We have a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser that we love! It was one of the last
ones made in Japan. That's not why we love it. It just keeps going and
going. We've replaced a few parts here and there but nothing major. It
recently broke down in Kentucky in the middle of nowhere and we had it
towed over 100 miles to the nearest Toyota dealer. There we sat for three
days waiting for one part that was only available in Portland, Oregon. At
first they said it would be over a week that we would be stranded there at
a Quality Inn within walking distance of a dead mall. Then we called
Toyota in Portland, OR, and arranged for our son (who lives there) to pick
up the part and overnight it to Kentucky by Fed Ex. Why they couldn't have
done that, I have no idea. Other than that one time, all Toyota service
has been excellent. I'm taking it in tomorrow for its check-up.
Tina
On Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 8:03 PM, Chuck Norcutt <
chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Oh, I most certainly wouldn't. That's why I bought the Toyota in the
> first place and especially with the low miles and extended warranty.
> But I've discovered that all that is meaningless if you don't like to
> drive the car on long trips... its primary purpose.
>
> On the other hand, Consumer Reports also bemoaned the repair record of
> my 1999 Chrysler LHS which I had consulted before buying it in 2000 as a
> used car with 3,500 miles on it. It socked me once big time with an
> $1,100 repair bill to replace the A/C receiver/dryer. A $200 part with
> a $900 labor bill since it's under the dash and requires removal of the
> complete dash board, steering column and all instruments and much of the
> wiring. But apart from that big surprise is has been a model of
> reliability for the 12 years I've owned it. Apart from the A/C repair,
> in 108,000 miles it has required one fuel injector, one starter, an oil
> drain plug repair to the aluminum oil pan (probably due to cross
> threading of the plug by a dumb "mechanic", new support struts for the
> trunk lid and one tail light bulb. The Toyota would probably have
> required none of that. But the Chrysler LHS is extremely comfortable to
> drive and also fun to drive. It accelerates and corners very well for a
> very large car. I'm still very surprised that the shocks do not give
> any indication of wear yet.
>
> ps: It also survived a 60 mph collision with a garage floor jack
> dropped on the road in front of me in the dark by a jack wielding pickup
> truck with an open tailgate. It tore a huge, gaping hole in the left
> front tire and caused the car to be somewhat airborne for a while but
> the wheel was undamaged and the car didn't even need realignment. :-)
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
>
> On 10/10/2012 6:03 PM, Bill Pearce wrote:
> > Don't expect the T&C to outlast the Toyota.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Chuck Norcutt
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 4:18 PM
> > To: Olympus Camera Discussion
> > Subject: Re: [OM] Need car buying advice
> >
> > Just bought my first Toyata in April. A 2008 Sienna mini-van. I bought
> > it based on very low mileage (21,000) and Toyota's long standing
> > reputation for quality. It's also a Toyota certified used car with a
> > lengthy warranty still to go (both time and miles). However, my wife
> > and I just don't like the car. It has a lot of very annoying road noise
> > at highway speeds (possibly tires and roof rack) and my wife and I both
> > find the front seats (nice looking leather) to be very uncomfortable on
> > long trips. And one thing I never noticed is that despite being a mid
> > level model it's lacking automatic head lights, automatic climate
> > control and has control oddities I've not encountered in other cars.
> >
> > This car will go to a different owner as soon as we get to Florida for
> > the coming winter season. Maybe a Chrysler Town & Country. Not
> > recommended by Consumer Reports for reliability but, if nothing else,
> > I'll regain the cruise control that has the intelligence to downshift if
> > engine backpressure is insufficient to keep the car at the set speed
> > when going down steep hills (especially in the West). I drove one
> > yesterday. Nice and comfortable leather bucket seat.
> >
> > Chuck Norcutt
> >
> >
> > On 10/10/2012 12:56 PM, John Hudson wrote:
> >> Very recently announced in the Canadian media
> >>
> >> "Toyota recalls over 7.4 million vehicles; largest auto recall since
> 1996"
> >>
> >> Maybe not such a hot brand !
> >>
> >> BTW, I got 67 mpg on the last fill up of my 2004 VW diesel.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 10/10/2012 1:43 PM, sctroy@xxxxxxx wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---- Original message ----
> >>>> From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >>>> Subject: Re: [OM] Need car buying advice
> >>>>
> >>>> I'm pretty much now in the Toyota mode and will likely get only
> Toyotas
> >>>> from here on out. That is, if I can get a hybrid 4-Runner.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I believe Toyota has announced that by 2015 (I think) they will have a
> >>> hybrid version of every model available.
> >>>
> >>> Our 2012 Camry hybrid is excellent - 40-50mpg depending on the type of
> >>> driving.
> >>>
> >>> Steve Troy
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> --
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>
>
--
Tina Manley, ASMP
www.tinamanley.com
--
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