2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - All Comments

19:30 Yeah, I've heard about the Toyota recall. My truck is one of the ones being bought back. Guess what? As usual, Toyota is handling the problem and taking care of their customers. I'm getting 150% of Kelly Blue Book RETAIL (the highest), value (excellent condition every time, no matter what your Tacoma looks like), for my truck.

So basically, I bought the truck, drove it for three years, and am now getting back a few thousand more than what I paid for it. Basically, they PAID me to drive it for 3 years. What do you think Ford/GM would have done in their shoes? I'd be part of some huge class action lawsuit, and they'd have done nowhere near enough if not NOTHING; probably claiming that because I live in the snow belt and they salt the roads here, that it's my problem.

I'm getting enough money to buy a brand new Yaris (with additional rebates included for buying Toyota again) and I'll have NO PAYMENT on it. This is one of the many reasons I'm glad every day I don't own domestic. They NEVER would have treated me this well.

What's 100,000 miles? Well, more than the average driver ever keeps a new vehicle for one. Now days people trade more often, so having a car with a 100,000 mile warranty means never having to worry about it. Most people buying new cars today are looking at ride, reliability, fit and finish, convenience and safety features and overall build quality. In other words, they're looking for domestics.

I believe as well in following a track record... so it stands to reason if you purchase a dozen or more brand new imports (not used) and keep them each minimum 3 years with say at least 75,000 miles on them, that you have a pretty strong indicator of reliability. Buy identical make and model, and track repairs. Since you are the only owner, and know directly if each has been maintained, then you know if you will buy again.

I feel a repeat buyer, over and over the same model, not maybe 1 vehicle that you are keeping forever is more informative.

New vehicle owners that start having catastrophic mechanical failure on engines transmissions etc are not going to be repeat customers anymore. You may grab a few at the moment based on fuel economy, but not retain them over time with lousy warranties. How do you explain all the Toyota late model owners on here and on Consumer Affairs.com that do not agree with your comments?

I think it is sad you have an almost new vehicle, and no warranty is no warranty. Even Hyundai has the best warranty in America... what's with Toyota? If the vehicles never need warranty claims, then what's the big deal to the manufacturer to do so? The very lack of decent quality and warranty is why our household has new domestics and an old import. Why leave the flock and have bitterness if the service was there.

That is the question the old import owner will not have an answer to. At some point and time they may buy a couple new vehicles and experience the discontention we have had. If the domestics do not honor our warranty, then we will look elsewhere. But the very point is we left imports over lousy vehicles nowhere near as nice 10 plus years ago. We are not talking about several year old imports; they were recent..... guess the thought is put your head in the sand and say hey they are imports, the problems don't exist.

Our new domestics are not breaking..... also don't see the dangling exhaust systems in 2008. What model are we discussing?

I just caught the part in comment 07:15 about domestic vehicle's mufflers and tailpipes "swaying with every bump". I should certainly HOPE SO!! They are mounted on movable elastic mounts in order TO MOVE!! If they couldn't move, static vibration would cause metal fatigue cracks and broken pipes. Another good reason to buy domestic. If Tundra has solid welded muffler and tailpipe mountings, they'll be recalling them REAL SOON for exhaust system failures. Of course, I guess they can just rebuild the exhaust systems when they replace their "disposable" engines.

So 715... What new full size trucks have you owned lately? I question how someone that owns a 10 year old Tacoma, not even a current full size, is a late model expert. It's great that you like your small pickup from long ago. A 10 year old Tacoma is worth maybe 5k more or less today... and you are comparing to new 2008 full size trucks some over 50K. I don't try to be an authority on all models, but I do test drive them and extensively test the newest ones and buy. I have lived with new imports recently, and personally in our household they stunk, plain and simple. So the older the import the better... newer I recommend domestics much higher quality.

I can fortunately buy the best full size pickup vehicle available irregardless of price, and it's not any import full size truck as of 2008. I was not impressed enough to buy one. In 2010 I will look again and drive them all....... if there's a hot Toyota loaded with features I may go with one. But it has to be better, and the first thing is to offer a decent warranty, then a stronger drivetrain, bed and towing capabilities.

I would rather have a full size capable pickup than a small compact Tacoma with twitchy, bouncy ride, noisy V6, terrible seats and uncomfortable, not much room, plain interior, and options that should be standard are extra.

Plus it's not even in the same league as a full size truck... discuss a Tundra at least.

I'll also take a 350V8 gas or diesel, and not limp along... what a cop out not needing a warranty. Does someone actual believe this?

Why ride even around the block in a cramped, uncomfortable, poorly supported seating pick up that has limited applications for decent hauling and towing, and is still uncomfortable and skittish empty on the highway? 100,000 miles of torture is not worth it. I drive long distances and need a truck that can endure severe towing on hot long stretches. Riding around empty does not impress me... and what is the point? It's on the wrong review anyway.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that anyone is going to prefer full-sized, V8 powered trucks or SUVs regardless of the make, or whether it is "import" or "Domestic" - or whatever superficial generic distinction you want to bestow on them. The fact of the matter is that driving one of these giant trucks now costs close to $80 to fill up, which in my opinion is A LOT of money to be spending just so you can own a full sized truck and act all manly about it.

My small truck costs $35 to fill and will run a whole week on it. Secondly, I am a somewhat smaller person (5 ft 6", 140 pounds) and I find the ride, the seats, and the interior extremely comfortable. But if you're some 250 pound dude, then ya - I could see the ride being uncomfortable. But that's a totally different topic altogether.

Gas is over $4 a gallon where I live, and eventually it is going to spread across the country. Some of you need to wake up and smell the reality. Driving anything that gets less than 30MPG is going to become increasingly expensive and eat away at your living standards. This argument about Japanese versus American trucks is frankly extremely old-fashioned and totally nonsensical. We're free to drive what we want, but at some point the gross reality of the fuel situation is going to make everyone have to consider other options that perhaps don't consist of gigantic gas-guzzling trucks for going to Home Depot.

8:10 I can certainly see how a domestic owner fails to understand how someone can drive a vehicle and not need the warranty; domestic owners almost always need it.

I used to be a domestic owner before I finally wised up and bought a Toyota. Yeah, I used to be the guy who was proud of his Chevy. Then, I finally stopped listening to all of the 'foreign junk' remarks that all of the country boys that lived around me used to make. Best move I ever made. Let them keep shelling out money to keep a Chevy running.

Switching to Toyota was the best move I've made when it comes to automobiles. I'll be buying my fourth one shortly, each of the last 3 used hard and traded in only to upgrade. Never a single repair. Not a snowball's chance in a furnace of owning 4 GM's over a 16 year period and not fixing anything.

17:38 The 'swinging tailpipe' thing is just another indication of cheap domestic build quality. Just stuff it under the car and hang it there. Ridiculous.

The exhaust on my Tacoma that I'm turning in for recall is welded/mounted securely in place and has never been replaced and does NOT swing around loosely like a 5 year old put it together. Parts aren't supposed to just move freely with the potholes; that's why the tailpipes, along with the rest of GM's cars, fall apart and squeak and rattle after a couple years, if not right off the sales lot, brand new.

I'm a mechanic and I can't believe what I'm reading about these "swinging tail pipes". Mufflers and tailpipes HAVE to be vibration isolated with mounts that allow movement, just as engines require mounts that allow movement of the engine. If a vehicle does not allow for engine movement and normal vibration, the exhaust system will rapidly develop stress cracks from metal fatigue. That import owners are unaware of this makes it very obvious that any other judgments offered regarding the build quality of vehicles are seriously flawed. I've never found that import exhaust systems last one second longer than those of domestics, and if you'll simply bother to look under ANY import you'll find that both the engine AND exhaust systems are vibration isolated because they HAVE to be.

The kind of comments I'm seeing about this are why I pay little attention to comments from import fans. The testimonials from actual owners, and those who take the time to educate themselves about automobiles, carries far more weight than the "It's better because I say so" rants of import owners who have never even bothered to look underneath their own cars. That's why reading these comments will persuade people that domestics are far superior. Their supporters offer real, valid and documented evidence.

I wouldn't have even bothered with the recall on the Toyota. I would have upgraded to an exceptional aftermarket exhaust system, and I do that anyway, recall or not. I recently upgraded to a new dual Borla Cat Back free flow exhaust system all stainless steel with the million mile warranty... on my latest GM Silverado. I also changed the intake as well. Nice upgrades that provide some nice sedate performance. It's nice to be able to afford upgrades on yet another domestic vs. shell out for unnecessary premature mechanical repairs on imports.

GM has an excellent performance center right at the new car/truck dealership we are now buying all our vehicles from now on. The only down side is the angled tips submerge a bit more readily at the boat ramps. The engine fires up on a half crank now and a tremendous hp boost.

I like low key sleepers; tastefully done, not loud nonsense with roof high wings,torched springs and the f*** pipe on the little 4 cyl. imports.

10:31 Your comments make sense if you are not in the market for a full size truck. So why even look at a Tundra? Buy a small one, or better yet a small car. The number one selling vehicle in America is a full size truck... I have a family we travel together and I also have a boat. Try spending a grand on a weekend with a boat on fuel (that is only part of the expense) and you have an entirely different perspective. You cannot skimp on function and quality.

I prefer to buy the best truck available, which is a domestic in 2008. I carry 4 in my truck, so the comment on the 250 lb. solo driver isn't applicable. However might be the case with a small compact truck ownership.

The best truck in America has been a Toyota since the day Toyota started making trucks. You'll find plenty of F-350's and such that will haul more, but if you're talking quality and reliability, Toyota takes the cake as usual.

The mechanic here again. Today I checked out the tailpipe mounts on a late model Tacoma (I'm sure the Tundra is similar. I haven't looked at them). It most certainly DOES have provision made for movement (vibration isolation) HOWEVER, it is accomplished with a simple (and incredibly CHEAP) system involving a metal rod that fits into a metal sleeve, allowing only for slight back and forth and side to side movement. Domestics use far better and more complex mountings using reinforced rubber strips attached to metal brackets. These in turn bolt securely to the frame and muffler/tailpipe. Unlike the very cheap little metal sleeves on the Tacoma, these mounts allow for compound movement in all directions. This is a far better system (and more expensive). A vehicle with a rigidly mounted exhaust would tear the exhaust loose at the exhaust manifold in about a week or less. I saw this very thing happen on a car that the owner HAD rigidly welded the exhaust pipe to the mounts. It caused a stress crack to form at the pipe where it bolts to exhaust manifold. The owner was, like many people, oblivious to the fact that engines MOVE due to torque, and they and anything bolted onto them must be allowed to move to compensate.

I feel relatively certain that many of the comments I see are made by people who are totally oblivious to ANYTHING mechanical. I see terms such as "4 CYCLE" engines (ALL cars have 4 "CYCLE" engines) and "V-4" (there are no "V-4"'s). If a person doesn't know what a "cylinder" is or what the "V" in V-6 or V-8 means, it's pretty obvious that discussing the mechanical superiority of one vehicle over another is way out of their league.

11:23 The tailpipe on my Toyota truck is indeed mounted solid. With 2 pieces of probably 3/8" bar that split like an upside down 'Y', and are welded on each side to the pipe. It has held together just fine for 10 years, and a lot of off road use in there as well.

The engines in most imports are designed and built much better, without a doubt. Domestic owners, on this site at least, offer nothing in the way of facts to explain why they're 'better'. That is strictly because all of the real facts prove them wrong. Japanese auto manufacturers make a better product than anything domestic. Deal with it, it's a fact.