Toyota Man
 

When I was in high school enjoying cars and working at a local Chevy/Buick dealership, I would never think twice about owning any car except from GM.
All 5 makes where the holy grail of the auto industry.

Well GM, today you can go to hell with all your producing expensive junk,
then convince the public to buy into it, then today, recall 80% of everything you make.

Remember when the word Cadillac could be used in the same sentence as Lexas?

Also, if Corvettes, (the only reliable car from GM) where smart, they would break away from GM and become their own company.

Your Thoughts

I bought a new Corvette in 1993 that I drove for a few years. Other than that I've never owned or even considered any GM vehicle at any time in the last 50 years (I am 68). It is not perceived lack of quality or value, its just that none have appealed to me.

GM failed so many times. Towards the end, they built all their pontiac vehicles to look the same, then cut their own throats by making a gto look like a piece of s___.

I don't have a Dodge, but working in the industry, they look the best and run the best. It started with the Dodge truck design in the 90s with the tractor trailer front end design. Then they started retro builds which have far out sold other usa manufacturers for luxury, speed and reliability.

As far as all vehicles, nothing in the US even comes close to foreign cars for luxury, speed and reliability.

1) MB
2) Audi
3) BMW
4) Genesis
5) Acura

Cadillac and Lincoln may end up in top 10. Corvette is a phallic symbol and isn't really a car to consider when you compare to Cadillac and Lincoln, buy why even consider it when foreign cars are TOP.

I'm a Toyota guy, but even Toyota has made a few mistakes recently. I don't like small dispacement turbo-charged engines. I don't think that they'll last for as long as I like to keep my vehicles.

Last September, I replaced a 2008 Toyota with what I consider one the last, most reliable vehicles ever made, a 2024 Toyota 4Runner with a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder engine. I expect it to outlast me.

Check the Comsumer Reports and J.D. Power Car Value & Ratings.

Your expensive foreign makes, Audi, BMW. Mercedes, etc. are terrible for frequence of repairs and dependability.

Did I mention expensive.

Been driving camrys for many years find them very reliable. Have a 2021 now and very happy.

Rumor has it they will only sell as hybrid in future that might give me a reason to go elsewhere.

Not a rumor. Toyota hybrids are very reliable. No reason to go elsewhere.

My first Ford Explorer Sport SUV was awesome. Had a hole in the oil tank and the engine seized. The next one was horrible. My first VW Rabbit was amazing for a couple of years, until something happened to it. I don't remember what. It was probably traumatic. My Subaru Wagon was okay, but it didn't have air conditioning. Not a wise idea. My VW Microbus was the bomb diggety. I miss it. My Jaguar X-Type was the sweetest, best, most magnificent car I've ever owned, but then I blew the transmission less than 2 years after I bought it. $20k down the drain, I couldn't afford the new tranny AND scheduled maintenance. My Hyundai Excel was horrible and I hated it, and it lasted me over 5 years. My Scion XD was horrible and I hated it and it lasted me over 10 years. I'm really enjoying my Sentra. I give it a year before something bad happens to it.

My ‘08 RAV 4 is gold. When I was a kid, I yearned for a Vette, but couldn’t afford it. Now I can afford it, I have zero interest. My RAV 4 does the NY to Fla. drive twice a year- zero problems. It’s old and gold

Cars
 

Toyota, Honda & Subaru produce more cars in the US than GM …. Lexus/Toyota have been rated Nr 1 for reliability/less customer complaints for years ….

2024 Made in America Auto Index

Subaru not so much...

Had an 02 Corvette, I loved it but hated having to fix stuff all the time. Newer Vettes may be more reliable now but I am out on GM period. We are completely Toyota now. Two Highlanders, and a Toyota Crown now. The Crown, a hybrid, is an awesome and great looking car. Made in an SUV now too, and did I mention 45mpg? Nothing but Toyota for the rest of this lifetime for me.

I bought a 2024 Tacoma 4 x 4. I was a little worried about a four-cylinder turbo but as I understand it, the turbo four-cylinder's have been used for a while in the Lexus line and well tested. The Celica's also ran them all the way back to the 80s.

I'm not a GM guy but I had a 2012 Impala that lasted 190,000 miles. That was an awesome car. It also had 300 hp.

Personally, I blame some of this on all the ridiculous fuel economy standards that auto manufacturers have to meet. It's forced manufacturers to do all kinds of hacks to vehicles to meet the standard, like shutting off vehicles when stopped, turning off cylinders while driving (a big problem with GM trucks), etc. All of these things make the vehicles less reliable and more expensive to purchase and to fix.

Maybe it's just a psychological thing for me, but I would not buy a vehicle that shut off when I come to a stop. I've driven a couple and I don't like the hesitation that occurs when you let off the break. Thankfully my Taco does not do that.

I've owned a Prius for the last 10 years. Only 1 repair bill in the entire period: new accessory battery, $400. I spend on oil changes and filters, and one set of new tires. Love it! Not an impressive looking car, but it is my Old Faithful.

My 2010 Malibu is still in the family with 160,000+ miles, has yet to burn a quart of oil.

My ‘07 HHR was still running strong and reliable at 140,000 miles when I traded it for a 2017 Subaru Forester. The HHR had become too small. I switched brands because the sales people at Nahas Chevy were as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. Liars.

I'm driving my 4th Mercedes, a 2011 ML SUV, I got my first one in 1975. Yes they are expensive to buy and maintain, but life it too short to drive ordinary cars.

GM is cutting their own throat. They have discontinued a lot of good cars under the guise of building all electric cars. The CEO has to go as she has no clue what people want. I have always been a GM guy. I have owned many Gm cars. I currently own a 2015 Impala and a 1994 Corvette. I have owned 3 Impalas and this one is the best. So what does GM do they decided to stop making them. GM has gone way down hill. Who would have of thought that out of all the great cars they have made in the past the one that outlasted is the Buick. The cars they make now are all SUVs and some of them are garbage.

I was a GM customer for most of my adult life, along with a fair share of imports. Just before I retired, I purchased a new 2022 Chevy Silverado Z71. It was a very nice and comfortable truck that had a pampered life with me. However, the transmission's torque converter failed at just 29,000 miles! After the repairs were completed, I traded it in for a Lexus GX. I doubt I will return as a GM customer.

Owned a Prius, three of them, and they were all hybrids, terrific car and got about 55 miles to the gallon on my runs from NJ to FL. Don’t do that run anymore but have a Camry which has the Prius technology. Great car. A little heavier and quieter and a but more comfortable than the Prius. Very happy with this vehicle but wish it had the cool look they gave the new Prius. A keeper, I have had terrific luck with the hybrids.

I was strictly GM and Ford guy couple Mopars till around 2012. Have Honda now which has be one of most reliable cars I’ve owned compared to my 71 Torino GT. Agree GM and ford had lost they way. Who puts water pump in side crank case timing chain cover? Todays care are too much computer controlled won’t last depending on environment. Who builds vehicles computer programming when backup camera goes out the vehicle dead. IMO a big three went down hill around 1973. Early 80s was disaster. Been trying to recover ever since IMO.

No worries there. I had a 2008 Camry hybrid. I drove it, then my daughter….on to the grandson. We finally sold it in 2023 with 173k miles. The original hybrid batteries were still great.
Toyotas are the workhorse of the industry.

Totally agree. If I could afford it, I'd have two Jags. One to drive while the other's in the shop. It's a Jaguar joke and very apt. It'd be twins of this: Access Denied

To fully restore it'd be around $50K including a new straight 6 engine. Plus I'd change the exterior color - one would be British Racing Green (a British Motors color) and the other would be burgundy.

Good luck with the US ever making such a sleek, delicious, decadent, delightful vehicle. Corvettes are tacky. They're "look at me I have a fancy car!" while Jags are "I'm too awesome to care if you look at me or not"

I liked the Geo Metro many years ago, but they dropped that line. I always wanted to buy American, but GM never cared about fuel efficiency. I had a diesel Rabbit, which I fit into comfortably. The diesel Golf that followed seemed reliable. Finally, I went for the Toyota Prius and have not been disappointed. I have a 2020 Prius that gets up to 70 MPG. That line only seems to get better.

I owned 2 gm trucks over 40 years ago. They have nothing exciting, not even the corvette. The only other American built car/truck I’ve owned was the newer ford f-150, which is the best truck ever made, if you need a truck. But it had a fatal problem where it just stopped at anytime at any speed and they wouldn’t do a class wide recall so we got rid of it.
We’ve been a Nissan car family and buy a new 1 almost every 2 years: 7 z’s, 7 maximas, 2 pathfinders, 2 xterras. Have also owned multiple audi sports cars, and multiple Porsches.
I’ve only owned 3 cars that I held long enough to buy tires for, normally they would be traded in before they need tires.
As for the future, probably less Nissans but more German autos.

With CVTs and turbochargers, don't count on newer models to have the same longevity as in the past. Also the repairs will be much more expensive and they will require more maintenance as well as be less forgiving of poor driving habits.
Why you shouldn’t get a CVT transmission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktdgRxBoKMM
Here’s Why Turbos Suck - YouTube

My first Toyota was a 1966 Corolla. A POS. First head gasket blew then the oil light came on. Replaced the sender switch then the oil pump. Then the main and rod bearings. Then the crankshaft broke in two. Bought a Ford Mustang. Had two Toyotas in the 2000’s. Both were Prius’s. Good cars.

I have had many Toyotas (Tundras, tacomas, forerunners) over the years, Mrs. EDJ currently has a Rav-4 that replaced her Avalon. All have run like sewing machines and required only standard maintenance. One I had over 17 years.

I really like that they not only hold their value pretty well, but they do not over-think on your behalf. Like the earlier poster mentioned about the "feature" that allows Fords, etc. to stop and turn off at an intersection. Not only does that annoy the crap out of me, but the A/C or heater stops during that "stopped" periods.

Had a few German cars. One BMW 5-series blew a thermostat break and the radiator blow up in the In-N-Out drive thru. Bought a brand new Mercedes E-500 with the new body style in 2002. It was about $70,000. Four years later, I could barely get $14,000 for it. I will never buy a German death wagon ever again.

Currently have an F-150. Too many electronics, does too much thinking for me. I can decide when to put the recirculating air on and off in the cabin, thank you. I can decide when I do or do not want high beams on, thank you. Also, just outside of warranty, the trick-wazoo power tailgate blew. They want $1,100 to fix it. For a thousand-plus dollars I'll open and close my own tailgate, thank you.

It's going to get sold and I'm going back to Toyota.

I own an Acura MDX and it is a nice driving car, but last year it had two recalls, one was that the engine might fail and the other was that the fuel pump might fail. They said just park the car because they didn’t have any parts to correct the problems.
They finally inspected and corrected the problems about a year later , after more government scrutiny I might add. The service was handled well (finally) , but not exactly what one would expect from Acura.
I think the days of buying a car with no recalls or maintenance problems (as most of my previous cars from different manufacturers) are over.

My 2005 Audi 4A was ridiculously breakable. Worst car I ever owned in terms of repairs. I mean... when was the last time your windshield wiper motor burned out? That's just one example of the crazy things that broke on that car.

Mr France and Mr ford would be pulling their hair out? IMO Ford just as bad, who puts small foreign V8 engine in thunderbird. Idiots that who, when they had one best SB engines on planet. Who makes aluminum heads for V8s with 4 threads holding in spark plugs in? idiots, who puts water pumps inside front timing chain cover in oiling system ? idiots that’s who.

I owned Toyota and Mazda autos until I was almost 50 years old, I purchased a Dodge vehicle and it was the worse car I have ever owned! Since then I have driven an Infinity and currently have a Genesis! I will never buy a US auto ever again!

The average Corvette customer’s age in 2019 had still climbed to 61 years old.

Heading into C8 production, individuals between 25 and 40 only accounted for 3% of sales, by dingy.

About 1955 US auto manufacturers decided to EMPHASIZE style OVER reliability. VW , MB and Volvo proved that foreign cars could be made to be reliable. Then in the 70s Japan entered the US market. Pretty soon they were producing excellently reliable cars and they were smart enough to improve their styling for the US market. Today Ford is probably the most reliable of the US brands. But, many people have their own favorite US brand.

Question:
Which car/truck is considered American made Today??

No. Ford is among the worst of the American brands according to J.D. Power. Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Dodge, Jeep, and GMC were all better. Ford did manage to beat out Chyrsler and Lincoln.

Other than 50 years ago, I have not owned an American car (overpriced and under designed) except for company cars when working. I favor Japanese Lexus, but have had Audi, Volkswagen & Fiat. The great American cars of the 50s & 60s were not perpetuated in the 70s, 80s, 90s & 2000s. Some where around 2000, American auto makers woke up and began developing competition for the Japanese cars.

So what is a forgien car these days? A Ford out of Mexico and Canada or a Toyota or Honda made in the USA?

I sure wish Toyota still made the Avalon. To me it was a Lexus with Toyota pricing. Loved Oldsmobiles, had a 1970 W-30 442 and an Aurora.

Currently drive a 2013 Chevy Cruze Eco from new, 1.4L turbo motor and 6 speed manual trans. 246k miles, had to replace the air conditioning compressor because they don't sell a replacement clutch and the thermostat leaks because they thought it was a good idea to make it plastic. Finally found a metal one and will be replacing it this week. Love the car, a blast to drive.