Toyota #2 in US Sales, Ford #3

“Mine was missing the letter "I" on the hood. I planned to move the R next to the C, but the car died before I got the chance.”

“yeah, those Pintos engines sucked. My brother had one too and the engine caught on fire.”

“lumber - what was it aobut the Subaru that made it so expensive? Nigal said it was 2nd most reliable I think. Just curious.”

“Let's see,
coil pack ($100) it took a month of driving back and forth to the shop to get it diagnosed, I don't remember what I paid for new plugs and plug wires
timing belt and water pump ($700) at about 105K
head gasket ($1500)a month later
two new front axles ($1200) the boots had cracked and it was cheaper to replace the axles than the boots themselves
Finally just before I took it off the road, bad idle control valve, broken flange on the rear catalytic converter, cross over pipe for the front cat was cracked, both O2 sensers needed to be replace as a result ($3000+)
last edited: 11/13/08 12:57:11 PM”

“Wow. Nigal's mention of them had me looking at their van equivalent which is one of those crossovers. Dang pricy. Too pricy for me, but that maintenance is out of sight.”

“I should have noted that the car had 80,000 when I bought it and I put over 140,000 more miles on it over the past 5 years.

The head gasket thing seems to be a Subaru trait. My cousin bought a 2003 Legacy new which blew the head gasket last year. He traded it in for a Toyota.”

“We have a Sienna now. We'll replace it with probably a Sienna or Odyssey. I really like the Toyota and they have great financing deals going on. I'll probably get the Odyssey though. THey're built just up the road and I've done a good bit of work on the plant.”

“I LOVE the odysseys...we'll probably make the leap to a minivan this summer...i think WK has an odyssey...maybe he'll chime in”

“I miss my chevy :(”

“Someone already said it about Crysler transmissions above. I had the trans in the Jeep replaced about 9 months ago. Guy that put it in is good friend, said the engine in the Wrangler will go forever, but you will have to put a new trans in every 100K miles.

That has been the only repair other than routene stuff so it is probably the most reliable for me.”

““lumber - what was it aobut the Subaru that made it so expensive? Nigal said it was 2nd most reliable I think. Just curious.”

It wasn't me. I wouldn't own a Subaru if ya gave it to me. I had one and it was the worst car I ever owned. Ever have someone stop beside you and say, "Hey, did ya know your car was on fire?"? Yeah, major POS.”

“It wasn't me. I wouldn't own a Subaru if ya gave it to me. I had one and it was the worst car I ever owned. Ever have someone stop beside you and say, "Hey, did ya know your car was on fire?"? Yeah, major POS.�
Nigal
4:57:44 PM
11/13/08
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....Despite these problems, Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) still ranks third in reliability among all automakers, behind only Honda and Subaru....

Sassafras
9:25:01 AM
11/13/08
ignore this user


Dang, sure wasn't. Looks like Sass's article is the culprit.”

“If I were replacing the Yaris (perish the thought!) today I think I'd get the Scion xD.



I'm thinking about getting the new Toyota IQ (will be a Scion here) when they come here for 2010. 54 MPG.

”

“Excerpt from my letter to Ford:

Dear Mr. Ford:
Having had the rear end on my 2003 Ford Explorer go out for the 5th time in 80,000 miles, the dealer totd me I was out of warranty. I tried to explain that if they had fixed it right the 1st time, or the 2nd, or even the 3rd, then I'd be out of warranty but seeing as they did not fix it with 4 tries I believe I should still be in warranty.
Letters to your company were to no avail.

Just as a note, in the last 9 years between My wife, my daughter, and company cars I had a choice in, we have had a Mustang, 3 T-Birds, 2 Aerostars, 2 Explorders, and a Mercury Mistake.
That's 9 Ford products in 9 years. But you did save on the repair job so I guess you think it offsets your loss.

Enclosed is a photo of my new Honda Pilot.

Yours truly,

Ps. That Explorder with the bad rear end is out on the street pissing someone else off.



Strangely, I did not get a response.

Just another note for TTer's: when I bought that Explorer, it was the WORST buying experience I even had.
Buying the Honda on the other hand was most pleasent car purchase I've ever had.
In that case I went to the Honda web site to see what I wanted. Got the MSRP. Went to Kelly Blue Book. com and found what they were selling for. Asked for an on line quote from 2 dealerships. Done Deal! The longest part of the transactions was getting the car out of the car wash.”

“The new Hondas look awesome too. I wouldn't mind a new Fit S.”

“Question as an after thought:

WTF are the governments of Mexico and Canada in this bail out? Why should American tax payers loan out our good hard earned and confiscated money to save Mexican and Canadian jobs?”

“That was one of the line items of the NAFTA bill.”

“Nigal the Canadian government is working on it's own bailout for Canadian facilities. Who knows what the Mexicans will do. Maybe those jobs will come home? Naw...that's wishful thinking.”

“All that will come home will be the non-jobs”

“When you look at it the same people who are telling you it'll all be ok if we let the big 3 fail were the same ones telling you.

That Saddam was tied to AQ
That there'd be a mushroom cloud over America
That Saddam has WMDs on 45 minute's notice
That we'd be welcomed as liberators in Iraq
That is was mission accomplished
That Afghanistan was won
That things weren't going wrong in Iraq
That it was the liberal media lying to you
That trickle down would make you all richer
That you were a nation of whiners
That the recession was a media invention
That we could let Lehman fail with no problem
That CEO pay is a natural product of the market
That sub-prime was all the fault of dumb poor people
That deficits don't matter
That regulation is bad in all circumstances
That Oil firms needed tax breaks
That Sarah Palin was smart
That the economy is fundamentally strong

Same people - new lie every day.”

“I don't know anyone who said all those things. And some of them I've never heard anyone say. And some of them have been said by the left. And many of them would be true except for the mistwist you put on the statement.
last edited: 11/14/08 6:05:28 AM”

“When you look at the same people who are calling for a bailout we see they are the same ones who said...

Let the government give all we need. They know best.

Same soft socialism, different topic.”

“A portion of the 4% acting as though they were 61%.

The taxpayer has no say in what stocks and bonds he buys with his gifts to the mighty grinder.
last edited: 11/14/08 6:16:33 AM”

“See the thing is these people aren't looking at the potential failures of these companies and the cost to the US economy - and if this will cost the US more in the long-run than the money loaned to them.

They see - I'm a conservative. I don't like government - this is government interfering in the free market - it's bad.

This is exactly the same thought process which led to the concept that the financial markets would regulate themselves.”

“I had one and it was the worst car I ever owned. - nigal

Interesting. I have over a 100K on mine, and it's never had one problem that I didn't cause (like jamming something under the seat and causing the side airbag cable to become unseated). But then again, mine is the original XT. It has the engine and drivetrain of the WRX STI, but it makes much less power. So, it's operating way below what it was designed to handle. It's pretty much bullet proof. Oh, and it was made in Gunma Japan.
last edited: 11/14/08 6:29:59 AM”

“Y2, it's anything that will keep this country from even the hint of doing something like the Europeans would DO.”

“"Why the Great Depression lasted so long has always been a great mystery, and because we never really knew the reason, we have always worried whether we would have another 10- to 15-year economic slump," said Ohanian, vice chair of UCLA's Department of Economics. "We found that a relapse isn't likely unless lawmakers gum up a recovery with ill-conceived stimulus policies."



"The fact that the Depression dragged on for years convinced generations of economists and policy-makers that capitalism could not be trusted to recover from depressions and that significant government intervention was required to achieve good outcomes," Cole said. "Ironically, our work shows that the recovery would have been very rapid had the government not intervened."”

“The re-legalization of alcohol in 1932 crashed the crime boom. Without crime - no economy.”

“The city I live near, was barely effected by the Great Depression. If fact it thrived on it. Funny how an economy based on prostitution and gambling does well when people are down and out.”

“You haven't heard about how much trouble the casinos are having lately too? Seriously.”

“�Y2, it's anything that will keep this country from even the hint of doing something like the Europeans would DO.�
salebored
6:33:25 AM
11/14/08

When you say European saleboard - you should actually say every single one of America's competitors - espcially those with a substantial manufacturing base.

Like I said, I'm actually a little torn on it all. I think for me the problem is the scale of this - and the fact that it comes at a time when the economy is heading off a cliff.

If it were one company in any one period then I don't think anything should be done - but you're talking about having an entire industry taken out in one swoop - and all the jobs that industry supports.”

““You haven't heard about how much trouble the casinos are having lately too? Seriously.”
Sassafras
10:51:12 AM
11/14/08

These were all the under ground type of places.”

“the entire industry won't go. If chrysler falls, then the other two can feast on its carcass and grow stronger if they can get their act together. If both chrysler and GM falls, Ford will live like a king.”

“Toyota stands behind their products, GM has to have their hand forced. My Oldsmobile had had known brake problems and GM did nothing about it, I spent enough on that car per month to double the payment. My TransAm had the right catalytic converter fail and GM refused to fix it conveniently just out of warranty like my master cylinder. But then the government made them extend the warranty on the converters on all vehicles to 80K. Toyota built some trucks 10 years ago that were prone to rust, and as you can see from the article they either fixed it for no charge or bought back the truck! It didn't matter if you were the 2nd or 3rd or 4th owner either. Now do you think those people with the rust problem took their money from the truck they bought back and went to GM or Ford or said, "Hey, I'm gonna buy another Toyota, they stand behind their products."

I just took my Tacoma to the shop to have extra leaf springs installed free of charge since I tow and use the bed often (vs the comfort springs that give a better ride--I actually use my truck). When I took one of my GM cars in for a warranty item they tried to charge me hundreds of dollars because they couldn't get the sensors out of the bad part to put in the good part--total BS. I got tired of shelling out my hard earned cash on car repairs and that's why I stopped buying GM or Ford. Die GM DIE!”

“When I bought my Toyota I asked the sales person about the warranty and she said it was 3 years/36,000 miles. I asked about roadside assistance and she almost laughed.”

“GM CEO Richard Wagoner took home a total of $14.5 million in 2007, a 41% increase over 2006; GM posted a third quarter net loss of $2.5 billion!

CEO Allan Mulally took home $22 million in salary and special prizes in 2007, the same year his company lost $2.7 billion. Ford reported a $129 million third quarter loss!

And I read that if Chrysler get's more money it could go to the fund (Cerberus) that owns it and not to the company itself.

AND Congress has already slipped the industry $25 billion worth of low-cost loans.”

“CEO salaries are none of my business IMHO. Good CEOs are hard to come by. These are not good CEOs though. LOL! If a company is going Broke and looking for a loan they had best be following Lee Iaccoca's lead and working for $1 a year until they recover.”

“I totally agree with you Nigy!”

“Me too.”

“Well by Al Gore's standard it would seem that we have a consensus. Done deal!”

“"If a company is going Broke and looking for a loan they had best be following Lee Iaccoca's lead and working for $1 a year until they recover."

Giddy-Yap!!

CEO salaries are none of my business but the fun facts that Tango listed above certainly merit being run up the flagpole.”

“The CEO of my company mandated 3% raises for everyone as the max, including himself...but of course his 3% was almost $80,000. It's because we are in tough times.”

“http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-10-09-auto-exec-pay_N.htm

Its not just the Auto Ceo's pay either that's so overinflated. Look at the Walmart family for one, you'd think with all the billions in profit they each rake-in, that they could at least provide basic heath care for their employee's
Die Walmart, Die !!”

“


"The Password^TM...... � is � Clawback...... � Clawback......"

”

“Tilt, you forgot to post the link to the article about Walmart requesting a Federal Bailout.”

“And the other thing is I don't think anything will change after they (big 3) get this money. All the car commercials I see still are stuck on how fast, how much horsepower and such. Even when gasoline was $4 a gallon. No commercials (that I've seen) are touting the gas mileage the car gets.”

“The ford flexes and focus and escape's commercials all do. They are pushing the flex hard right now. It's all about the SYNC and 24mpg.”

“It's kinda like a house on your block being on fire and shouting 'burn baby burn' and laughing at you neighbor as the embers start raining down on your roof.”

“its kinda not like that at all.”

“But if that same neighbor has gotten 100's of thousands of dollars to fireproof his house and used it to buy a country home in Italy instead.”