Son's Toyota 4Shoots Crap

[Jimmy]

Originally Posted by Silverghost

I agree with American cars being reliable, I have 130,000 on my 2000 Camaro and have only had to replace a starter. I also think the longevity of a car has a lot to do with previntive maint. Also, can't just change the oil and expect them to last forever.

It was my second Toyota... please read entire post.

[Rallysport]

Originally Posted by Milk 1027

That's the problem, the media insists that foreign cars such as Toyota or Honda are reliable and easy to maintain. One of the reasons why our automobile market is doing so bad

The truth is that American cars are very reliable and much cheaper to fix and maintain.

Especially cheaper to repair and maintain, but the public wouldn't know that because of the media brainwashing of the public. Screw toyota.

[Bone'MaroSS]

I can't stand Toyotas.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by DarrenJ

Humm...maybe Consumer Reports needs to see this...oh wait, they can't print anything bad about Toyota, Toyota sends them too much money!

Shhh ... we're not supposed to know that CR isn't payed exclusively by subscriptions. They are unbiased because there are no advertisements in them.

[Crowley]

I think emmission equipment should be covered for you .. 7 or 10 years something like that .. regardless .. if needed go aftermarket .. I bet they will be cheaper .. or go for a Junkyard version .. install yourself and save money .. good luck ..

Crowley

[Sierra]

Originally Posted by StarkyLuv

You're gonna crap on an entire genre of cars because of ONE CAR? Foreign cars (particularly Japanese) have EARNED their reputations for reliability. They re-do these comparisons every year and every year they dominate.

American automakers have to catch up and that's that. I'm a GM guy (last 3 cars were GM), but I'm not some foreign-hating loyalist. I give props where it's due.

Foreign cars are very durable, doesn't mean they're infallible.

Then how come people crap on an entire american auto market because of one problem with a car. its bad experiences is all. The squeeky wheel gets the oil.

[DeathChill]

Originally Posted by Sierra

Then how come people crap on an entire american auto market because of one problem with a car. its bad experiences is all. The squeeky wheel gets the oil.

The reputation domestic car makers got wasn't from a single car. It was from poor quality for an extended period of time (which is now corrected). You sure as hell can't knock other automakers for making quality cars all the way through.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by DeathChill

The reputation domestic car makers got wasn't from a single car. It was from poor quality for an extended period of time (which is now corrected). You sure as hell can't knock other automakers for making quality cars all the way through.

Lots of the supporters of imports tell of a single bad experience with a domestic car. And it was that car that convinced them to go to another automaker.

"I had a Chevy Cavalier and it was garbage"
"I had a Pontiac 6000 and it was horrible"
"I had a Buick Century and it was terrible"
"I had a Ford Taurus and I hated it"
"I had a Chrysler K-car and it was crap"
"I had a *insert domestic make/model* and it was *insert negative descriptor*"

[Sierra]

Originally Posted by DeathChill

The reputation domestic car makers got wasn't from a single car. It was from poor quality for an extended period of time (which is now corrected). You sure as hell can't knock other automakers for making quality cars all the way through.

Nope. All car makers should strive and honestly I beleive they are.

[UCI CamaroFan]

Originally Posted by Jimmy

I bought a 2003 Toyota 4Runner for my son 4 years ago. I have already spent over $2,000 on non maintenance problems. I just found out that the cadilytic converters are shot and and will cost $3,000 to fix. I thought Toyota cars were supposed to be so good.

I had a Celica a number of years ago... which was good for the first 100,000 miles and then started falling apart.

I will never buy a Toyota again.

Well, if you want to not buy a Toyota again, that is your perogative... but it is not wise to make sweeping generalizations about just 1 failing car. With that said, not all Toyotas are super dependable.... Tundras are horrible trucks.

A celica is more of a sporty car, thus it is not expected to hold up as long as those econoboxes.

However, your 4Runner seems to be an exception (maybe one that proves the rule?). I have a 99 4Runner, and it has over 200,000 miles on it. It runs like a champ, and it has only needed basic maintenance. My father has a 2004 Tacoma that has a has almost 100,000 miles on it, and it is still a fantastic vehicle. My grandparents have several Toyota vehicles, and they only buy Toyotas now because of how dependable they are.

Maybe your son abused that Toyota a bit... maybe it was user error that caused those failures. Who knows... oh well.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Crowley

I think emmission equipment should be covered for you .. 7 or 10 years something like that .. regardless .. if needed go aftermarket .. I bet they will be cheaper .. or go for a Junkyard version .. install yourself and save money .. good luck ..

It's very illegal to install a used catalytic converter and it's not supposed to pass inspection...for whatever that's worth.

As for the federally mandated emissions warranty:
http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/warr95fs.txt

There are three specified major emission control components,
covered for the first 8 years or 80,000 miles of vehicle use on 1995
and newer vehicles:

* Catalytic converters.

* The electronic emissions control unit or computer (ECU).

* The onboard emissions diagnostic device or computer (OBD).

The rest are required to be covered for 2 years / 24,000 miles.

[Silverghost]

Originally Posted by Jimmy

It was my second Toyota... please read entire post.

I actually did read your entire post but I fail to see where I mention anything in my post about this being your first or twentieth Toyota, please enlighten me.

[MrIcky]

OP, sorry you had bad luck. I had a 91 Toyo 4Runner that I ran into the ground including actual off-road adventures.

I sold it while it was still running good with just shy of 200,000 miles.

It was a very good truck, and seriously- I wasn't shy about beating on it.

Not to beat on you OP, but I get so sick of single car anecdote stories as proof of reliability (or lack thereof). I can almost guarantee you that I can find an anecdote about any brand made used to 'prove' that brand is unreliable. For grins- type in 'problems with' (brand of car). Make it any brand you want. People complain about resources like JD Powers, but at least it's slightly more consistant than random internet complaints.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by MrIcky

People complain about resources like JD Powers, but at least it's slightly more consistant than random internet complaints.

JD Power surveys show that American companies really have picked up their slack.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...tings-by-brand
Ford and Honda are tied in overall, powertrain, body/interior, and features/accessories quality. Honda has the advantage in mechanical quality, however it's not enough to give them an advantage in overall quality.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...ry/midsize-car
Ford Fusion, Mitsubishi Galant, and Chevy Malibu are the winners. Chevy gets the award.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...act-sporty-car
Mazda Miata. Toyota's Scion tC is barely any better than the VW GTI.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...gory/large-car
Pontiac leads strongly and has the award. Mercury comes in second and third with two models. Nissan, Ford Taurus (which should get the same as the Mercury Sable), Toyota, Chevy, and Buick stand in the middle, with Dodge, Dodge and Chrysler bringing up the rear.

IMO, it's as much about build quality as it is about the buyers. Who buys a Toyota? Someone whose biggest interest is the car's longevity. What does that person do? Take great care of it and not beat on it. That doesn't describe 100% of Toyota buyers, but Toyota and Honda get the largest percentage of those buyers, while the percentage of Mitsubishi's or Ford's buyers like that is lower and their percentage of buyers with other priorities is higher. It's a feedback loop...as more of those buyers buy it, the reputation gets better, causing even more of those buyers to buy it.

GM could build the Camaro better than every car on the market and it will still have more problems than a Camry.