Victor

Sure there are anti Ford and GM sites too. Each manufacturer has good points - with a lot of American car company vehicles you pay a lower price but the vehicles wear out sooner. We pay a premium for longevity. Has Toyota had problems - every manufacturer does. In the camshaft case it wasn't a Toy made part that was breaking but of course the motor company takes the hit in those cases. There is wisdom in never buying a first year of a new vehicle.

qdude79

Have to chime in here, as a previous Ford owner...

Had a '94 Taurus with the 3.8. MANY people had the headgasket failure, took Ford FOREVER to address, only after the NHTSA finally went after them. I got my recall notice THE DAY that I was to take it in for repair at my expense. Had an F150 with the 5.4. Shot a plug out of the block! I repeat: SHOT A PLUG OUT OF THE BLOCK! I go on the 'net, there's tons of other's with the same problem, on the same cylinder. Talk to Ford: "We've never heard of such a problem!" Same thing they told me with the HG on the Taurus. Bottom line: I have to pay to have the block heli-coiled. Man, I'd be EMBARRASSED to have to field such a call from a customer! To me, that's like having your steering wheel fall off... no excuse!

My Dad has an '03 F250 6.0 PSD. Steering problems galore! I go on the 'net (I'm not sure my Dad knows the 'net exists) and there are MANY others with the complaint. He talks to Ford: "We've never heard of such a problem!" He develops a serious steering "death wobble" at 65k miles, and their answer: put a steering dampner. I told him to take it in to them and tell them you got your own dampner to put on, and hand 'em a box of band-aids.

Oh, by the way, I picked up my '90 Runner a few months ago and it took me all of two minutes to book an appt for the steering rod recall, and Im probably the 4th or 5th owner OF A 18+ YEAR OLD VEHICLE! Get the 3.0 if you like, if it hasn't had HG recall work done, take it in!

I'm sure there's a lot of Ford owners that have had positive experiences, and some Toyota owners that have had bad, but this is my personal experience thus far.

Way I see it, we could get a group of guys together to go buy a Ford vehicle, all at the same time, have them drive off the lot, have the wheels fall off of all of them down the street, and STILL have the dealership tell us that there's no known problem, and that we'll all have to have them repaired at our own expense, as it's been over 10 minutes and the warranty has expired.

But I'm not bitter...

ozziesironmanoffroad

i actually have had good experiences with ford. our expedition has never broken down, my dads ranger with near 300,000 miles on it hasnt broken down, yet the cavalier we used to have fell apart after 70,000 miles. go figure

just a 22re

its not caviler its crapoftheyear!!!! get it right he he

Ron Helmuth

They hate us cause they know we are just a little smarter than they were at purchase time.

My domestic hate story- 84 Dodge Charger 2.2

Leased it right out of college. Built with wrong factory ignition computer (somehow a LeBaron 2.2 module was installed by the factory)

Dealership replaced ignition module with same part number-did not check part number to see if it was the right one for the vehicle. Did not fix -obviously.

Took 8 months and lots of dead by the side of the road frustrations before they finally discovered the bad part install. Then it ran "fine" until the end of the lease. Plastic radiator melted one day, that was an expensive plastic radiator from Chrysler.

My calls to Chrysler and dealership boards here in Colorado helped start the Lemon Law process, that was adopted about one year later.

Dealership explained that "no severe hardship" was encountered with my situation. Having to make car payments on a brand new car that would hardly run at times-wow I would hate to see severe hardship.

Have not touched a Chrysler product since and do not intend to. I held out some high hopes for them when Mercedes got involved in the ownership but so much for that......fool me once.....

Brenjen

Two of the best vehicles I've ever had were a 80's Cavalier wagon with over 400K miles on it when I sold it, still running & a 90 model Dodge 3/4 ton that was used by the state as a prison farm truck. The Dodge I still have & is in the 500K range; it's been worked hard as a cable construction line truck & has made many out of state trips loaded to the gills with gear, men & hardware + towing. Currently has a tranny boo-boo of some sort but will live on when smashed together with my '86 Dodge 4x4 which was also a cable line truck & still runs & drives.


You just never know for sure what'll be a good 'un.

empire_5

I think in general the overall 'reliability' of vehicles has decreased over the years. From my observations, the older model vehicles seem to last longer then newer model vehicles. This is prbly b/c older model vehicles are easier to fix, and most people had the time (and knowledge) to fix 'em themselves. Now, everyone's on a quest for fuel efficiency, vehicles are getting so complicated that we have to get someone to fix our vehicles for us when they get a problem, whereas, say, 20 years ago, you probably could've done that yourself. For example, yesterday at work I had to take a Ford w/t a V-10 Triton over to a mechanic just to get the spark plugs changed b/c we could only guesstimate where the plugs were, and even the mechanic admitted changing the plugs was a fairly long job. Like, I just don't geddit..

Robrt32

Kinda reminds me of when i mentioned on this site having a Chevy alternator on my yota.. somebody said, " Why you wanna put a crappy Chevy part on your truck."

CJM

I work as a mechanic and do towing/roadside as well. American cars arent built as well, parts are cheaper, things break easier and so forth. Toyota although sometimes a paint to work on have few issues, mostly every week were fixing fords, ALOT of chryslers (I count 8 headgaskets or engine issues on the stratus, neon and older 300 in the past month and 1 motor job on a stratus that blew up).

Generally the trucks are built WAY better than the cars period. For work we have an 00 dodge 3500 van, so far the a/c leaked out b/c of a bad o-ring and my boss dont care, and the computer went and caused the fuel pump to keep going when the engine stalled-not fun, otherwise no issues and actually rides the best out of everything-VERY SOFT RIDER NOT HARSH.

Got an old 94 dodge 150 van with v6 that I have no clue how it still runs with a junkyard motor and trans. Heck, its loaded to the gills and that 3 speed trans works pretty good, fit and finish is meh but she wont die. I drive an 00 ford E250, its ok, interior is meh but its a work truck, it has 188k with no issues other than the 5.4L sparkplug blow out-but since were mechanics its no issue to fix with a special timesert insert-we did buy it this way without knowing, oh man its got power even loaded down. Got a 98 E350, other than the bottom bearings going b/c it has 250k of hard miles and so far its been ok. Still have a 99 chevy express van bought with 150k, has 350k and the headgaskets finally went.

Boss has a 02 durango, so far it binds up using 4wd even in snow? The trans wouldnt shift out of park b/c of a faulty sensor, it has more recalls than you can shake a stick at. Son has a 02 1500 dodge, pos and it only has 45k, boss's wife has a 95 corolla-other than being cheap it keeps on going, he has a 93 t-bird with like 200k and man it runs good, he also has a beat 91 chevy 454 1500 truck, it looks like hell but runs really good.

I have a T100, axleshafts bent somehow and its costly but thats really it with issues. I had a 93 V6 Camry, ran super well with 160k but the trans didnt grab second right and it needed rear struts which even my cost was big bucks so I sold a 14 year old car for 2500!!!

My mom had a jeep grandcherokee, lets just leave it as it was the first and last chrysler lemon we will ever touch. My dad had a 97 buick regal, fit and finish wasnt bad and it had a solid drivetrain till he hit something and the trans went. Brother has a 95 regal, its meh and beat but it still goes. I did have a 91 F250 stick, it was danged nice and I liked it but it had its small issues.

Overall I would buy an older V8 ford truck with a 302 or 351W, gotta be 3/4 ton or better 1/2 ton isnt heavy enough, same with chevy but I would only want the 350 the 305 is not powerfull enough. Couldnt gimme a dodge built after 93, enjoy replacing your trans alot. Forget about american cars, maybe an older firebird/camaro/gta from the 80's or an older vette, or maybe a grand national, but nothing new. I did drive my grandpas focus alot before we sold t b/c he couldnt drive, it was pretty nice and REALLY peppy, but a camry imho is better overall. American cars are built cheaply, and its not that american works dont take pride in them, is the people in mostly mexico making them or the parts themselves being cheap, or poor engineering.

Honestly the best built cars are toyota, honda, nissan and even hyundai vs domestics. My dads 04 sonata has had 0 issues period in over 150k with just regular maintenance. Toyotas only downfall as well as the other japanese and korean makers is they dont offer powerfull enough engines in thier cars. I dont know if they think we drive like grandmas but the chevy 4.3 is the perfect V6 imho power wise and the ford 4.0L is also nice and peppy and so is the jeep inline 6. Our trucks have very good lowend torque from 1st to 2nd and after that its meh. But that lowend will do amazing things, I pulled a loaded down 78 bronco out of a mud pit with ease on street tires!

Cr@sH

Mudyota Nice Choice In Toys....u Got Everything I Want

I Agree Old Ford And Chevy Pickups Rock ....and I Really Want A Big Diesel

And I Think That If U Take Care Of Your Truck It Will Last W/e The Make Happens To Be

But I So Say That Toyota Is Very Good ....i Got A 1990 Dlx Pickup V6 Wit 186,000 On It With Some New Parts Do To Age (rad..water Pump....so On ...) But For Being 18yrs And Less Than 150hp ...it Rides On 20wheels And Toyo Open Country 33/12.50/20 Tire And Its My Dd I Can Drive It 60 Miles To The Mud Hole Tear It Up And Drive Back Coverd......it Deff Gets Looks Out There Pullin Other Trucks Out ....i Just Pulled Out A 1997 Z71 1500...and A Bronco On The 4th At C And R Motorsports Park

camo31_10.50

i LOVE toyota 4x4 trucks..my dream truck is a 1985 toyota 4x4 diesel ...but...if i was to find a 1973-1987 chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 lifted and one some big ol tires...i'll take it..i would have loved to have the 1985 chevy 4x4 with a 305 and 5spd...guy wanted $2500 cash for it (it was worth $3000) and it had a 6in lift and 35's...DAMN i could have made some money off of that thing pulling my friends out...but now i make money pulling my friends out with a 1986 toyota 4x4......im not biased towards any other kind of vehicle...we had a 1990 chevy 4x4 with a 350 and auto.. went through about 7 tranny's but the 4wd on that chevy was THE STRONGEST 4wd my dad's ever driven...we pulled out guys pulling TRAILERHOUSES that were stuck in 1 1/2 foot of mud with that hting no problem...but the auto tranny sucked ass...so we sold it..an got the dodge...lol..my friend has a 1999 ford f150 2wd that has a V6 and a 5spd..has over 300,000 miles on it..NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE has he had a problem with it...and its still on the FACTORY clutch...to each his own...everybody has there opinion..and no vehicle manufacturer is any better than the other...its the attention to detail..i love toyota...but i also love dodge...old chevy's Ford HIGHBOY's..nissan's i love little honda civic's too..my 1980 toyota has spent 4 months out of 14 driving..the rest were either waiting for parts...or getting fixed...or breaknig parts..everytime i turn around something new is wrong with that damn thing..which is why im sellin it..and keepin our '86 its alot better

dport

Vehicle's I want - Any Toyota 4x4, any ford p/u untill 98 w/ manual trans, chevy p/u untill 88, it would have to be mod'd out though, and just about any old muscle car. I wouldn't want anything from GM in the past 20 yrs, no ford cars in the past 20 yrs, except for a crown vic. Although I would love a Cummins, I just have talked to too many people that have dumped tranny's out of them. I recently had a company vehicle that was a brand new 07 Dodge quad cab 4x4 1500. It was the biggest POS I have ever sat in. I would have rather had something with 150,000 miles in it. It was a good looking truck, but it rode worse than my yota and I think it had less passing power. PS, I do miss my 85 F-250 4x4 diesel w/ 4spd and 410 gears. The think was a tank, I would go out and run over pine trees for fun it it.

dirtoyboy

Shoot, my grandpa practically dis-owned me after I told him I bought a Yota...

he fought the Japanese in the war and let me know that it wasnt cool that I was supporting the families of the people that tried to kill him...

Then he showed me his sword that he killed a Japanese guy with.... kinda freaky....

We didnt talk about yotas much after that

surf4runner

direct hit!!!
the disposable mentality is outrageous


...datsun 510's

wally world will probably sell them in a few years...

i STILL wouldnt go!!!

next time your in a store, buy something not "hecho in china"

yeah, my GP was @ pearl harbor. we NEVER talked about cars/trucks... or sushi
hear it even more from vietnam vets...

w/o their sacrifices, we wouldnt be able to complain...



'made in america' pride disappeared in the 80's

hmmwv15

Same reason I hate Jeff Gordon I guess.

I even hate to say that...

seafarinman

I for one concur that a lot of people hate our trucks. I think it is because of Toyota's reliability and longevity. My truck has 219,141 miles on my old 3VZ. I for one can come across as arrogant because I know that my truck is better. I don't think that I consciously do that though. Well there is something that will make the guys that hate Toyota happy- Those Tundras mentioned above are MADE IN AMERICA as well as all the Tacomas including the 95-2000 ones that are recalled because the frames are FAILING... again MADE IN AMERICA. I am glad that I own one of the last generation of Toyota trucks exclusively made in Japan. All the Tacos and other Toyota trucks made after 1995 are made in America by proud American workers! Lucky I don't own one.

Jay351

HelliphinoN8

The only dumb thing toyota ever did was making a turbo 22RE. They're hunks of sh!+. My buddy has an '87 4-runner and he's gotta work on that thing every day. Other than that they're GRRRREAT!!!

abecedarian

the 22rte was a stop-gap response to the v6 nissan came out with... and was replaced by the 3.0 v6... another bad move.
they should've done a supercharger instead of a turbo and fine tuned the fuel injection.

nix4x4

C'mon now...

I love my '92 pickup. Seriously, I could NEVER part with it.
It would just kill me considering all it's gotten me through
and, despite the constant abuse, just keeps on chugging.

But, it's not like the trucks made in America are simply
falling apart. They had bad components that resulted in a
failure of some sort. This had nothing to do with the people
who put them together, it simply a poorly designed part.
Also, lets not forget that, for those 20 bad camshafts, there
were probably 5,000 bad 3.0 headgaskets.

My '02 Tundra (built in Indiana) has 119k completely
trouble-free miles. It runs like an absolute champ and is
VERY strong. Now, I don't contrubute that to American
engineering, either. I am proud it was made right here,
but I realize that vehicle assembly has very little to do with
reliability. Rather, the compenents, thought up and
engineered to the specifications of the company, are what
make an automobile reliable and long-lasting.