2nd Jun 2009, 23:12
"a masochist might be car shopping somewhere."
I always give more credence to personal experiences than to either ad hype or silly "surveys" or foreign-biased magazines. This site probably saved me a lot of headaches. I was literally about to go pick up a new 2006 Hyundai Tiburon in the spring of 2006 when I ran across this site. After reading numerous accounts of Hyundai refusing to honor their highly touted warranty, I opted to wait and buy something else. I'm very thankful for the comments that helped me avoid an unpleasant buying experience. I'm glad people post such comments.
It's pretty easy to separate the BS from legitimate personal experiences. Pure opinion carries zero weight with me. Testimonials from actual owners do.
6th Jun 2009, 21:14
Blah, blah... Toyota makes better vehicles than Ford, Chevy, and Dodge, as well as everyone else with the possible exception of Honda. If you don't know this, you should. The rest of you are only kidding yourselves.
7th Jun 2009, 11:36
I guess that's why Fusion sales are setting records and Ford is blowing Toyota away in sales now. I just love these "if you don't know this you should" and "Toyota is better because I say so" statements. Don't you just LOVE all the documentation and resources cited??
My boss finally woke up to what being an American SHOULD mean and informed me that he was finally heeding my advice and trading his two Japanese imports in for new American cars. He has already traded his wife's import in on a Cadillac. Yesterday I went to help him trade his import in on a Fusion. We were shocked that the lot (a HUGE dealership) had only a couple of 2009's left. My friend who works for the dealership told me that there had been a big wave of people deciding to help their country by trading their imports in on Fords. He pointed to a whole row of late model Camrys, Accords and Altimas that had been traded for Fusions. The lot was packed with customers and there were a number of foreign cars in the customer parking areas. Most of their stock was 2010 models, as the 2009's have sold like hotcakes.
I was excited to see that people are becoming more patriotic and buying from American companies. It's good to know that many more people like my boss are finally waking up to the fact that buying foreign is hurting no one but ourselves. They are also waking up to the fact that domestic auto makers are making more reliable vehicles than the Japanese. The Fusion outranks both Camry and Accord in reliability. The Fusion hybrid is recognized as the world's best hybrid (USA Today) and the always tops F-150 just keeps putting the Titan and Tundra to shame.
The import fans can keep spouting their "buy foreign, hurt your country" mantra but it appears that the tide is turning. There really ARE patriotic Americans out there who are waking up to the fact that we only hurt ourselves by supporting foreign industry.
8th Jun 2009, 11:02
I bought a 2001 Toyota Tundra brand new, and it was a beautiful truck. After 2 years, it was the worst truck I have ever owned. I traded it on an '03 Tundra out of Toyota good faith. I traded it 2 years later on a Ford F150 and have never looked back.
I thought maybe the first one was a lemon, but the second was the same, and 2 years newer. That's enough Toyota for me, thanks.
8th Jun 2009, 14:37
11:36..Like I said, blah, blah. If your boss traded Toyota's for anything other than Honda's, that's his misfortune. Hope they weren't GM's. Buying from a bankrupt company. That made junk to begin with. Or a Dodge.. one of if not THE lowest rated automakers in existence last I read it. People driving those must get caught up in advertising and not research anything. Or Ford; granted, a little better than the other two (or should I say ONE), but still, the best of the worst, really.
9th Jun 2009, 11:59
We visited with some of our import-loving friends yesterday, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud at my friend. He bought a Tundra some years back and ranted for a few months about how "superior" it was. Then the problems began and he became rather quiet about it. Yesterday he mentioned that he was going to trade for another truck. When I asked what he was going to buy, he just grimaced and said "Anything but a Tundra". Enough said!!
1st Apr 2011, 01:34
I like how all of these comments rip on Toyota, but yet, I own a 2000 Toyota Tundra, and it is at a strong 308,xxx miles right now.
8th Oct 2012, 12:46
Not sure why you guys have all these problems. I've been doing mechanical inspections for extended warranty companies - including Toyota - for nearly 20 years, and would see on an average less than 10 Toyotas a year out of thousands of Fords, BMWs, Chryslers, etc. I currently own a 2002 Tundra with 272K (that's about 450,000 km) miles, and it still runs great...
9th Oct 2012, 09:21
You sure have a lot of "import-loving friends", which strikes me as kind of odd for someone who has made their feelings perfectly clear as to what they think of import owners.
10th Oct 2012, 12:24
Being he is a boss, it sounds likely to me. I would trade and buy a new Audi R8, Infiniti or a new 2013 Cadillac if I were the boss as well. Seems a very logical transition.
11th Oct 2012, 17:29
Toyota announced the largest recall in its history today, bringing the total to about 30 million cars since 2009. Experts expect this may finally influence even die-hard Toyota fans to look elsewhere. Domestics are now clearly the better choice.
12th Oct 2012, 08:55
A vehicle that wastes my time sitting around waiting for piles of recalls is why I left. I do not care if it was once a top ten.
Also, if the driving experience is less than fulfilling to start with, it's trade in time. Sitting in a dealer waiting room is as boring as driving one.
12th Oct 2012, 10:38
Nope. Toyota as a brand is still in the top 5 of the most reliable car makers out there, and well above all of the domestic brands. Secondly, my Dad has a 2002 Tundra, and his is now approaching the 300,000 mile mark. So far so good!
12th Oct 2012, 12:59
Oh yes, Toyota's and Honda's most recent recalls really compare to the life-threatening things that may go wrong with domestic cars, like springs breaking causing tire blowouts (Ford), and rear axles losing wheels and steering wheels locking up while driving (GM). Power windows smoking, or unnaturally pouring a bottle of liquid into a power window switch, causing a fire, definitely compares with those things.
2nd Jun 2009, 23:03
"I would NOT buy another because it is too lightly constructed for the types of work I occasionally do. I didn't like how it bounced off the snubbers with a load of lumber in the back."
In all fairness to the Tundra, the films showing the body panels flapping wildly, the gas door slapping open and shut and the whole body twisting like rubber were filmed in VERY RUGGED driving that 99.99% of most trucks will never see. Of course that DOESN'T offset the fact that the Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks in those same tests DIDN'T flop around like a wet noodle in those conditions. You're right, they are very lightly built with much less substantial materials throughout.