Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

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Thu, 02/04/2010 - 9:18pm
CyberCowboy's picture
CyberCowboy
Title: Gardener
Joined: 12/04/2009
Posts: 908
Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

Toyota has had 2 major recalls for their cars within the last year (floor mat and gas pedal) and is being investigated for brake problems. Does this make anyone more likely to go back to American cars or are you happy with the way this is being handled?

Real name is Bryan James, if you want to know why I use Cyber Cowboy visit this thread http://couleeregiononline.com/forums/whats-name

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:51am
#1
the_hubby's picture
the_hubby
Title: Crow
Joined: 12/05/2009
Posts: 310
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I have been saying for years that Toyota quality is going downhill. I think overall they are still more reliable than domestic cars. The certainly could have handled this situation much better than they have been. After my test drive of a '07 Camry I think they have transmission issues as well. The one I drove had the 5-speed auto and as soon as you let off the gas the car would instantly shift out of overdrive and slow down immediately. I'm never drive a car that has done that before. I told the dealer about it and they said "thats normal". I have drive many other cars since and still I have need had this experience.

Anyway, back to topic, it will take more than this to make me go back to a domestic car again. I have always thought that Toyota was over priced and now with this issue it just put the nail in the coffin for buying a Toyota for me. There are plenty of other foreign cars to choose from.

I would reccomend that if you get a foreign car make sure to get one built in Japan and not the US assembled version. I have seen from personal experience that this makes a difference.

Also stay away from the Korean products, they only last a few years before they start falling apart. And the 100k warranty is next to worthless if your the second owner.

the_hubby

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 8:13am
#2
CyberCowboy's picture
CyberCowboy
Title: Gardener
Joined: 12/04/2009
Posts: 908
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I always really liked the Saturn brand. I am on my 3rd Saturn in a row and was very disappointed when GM announced they were ending the brand.

I am NOT a car head, I told my wife before we got married that if she ever saw my legs sticking out from under a car to call an ambulance because something bad has happened. Reliability is the most deciding factor to me, and the only reason I traded in my first two Saturn's was that I got GREAT deals on the newer ones.

Real name is Bryan James, if you want to know why I use Cyber Cowboy visit this thread http://couleeregiononline.com/forums/whats-name

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 11:20am
#3
dnjn's picture
dnjn
Title: Crow
Joined: 03/27/2009
Posts: 157
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

Never considered a Toyota. I have friends that swear by them. I think they are a plain and homely car. But then after owning a Jeep for 3 years-I dont think I will ever buy anything else.

On the subject of Saturns, about 2000 or so I had to get a rental to go to Oshkosh and all they had was a saturn sedan. My right foot kept getting cramps and there was no cruise control so I had to alternate feet. The agency was sympathetic when I returned and only charged me half.

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:02pm
#4
CyberCowboy's picture
CyberCowboy
Title: Gardener
Joined: 12/04/2009
Posts: 908
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

My first Saturn I installed an after-market cruise because I was driving to Janesville twice a week for work. In all fairness your right foot would have most likely gotten cramps no matter who made the car if you made that drive without cruise.

Real name is Bryan James, if you want to know why I use Cyber Cowboy visit this thread http://couleeregiononline.com/forums/whats-name

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 8:03pm
#5
dnjn's picture
dnjn
Title: Crow
Joined: 03/27/2009
Posts: 157
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I have been making that trip since 1975. My first car with cruise was in 1995, so I made that trip for 20 years without.

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Fri, 02/05/2010 - 10:52pm
#6
the_hubby's picture
the_hubby
Title: Crow
Joined: 12/05/2009
Posts: 310
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I like the design of the Saturn when they first came out, but after the problems they started to have and after seeing one up close and finding out it didn't even have a glove box, I decided to move on.

the_hubby

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Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:18am
#7
Roadangel's picture
Roadangel
Title: Gardener
Joined: 06/15/2007
Posts: 3518
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

In my opinion ALL cars have gone downhill. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. I do like buying Chevy though, just because it's local, parts are cheaper and I like Brenegen, BUT I used to work at a Toyota dealership and my parents have not owned anything but a Toyota since I was in Elementary school. I owned one and was happy with my purchase. But yeah, Chevy is what I buy now.

Wonder how many people I would've killed by now, if I had telekinetic powers?

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Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:37am
#8
nightmarepatrol's picture
nightmarepatrol
Title: Fledgling
Joined: 11/22/2009
Posts: 75
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I've owned a lot of different brands and models over the years. I still like Ford trucks best of all. Ford has some new products that I may take a look at when my F150 throws in the towel. Of the imports, Honda has been an amazingly reliable product consistently from my experience. Not a of bells, whistles or doo-dads, but they pretty much just work.

- NP -

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Mon, 02/08/2010 - 1:03pm
#9
Mel Smith's picture
Mel Smith
Title: Gardener
Joined: 07/26/2009
Posts: 621
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

I think cars have gone down hill too... and by down, I mean up!

Take my VW as an example. Cotton pick'n thing is always break'n down. I mean, two timing belts, a few dozen lights, an alternator, and not to mention all those tires. It's only got 226,000 miles on it. I bought it when my granddaughter was about seven-years old and she doesn't remember me ever driving anything else; she'll be eighteen in another couple of months.

Of course, I shouldn't complain, the car was free! Well not free in the beginning. Back then, in 2000, it cost around $20,000 but slowly through the years the little diesel engine has been sipping fuel at around 45mpg and the savings at the gas pump, over a car that gets say 25mpg, have been adding up till, if the VW makes it all the way to past a quarter million miles to 300,000, I'll have saved the initial sticker price at the gas pump!

I don't know if anyone else can relate to my misery with this vehicle, the same-ol'-same-ol' for a decade or more and still chug'n along, not using a drop of oil between services - 5,000 to 6,000 or 8,000 I'm lax... but then I've always used synthetic oils. Never a wheel bearing to replace, or wait, I did replace struts last summer and some bushings for the rear axle...

I'm thinking of buying a Toyota actually, because if I buy another VW it'll be the last car I ever get, they'll bury me in it! And I don't mind buying a foreign car, heck, I got nothing against Countries like Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee... maybe that's when Toyota's quality took a dive, when they stopped making the cars in Japan!

I'm kind of hoping that Toyota will start getting real aggressive to win back their lost market share. I think I would love to be offered a great deal on a new Pick-up but I'm determined to drive the VW into the ground first and that's proving to be a problem!

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Tue, 02/09/2010 - 11:25pm
#10
JimBrashear's picture
JimBrashear
Title: Crow
Joined: 12/04/2009
Posts: 177
Re: Does the Toyota Recall make you more likely to buy American?

This is at tricky one. First of all Toyota's manufacturing plants are in America while Ford's are in Mexico... Toyota brings more money to the American economy for the blue collar worker because of this than the "american" companies.

I personally have owned mostly American cars, but in college I had a Nissan Sentra. That car I bought with 40K miles on it and drove it 65 miles every day to college one way and it lasted me until it had 210K miles on it. I never had to put a single part in that car and ended up hitting a deer with it to kill it. Amazing car.

I now as my "family" car have a 2006 Kia Sorento SUV. I bought it 6 months old with almost no miles on it. I've got 72K on it now and again it's been an amazing car, reliable, comfortable, and gets decent fuel mileage. Has a 10/100k warranty on it which is better than the American companies AND we weren't originally setting out to buy foreign. I actually bought and returned a Ford Explorer at the time. I couldn't justify the extra $10K for it to get a worse warranty, 9mpg less on average, less comfortable ride, and less in features for that money. I would LOVE to buy American as a principle - but until they start competing - and I mean truly competing they will not be the force they once were.

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