Should I buy a Toyota?

YOU WILL LOVE THIS SUV.

Ten years from now you will thank me giving you this advice.

Pick it up. All cars have recalls. Pintos used to blow up when hit from behind and people still by Fords.

Buy it. Toyota Isnt the only manufacturer to have recalls, it’s just been more publicised. After the recall has been done it will be fine.

I would not buy a Toyota for at least a few years, They knew of the problem and did not do anything but waited for 35 people to die and now they have brake problems too!

for me Toyota should join the Edsel and Pontiac!

Always whenever possible- buy a vehicle made in your country so you support employment and not export jobs.

@phil196662 My Toyota has more American parts and assembly than a lot of US cars. Again all cars have recalls and all car companies know well before a recall that it could kill people. How many people died in Ford Explorers before the tire situation was taken care of?

Phil, sorry to disagree with you. is there proof that Toyota knew of the problem and waited for 35 people to die? in all honesty, you have to look at Toyotas great track record. they have been the leader in reliability, dependability, safety, and one of the most loved vehicle ever on the road. Toyota and Honda have always been No. 1 or 2 as stated by the owners of each vehicle. i am not so sure this is not a sabotage effort by other auto makers, in order to knock Toyota out of the No. 1 spot. i would buy a brand new Toyota Solara today, if the vehicle was still being made.

Very true @missingbite ; like you said all cars have recalls but the smart ones admit the problem and don’t conceal it for five years!

@phil196662
No, the “smart” ones ignore it until it a recall becomes unavoidable, because recalls cost money.

@phil196662 I agree that companies should do something soon. Unfortunately, most companies ignore or hide the facts until they are forced to do something. I still think Toyota probably knew something needed to be done and did nothing. However they have millions and millions of cars on the road and 35 deaths, while horrible, is fairly small.

I’m sure they’ll get the safety figured out (assuming it’s not an electric control problem with the accelerator), but I’m most concerned about the resale value. Brands with significant recalls (this currently ranks 4th largest ever, but may keep moving up) have historically shown depressed resale values for a few years following the recall. Does anyone have experience trying to sell a *seriously” recalled car a few years afterwards?

I have had many vehicles and the best thing for them to do with technology is do have an efficient way to contact the customer. A friends with her Chevy and myself with my Ford and another with his Hyundai signed up on the manufacturer’s website for email updates. Before anything was heard I got an email about my ranger regarding the clutch and called the dealer and even had a loaner for the two days it took to fix.

And I don’t know if Toyota does this but they should!

no

Have had nothing but Toyotas in the family for the last 25 years (currently a 98 Camry). They work as clockwork, through rain or snow, do what you want them to do which is bring you from A to B without stopping at the repair shop or give you heartache.

So yes, big thumbs up for Toyota, esp. now, as you might even get one for cheaper than normal.

Yeah man they’re a GAS!

For the price of a new Toyota, I saw one of THESE sold on eBay for $17,000 last year.

Go Spe-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ddd!

Course you’d need the matching helmut, blue shirt, white pants, red sox, penny loafers, and hotzy girlfriend to go with it.

Admittedly, I don’t know the facts, but a part of me wonders if the recall and its publicity is also part of the Big 3’s bailout package.

@john65pennington and @phil196662 John would be correct. They knew about the problem couple of years ago or mayby 3 or 4 years ago.

@drake406 would not give it a second thought, as Toyota, over the long haul, has been a great vehicle.

<rant>
To all of those people who hate on Toyota for this latest recall, you alls should NEVER EVER EVER EVER buy a Ford or GM product. I have yet to hear of any Toyota bursting into flames due to poor gas tank placement or steering columns coming loose, leaving you with no control at highway speeds.

And if you think they’ve been concealing the issue for five years, what about the debacle with the Ford CD4E transmission used in the old Probes and the Mazda 626? A well-known issue with a simple fix that was kept under wraps until warranties ran out. Or dou y’all like replacing your tranny every 40K miles?

At least Toyota did this themselves without the government doing it for them!
</rant>

Personally, I have always been impressed with the reliability and durability of Toyota. I’ve seen them put up with treatment that would leave Fords in a ditch and GMs at the roadside, and even if you do manage to break something, you’ll probably be able to drive it to the garage under it’s own power without making it any worse.

@kevbo Remember, the people investigating Toyota right now just pumped $64 Billion into Chrysler and GM ;)

Remember @jerv ; manufacturers fix things and correct fuel tank problems in a few years, however Toyota with its reputation has no excuse for the concealment of the recent issues and the vast vehicles it involves. Yes they are bullet proof in reliability even at 110 miles an hour with the accelerator stuck and the brakes overheating. A friend of mine that lives in Mojave had it happen on the freeway and got out of a ticket as the police pulled him over- _ the engine_ *racing at 7,500 rpm as he walked up to the open window only for him to report that the engine would not shut off!

Then a Big Clanging sound as the engine puts a rod through the block and dents the fender a foot from the officer and poops oil all over the freeway!

It only had 42,000 miles on it and was out of warranty… Toyota won’t fix it, not covered.

Same thing happened to my father-in-law’s F150 as well. As for concealment… umm, huh? I fail to see how Toyota has done any worse there than the Big Three.

Out of warranty at 42K though, I am going to have to double-check that. Last I checked, they had a 5 year/60K warranty on the powertrain and have done so for a long time, so I have to be skeptical. BTW, was your friend also incapable of popping it into neutral before it got to 110? If so then I question who they had to bribe to get a drivers license. True, you can’t always kil the engine, but you can disconnect it from the wheels.

And when did Toyota make an engine with rods? The only ones I know of are either decades old or only in NASCAR Toyotas. I am curious about that too.

that’s how they got the car stopped, but the police already had them locked on radar.

yeh- these things happen with all manufacturers but it sounds like the documents that concealed the problems and the deaths have everything blown-up…

the interesting thing is we had to test a Toyota and find the shorting problem for them to verify when they (Toyota) should have dug deeper and not assumed it was the pedal or the carpet.

we will see how it plays out.

@phil196662 Yes, we will. And in the meantime, I will continue to distrust (or at least remain skeptical of) any and all forms of machinery regardless of manufacturer.

@jerv ; Be sure to wear protective gear correctly…

Our Corolla got 157,000 miles and was then donated to a charity. Our Prius has 93,000 and runs almost like new. Still gets 44 mpg around town and 47–50 on trips. Toyota has had recalls somewhat higher than others this past year, but I suspect their overall record is good.

I think that my ‘85 Corolla with almost 210K on the clock backs that up ;)