Will you ever buy a Toyota?

[Colonel Cadillac]

You know, I think I'd buy a Camry identical to ours, except with ABS and 10 years newer.

That sounds so miserable. The new Camrys are unbelievably boring. You would have a lot more fun in Nick's Sonoma, for example.

[2o6]

My brother wants a Camry SE. Ugh........

[Jon?]

The only Toyota I've ever owned was a Matrix XRS.  It had a 6MT.  Not a bad ride but man was it noisy.  To get any torque out of the engine you had to twist the shit out of it.  Much prefer a few extra cylinders and less stress.

That said they have nothing in the showroom now that appeals to me, but that could change.  Also the dealership didn't impress.  Kind of arrogant.  I'm guessing that's stopped now.

[SVT666]

The FT86 and the Tacoma are the only things they make or will make that interest me.  But I could easily find something else just as good or better in someone else's showroom too, so....

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

The only Toyota I'd buy (not counting the 94 Corolla I own now) is a last gen Turbo Supra. Not one of Toyotas current cars/trucks would get a second look.

[the Teuton]

I'm kind of a fan of Toyota trucks...and I really, desperately want a Land Cruiser. It just strikes me as...fucking awesome.

That said, when you get to drive their cars back-to-back with everyone else's, the picture isn't too great. With the exception of the Avalon, the Scion tC, and possibly the Sienna within its class, I don't think Toyota really does anything special in the car market. I'd go as far as to say I'd never buy a current Camry, Corolla, or Prius -- and I used to really, really like the Corolla. I almost bought one as a first car (Prizm). The last gen Matrix, Celica, MR2, and a few other cars were pretty good, too.

[Laconian]

None of their current portfolio appeals to me right now, but I don't know about never buying a car from Toyota. If their products were appealing to me, then I'd certainly consider buying one.

Mazda is the only remaining Japanese manufacturer that makes interesting or exciting cars. Hyundai is now more appealing than Honda or Toyota, and that's just sad.

[the Teuton]

Oh, Laconian, how wrong you are! I'd totally rock a turbo Boobaru.

[Laconian]

Oh, Laconian, how wrong you are! I'd totally rock a turbo Boobaru.

The WRX and the Sexually Transmitted Infection are great exceptions to the rule, but admit it, Subaru is trending towards boring.

[the Teuton]

The WRX and the Sexually Transmitted Infection are great exceptions to the rule, but admit it, Subaru is trending towards boring.

There is truthiness to be had in this statement, and I hope the current Legacy isn't just another Mazda6, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is. At least the 2.5GT with the 6-speed is available here.

[BimmerM3]

None of their current portfolio appeals to me right now, but I don't know about never buying a car from Toyota. If their products were appealing to me, then I'd certainly consider buying one.

Mazda is the only remaining Japanese manufacturer that makes interesting or exciting cars. Hyundai is now more appealing than Honda or Toyota, and that's just sad.

Exception to be made for the Civic Si.

[AutobahnSHO]

I'd go for an FJ cruiser or replace my current van with another Sienna (when the time comes.)

Their used CARS are ridiculously overpriced for what they are, so meh....

[Colonel Cadillac]

As a supporter of America, I've always been bitter that Toyota stole Detroit's thunder and thus have always hated it, but they did a great job of improving the car market as a result of their competition.

Exception to be made for the Civic Si.

Valid point

[dazzleman]

Nobody stole Detroit's thunder.  They threw it in the trash.

[sportyaccordy]

What you're saying about Toyota could probably be said about Honda too as well as most Nissans.  The Japanese auto manufacturers have really allowed their demographics to age.  They seem to be going down the same path Detroit did.

To a point I agree, but at least Honda still has cars like the Civic Si and Accord Coupe. Nissan has the Sentra SE-R, Altima Coupe and the Maxima. Toyota's only coupe, the tC, just got a whole lot uglier, and outside of the FJ they have absolutely no "fun" cars (unless you want to call the Camry SE a fun car).

To a degree though I think car manufacturers have figured out what kinds of cars make money- sadly, having overlapping lineups like Honda did with the Civic Si/Prelude/Integra/Accord Coupe just doesn't work. I hope that with the new Hyundai Genesis coupe the big Japanese 3 (and Mazda too, they've been slacking as well) kinda get up off their asses again.

[2o6]

I think the lack of fun cars has to do with the economy more than anything. No one can really afford to do fun things, when they're putting money into places such as alternative fueling.

[Raza]

Yes, but probably not a current one.  The FT-86 looks interesting, but with Toyota it's a wildcard until it's on the market. 

[Byteme]

I have yet to see a Toyota I'd consider buying.  And that dates back to the first models I saw in the 60's.  I'm not a fan of minivans, SUVs or pickups so those are out regardless of manufacturer.  Their car lineup has never excited me.  Nope, based on what they have offered in the past 40 years I don't think they will be able to produce anything in the next 40 years I'd consider buying.

[SVT32V]

To a point I agree, but at least Honda still has cars like the Civic Si and Accord Coupe. Nissan has the Sentra SE-R, Altima Coupe and the Maxima. Toyota's only coupe, the tC, just got a whole lot uglier, and outside of the FJ they have absolutely no "fun" cars (unless you want to call the Camry SE a fun car).

To a degree though I think car manufacturers have figured out what kinds of cars make money- sadly, having overlapping lineups like Honda did with the Civic Si/Prelude/Integra/Accord Coupe just doesn't work. I hope that with the new Hyundai Genesis coupe the big Japanese 3 (and Mazda too, they've been slacking as well) kinda get up off their asses again.

Nissan's also makes a 370Z and the GTR, basically they are the only JP automaker with any Elvis left in them.  As the Evo and STI get bigger an heavier they become less appealing.

I would much rather have a Wrangler unlimited than an FJ with its useless vestigial rear doors and its weak windshield cracking body. A xterra would also be in front of the plastic FJ.

[WookieOnRitalin]

I would buy a Toyota if I got a great deal for one.

I loathe Toyota since their mainstreaming of essentially all of their models, but there are a few exceptions.

The Rav4 and the 4Runner are excellent and entertaining vehicles even if the looks of the Rav are meh. The FJ is okay, but I could never drive something with just that crappy of visibility and it needs premium gas (though it accepts regular). It just looks cool, but loses points on driveability.

Toyotas are appliances for people who form no special connection to their vehicles. That was kind of the point of making Scion, but now even Scion sucks.

I'd rather put my money elsewhere because I have no special connection to Toyota vehicles NOR do I think they are superior to competitors in anyway that would make me want to form a special bond with them.

Then again, I am not a very mainstream kind of person. I'm freaking weird man, but not in a pedophilia sort of way. I just like, read, watch different things. I am a character. My tastes also reflect that. I want a vehicle with character that could be to the point of polarizing. Sometimes I wonder if my bosses have any idea what they hired, but when they give me the thumbs up, its great even if they have no clue how the hell I came out the way I did.

My biggest thing about Toyotas is this. Tons of people own them. Do you want to be like everyone else? Are you like everyone else? Sure, practicality, functionality, and dependability mean something, but the ultimate point is this.

I bought my Jeep from my dad about 60,000 miles ago. It now has 305,000 miles on it. As a 1993 V8 GC, that is incredible. When you put effort into taking care of a vehicle, it lasts. Period. You get your money's worth and THEN some. If you want to get value out of something, you have to put something into it to get that value out of it. That's how everything works. If you do not value something, it will fade away in your life and eventually collapse. Relationships. Work. Whatever. It's just the way the world is.

Toyota does not control the market on this and I do not care how bullet proof their quality is (that apparently is not that bullet proof). I can find everything that Toyota brags about in another vehicle of another brand that boasts equal value, quality, and without the premium price.

Most Toyota buyers do not have any zest in personality. They are sold on an ideal. They bought into a philosophy that Toyotas are just better, but the degree of which they are better is so minute that you might as well get a vehicle that has more zest.

What's funny is that Toyota was one of those crazy weird brands that used to have a passion for making entertaining vehicles. Growth requires change. They sold out to make more money. Oh well. Not my problem. Plenty of fish in the sea.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Nissan's also makes a 370Z and the GTR, basically they are the only JP automaker with any Elvis left in them.  As the Evo and STI get bigger an heavier they become less appealing.

I would much rather have a Wrangler unlimited than an FJ with its useless vestigial rear doors and its weak windshield cracking body. A xterra would also be in front of the plastic FJ.

Mazdaspeed?

Mazda makes entertaining vehicles and they are pleasant to look at when they do not have have huge smiles for grilles.

I like Subaru. They are a funky brand that not everyone likes. They have mainstreamed a little bit, but for the better in some ways. They've had to keep up with fuel economy demands and less noisey rides. I can accept that. The reality is that most vehicles have gone up in size and performance vehicles are just a rare commodity.

Mitsu tries. I like the new Outlander Sport and Lancer Sportback. I just wonder about quality with them, but at least they try.

[the Teuton]

BTW, I just want to mention that while I think the Range Rover is more elegant, I would pick a Land Cruiser over one if I had to choose. I think the only SUVs that rank above the LC in my mind are the Cayenne Turbo and G Class.

I am infatuated with a Toyota!

[FoMoJo]

I must admit that ever since I was exposed to that 1965 Toyota 700, with Toyoglide , that was parked under my apartment balcony back in that year and when every morning at about 6:00am the owner would try to start it, especially in the winter, and the guy would crank it and crank it until the battery started to fade and then he would take a set of jumpers and clip it onto the car parked next to him and then crank it and crank it until it finally fired...I've had a bit of a grudge against Toyota.   That thing was just a steaming pile of shit and prejudiced me against Japanese imports for years .  However, as previously mentioned, they did, eventually, raise the bar for the rest of the automotive industry and deserve some praise for that. 

That they also became an unseemingly arrogant company that would rather blame their customers for potential problems and seek to address them through a PR exercise than properly investigate and correct these problems however, is totally unacceptable and, mainly for that reason, I wouldn't really consider buying a Toyota in the future.

[BENZ BOY15]

I actually rather like the styling of the new Accord, particularly in black.

Same here.

[Submariner]

I don't like much of what Toyota has to offer, but the issues with acceleration are, IMO, blown out of proportion and are irrelevant to my dislike of their models.

I really like their trucks, though. 

[MrH]

I might be getting my dad's Tacoma here in the next month or so.  An MR-2 Spyder is a possible Protege5 replacement

[TBR]

I'd consider quite a few of their trucks, but their cars are so boring. All of the recalls do not sway me at all, though I do think that it will sway some of your more typical (uninformed) buyers.

[omicron]

I'd certainly consider a few Toyotas if I was in the market for a new car. A LandCruiser would probably be a riot; I don't mind the RAV4 or the sporting Aurions, and despite many vocal objections from several members I'd probably consider a Yaris hatch, too.

[Northlands]

I like the trucks. Also, "ever" is a very long term word. I'm convinced they'll eventually put out a car that I'd like in the future. I'm also convinced that I'd buy anything given the right price. So yeah, I'd buy one.

[ChrisV]

I have yet to see a Toyota I'd consider buying.  And that dates back to the first models I saw in the 60's.  I'm not a fan of minivans, SUVs or pickups so those are out regardless of manufacturer.  Their car lineup has never excited me.  Nope, based on what they have offered in the past 40 years I don't think they will be able to produce anything in the next 40 years I'd consider buying.

So sad for you. There have been a bunch of fun Toyotas built over the years. I'd own any nunmber of them (and had a couple), and since we have no idea what they might build in the future, I'm not going to say never to a possible new one.





pull the stickers off:







THese little cars, though kind of ruined by drifters, are actually massive amounts of fun to drive while still being practical:



Of course, all 3 generations of the MR2 are much fun, though the last one can be a bit homely. But as a weekend toy, it feels great to drive.

And I'd love an extended cab longbed mid '80s Toyota pickup as a custom parts hauler. Mechanically solid little trucks. Loved my '92, but want the slightly older version.