30th May 2015, 06:51
So you are all a Toyota family for decades. I agree with the quality in the past. But to me today they are between just average to below in quality. I liked low production made in Japan. I think the materials and quality has dropped. If someone bought 11 domestics of the same model, they would have a domestic fixation if there was a comment made. My one side of the family is Mopar or no car for decades. Same scenario. Their parents had them one after another. And all 3 of their kids drive them no matter what. One after another. I have seen nothing like it. I have bought many imports and domestics. So the label doesn't apply.
I would much rather have a German car than a Toyota today. They have always been more to maintain. But you get a high quality ride typically, with great handling. This is the area that Lexus lacks. This is the model in the review. BMW prides themselves in this area.
My favorite is Audi at the moment. There is a great aftermarket facility near us that changes the exhaust and tuning for great performance. I have driven 911s, and the handling and braking excel. So if it costs more to maintain; it's worth the cost of admission. What is inexcusable is engine sludging issues from a poor block design. Not lack of oil changes. Or trans that fail premature and electrical issues. These are just swept under the mat. Toyota and Honda have had issues.
My Mopar side of the family are so hooked into a name. So I have seen how sentimentality is even with domestics as well. There are so many great cars to choose from today. Why not branch out for a new experience?
31st May 2015, 22:38
I think your description about Toyota running forever is a too spartan one. There is no such thing as a quality Toyota built after 2006. In the past 10 years, this company has lost its compass. Still they are pretty well built cars for the first 50000 miles or so, but then the issues start showing up.
The worst, is that the interior quality has been going downhill compared with the competition.
And the ugly part is that Toyota doesn't care about safety. Toyota consistently ranks at the bottom when it comes to new crash tests such as the small overlap test. They are the worst in industry. This company is only about making money, without interest in pleasing the consumers.
Go with Honda if you want a car from a Japanese company that hasn't fall asleep in the last 10 years.
29th May 2015, 19:34
Sounds like a Toyota commercial. There are quite a few people on here that have had less than satisfactory Toyota experiences and have switched. And this is recent. I didn't watch cartoons, but did more than my fair share of sitting in waiting rooms, waiting to have more than average issues fixed. Perhaps there's more Toyota and Honda owners grieving than Saab, Audi, Mercedes or BMW if the repairs are not as significant to them vs a Camry owner.
Maybe your parents were having an oil change or wiper blades installed at a dealer. I use to sit and hand my father tools to work on his new 60 MGA, clueless as a little kid about what he was doing. As a mature adult today, I am pretty aware of reviewing an invoice today. And have a good memory of unloading ones that had premature major issues. It's a quality debate for us.