My family has owned about 90% Fords, and we've had good luck with them. That and the Civic were on my list - I liked both a lot and think I would have been happy with them. All the wear parts are inexpensive and Toyota did an outstanding job of making these easily serviceable.Īlso, don't sell your Focus short. I'm planning to keep it for the long term. I plan to replace the belts, hoses, wires, plugs, brake pads, filters, and maybe drop in fresh shocks and springs, and a full detail. When it turns 100k, I'll give it a good DIY going-over. It needs an alignment (my fault) and new tires, which I'll do at 80k. Just do the routine maintenance and add gas. It's closing in on 78k and still runs like new. I bought my first non-Ford a few years back - a 2007 Scion tC Spec model (I did not want that troublesome sunroof and it was $2k cheaper) with a 5-speed. I haven't spent much time in Corollas, but I know several owners who swear by them. Each car, truck, or SUV (or any of the innumerable cross-hybrid-things on the road now) should be judged on its own merits, not using a generic stereotype of the manufacturer brand. There are good imports, and good domestics there are horrible imports, and there are horrible domestics. He despises the Toyota so much, he drives his Mercedes to work most of the time, even though it gets horrid gas mileage. Three months later, he tells me he wishes he had the Pontiac and the Sunfire is, even by daily driver standards, not even a mid-level car. My uncle sold me his 2005 Sunfire as a daily beater, and bought a 2010 Camry for his daily. ![]() When I got my current job, I needed a gas-sipper commuter, because my Trans Am wasn't quite light on gas use (to be fair, it's not quite stock). Yeah, domestic manufacturers have their problems, but today, every single import car maker has the same problems, too.įunny thing to note. As their sales grew, they ran into the same mass production quality issues that Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet had already hit and dealt with. The vaunted "import reliability" is strongly founded in the 70s and 80s, when those companies were producing exponentially fewer cars than they are today, and they built that reputation by building cars that did absolutely nothing particularly well, and did nothing particularly well in an exceptional manner the analogue of unbuttered white toast. Consumer Reports (laughable magazine as it is) wound up kicking themselves in the teeth by finally admitting that they gave Toyota vehicles a pass because of the "recognized brand reliability" and not a single actual piece of objective data. People who assume anything about a car just because of the brand don't deserve to drive. Even the president of Toyota has admitted to the quality slips. ![]() I did some further research and it turns out, the quality has been slipping since 2004 and auto magazines have stopped recommending Toyotas automatically based on their past reputation. I thought the Toyota Production System could do no wrong but I guess things arent like they used to be. But the newer Corolla just didnt give me that vibe. The magic just isnt there like the older ones from the late 80s and 90s. But I think the glory days of Toyota are long gone. Yeah, the Corolla was still decent and not bad quality by any means. I cant belive Toyota sells so many of these cars. I left the dealership impressed with my car actually. Possibly because the Focus engine has no plastic engine cover but the Corolla does. But then again I think my Focus actually ran smoother and less shakey. ![]() I popped the hood and it seemed to run fine, no odd noises or anything. When you drive it hard, you get no satisfaction. And it was truley boring as hell to drive. It was an automatic and had 10HP less than my car. And the engine had no pep to it, as though it was tired. The doorhandles were loose and the plastic paneling was not fit together well.ĭuring the test drive, I noticed the steering felt very numb and unresponsive. I sat in the Corolla and immediately noticed how cheap the interior felt compared to my car. My expectations for the Corolla were very high, and I thought it would put my car to shame because Toyota has such a great reputation for quality. So I decided to test drive a used 2009 Corolla and compare it to my 2008 Ford Focus, and do a possible trade in if I liked it. They speak very highly about their cars and say my Ford is crap. I have many friends who drive older Toyotas that have been very trouble free and still run great after many years. Everyone and their uncle now owns a Toyota. It is almost universally accepted that Toyota makes the highest quality and most reliable cars out there.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |