want a new toyota, gonna have to wait

[Kratos]

i think it's the north american aspect of japanese cars that are the problem.....

north american union labourers who dont give a shit other than getting a paycheque

Japanese culture has changed quite a bit in the last 15 years.

http://www.slate.com/id/2220535

You might find this interesting...I guess it's an epidemic in Japan...but IDK...never been there myself so I don't know if it's true.

I guess they've taken to online bargain shopping, are less interested in their career and are becoming very adverse to risk.

[Kratos]

From what I see in Japan- Japanese made cars are better quality and made to higher specs then Japanese/state side produced cars, and far above any US makers. You could not compare any of the american cars or jap/amercian cars to what is driven in Japan.

But...I have been to the US and was not impressed with the Japanese cars I saw. I guess they figured that they could lower their standards and still take the market.

A lot of the models in the US are imported from Japan still, no? Pruis is 100% imported right?

What models do you think are a cut above in japan and what's the cost?

[Nicotine]

a friend of mine yrs ago (8 or so) bought a camry from JAPAN... he payed the extra to have it brought over, which was done thru the dealer.

that car was not included in ANY of the recalls/service bulletins that the same car/same yr but was built in north america suffered from.

the car has also held up far better over the yr than most. the body has stayed pretty damn clean/perfect (nearly 0 rust, in canadian road salt winters), and it's never had mechanical issues other than the usual (brakes, timing belt, spark plugs, etc)

my dad on the other hand, bought a brand new caddy 2 yrs ago, payed a fukin fortune for it. he drives like a granny, and 95% is highway mileage.

in less than 20,000km's on the car (less than a yr), the transmission wasnt fixed - it was REPLACED 3x. when it failed the 4th, he returned it under lemon law/policy.

please show me any car manufacturer that hasnt had issues? lots have, even unreported.

there is currently a problem with honda's initial batch of R18 motors found in 06-09 (only affects the early models tho) coupes and sedans (not including the Si, as it has the k20z3)

no car company is invincible...

[Kratos]

right, no car company is invincible and toyota finally got caught in a problem they couldn't sweep under the carpet.

1 car is not a statistical study
and they may not have bothered with sending recall and service bulletins for such a small number of cars in the United States.

[Nicotine]

still, in a lot of ways - this "pro north american" rhetoric is just as bad at times as the hardcore jap only guys and their defence of toyota....

if toyota KNEW of these problems, then just ignored them on purpose - then they deserve to be hung out to dry.

at the same time, harping on it non stop gets old fast.

[Kratos]

still, in a lot of ways - this "pro north american" rhetoric is just as bad at times as the hardcore jap only guys and their defence of toyota....

if toyota KNEW of these problems, then just ignored them on purpose - then they deserve to be hung out to dry.

at the same time, harping on it non stop gets old fast.

I agree with that. I just think they've had a perception advantage and exposing it will level the playing field and increased competition. Better value for everyone regardless of what company they buy from.


North American created their own problems by making shitty cars for a long time. The main obstacle now is perception. Except chrysler products...I think those are still a step down. I'll be suprized if the gvmt makes their money back on that bailout. They're still bleeding money and no new product in sight until fiat starts infusing new stuff.

[Nooomoto]

[tripmachine]

wtf is a "budget supercar" anyway
you get what you pay for

Just add the GTR to the list of other piece of shit vehicles Nissan has come out with in recent past. The Titan is a such a piece of shit that its being discontinued, and replaced by a rebadged version of the Dodge Ram. Altima 2.5 motors that eat piston rings every 60k.

Porsche bought a GTR and couldn't come within 30 seconds of the Nurenberg lap times Nissan claims fyi and that's with one of their pro drivers.

0-60 times are great with launch control....but it's 20k if your transmission breaks while using it. What kind of a super car doesn't let you drive it? You think porsche is voiding claims if you drive their car hard? It's a halo car only compared to other nissans.

I've come to realize no matter what anyone says to you about cars that are NOT american.... you will be talking as much shit as you can regardless.... I guess that's cool but I'm not really needing to read about it over and over and over again.... you rant and rave a TON about foreign cars soooooo much haha I'm glad it's one of your hobbies... lol... I don't mind I just see that no one can 'win' with you even though I'm not trying to win anything... it's just a funny thread reading all of your posts.. anyway... at least you know how to entertain the bored at work.. because I'm bored at work a lot! Keep it up man.... :]

[Kratos]

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

[Kratos]

"I mean the runaway Prius thing is just hilarious," said Tundra pickup owner Ted Yastrumski, "Those eco turds deserve a little excitement, but come on, rust problems on my pickup?"

"Normally, I'd say, 'rust? Nice. Looks vintage.' But I live in sunny Illinois for Chrissake, not frickin' Atlantis - or a g-damn shantytown," he said, scoffing, "Rust? Seriously? What ... is this thing made out of recycled Pepsi cans? It's supposed to be hauling my farm equipment, not getting a tow from my wife's Passat..."

[Kratos]

Toyota mulls fix for stalling in 1.2M Corolla, Matrix models

In a letter to NHTSA, Toyota said the problems affected 2005 through 2007 model year Corolla and Matrix models. It said the stalling was due to physical faults in the production of the vehicles’ engine control units, which it blamed on mistakes at two suppliers. Several of the owners who complained said the vehicles died in intersections or as they were merging onto highways.
“Toyota has been investigating this issue and is now considering how to address our customer concerns,” the automaker said in a March 2 letter to NHTSA obtained by the Free Press. “Based upon its analysis, Toyota does not believe that the alleged defect creates an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.”

[Kratos]

Honda Motor Co. said it is recalling about 344,000 Odyssey vans and 68,000 Element sport-utility vehicles in the U.S. from the 2007 and 2008 model years to address complaints that the brake pedals felt "soft" or the pedal height gradually lowered.

The announcement comes as Toyota Motor Corp. aims to restore its reputation after its global recall of about 8.5 million vehicles to fix sudden-acceleration and other problems.

Honda is recalling the vehicles to modify their vehicle-stability-assist modulators, some of which were assembled in a way that could allow air to enter the modulator. Over months or years that could result in such "soft" or "low brake pedal" issues.

The company said not all recalled vehicles are affected by the issue, but all units are being called back as a precaution. Notifications are planned to go out to customers starting at the end of next month.

[jasperhup]

good thread, if you are covering all makes with recalls then even better.

Kratos: I just got an 1987 buick as my fun/go fast awesome car. If/when i get a bigger garage/another spot I might buy another car, was thinking australian. What is your opinion in the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8?