Toyota on the mend?

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Comments

  • silverfox5silverfox5 Member Posts: 84
    "CA & AZ are the only places you will see any Japanese cars from the 1980s"

    Some myopia at work perhaps? Seeing rust only where it's convenient?

    Obviously you overlooked BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, The Maritimes, and Newfoundland/Labrador---those older Toyos, Hondas, Mazdas, etc., are all over the place, and this with far worse weather than that you speak of!!
    Spend some time in Vancouver, The Okanagan, Calgary, Winnipeg,Toronto, Montreal........and you'll see what I mean.
    Our Canadian Winters are a stern taskmaster, and know no difference between NA cars and their Japanese counterparts. They all rust at about the same rate!
    Furthermore, don't forget Europe, the Middle East, and Asia---lots and lots of old ones there too!!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    When I sold my '82 Tercel in Anchorage after 17 years, it had a few rust muffins on the body. Nothing major or bigger than a couple of quarters, and certainly no perforations. The lower control arms that support the rear wheels were recalled for rust issues though - they didn't get along with road salt.

    Lots of my friends' Subarus up there in those years had fenders hanging on with duct tape and baling wire.

    Anymore, I rarely bother to wax - my cars are lucky to get washed a few times a year.
  • silverfox5silverfox5 Member Posts: 84
    I agree with not waxing these days, especially with the clear coat finishes used now. Regular washing works fine and will keep the finish looking good.

    Re rust---FYI, in BC, Alberta, Sask and Manitoba, sandblasted windshields are much more prevailent than rust--because of extreme cold a lot of sand is mixed with road salt in those provinces, and it can ruin a windshield in short order. Replacing windshields is a growth industry!

    The Alcan Highway is awfully hard on finishes, windshields etc. too. In the early 90's my buddy and I took a brand new pickup and truck camper on it up through the Yukon--had a big hunk of crusher screen mounted in front to protect things, yet the rig looked like it had no paint on it whatsoever after 3 weeks on the road!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My Tercel windshield got ruined when Mt. Redoubt blew and spewed ash over town.

    I'd regale you with stories of driving a VW Bug up the gravel Alcan in '73, but then Gagrice would have to jump in and we'd really get off track. :shades:

    How do you find a scenic drive? anyone?

    Ok, one pic just for old times' sake.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    "Obviously you overlooked BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, The Maritimes, and Newfoundland/Labrador---those older Toyos, Hondas, Mazdas, etc., are all over the place, and this with far worse weather than that you speak of!!
    Spend some time in Vancouver, The Okanagan, Calgary, Winnipeg,Toronto, Montreal........and you'll see what I mean. "

    Are you trying to say that Canadians prefer driving junks? Or perhaps it is a way of life? :confuse:
  • silverfox5silverfox5 Member Posts: 84
    Not sure how to take a question which seems so presumptuous, but I'll answer it honestly.

    Answer: "What I said is what I said, nothing more should be interpreted or inferred."
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    When people start bragging on Toyota and longevity I usually bring out the Pictures of my son's current 90s 4Runner all rusted out from Alaska winter conditions. Your picture brings back fond memories. I don't miss shoveling snow.

    What is this thread supposed to be about anyway?
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    What is this thread supposed to be about anyway?

    Toyota in 2008 maybe?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    What is this thread supposed to be about anyway?

    How Toyotas never rusted any worse than most other cars maybe? Of course, I use a special custom rust proofing on my rides (link). Only comes in a sandy brown color unfortunately.

    Guess which make didn't make it in the six cars chosen for the 2008 Edmunds' Inside Line Editors' Most Wanted Awards?
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    No Toyotas for 2008. Looks mighty fishy to me. Audi was the big winner this year. Should make Rocky happy to see GM get a winner for a change.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Imagine that!?
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    has perfected the art of building non-drivers' cars. And they have almost perfected the art of selling the resulting genero-mobiles too. I think they have an admirable model for the way they conduct their business in the car industry, but there's not much there for an enthusiast to celebrate.

    And my guess is as long as the buying public keeps sucking up genero-mobiles by the wagonload, I suppose Toyota won't worry. The days of race on Sunday, sell on Monday are far behind us now.

    My interest in the brand continues to wane. I think they do what they do very well, but what they do is becoming less and less interesting as years go by.

    TWO Audis on the Edmunds pick six? It would be nice to see more than two of the six (I'm counting the Odyssey and the Mazda3 there) be at least somewhat attainable to "regular folks". I guess maybe you could call the Sierra Denali attainable, but at $45K+ (isn't that about right?) it's pretty far up the price scale...

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Well, the Audis may have gotten the nod from Edmunds as new cars, but take a look in another corner of Edmunds to see what can happen after just 2 1/2 years.

    And I'll "echo" your comment about having more winners that "everyman" (and woman) can buy.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    Want to bet your car key that it's NOT a 2005? Should be a nice bet for you consider it's going to be Impala key vs. IS350 key...

    I guess you didn't read the sarcasism in the following post. :D

    -Rocky
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    No Toyotas for 2008. Looks mighty fishy to me. Audi was the big winner this year. Should make Rocky happy to see GM get a winner for a change.

    Well the last few years we have been getting winners from GM. Gagrice, when is yota, going to overhaul the 4Runner ???

    -Rocky
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Some folks are betting the new Runner is coming for MY '09, but my bet is 2010. The trucks usually run for 7 years at Toyota, including the last generation of the 4Runner.

    So we should see the new 4Runner in 15-18 months.

    It's interesting to note that Explorer sales have dropped from 400K annually to less than half that now, which is almost the same annual sales as the 4Runner, which haven't dropped very much at all. Two medium-to-large-size BOF SUVs around the $30K mark.

    I bet the Highlander steals more sales from the 4Runner in the years to come though.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Look at this: link title
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Four of nine "winners" for Toyota. Thanks for the link Mack.
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    And Prius single handly took 3 out of 9!!!

    That's got to be a record.

    Not that I'll be getting one soon but I am really looking forward to the next generation Prius.
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    From current experience I'd have to agree with the 3 given to the Prius. It simply has done everything it's supposed to do on time, on schedule, with no fuss or bother.

    One of the hidden 'hooks' in driving one is 'How does one revert to a normal vehcle that only gets 25-30 mpg?' It would be very very hard to go backward especially now that fuel is heading toward the land of $5 per gallon.

    There are a lot of Prius owners wating impatiently to 're-up'.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    I have already decided that the Echo will not be replaced by anything making worse fuel economy. So 41 mpg is my current threshold to exceed. Problem is, I only buy manuals, so the Echo may just be donated to charity 10 years hence, as nobody that is building high-mileage cars is putting stick shifts in them any more. :-(

    And even the next-gen Echo, the Yaris, makes worse fuel economy.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >One of the hidden 'hooks' in driving one is 'How does one revert to a normal vehcle that only gets 25-30 mpg?' There are a lot of Prius owners wating impatiently to 're-up'.

    Apparently two people in the area here did. They had Prius' and now they don't.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Wouldn't the Yaris, Corolla, Fit, or Civic fit your requirements (with a manual transmission of course)?
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    That would be one people in this thread. One said he didn't buy it because it didn't get there in time. :confuse:
    I wonder what time it was supposed to get there. ;)
    I'm sure there were other extenuating circumstances that voided the purchase.
    :shades:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    The Priuses I'm talking about were at the elementary building for the school district in our community. I don't think they were on the web. One was the principal's car. A teacher also used to drive one and doesn't have one anymore.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Fit and Civic are both lower, as is Yaris (Yaris is the closest to being a sidestep, but it is a point lower). Word is the next Corolla (at dealers in February) will only sidestep or even slightly decrease in fuel economy too. And the Echo has at least another year, year and a half, with me. I'm not ready to sell it yet.

    There's nothing in the pipeline that will meet my specs in 2009, however. It's possible that when Honda resurrects the Insight as a sport model that year, they will offer a manual. But I am sure they will use a lot of the guts of the current Civic hybrid, which isn't offered with a manual.

    Toyota ought to begin offering a couple of small basic Daihatsus for sale in the U.S. again. A 2000 lb 3-cylinder 3-door car would probably fit the bill quite nicely. Bring back the Charade! :-P

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • hypnosis44hypnosis44 Member Posts: 483
    Consumer Reports once again showed the Prius as Number One on the owner satisfaction list "Would you buy that car again" with a 93% saying yes. I personally would not consider the car for myself, but it would be pretty hard to say people do not really like them - and like them a lot! It seems a very good choice for you - let us know how it goes.
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    ...sort of. Well maybe not.

    But it will be a bigger tighter dogfight this year and next.

    2007 sales

    Camry 473K units
    Accord 392K units
    Corolla 371K units
    Civic 331K units

    No news there, except that the CAMRY Solara is being taken out of production in favor of the new Venza. From a post over on TN it appears that the CAMRY Solara accounted for about 40-50K units of sales annually. Now it is a horserace. The No 1 ranking is not something that Toyota takes giving up lightly, IMO. In a soft market like what's forseen in 2008 I'd expect a lot of fireworks around the Camry.

    However...

    Hello, redesigned Corolla, the No 1 nameplate in automotive history.
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    I guess without the Solara, Toyota will be able to increase production on the Camry so on that regard I don't think the number will change that much. Also, when the Venza goes on sell will its sales number add to the Camry sales since it is pretty much just a Camry wagon. If the Matrix is added to the Corolla (I am not 100% sure about this) then it's only reasonable that the Venza to be added to Camry.

    By the way, Does any of you see Corolla to overtake Camry as the number one in the near future?
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    I've heard 'inputs' ( 2nd hand admittedly) that Toyota itself has some expectation that the Corolla might pass the Camry as No 1.

    I can envision this happening if fuel really does go up toward $5 a gallon. There might not be enough capacity to stave off the stampede of buyers to small vehicles.

    Toyota did 'add' 100,000 units of production by buying into Subaru. The Subie Indiana plant has been offloaded with 100,000 units of Camry production. This may allow the Camry to stay at about 450K but the additional units will have to be all the 4dr models.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    They will probably call it the Camry Venza. That would be the only way they could justify piling it on Camry sales. I don't think it will happen though. I got a better chance of getting my name on it.
    :blush:
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    beat me to it: I bet it will be called the Camry Venza. At least, it will be in the brochures and on the cover of the owner's manual, even if there won't be a single Camry badge to be found anywhere on the car, and people will just refer to it as the Venza! ;-)

    That's how my Matrix is, that's how Solara always was.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    Interesting info from GM via Toyota today. They expect to sell 75000 units in the first full year. It looks very much like the Mercedes 'wagon' from the rear angle.
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    So is that right that this thing will be built on Avalon platform instead of Camry? Well, Avalon platform is basically just a stretched Camry platform but still...

    image

    image

    What do you guys think? Maybe Lexus will be getting its version of this as well?

    2008 Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Toyota Venza
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    So what is the difference between this, the RAV4, the Highlander, and the RX350?
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    This will be slotted in between the RAV4 and Highlander.

    The RX350 shares the same platform as the Highlander.
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    This will be slotted in between the RAV4 and Highlander.

    That's a pretty narrow slot to fit in.

    The RX350 shares the same platform as the Highlander.

    Does that mean the Toyota Harrier is now extinct?
  • nwngnwng Member Posts: 663
    how many vehicles can yota turn out using one platform? This car reminds me of the chrysler model they just discontinued due to slow sales. There is a 4 cyl model available, I wonder what the pricing will be. Is this going to be the camry wagon II w/o 4wd(highlander)?
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I believe you're thinking of the Pacifica.
  • cruiser69cruiser69 Member Posts: 40
    Nice rear treatment and the sides look ok but the front needs work. Whats with the grille? Hopefully they will make an adjustment to that. I also hope the 4 will have good fuel economy. I see Honda is going to bring some of their european diesels over here so hopefully Toyota will reenter the diesel market. This would be a perfect vehicle for a V6 diesel perhaps? It would be a segment exclusive.
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    I agree the front does look odd, however I am not expecting the production model is going to be any different from this one.

    I can see the Venza will either get the Camry's or Highlander's hybrid engine but I don't think a V6 diesel is happening anytime soon for Toyota. Toyota has made it clear that they are dedicated to hybrid over diesel at least for the passenger car/CUV segment. However, TMC did announce that a V8 diesel is coming our way for the Tundra and Sequoia though.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    "This car reminds me of the chrysler model they just discontinued due to slow sales."

    Isn't that the Pacifica, the model everyone is saying the Venza mimics?

    "Is this going to be the camry wagon II w/o 4wd(highlander)?"

    Actually, it will have AWD available, in addition to the standard FWD, just like Highlander. And I would call it more of a "Camry sport hatch" - the old Camry wagon was a true wagon: nice and squared off in the back, with the large cargo capacity that entailed. Cargo capacity in the Venza will be compromised by the steep rake of the rear glass, I would think.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • otto8otto8 Member Posts: 116
    MY ! Is that thing ugly!
  • carguy58carguy58 Member Posts: 2,303
    "louiswei: median age of the Canmry buyer is, I believe, 54. That represents a straight march upward from the 1980s."

    Yeah but the first and 2nd gen Camry(1983-1986) and (1987-1991) were compact cars and todays model as well as 92-96 and 97-01 model are much bigger than the Camry from the 80's.
  • badtrannybadtranny Member Posts: 33
    I look through the ratings, and forums, and it looks like there are some issues with the Camry's V6 powerplant/tranny. But, the Accord seems to have been upgraded in a good way for 2008. I would be more inclined for a four cylinder model.

    I don't need a sports car, just a nice car that I can drive normally. I had rented a Corolla in Alaska, it was a sports model and I loved it!! Lots of fun on 180 switchbacks on Kodiak. But,, not sure if I need one for New England roads.

    What do you people think??
  • cruiser69cruiser69 Member Posts: 40
    Well, the Corolla is a smaller car than the Camry and Accord so if your shopping that segment then the Civic and Corolla are fine choices for long term durability and fuel economy. If you want to save some money in the long run and get more features for your dollar than give the Hyundai Elantra a good look too. It was redesigned in 07 and offers a lot for the money. We bought one and so far it has been very good after 20,000 miles. It rides nice and has enough power to get you where you want to go. It is not sporty but has a pleasing exterior. The interior looks much more upscale than the interiors of the direct competitors, plus the blue and red LED interior lighting looks great and is easy on the eyes during night driving which i do a lot.

    So far it has done well in the snow with no problems here in the midwest. Fuel economy has been good as well but if your hard on the pedal in town it will suck that fuel down! As for the all new 09 Corolla i have not driven one yet but the previous model was excellent although it does lag behind the current Civic and Elantra across the board...in terms of room, safety, features, ect. My advice? Drive them all and make your own choice. Only you can decide which is best for you and your family. If money was no object, in my opinion i think you would like the Civic SI the best because its the sportiest, fastest, and best handling of the group, if your still buying in this class.
  • mfletou1mfletou1 Member Posts: 508
    Malibu Maxx?

    Pretty close to the Venza. Which is not a bad thing, we bought a Maxx and for a while really liked it. Concept wise, it was great. Build quality and execution, not so much.

    But a well-built Maxx would be a good thing.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    My neighbor just bought a new 2009 Malibu LTZ and it's about the same size as my wife's 2006 Corolla S. I believe the Venza will be some what larger perhaps the size of the Camry.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    The Venza will be built in the Camry/Avalon platform so I guess it will be about the size of the Camry.
    Mack
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    The V6 tranny Camry issue has been resolved and quite overblown. I wouldn't hesitate to get a V6 Camry. Specially in SE form,.
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