Hmm...

I hate to start a Domestic vs Foreign flame war, it seems that many people can't rationally accept that in some industries, we don't make the best on Earth...

Well, you may have gotten a lemon (and if it truly were as bad as you make it out to be, your state probably has lemon laws that would have applied), but:

We have owned probably 30 Toyotas/Hondas over the past 15 years, Trucks, Landcruisers, Tundras, Supras, Celicas, Avalons, Accords, Preludes, various Lexus's etc, etc.... We have also owned a mixture of Domestic vehicles.

We have worked on every make of automobile there is, we have cut vehicles in 2 and put them back together, my parents own an autobody shop. I have seen first hand how these things are made down deep.

I can tell you without a doubt that although the other car makers have come a long way since the garbage they tried to pass off on us in the '80s, they still have a VERY LONG way to go as far as quality of construction goes if you are going to compare our domestic manufacturers to the leading Jap car builders (specifically Toyota and Honda).

We have never had any significant problem on any of our Honda's or Toyota's that led to repeated visits to the Toyota parts counter, really I can't think of hardly any wear or failure related visits. Currently we have a '95 Landcruiser that was bought new, it has over 130,000 miles on it. The ONLY thing that has ever been done to it (other than normal maint: oil, brakes, tires, etc) is we had to tighten the power lead for the start at about 110,000 mi.

Personally I have a '94 Celica (first year after complete redesign) as my daily driver that had over $10,000 worth of damage done to the front before the odometer rolled over 265 miles. We built it and it currently has 85,000 miles - It has not ever had anything that needed repair or replacement (other than the original damage), nothing.

We have never had such luck with any of our domestic vehicles. We also talk to owners of all kinds of vehicles, and know people that work in service depts of various makes. Very, very seldom (if ever) do we hear horror stories from Honda/Toyota owners. Almost on a daily basis we hear people telling us the crap they have been thru on their domestic vehicles.

What it all boils down to is what is important to you.

Jap cars generally don't offer the horsepower their domestic counterparts do, and sometimes space. In the case of the trucks, yes, the latest Chevrolet/GMC does have significantly more rear seat room than the Tundra (although I don't think the Ford is significantly different). If you need it, it may be a better choice for you, as long as you can deal with the inevitable trips back to the dealership & other annoyances (eg. tranny, etc).

Personally, I like knowing that my vehicle will feel at 80,000 miles like it did when it was new & also knowing that at 80K it's not nearing the end of it's trouble free life cycle. I also like knowing that when the warranty runs out I most likely won't be nickel and dimed to death with contant trips into the shop.

Don't worry, I'm not totally against Domestic cars, I also own a Corvette and a GMC truck and am probably buying another GMC truck (used) soon. But I don't think I could ever get myself to drop 30K on a new one, knowing what I know about them.

BTW, our Tundra 4x4 has a little over 20K, is a first year model vehicle, is as tight as it ever was, and has never been back to the dealership either. Yes, we wired our own trailer brakes in, yes we pull with it, it does pull nice & has plenty of HP to pull my buddy's (very heavy, finished on the inside, home-made) 16' brick wall of an enclosed trailer full of dirtbikes and ATVs any speed we want down the interstate & holds it's own in the hills - it pulls it a heck of a lot nicer and more powerfully than my TPI equipped GMC truck, and stops it a whole lot better too.

If you need a 3/4 ton truck, get a 3/4 ton truck.

Of course, my love for quality equipment is also why I ride a Honda quad ... Just kidding guys, I also own a Yamaha and a Suzuki dirtbike.

 

"tundra is bar far the best driving fullsize truck on the road and in a drag race it will out run any full size truck on the market"

Uh, I guess you have never heard of the Ford Lightning.

 

I like the styling. When did trucks become gender specific?

 

Well I don't think I tundra will beat my chevy 2500 with a 7.3 litre. I didn't even know it was 7.3 when I got it. I thought something as big as a 7.3 would be diesel, but it is not. It will probably beat a tundra off the line and at top speed.

 

atc250r, i hate to burst your bubble, but many domestic (u.s.) vehicles do not use american made trannies or engines for that matter. there are still fully domestic vehicles out there, but i would wager that fully half do not have domestic trannies or engines.

 

You're not telling me anything new, I've been tearing cars apart since I was 10 years old. Certainly some models are better than others, talk to any honest service tech..

I specifically said I don't like the transmissions in the domestic full size trucks which in a GM 1/2 ton product will be the 4L60E which is an electronically controlled TH700R4. Ford and Chrysler both use derivitaves of older tranny's as well.

Also in the rest of the vehicles, there is much more to build quality than the engine/tranny. Even so, in many cases, a foreign built engine will still be equipped with a domestically built control system which can sometimes be problematic & not tuned as well as they could be.

Another thing that peeves me is that many "Jap" vehicles are more "domestic" than our own domestic vehicles. GM, Ford, Chrylser play the "Buy American" card, but then don't support us in return, if they can build cars/truck cheaper in Mexico, Canada, or elsewhere, they do so. They get no loyalty from me, I call 'em as I see 'em & I'll buy the product I feel is the best...

 

well i have a 2000 quad cab dakota i think the ride is alot better than the tundra and with the tailgate down you can still fit a quad in the back as far as power it has plenty i have the 4.7 v8 with dual exhaust and it is sounds great

 

Chevy and GMC got some pretty hefty new motors out there. The Sierra C3 does the 1/4 mile in 15.5, thats a good half second better than the tundra.

 

rather 7.4L (or 454ci)...just curious...what mileage do you get with that monster?

 

I just want to know what country all of you were born in? I ride a Raptor beacause nobody sells an American made sport quad. When Fuji Sikamoto buys your American bank because you've been buying his trucks let me know how that makes you feel! I feel great because American companies are doing well and we're buying our companies back that Japan bought from us when there economy was great in the eighties.