8th Apr 2007, 15:52

Wow, you still continue to not get it. Who cares if your grand pap's Camry could beat an old 318 truck from light to light? The point is that the 318 Dodge truck has been running since long before that crap Camry was made, and it still continues to run.

Would you care to bet that there aren't stock 318's that would smoke grandpa's Camry? Since you apparently feel that "progress and better technology" will beat any old Dodge, why not put that rolling crap-house of a Camry against a '71 Dodge Challenger? Still think new would beat old in your little stoplight war?

9th Apr 2007, 05:17

So, in other words, the benefits of owning a 318 are as follows: it's slow, old, hasn't been redesigned in 30 years, and gets bad gas mileage. Great, I'll pass.

9th Apr 2007, 10:08

I guess your point is that two different people take care of their respective vehicles differently. The fuel pump has nothing to do with the engine if it's in the gas tank. The "my truck is faster" also has nothing to do with the engine. Didn't you stop to think that different vehicles have different gear ratios? If Paul's Ram is slower, it probably has a lower gear ratio, made for heavy duty pulling and off-roading. Things which surely you've never done in your Toy-ota. So his truck is rusting, and yours isn't, and you think it's because Toyota is magical and not because you wash it and he probably doesn't wash the salt off his.

My favorite is the "I know a guy who had an old Dodge behind the house who said it was blown up." Uh-huh, yup, that sure proves your point. That sure totally trumps my own experience of owning half a dozen high mileage, 30-year-old 318's. Yes, the good old "I have a friend..." proof. I'll gladly stick with my old 318's for obvious reasons.

9th Apr 2007, 12:00

No, Camry is #2 followed by the Accord.

And the term "fun to drive' does not apply to pickups.

9th Apr 2007, 12:16

I really like the new GM's. If you want to go back 5 years ago the imports were better in my opinion, but quality really diminished recently. The new 2007 Silverado I have sure is a lot better than the Tundra... I drove both.

9th Apr 2007, 16:37

I understand. Honda took out the very beautiful cup holders that I loved so much and now their quality sucks with the new cup holders. Do the Japanese not drink beer or milk while driving? I bought an 07 Malibu because they offer more cup holders per passenger. Cup holders are the deciding point in all my car purchases.

9th Apr 2007, 17:39

I got a real belly laugh out of Comment 15:52. Arguing that the Dodge 318 can be outrun by a V-6 Camry is just outright HILARIOUS!! I drive a "Quad 4" Pontiac Grand Am that will blow the doors off ANY V-6 Camry (with the possible exception of the new 2007). The V-6 Camry's thru 2006 were slower than ANY GM 4-cylinder, Ford 4 Cylinder Focus, or most 4-cylinder Chrysler products. Unless it had a turbo charger added a V-6 Camry is about as fast as a 1980 Yugo.

10th Apr 2007, 10:47

I remember when Camry first came out with a V-6 in the 80's. A car magazine did a test on it and found it to be actually SLOWER than the 4-cylinder Camry. Up until the 2007 nothing really changed with it apparently.

10th Apr 2007, 12:05

I agree the Tundra is not fun to drive. The Chevrolet SS 2007 pick up is... Why all the excitement over a blah Camry? Gas is almost $2.80 a gallon I guess that's the reason. Fun to drive... there are many alternatives than Toyota. The Supra was a good car... maybe the new Toyota concept might create some hope.

11th Apr 2007, 09:11

10:08 First off, my friend Paul and I treat out vehicles about the same, we wash them with roughly the same attention to detail and frequency. That was my whole point, it's a friendly contest. He calls my truck a rice burner, and I call his truck a piece of crap.

However, his rusts and mine doesn't. All you have to do is look at how the quarter panels are finished off (or folded under) at the wheel wells. His, due to bad design, traps water and salt, and mine doesn't. Same thing with the hem at the bottom of the doors and tailgate. His rusts, mine doesn't.

And to say that I've never hauled or off-roaded with my truck is incorrect, also, especially the off-roading part. Toyota trucks are completely unmatched off road, Nothing else, but MAYBE a Jeep can even come close. And even though his fuel filter/pump went out, and that's not the engine's fault, his Dodge still broke down, and my Toyota didn't. That's the point.

And I didn't say mine was faster, I said his was a LITTLE faster. I don't care what the gear ratio is. You can explain it away any way you like, but the fact is that his Dodge rusts with equal care, and has broken down, and my Toyota looks like new and has never left me stranded.

And to the guy who thinks a V-6 Camry can't outrun an old Dodge truck with a 318; try it sometime. You'll see nothing, but the Camry's tail lights. And as I said, he has worked as a body man for a good number of years, and will actually admit that his truck has a crappy paint job. He has almost no paint left on his roof and hood! Mine looks new.

11th Apr 2007, 17:35

All GM vehicles drive great. It's hard to find a more fun to drive vehicle, and the feel of all of them is very similar. Our large GM SUV has the controls all located in the same position as our GM sports sedan and the driving feel is almost identical. I never thought I'd refer to an SUV as "sporty handling" but our GM sure is.

11th Apr 2007, 23:04

Maybe it's a generational thing, loyalty to a brand. From what I hear from owners of Dodge pickups the engine is fine, but the transmission has to be replaced at 60k. As far as my experience with cars/trucks the Toyota brand gives you overall satisfaction with good quality design of all it's parts. Domestic brands nearly always fall short somewhere in the vehicle package, adding annoyance to ownership. I hate being annoyed. For good advice on quality of vehicles I consult The Lemon Aid guide.

They tell it like it is. For heavy duty Pick ups today the consencus in the oil patch is the F350 Diesel offer the best performance.

12th Apr 2007, 05:21

Shopping for a truck is entirely different than a car. I feel the domestics are the best thought out. Best performance, capacities, towing etc. Even elements such as height and high sides are a factor. I know one contractor a plasterer that drives a Tundra. All the rest of us drive Ford F-250's and Silverados. Few Rams.

14th Apr 2007, 17:25

Actually, even shopping for a car the domestics have a lot more to offer in the way of styling, performance and reliability. Of course, in a TRUCK there are no Japanese companies that build real trucks, so there is no choice to be had there.