7th May 2008, 18:02

I just saw yet another empty Toyota truck on the way home from work; empty except carrying a fixed mounted rail high dual bicycle rack. I question again why buy a full size truck and never really use its bed or hardly tow? If I could figure out how to eliminate my full size truck and just own a new larger Suburban SUV, I would do so. And have a truly great vehicle for my family and towing. But besides towing, I need have a functional full size long pick up bed. Ridng around in empty full size pickups makes absolutely no sense, and even at grocery stores and elsewhere I see the same situation.

Now we are reading about old recalls... so great when 40,000 miles hits we are all in agreement that all new imports should be fixed and repaired at no charge. The indication is they never break by the import fan, so what's the big deal honoring it to at least 100,000 miles no questions asked? Make the owner pay for brakes according to what I am seeing on a previous comment here; the import brakes last at least 68,000 miles anyway. Buy the tires, the brakes and filters; the manufacturer backs up the rest. Waiting to see if this happens.

I just see people rushing out to buy new Prius. Yaris vehicles, and if you like the styling, handling etc. more power to you. I will not be buying one.

Tundras sales are down because of fuel as well... again I see buying a truck to be functional first and that is why I bought the bed. I can just tie a trunk lid down with these light loads in a car and not own any truck.

8th May 2008, 06:21

"the camshaft issue in the Tundra's, which was the fault of the camshaft manufacturer, and not Toyota..."

So, if a domestic vehicle had a major component fail that was provided by a supplier, not the vehicle manufacturer, would you excuse the domestic manufacturer too? I doubt it.

Toyota still never named that purported camshaft supplier. They forge their own engines, why not their own camshafts? Could it be that there is no supplier, Toyota messed it up all by themselves, is now lying to the public and you are eager to believe anything they tell you?

Yet supplier or no supplier, isn't it Toyota that is ultimately responsible for what they sell? You have clearly indicated that Toyota can sell vehicles with major engine defects and you will give them a pass. What then CAN'T they get away with?

8th May 2008, 07:17

21:53 I fail to see how you think I'm bored to tears in my Tacoma bouncing up a muddy hillside in 4wd. And yeah, the domestics have recalls concerning trim or whatever. They also have a TON of them concerning seat belts, airbags, brakes, FIRES (think Ford), wheels falling OFF; just to name a couple.

And by the way, domestics aren't better performing under any circumstances. None of them run as smoothly or reliably as any Toyota engine. What I'd call boring is being lured into buying a crappy vehicle that you bought because of a 100,000 mile warranty, which you will need if you've made the mistake of buying a GM.

8th May 2008, 07:22

15:44 You've chosen the company with the most, and the most serious, amount of recalls. And they don't handle them properly. Which is why they get sued and dragged into lawsuits repeatedly. That is a fact.

8th May 2008, 10:20

I'm really perplexed as to how a camshaft in a Toyota can "not be Toyota's fault". Who installed the thing?? The truck fairy??

9th May 2008, 11:01

"None of them run as smoothly or reliably as any Toyota engine. "

This is what you call smooth?!? A guy at work had a '98 Tacoma, and I rode in it a few times. At idle, the engine was so rough that the stick shift vibrated so badly it kept hitting me in the knee. He had to downshift and tromp it to get up the smallest hill, and going up a 7% grade the engine was chugging along barely able to maintain 55 mph in 3rd gear. If this is your idea of a smooth running vehicle, I just have to dismiss the rest of your comments as well. Maybe you should drive something made after 2000. Seeing as how your Tacoma is 10 years old, I think you'd be surprised at how much better the new cars are.

9th May 2008, 11:10

Too true!! Dodge was hammered and its reputation never recovered when wheels kept falling off their Durango in the late '90s. The problem was with ball joints made by a contractor. Of course, all the comments were "Typical American junk made by Dodge" with no mention of the contractor. But Toyota has engines that seize up, and it must be somebody else's fault because "everybody knows" that precious Toyota was anointed by Jesus to create divinely perfect cars that will never fail. Oh, please!

The mechanic is correct. Toyota engines are a dime a dozen, and can be replaced as a unit in a few hours, as opposed to tearing the car down just to replace the camshaft -- an all-day job. Toyota did themselves a huge favor by replacing the whole engine by saving millions in labor costs.

9th May 2008, 15:37

This the mechanic again with a comment on those "smooth" Toyota engines.

Last year I test drove a number of cars before deciding on another Ford. I drove a Chevy Cobalt one day, followed by a Scion Tc coupe (which is a very well equipped car at a good price). The Cobalt engine was so smooth and quiet that I did not realize the salesman who brought the car around for me had left it running, and I turned the key (and got that whirring sound you get when you kick a starter drive into an already spinning flywheel!!).

After that test drive I went to try the Scion coupe (which is a Toyota marketed under the Scion brand name). It was so loud and clattery it could easily have passed for a diesel. There's no way I could have not noticed it was running. I found the same thing true of the Corolla. It's hard to find smoother engines than domestics, and in spite of the fact that I bought a Ford, the smoothest and quietest of all the many vehicles I drove were all GM.

9th May 2008, 17:26

More and more talk about how bad Toyota's are. Toyota has ALWAYS made far, far superior engines than any of the Big 3 have even aspired to make. They've always made far, far better vehicles as a whole. Always did, still do, and probably always will.

9th May 2008, 18:32

Toyota should have never entered the truck market. All my friends who have owned them have had nothing but problems. Perhaps Toyota should follow Honda's lead and make something simpler like lawn mowers.

10th May 2008, 08:18

17:26 an opinion. Please read about late model Toyotas on here and ConsumerAffairs.com. If you are driving a 10 year old vehicle, and many of us buy a lot of vehicles, frequently all new, and are having import issues, how about acknowledging the comments?

Many new full size truck owners are even more specific and discerning on our evaluations. How many individuals pursue a full size truck for off road applications as compared to those that buy for the street? I drive 25,000 miles plus a year, not 9-10,000 as the 1998 Tacoma owner indicated. I can go off road as well, but it's not my thing.

I size up the drivetrain, bed capacity and towing characteristics pretty strongly. I do not want a high suspension or noisy hard riding off road tires when I am driving. I am picky and test drive each new truck (and that's import and domestics) and put it through its paces... my number one criteria is capability and strength, good dealer support that cares, and a strong warranty in place, a decent ride, as I do not want to be beat to death, especially going on long trips, good ride, room for my family and not being crammed in the tight import truck interiors.

Handling is also a concern, as I enjoy driving, and sometimes apply being a car enthusiast even to my truck buying. I have owned sports cars and want a good handling and above average performance.

Want room and comfort for a family as well.

Maybe this individual cruises solo most of the time... empty truck, doesn't realize how nice the newest trucks are in comparison. At any rate, it's not 1998 anymore. I suspect new vehicle buyers are looking for a specific list of elements when our topic does not sway off new full size truck ownership. They are bigger and are not like a car candidate whose primary focus at the moment is likely fuel usage. My concern with that is long term ownership costs mechanically, which many may not see only the new vehicle with the high MPG at the moment.

Anyone out buying a new 2008 full size truck today must be looking at function... unless they are just buying a Toy to play around with. I have bought vehicles myself that way in the past... however now I have put a lot more thought in each new truck I have been buying, because of the distance and the value of the features, and certainly of what I am towing behind me. There is a lot to consider. I am not driving what I feel an oversized truck by any means, but I expect it to be 100% functional with no compromises.