Originally Posted by fcgiii (Post 1931130)

We bought a RAV4 5 years ago expecting our 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan to die. The left siding door wouldn't open, heated seats didn't heat, windshield washer wouldn't wash. Driver's seat ripped and patched with Duct tape. But the damn thing woudn't quit. Sold it at 240,000 miles for $1700 to CarMax before bringing our RAV4 and 1995 Miata here on the autotrain.

First car was a Red 1965 MGB. Fun to drive and all but a maintenance nightmare. Had to diddle with the distributor and balance the carburators constantly. Sold it at 25,000 miles to a red bearded hippie and the clutch was ready to go. He complained about it and I told him it's a sports car, fool. That's how these clutches are. Spun it out 3 times.

My 1995 Miata is a much better car, though it's beginnng to rust out.

Love the RAV4 hybrid. Continuously variable transmission is cool, and it gets 34 mpg. Stomp on the accelerator and the electric motors kick in with the gas engine and it really takes off.

Never will understand why US car makers can't make reliable cars. My Sienna was built in Tennessee.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 1931439)

Legend has it that all 3 American car makers made a decision about their 1970, 1980, and 1990 cars and trucks to design each part on them to fail after 3 years of wear. All designed to force trade-ins at the 3-year mark. Any part lasting more than 3 years on average was re-designed to be cheaper and less reliable.

Originally Posted by fcgiii (Post 1931130)

We bought a RAV4 5 years ago expecting our 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan to die. The left siding door wouldn't open, heated seats didn't heat, windshield washer wouldn't wash. Driver's seat ripped and patched with Duct tape. But the damn thing woudn't quit. Sold it at 240,000 miles for $1700 to CarMax before bringing our RAV4 and 1995 Miata here on the autotrain.

First car was a Red 1965 MGB. Fun to drive and all but a maintenance nightmare. Had to diddle with the distributor and balance the carburators constantly. Sold it at 25,000 miles to a red bearded hippie and the clutch was ready to go. He complained about it and I told him it's a sports car, fool. That's how these clutches are. Spun it out 3 times.

My 1995 Miata is a much better car, though it's beginnng to rust out.

Love the RAV4 hybrid. Continuously variable transmission is cool, and it gets 34 mpg. Stomp on the accelerator and the electric motors kick in with the gas engine and it really takes off.

Never will understand why US car makers can't make reliable cars. My Sienna was built in Tennessee.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 1931439)

Legend has it that all 3 American car makers made a decision about their 1970, 1980, and 1990 cars and trucks to design each part on them to fail after 3 years of wear. All designed to force trade-ins at the 3-year mark. Any part lasting more than 3 years on average was re-designed to be cheaper and less reliable.

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr (Post 1931216)

My son was an auto mechanic for many years. He's now a subway train mechanic of the Boston subway system (MBTA).

After working on hundreds of cars of different makes and models for several years, it was his opinion that BMWs and Audis were over priced junk. In his opinion, Toyota and Honda make the best cars on the market today. The best US made cars, Ford.

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr (Post 1931216)

My son was an auto mechanic for many years. He's now a subway train mechanic of the Boston subway system (MBTA).

After working on hundreds of cars of different makes and models for several years, it was his opinion that BMWs and Audis were over priced junk. In his opinion, Toyota and Honda make the best cars on the market today. The best US made cars, Ford.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 1931434)

I would drive an AMC pacer around. It is such an unloved outlier that I find it "COOL"!

Originally Posted by jebartle (Post 1931678)

My husband's favorite SUV was a Hummer, he has owned every car under the sun, I'm sure he would trade me in for another Hummer, he loved that car, sensible, not, but a man's love for his cars, never makes sense. I'm more a point A to point B girl.

Originally Posted by manaboutown (Post 1931664)

I once had a 1986-1/2 Toyota Supra. It was an incredible car, drove like a dream and had very comfortable seats. Toyotas do last.

Driving I-10 and I-40 between CA and NM two or three times a year 20 -30 years ago on two separate occasions I saw terrible wrecks where Honda cars were literally cut in half. They appeared back in the 1980s and 1990s to be so fragile I would not consider buying one although their reliability and performance were good. I would like to survive an accident.

Although I am not sure I think it was Honda which at one time offered to supply the US with free vehicles for safety tests which offer was initially accepted. It was discovered the Japanese company had specially constructed the donated vehicles to perform well in crash tests, double welding floor pans and more. Afterwards the government agency then bought the vehicles to be tested randomly off car lots. Here is a more recent cheating from Suzuki. Suzuki is recalling 2 million cars in Japan after cheating on safety tests