Midsize Sedans 2.0

m6user

1. This is probably worth about $300 or so. If they find it increases sales they will probably keep it for some time. If not, it will go away quickly(see answer to #3)

2. Don't think others will follow suit.

3. Gimmick. Not even close to the Hyundai warranty. Toyota is just trying to create some positive buzz....Hyundai did it for survival.

brainfertilize

I know that.

But the similarities are remarkable.

rdm925

Hello kcokie,
After all the discussion back and forth, did you make a decision on which car to buy? :shades:

sandman_6472

Backy, need your help over in the Chevy Cruze discussion...turning into a "pissing match" over there. Sorry to come in here to find ya, but need your expertise!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

explorerx4

When I bought my Fusion, I got free oil changes for life.
7 oil change/tire rotations, plus 2 air filters and 2 set of wipers: $200.
I guess the maintenance plan evens up the Toyota dealers.
Good opportunity to sneak in some secret fixes too. 'plbt'

m6user

cept your plan was from the dealer....this is a nationwide program from Toyota. Still a gimmick though.

explorerx4

My point is, the dealer does not have to offer it. It does cost the dealer real money for 5 quarts of oil, a filter, and the labor.

m6user

Didn't I state that what Toyota is doing is probably worth about $300? That's real money too and they don't have to do it but it's still a gimmick. In the whole scheme of things I firmly believe they'll be recouping that money one way or the other.

backy

I'm honored you would ask me to "come over" to the Cruze discussion, but my time is kinda limited now. I will say, since the Cruze is technically mid-sized by interior space, it looks like GM's best U.S.-offered compact yet. But at a big bump in price over the Cobalt. Can't wait to drive one when I begin my next car search... but that won't be for awhile. Hopefully some will turn up in rental fleets--instead of those Cobalts.

backy

Gimmick. Check the "official" Toyota maintenance schedule. What is required over the first 25k miles? A few oil changes, maybe a filter or two. Not a whole lot. Compare that to, say, my local Hyundai/Kia dealer that offers free oil changes for life on all new cars--and that's based on the severe service schedule, e.g. every 3750 miles. There's many dealerships in my town that offer this perk.

No, I don't see the Toyota free maintenance plan as being any big deal. But certainly better than nothing. I'd much rather they bump up the warranty to match the likes of Hyundai, Kia, and Mitsubishi. Toyota supposedly makes very reliable cars, so a longer warranty should cost them almost nothing, right?

P.S. Note VW's plan includes 3 years/36k miles of maintenance. Much better deal than Toyota's plan. But I'd rather have the longer warranty with VW also.

kaliforniak

I spotted a white 2011 Optima on way to work today going the opposite direction here in Irvine, CA where Kia's HQ is. I thought it was a Forte until I saw the panoramic roof. The car looks really good in person, like something completely out of its class. The photos really don't do the car justice since it doesn't capture the beautiful proportions of the cars as well. I would have chased the car down if I didn't have to go to work

PS : Maybe I'll drive over to Kia HQ tomorrow to see if they have one on display.

dash5

Cute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqkDQZ1zGDA

cannon3

Put the Fusion on your list. I bought an 06 Fusion SEL V6, loaded with every option. I now have 65,000 trouble free, rattle free, squeak free miles on this car. I average 24.2 MPG per my computer. On trips I can go as high as 30.1 MPG. This car has been a great value. When shopping in 2006 the Fusion was a good $1000 - $2000 less than a comparably equipped Accord or Camry. I don't know about now with the popularity of the Fusion how the pricing has affected this.

explorerx4

It's basically 5 oil change/tire rotations plus a cleaning of the cabin air filter, so $300 is in the ballpark.
The floor mats are also checked every service to make sure they are secure.
I guess a dealer could still do oil changes for life. They would just start after 25k on the dealer's dime.

sandman_6472

This has been added just recently for 2.5 years...any little bit helps. Got a feeling the other major players will be jumping in on this real soon...a win win all around!!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

akirby

Added for who??

sandman_6472

It's for new owners, commercials started running on Friday down here in South Florida. Looks like the bar has been raised folks...now let's see if the other players in this market will be stepping up to the plate. We have it on our Mazda & it's a great added feature!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

akirby

New owners of what, exactly? You never said which vehicle.

bhmr59

Yeah, what the hell is "it?"

stephen987

Considering the previous posts on the subject over the past few days (i.e., one page ago), I sort of assumed he was talking about the Camry.

backy

I dunno... since some vehicles in the class offer five years of roadside assistance, transferable, 2.5 years of roadside assistance doesn't seem like anything to get excited about.

stephen987

Um, that would be the Sonata, right, backy?

sandman_6472

Toyota or Honda has never had this extra feature so for folks looking for this "extra", it might make the decision easier for them to make. I think this feature will become "standard" on all cars within the forseeable future, thus the point I was trying to make. Hopefully the next car we buy will have it as a standard feature.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

acdii

I don't know, Ford has had 3 year 36k mile roadside assistance for at least 10 years now. I had it when I bought my 2001 F150 new in 2001. Both my Fusion and Flex came with it too. As for the free oil changes(maintenance) BMW has been providing that for a few years now too. So needless to say, nothing new they are doing here.

jeffyscott

I thought every manufacturer had free roadside assistance, with the duration matching the full warranty.

backy

LOL! Uh... no.

Hyundai's had five years roadside assistance for over 10 years, since they instituted their "long haul" warranty. Then Kia got it several years ago. Mitsubishi has a similar warranty. GM offers five years, 100k miles (others are unlimited miles). Then there's the Fords, Suzukis et. al. with 3 years roadside assistance. I just got a card in the mail from Nissan telling me that since I rejected their kind offer of an extra-cost warranty program when I leased my Sentra, they are giving me a 2-year extended warranty that covers just about everything (they say), including some wear items (haven't got the details yet)--but I think it includes roadside assistance. Kind of pales in comparison to those programs that offer five years, though. Heck, I still have nearly two years of roadside assistance left on the 2007 Sonata I bought second-hand last year. If Toyota is looking to stand out in the pack by offering a lesser program than several competitors... I am having trouble with the "so what?" test.

akirby

Roadside assistance only costs $50/year (or less).

backy

Over five years that's $50 or so less a year out of my pocket. Besides, it's more than that for all family members. If all cars in a household had roadside assistance, that's more than $100 a year saved. How is that a BAD thing? As the cars themselves get closer together in capability, it's the things like warranty, service, and perks like roadside assistance that will be the differentiators.

akirby

The point was it's only a few hundred bucks. You'd save more with a $500 rebate.

backy

Yep. I'll take the rebate AND the roadside assistance, AND the 10-year warranty AND the free oil changes for life, and anything else I can get, thank-you-very-much. :-)