New Toyota truck

[harleyherb]

After 25 years of owning Chevy trucks, I just bought a Toyota Tundra with the 5.7 V8 (380hp). I'm pulling a 31' toyhauler and a 25' Checkmate. But most of the time I'm pulling my 16'trailer with the motorcycles on it. I haven't pulled the boat or the bikes yet, but I pulled the camper yesterday and was really surprized at how good it pulled the load(about 9000 lbs) I hope it does as good as my last Chevy HD. I guess I'm just bragging that I got a new truck, just wish it was paid for.

 

[Chris E]

i've been a gm guy forever as well, but i'm am seriously considering a tacoma in the next year or so - nice truck!

 

[Persuader183]

GM Worker

Why would you boys be wanting to send your money over to Japan? Were your Chevys that bad?

 

[JW]

The Toyota is made in America by American workers, and the Chevy isn't. In my opinion, more money stays in American buying American 'made' goods than foriegn................

 

[83PREDICTOR]

I am in the market for a Tacoma myself. I cant wait to get out of my Ranger

 

[USAFaggie]

where the hell are chevys made then?

 

[JW]

My Chevy Avalanche was made in Mexico (they all are). The Pickups are made in several places. I've owned 3 Chevys and 3 Toyotas over the last 15 years, and loved them all. I'm not biased when it comes to that.

 

[JW]

The American big 3 (2 if you figure Dodge is foriegn owned) have huge costs in retirement and wages here in the States, so they have to build overseas to compete. The Japs (and soon the Koreans) have no such history, they can build plants in the states and enjoy low cost of wages and retirement/health benefits because they learned from our mistakes.

 

[Chris E]

I am in the market for a Tacoma myself. I cant wait to get out of my Ranger

thinking about one of these too, what are you looking at. i need the double cab and 4wd - not an option in snow country. - look like a pretty good truck, first time i would ever own something that wasn't gm

 

[83PREDICTOR]

I am going to get a double cab. I would like to get 4x4 but if not I'll at least get the 2wd with the TRD locking rear diff.
And just so you know, the front coil springs on the non-TRD last a lot longer and dont sag as much as the TRD springs do.

 

[MateFever]

The new Tacoma's are a big bigger and all around a great truck but the previous generation ones I absolutely love. The have a nice stance, great power for the size, very capable off road and get pretty good mileage. One nice thing than many don't know is you can get a factory TRD Supercharger from Toyota or anywhere for the 3.4 and have around 270 hp in a compact pickup and it really doesn't change the mileage any. Very solid built truck.

 

[Chris E]

that sounds like fun!!

 

[harleyherb]

I hate to bust the bubble on all the Chevy fans, but Chevy is building a truck plant in China. Like I said, I've owned Chevy trucks for the last 25 years, my biggest complaint with them is their weak transmission. I pull my Checkmate 253, my flatbed trailer with my bikes, and pull my 31'camper/toyhauler. The last 3 Chevy trucks that I've owned gave me trouble with the transmission

 

[Jamey]

I have owned Chevy's and Ford's, and in 2004 I bought my first new truck. I got a Tacoma double cab 4x4, and for what it's worth, it's the best vehicle I've ever owned. It tows my 21' Entertainer with no problem at all. My driveway is so steep, I had to remove the lower portion of the outdrive over the winter just to back it up into my garage so I could work on it ... slipped it in 4 wheel low, and I really didn't even have to give it any gas to back 2,500 lbs practically straight up hill. The only vehicle I've ever owned that could possibly compete with it for off road use was my 93 Jeep Wrangler, but it wasn't as good a vehicle overall. I LOVE this truck, and if all goes as planned, my 7 year old will drive it when he turns 16!

 

[BullittBen]

I don't know what Chevys you've had transmission problems with, but it must have been pre-99.

I have no use for Toyotas for a number of reasons.

1 - The profits go to Japan. I don't care where they're made. That's a cop-out. Even if GM builds a plant in China, the profits will come here, not to those Commie whackjobs. Car companies don't build plants for the good of the country they're in, they do it for the good of the company.

2 - Toyota holds patents on parts so that you HAVE to buy replacements from them, even when the cars get old and are worthless. That's good business on their part, but to anyone who owns one, it's dirty. My poor helpless Grandmother in Law has to pay like $15 for wiper refills and $50 for blades on a worn out '95 Toyota Previa.

3 - Misleading commercials. That new so-called 1/2 ton truck is a 1 ton. If they compared to a new 2500 Duramax GM truck with the Allison transmission, the GM would run rings around it (hmmm 400 lb/ft vs 660 lb/ft) for about the same price. Instead they chose to identify theirs as a 1/2 ton because they could and knew it would be a good marketing tool. The brake rotor they hold up in that one commercial looks like if came off of an S-10 or a Ranger. That's a good comparison to a 1-ton truck.

Notice I'm not knocking the quality. You can't deny that historically Toyotas have been great vehicles.

Luckily, since 99, GM has been making a truck that I would put up against anything in the world (some of you have heard me say this before). My family has had 3 of these that have gone up to a total of around 400,000 miles and the total repair costs have been about $300 for an ABS electronic part on a 99 (which went up to 190,000 miles before being sold recently when my Dad bought a new one). My 2002 has 120,000 with zero maintenance other than oil changes about every 8-10k miles (Mobil 1 Synthetic using the Oil Change Monitor on the truck). I think I may put some spark plugs in it, just for good measure because I drive the wheels off of it and if it helped my mileage 1% it would be worth it. It will tow 7000 or 7500 lbs, get 20 mpg unloaded, haul my whole family, dogs and even tow my Mate with little mileage sacrifice.

I will never buy anything else.

 

[JW]

I'm feeling pretty guilty today. One of my best buds was really hot after a new Dodge 4 door 4X4 with the new diesel in the 2500 chassis. He's been a 'Dodge boy' for decades. He went to his dodge dealer twice to drive the truck. Everyone knows the Cummings diesel is a superior engine, with a 6-speed auto, surrounded by an average truck. He was hours from buying it.

They were still working on pricing when he called me about something unrelated and I mentioned, JUST FOR COMPARISON, that he should go drive the new Tundra Double Cab TRD 4X4 with the 5.7 V8 and 6 speed auto option. I was interested to see what a dedicated diesel Dodge boy would think of the comparison between a 2500 Dodge Cummings 4X4 with the new big engine compared to the new Toyota Tundra with the new big engine. He called me about 3 hours later, just finishing paperwork on the new Tundra...............

 

[Chris E]

where i live, most marina's had used gm product for years, that was until ford came out with that super duty diesel - 99 - 2000 i think. gm's now take a back seat to the fords and having driven all three, there is no comparison the ford superduty diesel is by far the best puller around. in fact, we had to pick up a 28 sea ray sun sport in michigan and pulled it to muskoka behind a superduty sitting on a hydraulic trailer and the truck had no problem maintaining 80mph (our driver was/is an idiot!)

for me at the moment, the trailering issue isn't that important, i can't feel an 18 ft searay behind my astro van, so a mid size truck will be no different. when the checki finally arrives (hopefully next year) it won't be much strain on a truck (under 3000lbs) what i want is for my butt to be comfy, and toyota has always had great seats. i still need to drive them all, and convince my wife that a truck is a great family purchase!

gm and dodge are in trouble in ontario anyway - i could lease a new gm or dodge quad cab 4x4 for 315 or 345 a month respectively - that's half of what a normal lease would be - crazy.

as far as the arguement about where the money goes, lets look at a smaller picture here, half the stuff we buy comes from japan already, but its our local retailer who we buy from and it's those people who we need to support. they employ people, support the local ecomony and pay taxes for the betterment of the community which we live. any large company hasn't done a thing for my town and never will, however the small businesses in this town are continually supporting the community.

 

[99malibu]

'06 Tacoma

I HAVE OWNED A '06 TACOMA DOUBLE CAB 4X4 FOR CLOSE TO A YEAR NOW, ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS TRUCK CLOSE TO 20MPG CITY, VERY SNAPPY TRUCK , QUIET CAB, PULLS MY '05 2100 LIKE IT WASN'T EVEN BACK THERE,

I HAVE BEEN A GM MAN ALL MY LIFE, BUT ALSO BEEN A AUTO TECH FOR THE LAST 23 YEARS, AND I HAVE SEEN MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE BIG THREE IN REPAIRS THEN EVER IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, WHEN THEY ARE JUST OUT OF WARRENTY (THAT IS WHEN IT GETS EXPENSIVE FOR THE CONSUMER). THE REASON I SWITCHED (OTHER THEN I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE TOYOTAS) IS THE LEAST VEHICLE IN OUR SHOP FOR REPAIR IS THE TOYOTAS (9 BAY SHOP) SO THE LESS YOU VISIT ME THE LESS IT COST YOU , THE MORE YOUR ON THE ROAD ENJOYING YOUR VEHICLE.

THIS DID NOT GO OVER WELL WITH MY WIFES RELATIVES AS THEY OWN TWO GM DEALERSHIPS AND A FORD DEALERSHIP, I TOLD THEM IF THEY BUY ONE FOR ME TO DRIVE , I'LL DRIVE IT, BUT WHEN I'M MAKING THE PAYMENTS I WILL DRIVE WHAT I WANT, AND AFTER A YEAR I WOULDN'T GO BACK

 

[Eaglenva]

I've always been a ford man but recognize chevy as a good product also, my dad was a dodgie with the cummins turbo diesel. I am also considering the Toyota Tundra 5.7 - as to who makes what is almost a moot point now a'days... for example my 86 full size ford bronco tranny went bad, the shop said good and bad news, the part is $10 but the kit to convert is is $600. oh, did i mention is was a mitsubishi (sp) tranny in a full size bronco. The mazda a girlfriend i had was using the ford c4 trans, most parts are made in other countries and then "assembled" in america which is a claim after a certain % is reached such as at least 80% assembled here.

I agree that our money needs to stay here in america more than ever now but with the global economy our representatives have fostered, we would not last 6 months if we only used 100% american, you could not find enough to survive. gas, oil, food, clothes, shoes, vehicles, even stuff made here is with parts from other countries - not here.


If american companies cared so would I. Our CEO earned a 10% raise ($95,000) which put him at the $994,000 mark but gave us an average of 2.5% His bonus $4 million, ours - we did not get it because we did not hit the right number in sales. I guess his numbers were different. The american system is broken and abused.

Toyota is made in Tennessee good enough for me.

 

[BullittBen]

I do directly connect a lot of this to political issues. Taxing the fool out of American companies (Democrats), but then allowing imports with minimal tariffs (President Bush - for some reason) is going to encourage foreign manufacturing.

Also, I think unions are screwing the American Automotive industry. They don't care about the company, only about getting more benefits for less work. They're driving the companies out of business. The unemployment rate is at an all time low. If you don't like your job, then go find another one. Don't force a company to give you more money. After that happens over and over again for 50 years, the companies have trouble making money but I personally have dealt with a number of retired Ford factory workers who are moving to Myrtle Beach building beach houses. I can't afford that, but I guess that union got them a lot of money and a healthy retirement.

That's probably why GM is manufacturing in Canada and Mexico. My GMC was made in Canada.

Again, let me stress that I'm sure the Toyota is a good truck, but not superior to everything else if you compare it to an equal truck. Everyone will always have preferences about which truck they like best.