You must not be looking at the right vehicles. My Tundra XSP has electronic roll down back glass (standard), Carbon Fiber dash kit, two cup holders in every door, the console has places to hang files, two glove boxes and a hidden compartment beside the gear shifter to conceal a weapon. Not to mention that my back seat will recline. Plus it'll drag the gate off hell, if need be.
nope, i'm lookin at the right tundra.... it boring to look at... the interior is to similar to the camry (ie. boring and uninteresting), I find the exterior to be fairly boring as well... its pretty typical of most japanese vehicles, actually, so don't take offense... they are just bland... didn't say anything about not working well just that they lack character inside and out... I've also found the ride quality on the Tundra to be so-so compared to my 05 F150... sure its got more motor, but frankly, so what?? last time I raced a truck was.... never... and either way, the new hemi will clean its clock anyway and even chevy has a 400hp option now... what i'm most interested in with upcoming models/options are 1/2 ton diesels... everything I've read about 'em has mpg's bordering on 30 and still making 450lbs of torque... when they finally hit the market THAT will be the truck to get!!! :D
I live in a town that has been destroyed by the lack of factory jobs over the last 20yrs. I was raised to believe that buying an AMERICAN MADE vehicle was the "American/Patriotic" thing to do. And for some reason, I just can't bring myself to go by a Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc. My American-made vehicles have all treated me well, including my 11-yr old Dodge 2500 w/ a Cummins Diesel. Sure, I've had to put a clutch in it, an injection pump and lift pump as well, but that was after 40k + towing. I still got 17mpg out of my last tank of fuel, and that was a LOT of idle/4x4/slow driving, etc. All that being said, all companies have their issues. Unfortunately, I've yet to hear a good synopsis of why Toyota has had these problems w/ the accelerator/throttle body and a good HOW to SAVE YOUR LIFE, if that problem DOES OCCUR!!! I know I'd just turn the damned car off, but that's just me, but a lot of people out there don't know that could be an option, including the California HP that died w/ 3 passengers just a couple months ago. It's not only the PROBLEM, but the SOLUTION that is not being dealt with very well. Were I and EXEC for that company, there would be billboards and internet and TV ads, instructing people WHAT TO DO if the THROTTLE problem DID occur!!! Certainly that message may save a few lives if just ONE person were to hear it, and respond appropriately when needed. Add to that the problems they had a couple years ago they recalled/bought back a BUNCH of trucks d/t frame problems. I'm not really sure they are any better than a Ford, Dodge, or a Chevy, but for some reason, people glorify them as such "great vehicles."
Yep, I would absolutely buy one. I currently own a Chevy but it's highly unlikely I'd ever buy another new GM. I prefer to buy a vehicle 'made in the USA. like a Toyota that was made in the US. Or a Nissan made in the US. Or possibly a Mitsubishi made in the US or Honda.... I've had fords and honestly they kind of sucked but I would consider another one.. Because, hey, mechanics need jobs too, right? ...And I'd buy a vehicle made in Japan waaay before I'd buy a Ford or Chevy made in Mexico, Brazil, or Canada.
I have no comment on the "buy american" debate, well I do, but I don't feel like expressing it. But to answer the original question, Yes, if I was in the market for a truck I would consider a Toyota. It would all depend on the deal I got for the options & condition that I was looking for.
YES! I have 2 and my next truck will be a Toyota. Better than anything American I have ever owned. EVER!!
I'm pretty much in the same camp as a few here. I'd prefer to buy a 100% american made vehicle from an american based company, however I'm OK with purchasing from a foreign based company that employes significant amounts of US employees. It really bothers me that the US based auto companies are paying in excess of $75 per hour (total cost of labor including benefits, etc), and the foreign guys are producing the same or higher quality vehicles with almost half the cost of labor. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the camp that supports factory workers to make $80-$100k per year plus retirement, plus benefits. I know this is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way, but a lot of these people that have made that type of income really believe they are worth it too because of what's been instilled in them from the unions. If that was the case, the us auto makers wouldn't be laying people off, while the foreign based automakers are hiring people in the US. It's time to either change careers to make comparable income, or accept less pay. Just MHO, and that's coming from someone that made the decision at one point to change careers to increase my income potential. I realized that I wasn't ever going to be worth what I wanted to make, so I did something about it.
I got this from the Toyota website: About Toyota Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 14 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.5 million vehicles in 2008. Toyota directly employs more than 40,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $21 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $30 billion.
We're seriously gonna argue this. Okay... HERE comes common sense. Just google.... GM employs 140,000 Americans at its plants. While yes... 12% of Toyotas TOTAL workforce is in North America... 37% of GM's (for instance) TOTAL work force is here... 1 Ford plant employs MORE Americans than Mitsubishi, Hyndai and a few smaller others do COMBINED. So WHO is likely giving your neighbor a job... It's better for your economy if you buy an American automakers vehicle. It simply is. That's common sense. With that said... I don't care if you buy a Toyota... I (which means ME) just prefer to buy a vehicle that helps my neighbor more. And that means.. Ford... GM... Chrysler... I don't care if you buy a Toyota Truck.. but don't argue that its just as good to the American economy as if it were one of the above stated companys.. its not. Carry on.
Reminds me of Steve Buschemys (sp?) line from the movie Armageddon... "You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder."
If I want to help my 'neighbors' I'll buy an American made Mitsubishi. Made 13 miles away in Normal, Illinois. :D By the way, if we buy more American made toyotas then it would create more american jobs. Without tax payer bailouts even.
With all due respect Duke, this is not accurate information. The 140k number was disclosed in 2005 before all the layoffs, and it was their employee count for North America, not just the US. They never disclosed the number specifically of american employees at that point. The latest numbers are closer to 110,000 for north america. Looking at other sources on the internet are showing that roughly 12,000 of them are in canada. Yes, GM is larger and employs more people in the US than Toyota, but 140k is not accurate for GM at all. Most likely at this point they are well below the 100k mark.
