they were really wrong and that the fact that their truck just keeps right on running flawlessly is a giant fib and conspiracy theory.

Have you ever stopped to think that much of what you say mirrors domestic owner experiences?

I suppose that if I were to say,

As for myself, I wonder why there are so many super anti-domestic people on here who are trying their best to try and convince us of how BAD domestic trucks are, how that their reliability is a big fat lie, and that we're just arrogant and full of ourselves for possibly believing that we could actually be very happy with our trucks. All I know is that I've driven the exact same Suburban truck for 12 years, with no problems, and with no signs of wear, tear, or mechanical failure past 200,000 miles. In fact, I just waxed, washed, and cleaned her up yesterday and guess what? It still looks brand-spanking new. Ask me. Ask my neighbor. Ask my family. Ask the vast majority of the domestic truck owners out there just how many problems they have/had. Then try to convince them that they were really wrong and that the fact that their truck just keeps right on running flawlessly is a giant fib and conspiracy theory. "Those darned domestic trucks- how come they keep on running forever?!- it's because they don't know how to make a truck," you would say I was hallucinating. So, we both have had identical experiences with our vehicles, but mines a Ford, therefore I'm insane and wrong. I suppose that all those "domestic trucks with over 300,000 miles on them" are lies or extreme exaggerations and that all the "Toyota horror stories" are as well?

Well, wake up buddy, because the situation definitely is NOT what you think.

23:30 Exactly my point of view as an import owner. "Ask any domestic truck owner how many problems they've had". Well, I have, and just about all of them have many problems; and serious ones usually, like Chevy's with bad head gaskets, and Dodge's and Ford's with bad transmissions. Seems the only place a Chevy Suburban will go to 250,000 miles is in someones imagination, or in an anonymous forum in print. And thanks for driving that rattling, gas guzzling GM marvel, by the way. What does it cost you to fill that tank up? I'll stick to something reasonable that actually WILL go 200,000 with no trouble and keep my Tacoma.

We who drive Toyotas are not anti-domestic. We're simply car and truck owners who have little if any reason to complain about what we own or have reason enough to switch to another brand, especially brands that have without a doubt not had as good a track record. Yes- My family has had a large number of domestic vehicles: 1994 Ford f-250, 1989 Buick Regal, 1995 Ford Ranger, 1987 Ford f-150, 1988 Grand Marquis (we were Ford people for decades), 1976 Ford F-150, and we even had a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra. I can honestly say that out of all those cars, only the Grand Marquis was relatively trouble-free, and I attribute that mostly to the fact that it was hardly ever driven since it was Grandma's 'Sunday car". ALL of the others had premature mechanical problems even before the 100k mark. We're talking serious problems too, like coolant and transmission leaks, failing AC systems, failing transmission synchronizers, electrical problems (the Buick in particular) and a tendency to simply start wearing out at an accelerated rate.

Now, that is not to say that every single domestic vehicle I've ever seen was garbage. I distinctly remember a co-worker of mine who drove a 1989 Dodge Caravan that had over 300,000 miles on the engine. It burned through a quart of oil per day and had a wrecked interior, but amazingly, it still ran. A co-worker I have now drives a 1992 GMC Jimmy with 250,000 miles. The truck is basically done and has had the rear end replaced along with a laundry list of other parts like the fuel and water pump, the transmission, and three sagging door hinges.

Ultimately, it is all about reliability on a... reliable basis. Do I doubt that there are indeed a few miracle Fords out there that defy the reliability rankings and make it past the 3,4, or even 500k mark? Sure there are. I'm also certain that there's a few Yugos floating around with 200k on the odometer-the owners bursting with pride over how their supposedly poorly made car defied the obvious. But in the case of Toyota and Honda, You can't say that these brands have not had a consistent, even excellent track record for producing incredibly reliable cars.

The funny thing is that the stance of many of the pro-domestic people on this board seems to be more like a: " ha ha- MY Ford/Chevy is still running!"- as if to say that yes, they realize that their beloved brand's negative rankings was well-earned from years of slipshod engineering and penny-pinching, but not THEIR car... why their car defies the typical norms for such vehicles, and therefor must be some sort of miracle. Yes- a miracle. They seemed surprised themselves that indeed- the car or truck that they own which are usually plagued with mechanical problems has beat the odds. So here they are to prove us how wrong we are.

But by by sheer magnitude, the overwhelming majority of us who own Toyotas and Hondas naturally expect our vehicles to keep right on running trouble-free for sometimes decades. The fact that they do so isn't anything to neccesarily be surprised about. Our vehicles have a tendency to be extremely reliable. In our case, it isn't a matter of holding out a few exceptions. It is expected and commonplace.

I could take a chance and actually buy a domestic brand vehicle. In fact, the thought had crossed my mind a number of times. I actually liked the Chevy Malibu Max station wagon. It seemed like a good car for the money. But after reading an awful lot of reviews where the owners found water leaks trickling down the B pillars along with clunking sounds from the front suspension made me have second thoughts. The hit-and-miss factor is what keeps people like me from having any kind of trust in buying a domestic brand. Why? Because who knows- you might get one of the GOOD ones and be as happy as a clam, having bought a domestic car with all the goodies for a good price and have something reliable. Or you could be the person who bought a Chevy Silverado and have the same experience that one of the reviewers on this site had, which is that the truck shifts down to third anytime he pulls anything.

So at this point, do I trust domestic brands? The answer is more so than I did even 5 years ago. The second question is do I trust them enough to put down my hard earned money and hope that I get a decent car or truck that will be as dependable as my Toyota? Not a chance.

Again- I and many others are NOT anti-domestic. Instead, we want the same quality and trust that we put into our current vehicles that have given us no reason to complain or at this point switch. That's about as simple as it gets.

To quote what I found online...

"The bad news just doesn't seem to end for the new Toyota Tundra. Latest word from AN (via PickupTruck.com) is that there have been 20 reports of the new 5.7L engine with camshaft failures. The problem appears to have been a metallurgical defect in the casting according to a Toyota spokesman. More important is that it has been corrected.

Now 20 bad engines out of 30,000 or so doesn't seem like much (.067%), but add that to the recent so-so safety ratings, and you could say that we have trouble right here in River City. We know of 20 engines that are affected, but how many more might also be affected? This could easily mushroom into a public relations nightmare for Toyota—and you can bet the anti-Tundra folks will milk this for all it's worth."

So what does this mean? Well, the newer Tundra's will not have this issue... but the anti-Tundra crowd is going to go wacko and this is what we have on this site. I mean it is not like every Tundra is giong to fail. I cannot believe people also take this to mean all Toyota's are bad... and to make it worse, Honda is magically involved.

I drive a new full size truck and tow a new boat within that time frame every 3-5 years and have yet to have a horror story. Import/Domestic they easily last that long. I like new technology and very clean vehicles. The individuals that have bought my vehicles are very likely driving them today. If you have saved..owned your home(s) etc. why drive really old trucks unless they are classics?

4:54,

You're proving my point exactly. "Seems like the only place a Chevy Suburban will go to 250,000 miles is in someones imagination, or in an anonymous forum in print"

Statements like that, discrediting people's statements because it is contrary to what you might have heard. I find it odd, that I've gotten 16 offers on my 1989 Suburban with nearly 250000 miles, some up to $6,500, just from street people coming up and asking me if I would sell it. And no, I have not had to replace every little thing on it, like you so think I should have. In fact, the repairs-made stand at 2. An alternator, and the cap and rotor. I ask them why, they say because they will never die and are amazing off-road machines, you can't stick 'em. If they are so horrible, then why would the general public have such a high-standing opinion? After all, everyone knows that GM's are total junk, right?

Those people also shared their stories about their rigs, Suburbans, and how they regretted having to sell them.

But, according to you, I'm just imagining things and so is every person that I've personally talked to who's owned them.

Saying that GMs are junk, just from talking to people you know doesn't mean you're right.

Saying that GMs are NOT junk, just from talking to people I know doesn't mean I'm right.

From an import guy side of things, I would say the Suburban is one of GM's best and only decent vehicles besides the Corvette. The stars drive them, the rich, the poor, everyone has ridden in a Suburban. Problem is that they do not get the best gas mileage, and it costs upwards of 95 bucks to fill em up.

Oh, and in response to me driving my gas guzzling hog, it costs about $85-90 bucks to fill up depending on where the needle is. I also average 16 mpg, very close to today's larger SUV's.

17:01 Think about what you're expecting me to believe. Gas is over $3 a gallon, at least where I live, and you're telling me that 16 people want to buy your 20 year old Suburban that gets 16 miles to the gallon, and, you say, has 250,000 miles on it?

I believe it was 200,000 in your first comment. Who would want a 19 year old GM vehicle that gets gas mileage like that? No one. As far as the import/domestic issue, everybody that's aware of the facts knows that Toyota has always made a better product than GM. I'm sick of explaining why. I'm a car enthusiast, and I've explained the FACTS at least 50 times on this site, but that doesn't seem to matter to the Ford and GM owners who keep asking me to give them facts. I do; then they tell me I'm wrong.

If you pay attention to detail, have any real background in mechanics of any kind, or do any real research, you will realize that Toyota is the superior product. The proof is everywhere. Park any year of Toyota, car or truck, next to any year GM, Ford, or Dodge, car or truck, and really look at it. Crawl underneath it, look at the build quality, the design; how things are put together, and the truth is obvious. Toyota's are much higher quality.

21:23, Gas where I live, in Vancouver, WA is $3.09 a gallon at the Shell station I fill up at.

I'm sorry that you don't like the fact that yes, 16 people do want to buy it, but I've turned them down.

To set the record straight, it has 236,802 miles on it, good as new.

Also, we too give you facts, but just as well as us, you disregard them. So don't use that argument. It doesn't work.

The first snow storm I had the phone ringing off the hook to buy my with my 1978 400 cu. inch Silverado 4X4...excellent drivetrain although the common rust. I replaced most of the body panels and had it repainted black.

22:58 Seriously, everybody has their preferences, BUT; how much do know about automobiles? Do you do all of your own maintenance, some of it, or none of it? Granted, I've never torn an engine completely apart, but have once or twice done something as complicated as replacing a head gasket. And I do all of my own maintenance; as well as work in a mechanical field for a living. So I feel that I'm pretty competent mechanically. Now, if you are also, someday, do what I suggest. Park your Suburban, or any other GM next to a Toyota and get underneath them as well as inside them and under the hood. The differences are obvious if you actually know what you're looking at. The body construction, the welds, the placement of things as well as how they are screwed or bolted together. Toyota wins hands down every time. And it's a well known fact how much more advanced their engines are and have always been.