2002 Toyota Tundra Sr5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

I want you to honestly tell me this is a foreign truck. lets see #1-designed at California Toyota Arts & Design center by AMERICANS

#2- Built in Princeton Indiana (USA right?) by Americans!

#3- Built with Delphi-Packard wiring (Warren Ohio (USA too huh?)

#4 Made with steel manufactured in Cleveland Ohio (still USA huh?)

#5-oh yea my last point-there is only ONE North American Made full size pickup truck with the highest percentage of USA manufactured content-not outsourced from Mexico/Canada/South America/Germany/Italy (GM & Chrysler) Ford mostly Mexico & South America---Have you guessed yet??

THE TOYOTA TUNDRA WINS AGAIN!!! MOST USofA CONTENT THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN TRUCK!!!

Thank you, ToyotaUSA employee-somewhere in AMERICA!! Land of the Free!!

Hee Hee Hee. Nope not a foreign truck. USA made.

But the foreign managers and supervisors ensure quality workmanship. Domestically made, but foreign quality.

Either ways, Japan gets the most profit from it and that is not good for America. If people wouldn't forsake the American companies so fast, just maybe they wouldn't have to send their work elsewhere because they would be making enough profit to keep their factories in America. I can't believe anyone would refuse to give their business to an American company and then wonder why the company couldn't afford to pay American wages. If they're losing billions a year and they have to cut costs, they can't help, but to send their factories elsewhere so they can pay only a fraction of the cost without the benefits. Do you people not know that the reason GM is losing lots of money is because they are having to pay for retired workers too? At one time, they tried doing their workers well and now it's biting them in the butt. Why is Ford and GM not able to pay their bills right now and having to close plants in America? Because Americans won't buy their vehicles, but instead give their money to the Japanese. If you are going to brag about America and American made, try not giving the Japanese so much net profit. So if you're going to buy Japanese-produced vehicles, don't be complaining about the domestic companies having to find cheaper wages when no one will give them any business. It's like one of those recent Toyota commercials when one of the men working the assembly line gets a quiver in his voice and says "Pride, it's all about pride." Whose pride? The Japanese because they're defeating out companies thanks to us Americans; or the guy who's having to work for them? If it's all about pride and Patriotism, then that guy should be in Detroit putting a Hemi together. That way, it's American produced and made. It's all the way American, not just half way. How can anybody feel American pride in their heart and serve a Japanese company? Or German company, or whatever? I have an Accord and I am crazy about it (I'm not the original owner so I didn't give the Japanese the profit), but I don't look at it and feel pride because it was made in Ohio, because a Foreign company still produced it and got money out of the deal. Now when I look at my 29 year old Chevy truck, I feel some pride. Those were the days they were built all American. It's older than me and still runs faster than me. LOL. I'm not pleased with our companies out-sourcing, but what choice do we leave them if we forsake them? China is now having to carry GM's profits because no one over here will give them the time of day - unless that new Impala is selling like I think it is. When the Accord wears out, I'm most likely getting a domestic. If it turns out to be a lemon, then I will try another domestic of a different make. I've seen many domestic vehicles hold up for long times over the years and I still continue to see them hold up well - so the anti-American-made rantings are not very fair because they are many people who have had good fortune with domestic vehicles for decades, and it's not very helpful to our American companies.

Those of us who drive foreign vehicles simply want the best that we can get for our money. My grandfather, a WW 2 veteran, says that despite the fact that he fought in the war, he can't help, but buy Toyota's so that he knows that my grandmother and he will be much, much less likely to ever break down in one than a Ford or GM. He has owned nothing, but American made vehicles in his 68 years of driving until the last two Toyota's, and he tells me that every other domestic car that he has owned has dripped some kind of fluid on his garage floor, and the Toyota's were the only two that never did. It's American workers that ruined GM. They could be building better vehicles if enough of their employees cared about such things. I don't make what I consider to be a lot of money, so until the domestic automakers get their act together, I will be driving Toyota's and Honda's.

Lets be serious here about the issue. Even if they did make more profits by us buying their cars they would still complain because they are not making the grade and not able to compete with competition. I know of a fact that Target has had to make cuts to health benefits so that they can better compete with walmart. It is just the way business goes: make more profits for the company no matter what it takes. Even if we had bought out Ford of all their Taurus's they would have still moved production to Mexico to make more profit. By the way, as the midsize car was forgotten in Detroit, the Japanese were able to take over what they knew how to do the best: the automobile. No body wants to buy American cars because they are upset over how they were neglected in the 80's and 90's.

Any time a foreign based company sells products to Americans it hurts the American economy. Regardless of the fact that Toyota has plants in this country, it is still a Japanese company and takes money away from hard working Americans. Ad hype or not, I'm buying domestic. Besides, with all the recent news about Toyota having problems with defective air bags (note this reviewer's comment on that one!!), defective brakes, sticking accelerators and faulty transmissions I'd feel far safer in a domestic than in one of these death traps.

The imports are safer, more reliable, superior cars and trucks.

Those who buy foreign vehicles want whats best for their money... is it best long term however? You may have gotten a good buy short term for just yourself. But it may cost you and many of the rest of us by reducing our spending power and increasing taxes by doing so. I have been downsized twice because of plant shutdowns. The more American industries we lose the more it will cost us with higher costs and interest rates. Losing a plant involves tax loss, unemployment that costs you and every other taxpayer, large utility consumption that leaves us to pick up with higher rates, harming other local businesses that also buy utilities support workers etc. I was guilty myself buying luxury imports for quite a while. But I realized that I am not doing right long term for everyone especially my children.

If you do not like a large % of your money going out of the country give all of this some thought. You paid more for your foreign vehicle then you realized and we all paid a bit for it as well.

So we shouldn't buy Camrys or Accords? Oh, wait, those vehicles employ lots of Americans as they are designed, engineered, built, and sold here.

How about the Buick LaCrosse? No, wait, that car doesn't employ Americans as it employs Canadians.

How about the PT Cruiser? No, that employs Mexicans.

HMMMM, glad you made a choice to "keep jobs here".

Bet you shop at Wal-Mart, too! Keep those Chinese in business.

I am sick of people praising the theoretical quality of Toyota's as if they were infallible. They act as if they know what quality is even though many cannot explain in what area the quality is superior to other brands. The word quality is meaningless without describing the area in which it is applied. I know well of what I speak as I work for them despite my disgust. The idea of quality is more fragile than you realize; I see it everyday. The robots do not undergo any maintenance cycles. They only get serviced when they go horribly wrong. In some cases they actually run through the boxes containing the processors and other vital components. All because no attention is paid to them until they completely go out. They are only 9 months old. I feel sorry for the investors as eventually they will lose the money if these trends aren't reversed. The most debilitating factor is the prevailing attitude that Japanese are infallible. This attitude prevents them from righting problems. I believe in around 5 to 10 years Toyota will have damaged its reputation whether or not it ever deserved it in the first place. I think the real problem with their cars are that they do not put enough metal in their cars. I see day in and day out that spot welds are what holds these things together. Atleast the old one's used some MIG welding. If you have trouble believing this, just look at the area under the weather stripping of the door you should see little eraser sized indentions that is where the robot pinches the plates together and hits it with no telling how many thousands of volts. The funnest thing is they have a little plastic piece inside the center pillar that dampens the vibrations that would otherwise cause the area where the plates are in contact, but not welded from vibrating making some weird buzzing or possible chattering noises. I would not at all doubt that in a couple of years there will be some complaints of these noises, and better still is the fact that you would have to replace the entire pillar to remedy the problem just because a tiny plastic piece came unfastened.

I would rather buy any twice over used VW/Audi or BMW because I believe the Germans do not cost cut when it comes to material such as having enough steel in the car so that it is ridged as well as safe. This is reflected atleast somewhat in the prices. This is probably why they are among the best driving cars. Of course I realize that they are in a higher class of cars. If you examine the weight of the new Camry base model against a new base A4, the Audi weighs around 80lbs more. That's with a smaller engine without quattro and it is a smaller car too, if I'm not mistaken. It's in the midsize category, yet at the lower end; where as the Camry must be one of the larger midsized cars. If you are set on buying one, fine. Just try to consider some of these factors, just in case.

"The imports are safer, more reliable, superior cars and trucks."

Ah yes, more factual, well-supported statements from the "Toyota is better because I'm 19 and love my Corolla" crowd. Give it up.

If 100% of the import money remained in the U.S.A. great... not shipped back to Japan headquarters. Do your homework find one 100% made here and a domestic model. It was nice having vehicles that were not made of scrap steel.

There is no distinction between "foreign" and "domestic" in this country anymore. It doesn't exist. Almost everything you can buy is somehow a combination of the two. So, I will continue to buy the best; that being Toyota's, or maybe Honda's, depending on my mood at the time. And the guy that thinks that I am 19 is just as far off about my age as he is about choosing quality vehicles. Wrong on both counts.

Even if I weren't loyal to my country I'd still buy domestic vehicles simply because they are more reliable, WAYYYYY safer, and cost much less to maintain in the long run. We've owned imports (German and Japanese), and we've owned domestics. The domestics were better...PERIOD. If you look at some of the comments made by the import fans you get the impression they are some sort of cult that has been hypnotized to wander around chanting "Toyota is better... Toyota is better" endlessly while remaining totally oblivious to the facts regarding Toyota's massive recalls for vital safety issues, and countless comments regarding defective brakes and transmissions. You NEVER see any FACTS quoted by import fans, just mindless, robotic ranting. I doubt that most of those bashing American cars, American workers and American values have ever even driven any of the cars they mindlessly criticize.