2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

I live in SF, California. Gas is now $4 a gallon. Fairly soon, the argument will not really be about whether to foreign or domestic full-sized trucks and SUV's. It will be more about whether people actually buy them period.

By the way, GM reported their biggest quarterly loss in their history today, a record loss of 39 BILLION dollars. Something tells me that despite the improvements, they're still clinging way too heavily too large SUV's and trucks. I suspect many of those bought in the last several years were done so using refinance money that people were pulling out of their houses. Since the US housing market is in a tailspin, it'll be interesting how any car maker will be able to convince middle income Americans to buy $30,000 full size trucks that get 20MPG.

6:20. I perform all my maintenance on all my vehicles as well as most of my family's. I've replaced head gaskets, transmissions, entire brake systems, cooling systems, starters, lifted my son's truck, done drive train swaps, upgraded the camshaft, rockers, rods, etc in my buddy's rock crawler ('76 CJ with a 350),etc as well as interior work for other people. I've also hand built a '73 Jeep CJ for rock climbing and hardcore offroading.

As with you, my entire life revolves around the vehicles I deal with, as well as exotics and American Muscle Cars.

Why should I need to park my Suburban next to my uncles beater Toyota truck of that time just to see how much its better, when the Toyota is rusted through the fender wells, exposing the frame that is rusting badly and seeing most of the corroded components underneath? I've done a lot with my Suburban as far as abuse, but there are no tweaks, rust, damage, etc. I suppose that this is the horrible quality you're referring to? On a side note, 350's are some of the easiest and most pliable engines to work with, placement of parts and accessories is excellent.

GM also makes great marine engines. I own a full size GM pickup (as do friends of mine with large 3/4 ton domestics) that tow boats. Not to belabor fuel economy, but the fuel economy of the vehicles is miniscule compared to the running costs of the boats we tow. Mine around 30 gals/hr. When shopping for a full size truck it means more having capability than strictly fuel focus. Just to bring to light that many of us buy full size trucks for function first. What amazes me more is that individuals will spend more per gallon (spring water bottles comes to mind) than actual fuel in this country without batting an eye for millions of gallons of water purchased annually. Small example of spending habits... but it seems that capability should be the main consideration with a larger truck. Some of us are not into cruising around in small stuff for partial small trips. I had small trucks which were very limited and not practical and found you will use a larger truck to much greater advantage... I have completely remodeled my home, picked up all my kitchen cabinets etc, my yard with pavers and have a boat to utilize on weekends with my family. A small truck just will not work for us and paying lots of separate deliveries seems not what having the benefit of new truck ownership is about.

Bottled water is where it's at in Georgia. Also water is not as finite as gasoline so I believe you must be saudi...lol. Well anyways Honda builds great marine engines... not to mention everything in between. Even sump pumps. It is no wonder Honda is the #1 engine producer.

So we should buy GM or Honda... not Toyota because of the great engines they make. Marine engines are subjected to great stresses.

I carry a yamaha generator in the back of my new GM truck.

How will America do without large trucks? They'll probably do just fine since the vast majority of large trucks now sold are for mere pleasure purposes only. Besides, the housing market is crashing thus there's less need for construction anyway.

That's right 10:19, we'll all just move into tents from now on. Good grief.

I have a Honda generator in the front of my Honda Civic Hybrid. So what?

10:22 I have NEVER seen a Suburban that old with no rust on it. You'd have to constantly baby it. Considering the 900 square feet of body panels, those things were prone to rust easily. Any Toyota made after 1989; they drastically changed the bodies that year, is at least as good as any other make as far as resisting rust. You can keep any vehicle from rusting if you know how. I've had three Toyota's in the last 15 years and not one of them has ever had a speck of rust on it, including my current Tacoma which is 10 years old.

Yes, the 350 is easy to work on, but I'm going back to the quality of design. NO WAY are you going to drive a 350 for 300,000 miles without major engine repair like you can with a Toyota. Those engines are notorious for getting to about 120 or 130,000 at best before they're burning oil like crazy or having head gasket trouble. And that's using it as a daily driver. If you run a 350 hard for any long period of time; forget it, they just eat themselves apart long before 100,000.

6:38

The issues with rust you refer to were a greater batch of Suburbans than came off the line with botched primer. Many vehicles of that era have that problem all across the board. Mine, however, shows no sign of significant fade (aside from the roof which ALL cars have after time due to direct sun exposure) and as I said before, looks pretty darn good. My uncle's truck is a 1987 with 166,000 miles on it. From the looks of it, it would appear to have millions.

Unless you, for yourself, drive and own a 350-powered vehicle from this era, you cannot say that "NO WAY are you going to drive a 350 for 300,000 miles without major engine repair like you can with a Toyota. Those engines are notorious for getting to about 120 or 130,000 at best before they're burning oil like crazy or having head gasket trouble. And that's using it as a daily driver. If you run a 350 hard for any long period of time; forget it, they just eat themselves apart long before 100,000." Dealing with these is not a matter of heresay, which you have the wrong impression of, but a matter of driving them.

That statement refers back to the "I must be wrong because you don't agree with it" statement. This Suburban IS my daily driver, has been for the last 8 years. It IS my hunting and trail rig during the winter when it is too cold for my Jeep. It IS my towing rig, that has been grading hills and gravel since I've owned it, while towing 9,000 pounds of hunting trailer for elk season. It IS a reliable drivetrain which hasn't given me any large trouble. It IS a Suburban that doesn't get "babied" by me. It IS pounded on and thrashed up in the hills, then driven like a normal car serving as an everyday driver.

I do have a question, however. Where do you get the impression that these engines are notorious for breaking as you say? Please answer, not with a "Duh, everyone knows it" type of answer, because I have proven you wrong there.

Cite something please; because, I'll cite a ton more proving what I have said about these beasts.

17:03 I get the impression that Chevy's are notorious for being cheaply made and falling apart early on because it's without a doubt true. What country have you been living in for the last 30 years? GM went downhill a long time ago and everybody knows it. Even people FROM GM have been on television citing their numerous and ridiculous mistakes and oversights.

Shall I mention their losses this year; last year; the year before that? Only now do they attempt to make a reasonable product, taking their cues from Toyota's ideas from 30 years ago. Cars that get reasonable gas mileage, for example.

How about attempting to make a quality product, finally? Not that they are yet, but at least it's occurred to them that that is a good idea.

I've driven many vehicles of that era with 350's and I owned one for a while. Junk. You can't pass a gas station, the horsepower is not at all impressive for an engine that size, and it doesn't do a whole lot more than make a lot of smoke and noise.

The rust issue really depends on where you live. I live in CA and cars out here last forever and ever. There's literally hundreds of 80's vintage hondas, toyotas, and yes- even Fords and Chevys all driving around with the original paint. My 96' Tacoma looks like the day it rolled off the assembly line.

I also have a 55' Mercury that hasn't sat in a garage a day in it's life. It too has remarkably little rust. That said, I grew up in the South and vehicles there tended to look pretty awful in general after they reached the 10 year mark. The humidity just ate them alive. If you live in the Midwest or in the snow belt, then your car is going to get eaten by road salt. So condition has a lot to do with location.

14:06 exactly buy a Honda or a GM not a new Toyota. Why defend Toyota using Honda as an example anyway?

The 350 LT1 in my 1995 Chevrolet Caprice had a rod knock and it only had 100,000 miles. It was driven very carefully by an elderly couple for the first 60,000 miles and then we had it till it had 125,000 miles. Beautiful car, but we had many paint/rust issues. Quality control issues and then problems with engine knocks and the opti spark.