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Comments
I like these studies. But what I like even more is reading into them.
This is a source, your opinion vs. the few million on that chart is just a # but something you should consider to think about and admire. Your van might of had some issues but how many nissan owners haven't had some?
its a helpful source of information when buying a car, just like the many sites online.. You have your doubts and i have mine. I'll rather look at the facts not opinions :P .
Those are facts that neither one of us will ever get our hands on. So we believe, and we have our opinions (hopefully educated), and we pick and choose.
Again, of the 7 vehicles I've owned, not one of them has behaved the way the studies,reports, etc., have suggested.
BTW, try telling a Mercedes-Benz owner that their car is well below industry standards. I'd like to be there.
I know I've done my Homework. Hedging my bet I'm going with 06 Frontier,very very soon. Will post deal when I buy
vs the best Toy offer for 06 Tacoma.
Fish'in the SURF!!!
I do agree with you these studies sometimes dont show real life long term reliability & quality but if you compare and look into other categorys theres a trend. Check consumer reports and tell me which vehicles are praised and which are lemons. Take a second look at the list then tell me why this doesnt compare to your past experiences and not to others.
compare a 3 year old Mercedes-benz residual value to a Comparable sedan from BMW, you'll be surprised. look into conumer reports also. And theres already a few websites where benz owners go to complain about their issues ( Troublebenz.com )
Mercs like nissans are know for electrical problems.
If a vehicle shows up as a lemon consistently from various sources I'll take note. If it shoes up as average or better, I'll interpret that as positive. Sometimes reports just don't jive with each other. For example: Lemon-Aid has for years praised the Frontier, Consumer Reports has hated it (until recently). The way one wrote about it was almost the complete opposite of the other. I could not make rhyme or reason of it no matter how I looked at it.
BTW, I haven't been impressed with a Mercedes for many years. I'll take a Infiniti M-35 or a Lexus any day.
On another note, I have no knowledge or experience regarding Nissan vehicles having electrical problems. My immediate family owns three and all are trouble-free. I do know of Volkswagen Beetle electrical problems, but that is another story.
over at toyota reviews, users are getting better than 24mpg with their four wheel drive trucks! Nissan really missed the boat not offering a 4cyl 4x4- I would alreay have one if it was in the line up.
Toyota doesn't make a 4 cyl. 4x4 Tacoma any longer do they? As far as I'm concerned, they have gone the same route as Nissan. I'm wondering also if we'll be seeing diesel engines in the smaller trucks any time soon.
The Frontier and the Tacoma dials work the same way. This isn't a matter of driver confusion, but vehicular defect. Perhaps only a defect in that one vehicle (so said the salesman who was with me), but a defect in the all-important demo vehicle. Very bad impression.
I knew long ago about the speed restrictions in shifting transfer cases. From reading the owner's manuals, not from making the mistake.
The Tacoma shifted fine between 2Hi and 4Hi.
It was the change between 4Hi and 4Lo it couldn't handle, and that was all done at a dead stop. Transmission in Neutral, clutch fully depressed, dial pushed in before turning it to 4Lo.
I hope it was just a defective one. But I didn't feel like gambling.
I would say that the diesels would make more sense in the full-size category. Sure like the torque though!
I would give midnight sun the benifit though. All vehicles have "bugs", Toyota is not exempt.
Trade-in value is of no issue to me, as we keep our vehicles for 200,000 Miles and a dozen years or more. Resale value changes very little from 120,000 Miles and beyond!
Re-sale value is of relatively little importance to me - I'll sell quickly for a reasonable amount and put that towards my next one. My true investments are in real estate and stocks. I also believe in buying a vehicle that is less in demand but of good quality (more room to dicker), and with cash (I'll arrange my own financing).
Trade-in value is of no issue to me, as we keep our vehicles for 200,000 Miles and a dozen years or more. Resale value changes very little from 120,000 Miles and beyond!
I am the type of person to trade after 3-4 years, so early trade value is important to me (At 60K little things start breaking no matter what you drive and I like to be able to call 1800 Toyota and say bring me a vehicle and call when mine is fixed). I feel I did real well with my 02 Toyota when I traded. As for 10 years down the road, I am looking for a truck for my son. I am looking at trucks in about the 96 vintage, and from what I have seen, even at that age the Toys are still well above the competition in price. I figure that if I spend 3 grand more (or less than Honda) and it is still worth close to 3K more 10 years from now, I have driven a reliable vehicle and didn't lose my butt.
The first question they ask is, "What color do you want?"
The second is, "'How much for the monthly payment?"
Any others?
Sadly, a lot of people do not know what they want when they visit the dealerships, and the salesmen are ready to exploit this. My husband just helped a coworker go through the car-researching and buying process (she is afraid of doing things by herself). After doing the research and test-driving different cars, not allowing herself to buy on a first test drive, she suddenly gave in to her original impulse...bought based on COLOR and trim.
I used to wonder why salesmen would automatically ask me, "What color?" as the first question. Now I know why. There really are people who buy based on that above all else.
Right, and if you buy what you really want in the first place, you are more likely to maintain it well!
BTW, I used to own two Toyota trucks (not at the same time). The first one I wrecked at only 3 years, but the second one I kept 13 years, very happy with it. Both trucks had defects (which were fixed under warranty). But I have yet to buy ANY new vehicle that did not come with defects.
It's normal to expect perfection when you pay so much for a brand-new vehicle, but apparently we aren't going to get it, overall. Look at all the recalls that have occurred over the past few years. Some of them pretty horrible, too--dangerous stuff.
most important ones. If I don't like the color I don't like the vehicle.
Vehicle color always brings to mind the MGA coupe my dad bought when I was in college. It
was a pea green and it ruined the looks of a really neat car.
OkieScot
BTW, I liked the pea green.
Cheers!
SE/auto/trans,posi rear,trailer equiped,all power window/locks, Toneu cover (Soft). @$21,500.00 + tax/tags.
Garenteed!! Toy couldn't or wouldn't touch this price for their truck so equiped. The V6 is torquey for sure, can't dog to much yet,less then 250 miles on it. Will post later to tell my experinces with this new one.
Critter Fish'n the Surf!!!
Too army looking for me.
OkieScot
4 banger. I haven't had a truck with good power to w/ratio
since my 69 chevy with 327 300hp. If you buy the Fronty you will notice the power right off. It hums nice! But for anybody get what you like it's apples and oranges really.
Will chime in from time to time to report on truck and comment.
Critter Fish'in the Surf
Yea, I've already spent a fair bit of time in the new Fronty and am very impressed. As far as I'm concerned, it is the athlete of the bunch and it just wants to go!
It looks like you might have to control your right foot a tad though. I filled my tester to the brim, drove it approx. 50 miles, filled it to the brim again, and figured it was getting 24 m.p.g. (Imperial gallon) driving city/highway mix. Most of the time though, I was caressing the pedal. I figure with an American gallon you should perhaps be seeing 18-19 m.p.g. mixed.
Enjoy!
I'm planning on testing an 06 Tacoma 4x4 (test drove the 05 in 05) sometime this month. I preferred the Fronty last time, so we'll see what transpires.
There are plenty of people who wish to have a smaller yet upscale pickup truck...a concept that Toyota doesn't yet seem to grasp. They need to add a heated seat / leather option along with premium audio ASAP or they will lose marketshare.
~ Blue Jays ~
And I had heated seats in my Volvo - made little difference to me.
Really, what I would like, would be able to choose unbundled options.
When the 07's arrive I'll certainly be looking closely again at both trucks.
The customer can choose to buy them if they want them, if you do not want them you are not forced to buy them.
Amen to that!
When I was first shopping for a new truck, the Toyotas had the tow package bundled with a stereo upgrade, to the tune of about $4800. C'mon, the tow package *might* be worth $800 of that. The upgraded stereo isn't even worth a quarter of the remaining $4000.
It's a ripoff, and a stupid ripoff. At least bundle the packages so that things that go together are forced together. Tow package + not very good stereo upgrade = one weird option bundle.
The really funny part was that the bundle included "50 state emissions" as one of the options. This is FREE on other vehicles!
It's a ripoff, and a stupid ripoff. At least bundle the packages so that things that go together are forced together. Tow package + not very good stereo upgrade = one weird option bundle.
The really funny part was that the bundle included "50 state emissions" as one of the options. This is FREE on other vehicles!
When I first came to this forum, I came for advice. Unfortunately it has turned into a comedy site sometimes. No one believes that you are going to pay 4K for a hitch and a stereo, weather it is a Toyota or a Mercedes (well maybe a Mercedes). When I went looking, I could get the basic SR5 4X4 for 26ish, the TRD Off Road for $28K, and the TRD Sport for about 30K. There was not a package that included just the stereo and the hitch. If you want to pretend that there is, then hopefully people will take it with a grain of salt.
Toyota is no saint, any more than the other manufacturers are. They're going to try to force customers who can't wait for a special order to buy what's on the dealer's lots. In this case, it was a ludicrous bundle, probably based on the likelihood that many buyers in this region want the tow package. At the time (January '05), the trucks were new and scarce, and no doubt quite a few customers did pay for that ridiculously overpriced bundle, just to get a new truck right away. I was not one of them, though that's not why I didn't buy the truck.
The information I posted about the forced bundling is fact, not gratuitous bashing such as your comment about leather seats, Ridgelines, and Brokeback Mountain.
In the winter, it is slightly less, as with any other vehicle I have owned.
I don't know how I could get 25 MPG.
Also note, 1 Imperial gallon = 1.20095042 US gallon, so my 21 MPG would equal about 25.2 Miles per Imperial Gallon, if I understand correctly.
Naughty? Inferior? Disobedient? :confuse:
I don't know what is on their site now, but I remember that the $4800 for the tow package and stereo upgrade (and "50 state emissions") was in addition to the price for the TRD Off Road configuration. Could my memory be faulty, yes. I wish I had kept the printout with the numbers on it.
When I asked the dealer about the tow+stereo bundle, he shrugged and said, "That's the only way you can get the factory tow package in this region." I still think it was a regional screw job, but maybe not.
Staying between 2000 and 2250 rpms for cruising along gets me the best mileage.
I use 87 octane gas, which is considered "midgrade" here due to altitude (85 is supposedly "regular").
Winter mpg has always been lowered on every vehicle I've owned. That is normal.
I don't know what is on their site now, but I remember that the $4800 for the tow package and stereo upgrade (and "50 state emissions") was in addition to the price for the TRD Off Road configuration. Could my memory be faulty, yes. I wish I had kept the printout with the numbers on it.
When I asked the dealer about the tow+stereo bundle, he shrugged and said, "That's the only way you can get the factory tow package in this region." I still think it was a regional screw job, but maybe not
Hey, I am with you. I love my Toyotas, but I had to question the way they packaged stuff. But, I have to say that I have bought 2 new Toys and one used, and by God they knew what they were doing when they put the package together. It's kinda like air conditioning. I am sure that people asked why do you need that when you have 4 windows to open, but it sure has caught on. P/S and P/B and automatic are the same. I took my drivers test in a 68 ford F100 with none of them, but I sure do enjoy it now (well, I still can't do without the clutch). There is nothing on the truck that I have not used or would want to do without now that I have it. Toyota researches what sells in each area and adapts. That is why they will overcome GM to be the number 1 in the world real soon. There is not a day that I don't miss my 02 Tundra, but there is not a single one of the other previous 40+ vehicles that I miss. I traded the Tundra for a Tacoma because I needed more leg room for my kids, and that is what I got. I can sit in the back comfortably, which was less comfortable in the Tundra with the access cab. Wanted to keep the short wheel base.