Tracey98277

i take that back... i was on the india division web site... the american models look actually nice like they have potential

xxxtreme22r

I blame the U.S Citizens, the same ones who complain they can't afford anything now. It's because of the lazy, misguided, greedy generation that is buying cars now. What is up with all the onbord GPS, IPOD, MP3,BlueTooth etc in a vehicle? What ever happened to the bare bones vehicles? I happen to have one. Bare as bare can be. Even has manual steering. N, AC, no heated seats, I think I got lucky this thing even has a spot for a radio. Haha. Who needs all that crap in a car anyway. Remember people, If it weren't for all these "amenities" in a vehicle, the prices for these vehicles would be like they were 20 years ago. Companies are concentrating on what people want and not need. This is why durability, dependability and such have taken a back seat to luxury items and greedy corporate company owners who still want there multi-million dollar mansions. Again Wants over needs. This is probably one reason why vehicle designs have been changing faster and faster as well. Why is it that nowadays that vehicle designs maybe last 3-5 years and 20 years ago it wasn't that uncommon to have a design out 5-10 years if not longer. Hell how long was the 22r motor made? Yes emissions standards also play a part in it, but if a car that is 5-10 years old now still legitimately passes emissions, then why is that motor no longer available in a vehicle now? Besides all these design changes cost money as well to develope. One of the first things I have said when GM and such went down is to fire most of the design engineers and produce the same car for 10 years instead of paying millions and millions of dollars to people to design a new vehicle.

Anyway that's just my useless opinion.

Ilovemountains

I couldn't agree more!! What kills me is that you CANT buy a stripped down version of really anything anymore. My girlfriend bought herself a new Mazda 3 a few months back, while we were out shopping for her new car I was reading and looking to see just what is available, you used to be able to order say a Corolla with nothing but AC, now the "base model" has power everything, only doesn't come with alloy wheels and stickers for almost $17,000!!!! What happened to the days when you could order a car how you wanted it, now you have the option of 3 packages, base, which is still pretty loaded, middle and high end. When I was looking for a D Driver / commuter I looked the other way, I ended up with low mileage one owner old Honda Civic, Ive got AC and a 5 speed gear box and love it, 38mpg on the highway, I did install new shocks and put Honda Si springs on it to firm it up a bit but that's it, I cant kill it!!! I don't need or want power seats, power steering wheel lift, power this power that, GPS electronic stability control etc, the good car companies should offer a basic, no frills car again. I was looking at, and I know Ill get flamed on here, a 1997 Nissan SE V6, 5 speed, 4x4 pickup, it was white, ext. cab with 64,000 one owner miles for under $5,000 it was a nice truck but it sold before I made up my mind, I was going to buy it and keep it clean and start wheeling my 88.... The thought of a nice, imported hilux diesel would be sweet, can you buy them in Canada??? I wonder if you could fly or drive up there and drive one strait down and use it to build a US titled truck?

MaK92-4RnR

If were gonna talk about "bigger toyota vehicles" ......

what the hell was toyota thinking when they came up with "the bigger days of tundras"? I'd take a T100 or maybe a 2002 tundra wayyyyy before I even thought a huge tundra. I love the new look of the 4runner, dont get me wrong. but why cant it be smaller and be maintained as a compact SUV? It looks to be the same size as a damn chevy tahoe. Im gonna have to agree with Ilovemountains. the newer body style tacomas, tundras, and 4runners are all becoming pretty crappy. I dont need all the fancy power things like he mentioned. You cant even get a manual 4runner anymore which is kinda disappointing. Im happy with my 5 speed 4runner, and manual transfer case. none of this "push button" crap. No one really "needs" power seats. I dont even have SR5 seats, but the buckets in my truck are pretty comfy. I do have power windows though. Its nice to have so I dont have to reach across the truck to unlock or roll the window down....

I will probably never buy a 05+ tacoma, 03+ 4runner or 07+ tundra.

I would consider an FJ though...

Tracey98277

i am currently planning on buying a new 4x4, 5spd, 2 door tacoma next month. but the taco has stayed an acceptable size allong with the FJ. do you guys really think the 2 door models have gotten too big, i think the 4 door taco is ridiculous but the 2 doors are ok. the tundra is definately ridiculous no matter what cab you get....

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Try towing 6000+ lbs of Race car, cargo, spare parts, tires, trailer, etc with a T100
Or anything heavy for that matter. I bought a Dodge, simply because Old school Tundras and T100's were useless "gap rigs". The Tacomas now are as big as the Tundras use to be. Big plastic abominations.

Toyota has needed a full size truck for a long time. Too bad they are now $50k+, and a Diesel option is going to push them to the $60k range.

Ilovemountains

A guy that works for me bought a 2010 2 door base model Tacoma with the Cash For Clunkers deal, its nice, 4cyl, 5 speed but is still pretty big, compare it to a 95.5 Tacoma and it looks big, compare it to my 88 and its massive!! The composite bed is a good idea in that it will never rust but that's about the only attractive thing on the new trucks to me, personally.. Its a shame that there are no options, I didn't realize that the 4 runner was an automatic only now, that is very disappointing, Toyota should have kept it a small compact truck based suv, not a mammoth soccer mom mobile that its become!

Ilovemountains

That would be the exception to my issue, if I needed to tow something owning a monstrous diesel truck is a must, even then I would never think about putting huge wheels and "smoke stacks" on it,its not a Mack tractor.... but that's just me!! I borrow her dads F-250 power stroke when I tow anything above my motorcycle, my little old 3.Slow 88 just doesn't have it in it anymore, its the people that drive them as daily drivers are the ones that get me, its like the lady up the street with an F-350 Power Stroke "Lariat" that she hauls her dog around in, it just makes no sense to me! I tried to move her dads boat with my tuck, before I even cranked the trailer down to my ball all the way I was on the axle, I said NOOOO way, but then again our little 1/2 ton pickups were never meant to tow big loads!

jrobertson4runnner

I agree, but i don't think it will happen any time soon. Ford/Mazda has a decent small, tough truck though. as far as towing, I can tow quite a bit with my 3.0. I have pulled 2 industrial lawn mowers, with ramps, weed eaters(i know, no big), blowers, gas cans, etc, with no problem. I might be able to pull another car, but i have never tried. I do wish they would let us import some of the vehicles from South America, etc.

riddarunner

You should check out some wright ups on the new 4runner. Its starting in a small way to regress a little. Its now has crawl options, granted its all computerized but the idea is right. They also got rid of the V8 this year. There will be a few 5spd 4runner sold in CA with the 2.7 Im not sure where the article is that i dear but in there they caught a lof of flack for being the last suv to be body on frame and there answer to that was then dont buy it. The also said that a lot of the poeple who bought the mini trucks in the 80's new and wheeled them are a good chunk of the market for the 2010's. Its a small step but its in the right direction. Then also took one down the rubacon trail with nothing more then sliders welded on and ther only damage was one trim pice got riped off.

jim65wagon

I could see the possibilty of the big Tundra moving up into a 3/4 ton truck; the Tacoma gaining the 4.6 V8 (and a couple inches of bed width) to become a 1/2 ton fullsize (it's already near the size of my first gen Tundra); and Toyota producing a smaller truck with a four-banger, stick shift and retro style graphics on the side.

tried4x2signN

Lots of great things said here and I echo them...

especially:


Most of us have NO idea what it take$ to get your foreign good$ to market here.

"The Chicken Tax — actually a 25% tax on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks — was a 1963 response by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken.[1] The period from 1961-1964[2] of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".[3]

Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted,[4] but over the next 46 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan, Thailand).[5] Though concern remains about its repeal,[6][7] a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."[4]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax


Mahindra is gonna be the deal if you want a compact truck. Sad to say that b/c I hate IFS... But, IMO, the Diesel Hybrid will make up for that... Unless it spends more time on the rollback instead of the road, but I guess only time will tell.

If any of you want to see Mahindra's in action ,might I suggest YouTube?

tried4x2signN

Toyota won't supply us with a Diesel, b/c we couldnt afford it.

We have a disposable mindset anyway... Who's gonna keep a Diesel to see the 300k mile rebuild when we trade vehicles in every 60k anyway?

QUANTITY, not quality... And "used cars break down all the time". And, "I gotta trade it in while it still has a value"


god we're so smart... no wonder everyone likes us...

MudsharK

I was actually thinking earlier that it would be nice, if they brought back the older runners, 88 or so. Removable top, and already lifted with lockers, bikini top standard and other goodies. with the usual new truck upgrades but still pretty well keeping the same old truck.

tried4x2signN

hell! it'd be nice if they brought back the entire line!

Think about it... Would ppl buy a 89 S-10 reintroduced in 2010?

Would ppl buy a 89 Toyota 22RE 4WD reintroduced in 2010?

My 91 reg cab 4WD 22RE 5speed was... $13k BRAND NEW!

And BTW, I have a magazine around here somewhere where a guy is wheeling a 84-88 body style CREW CAB... He states it's a 2004! But he's in South Africa... Pretty sure that truck was still being made there until recently... Here's one made in 1994

The LC Fj80 was made at a plant in SOUTH AMERICA up until a few years ago! Last saw here in 97!

We're just consumers keeping this the most powerful country in the world... Get over it...

1stgen4gunner

Hell, it would be nice for Toyota to introduce any SUV/Off roader with a removable top. I was so sad when I realized that they didn't make the FJ Cruiser with that option.

camo31_10.50

the reason they don't bring stuff like that back is because the market for a rig like that would not bring AS MUCH profit as a market like what toyota has now.....if that makes any sense? lmao

tried4x2signN

The reason is pure government. If Toyota would have brought these little guys over they would have destroyed Jeep.

The Bj's or Fj's had larger LC axles and leaf springs... Also larger tranny and transfercases. Heavy-Duty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zITtpnUulk&feature=fvw

And these little econo boxes... They had the 22RE, 2L-T, had 8" axles (mini truck running gear) and a rear 5 link like a 89-95 4Runner. Front 3 link like the Fj80.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpc2ARJ4arQ

I'm sure they blamed it on the roll overs or some BS like that... Yeah,,, it's too hard to teach americans how to drive. Lets blame the car for rolling over and not allow it to be sold here

camo31_10.50

that thing is gangster....LMAO I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

stormin94

America never made anything that is prone to rollovers. What are you talking about? Bronco II, Jeep CJ XJ YJ TJ JK etc., Ford Exploder..... those never ever roll over, or have had any other safety problems. lol

But, from the looks of that Toyota in the pictures, it looks like it is fairly top heavy( a skilled driver could avoid rollovers in normal driving), and the doors look dangerously thin. The doors remind me of the Samurai's. If you got hit on the side, or rolled over you'd be in some serious trouble.


But that's not to say I wouldn't drive one, those things are cool looking. Too bad we will never see any here in the US. It's their loss..... from the sounds of it there are tons of potential owners just on YT.