2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - All Comments

I also get a kick out of how these domestic owners think that because they have a 100,000 mile warranty, they have a better car.

Listen up domestic owners: GM makes junk. So does Ford. And by the look of things, NEITHER of them will even be around in a couple years to honor your warranty on that piece of junk. Good luck with your new GM car when the transmission scatters at 60,000 miles and they aren't even in business anymore or have declared bankruptcy, which looks like it's about a week away.

I'll obviously take the GOOD car (Toyota), not worry about it breaking down like a crappy GM, and know that if it does, at least they'll be there to back me up, as they already have.

"If the commenter would take the time to drive a NEW domestic, (ANY new domestic),"

Ahh yes... the much touted theory that even though old domestic car were unreliable, that magically, the newer ones are 'much better'. We've been hearing this for years now.

I do a lot of traveling for my company. Most of the cars I rent on these trips are GM and Ford products. Of all of them, the majority were hardly acceptable. I had a brand-new 2007 Malibu that had the parking brake cable come loose. The materials inside and out were shoddy and cheap. This goes for the others I rented.

I rented a 2008 Cobalt with less than 10,000 miles on it. The "chrome" plating on the door handles was already peeling off. The plastic pieces on the door and the dash had lots of scratches where the silver paint was coming off, exposing the black plastic underneath. The seats were already showing excessive wear, and the engine made an awful squealing sound when started.

So if you're trying to convince me that the "New" domestic cars are better... Good luck. I've already seen them for myself. I am not at all convinced.

Cheering on a major economic crisis is strange. If Ford, and especially GM, fail, the economic consequences are too dire to imagine. GM is not JUST a car maker. They have HUGE investments in finance, insurance and many sectors of the economy. When the statement "What's good for GM is good for the country" was made, it was (and still is) totally true. If the U.S. allows GM to go under it will affect every citizen of the country (yes, even import owners). It will affect the cost of your health insurance, your food, your ability to purchase many things, and your taxes.

I typically trade up every 2-3 years at 80,000 miles plus without any replacement GM transmissions, unlike my wifes Honda that had 3. I would think you could make it on one transmission on a $34,000 import. Plus I tow a large boat in intense heat, often in bumper to bumper beach traffic, on our way to our summer home nearly every weekend. I am mentioning vehicles made in this decade, meaning late model vehicles. No warranty is no warranty... I have not had the misfortune to be stranded along the road in my GM. In fact it was my GM going to pickup my wife again and again with blown transmissions. I guess that's acceptable, after all it has an import nameplate. All maintenance 100% performed at dealerships, so the neglect aspect does not pertain.

10:40 A manufacturer that needs to put a 100,000 mile warranty on a car (GM) just to sell them is pathetic. Especially when the company that offers a SHORTER warranty (Toyota) outsells them.

The funny part is, people have still chosen Toyota as the best selling car in the country for over a decade, despite GM's warranty. That just means that the majority of car buyers buy a car with proven reliability instead of a piece of garbage with a longer warranty (that they probably won't even have the money to back up).

Maybe GM needs to offer a million mile warranty. A GM owner has just about the same chance of them standing behind that as they do a 100,000 mile warranty, which is to say next to no chance.

GM has chosen to build cheap, over-priced crap for decades, and it has driven people away from them, as it should be. And Toyota has consistently offered a better product, for decades. Deal with it. If they'd kept up with technology and built a decent car, they wouldn't be in the position they are today. A warranty won't solve any of this. GM's time is over.

No, GM has definitely NOT built "crap". Having cars that have been chosen Car of the Year, American Car of the Year, Best large sedan, Truck of the Year, biggest sales increase in international markets in a 3-year period, and 1st and 2nd place in owner satisfaction in a 3-year period hardly indicates "crap".

The only problem GM has had is a public that wants to own huge, gas guzzling vehicles to impress their neighbors. As long as people were clamoring to purchase these glorified pickup trucks with roofs welded over the bed and the price doubled, GM wisely continued to supply the demand. When gas hit $4 a gallon keeping up with the Joneses became less important than eating and paying the mortgage, so people stopped buying them. Toyota isn't selling their 15mpg monsters either.

I'm not especially worried about being "stuck" with a GM or Ford vehicle if GM and Ford go under. My dad bought a Pontiac in 1956. It was driven by him until he went into a nursing home in 1989. It has been driven by my nephew ever since.

I bought a new Ford last year, and at my current age it will easily outlast me, just as the Pontiac outlasted my father (who died at 101 in 2004).

I like a new car occasionally just for change, but no one in my family has ever had a car that didn't run great until they finally got tired of it and just decided they wanted something new.

If all I have to choose from are boring and unreliable Japanese cars, I'll just drive my Ford until I die and pass it on to someone in the family.

21:51 I did deal with it. I did not buy Toyota based on less features, benefits, capability, warranty, room, handling, ride quality, warranty. I am also leary of mechanical issue as well as comments on consumeraffairs.com as far as mechanical concerns on newer models.

I did drive the Tundra and it is nowhere near as nice as my new GM. When you buy a full size truck, I suspect you expect to throw away function and better capability offered by domestic trucks. I have had less issues with new domestics than I have had with new imports. Owning a 1996 truck does not make one an expert on 2008 newer full size trucks.

If you take away the utility aspect of load carrying and tow capability (riding empty commuting interstates) maybe a small light bed truck may have merit. It seems full size truck benefits and actual ownership and why people buy these trucks gets lost or distorted on here.

I agree a million mile warranty is extreme. A standard 100,000 mile warranty on all new vehicles across the board is the way to be fair. Having legal recourse with an actual warranty in place is better than no warranty without a leg to stand on. I have been in this situation. No warranty equals no warranty. Lack of dealer service prompted my full change to domestics. It really does not matter in the end. Each person is to ultimately making their own personal decision what to buy. I know I have spent a lot of money on new imports over a dozen. I am not buying them now anymore.

Toyota made big strides with the Tundra when it copied some of the top-selling Ford F-150's structural design features and made it slightly larger. It's frame no longer flexes wildly on bumps and most of the body parts actually remain in place over rough terrain. Yes, that IS an improvement over the super-flimsy and very poorly designed predecessor. However, to compare it to a domestic truck is sort of like comparing a Buick Lucerne to a Toyota Corolla. It is still a poor imitation of a REAL truck. It lacks the comfort, plush interior, silky smooth transmission and interior quality level of the Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra, and lacks the long-term reliability of Dodge Ram or the F-150 or 250. Sorry, we'll stick with GM, and if they go under, we'll buy used ones.

Toyota makes better vehicles than anyone else other than Honda. Fact. A bunch of comments by Ford and Chevy owners doesn't change a thing. If you like Fords and Chevy's, buy them and keep badmouthing Toyota. That also changes nothing. You might like your Ford or Chevy better, but the fact remains that it isn't even close to being comparable in quality to a Toyota.

The Ford Fusion's ratings mean nothing either. Finally, a piece of junk Ford got lucky enough to be rated high. Not impressed. Toyota's ratings are historically MUCH higher and much more consistent overall; in the past and today. Nothing you guys say can change that. If you're not driving a Toyota (or possibly a Honda), then you're driving something inferior.

"13th Nov 2008, 09:39.

Ahh yes... the much touted theory that even though old domestic car were unreliable, that magically, the newer ones are 'much better'. We've been hearing this for years now.

I do a lot of traveling for my company. Most of the cars I rent on these trips are GM and Ford products. Of all of them, the majority were hardly acceptable."

I certainly disagree with both of these statements. My family has always been a used car family, so we get cars 4-11 years old. All of our American made cars built in the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's all proved to be reliable. So I don't believe American cars ever have been unreliable. I'm still driving a 1973 Dodge and 1971 Plymouth. Our other late '70s era Dodge and Plymouth cars all passed 200,000 miles, which seemed exceptional at the time. However, our 1983 Cavalier, 1984 Reliant, 1985 Dodge, 1989 Pontiac, 1989 Chevy, and 1993 Seville all went past 200,000 miles with minimal repairs. Our 1997 Sable is a young one, with only 180,000 miles, and my '02 Ford with 100,000 miles is still like new. So, you would have to convince me that American cars have EVER BEEN unreliable. American cars always were reliable, and still are, as far as my own experience has shown.

I also do a lot of traveling for my company, and rent a lot of vehicles. Funny how my experience has been the exact opposite of yours. The Chevy Impalas and Malibus, and the Ford Fusions and Tauruses that I've rented have been smooth, gotten good mileage, are well built, and have good power. I don't know what there is to complain about. I was also impressed by the Dodge Caliber R/T that I recently rented. I guess some people are determined to find something to complain about when their mind is made up already.

It's is not bad mouthing when you present facts, test driving first hand new full size domestic trucks and the Tundra.

How this pertains to Prius, Fusions etc or cars perplexes me. When you buy a full size truck, unless I am not speaking for myself, I examine the following: load carrying in the bed, towing and handling characteristics, interior room, handling, comfort, warranty. I do not know if anyone else that has test driven many models frequently ever few years, but our household does. And then we buy.

If you are shopping for a new full size truck, does anyone else look at the utility aspect besides myself? I wonder how many have test driven new full size import trucks, if you can call them that, and new full size trucks before they bought yet another one recently. It seems to drift off to car comparisons and/or small trucks. It would seem better to focus on all large truck comparisons, any late model test drives, and maybe compare Prius with small cars.

I'd love to fill up a new small compact car 1/2-3/4 ton and then tow with a hitch on the back and then compare to a new full size truck on here.

Better capability, ride, better handling and better warranty is why I did not buy the Tundra. The Tundra is a bit quicker light to light, but that was not my primary incentive buying a full size truck. I looked at practically and utility first, otherwise I could be cruising about in a small car with a hatchback.

"Toyota's ratings are historically MUCH higher and much more consistent overall".

The Fusion has the highest rating ever given to a vehicle. No manufacturer has EVER scored that high.

"I also do a lot of traveling for my company, and rent a lot of vehicles. Funny how my experience has been the exact opposite of yours."

Let me rephrase it for you then. All of the Domestic branded vehicles I rented were absolutely sub-par compared to the Hondas and Toyotas we have in our family. The fit and finish, comfort level, and overall quality was not up to the same level. If you've only ever driven the same domestic brands, then you wouldn't know the difference, which I suspect is the case with the vast majority of the folks on this thread, who for some reason insist on bashing every single import brand thread on the site. I'm not sure what that motivation is, but you hardly see any of we Toyota owners making comments on the countless Domestic car threads, which are overwhelmingly filled with people that have had tons of problems with them.

And again - The Fusion is a Mazda platform using a Mazda engine with a Indian crank, and it is made in Mexico. So if you want to call it a "domestic" car... go for it. But that car is ironically more foreign than my Toyota, with its 65% US sourced parts and US assembled. Go figure that the one car that keeps on getting praised by you "Go USA!" folks is completely non-USA produced.

I have an excellent suggestion since you rent new vehicles. How about renting a new full size Ford V8 Pickup; the new ones are getting better MPG, a Silverado, a Ram and a Tundra and take some long trips. It might benefit everyone on here vs. talk about import cars, Cobalts etc.

This is a full size truck review. Rent a few new full sizes and take notes on features, ride, handling, loads, towing if you can. Since you are very interested in these models and may buy one someday... why not rent one?

I am a firm believer in test drives and I buy. If this is just a hypothetical opinion it may be best to address it as such. If you rent a full size new truck it may benefit everyone comparing them and those that buy them as well.

I have zero interest in small cars/trucks and am never buying one on a full size truck review. Keep in mind why people buy larger new trucks. Your late model current tests after renting on a long trip will have benefit for all on a full size truck review. I would appreciate it on my next new full size truck purchase upcoming.