Posted on 06/09/2006 2:05:41 PM PDT by G. Stolyarov II
According to a JD Power and Associates' 2006 Initial Quality Study, Toyota and its upscale Lexus division took 11 of 19 vehicle-category top spots.
Toyota's Camry and Corolla sedans, its high-priced Lexus LS430 model, and four of its SUVs also took top spots.
However, the best their Prius could muster in the compact car division was fourth. It was beat out by two Japanese cars (no surpise) - the Corolla (1st) and the Honda Civic (3rd). Surprise second-place finisher was the Hyundai Elantra. Maybe Elantra wasn't surprised, but I was.
The problem with the Prius seems to not be a functioning one but one of know-how. Its hippie owners cannot figure out how to use the audio, navigation, and climate control buttons - and then call it broken. No, the hippie is broken - has been since the '60s.
There were only three repeat winners from 2005 - all of them were Lexus models.
Toyota does know quality, doesn't it?
What do you think?
I've owned Toyota 4Runners for the past 10-12 years. Great cars, great service from their dealers too. The 4Runner I'm driving now has over 200K miles on it and it runs like a top.
Bought a used Corolla a year ago--running just fine. Vast improvement over my F_ix O_r R_epair D_aily Taurus.
Absolutely the best quality.
| Company | 2005 Recalls as a % of vehicles in operation |
|---|---|
| Ford | 11.7% |
| Toyota | 10.1% |
| GM | 6.8% |
| Honda | 4.0% |
| Chrysler | 2.5% |
Toyota must not have Union contracts.
Thanks for the info, but never heard that about Toyota or if any recall is a bad thing. I currently own 3 of them and can think of 2 others I have owned in the past. I get them maintained regularly, so maybe they replace whatever recall part is necessary then.
IMO, they run like a top and purr like a kitten. I have taken many quality engineering classes where Toyota is used as the case study for quality. Tight tolerances, lean manufacturing. And many are manufactured in the U.S.
When I bought my last car, I test drove a Saturn, Ford and Toyota. There was no doubt to buy another Toyota. They also have better resale value.
I was never interested in the Camry myself. Are you sure you didn't have a lemon?
I wouldn't call my Camry a lemon - it has been fairly reliable. And it generally has been "tighter" than my Taurus, with the exception of steering, which I think is too loose (that's not related to my Camry, but in general they lack feel for the road). They've both needed an approximately equal number of repairs, but the Camrys repairs and maintenance have been MUCH more expensive.
I have had Camrys in the past which have been lemons, IMO.... And plenty of problems I saw on other Camrys of the same age as well. Toyota has historically tended to use silent recalls more often than others from my experience - that can help mask problems from the public.
If the Camry was a lemon, though, you would have to find one darned near perfect to match the M&R cost of my Taurus, though - the timing belt change on the Camry alone was more than I've spent on repairs and maintenance on the Taurus.
Absolutely no doubt about resale value, though - Toyotas do hold up VERY well in that regard. When you keep your cars 10+ years, though, like I do, you find out that it makes almost no difference in the end - by then the difference in resale value is less than the difference in initial purchase price. And if you buy 1-2 years old, you get a much better discount with a car that doesn't have strong resale value...
Having worked in factories of most all the manufacturers, though, I can say that Toyota is very good - but not necessarily better anymore (yes, there was a time).
Interesting, thanks. I wonder if Lexus is made from the Camry model. They look similar somehow.
I have a three-car garage. In it are one Toyota Highlander (mine), one Toyota Sequoia (my husband's), one Toyota Avalon (my parents'....they live with us) All three are awesome vehicles. We get a lot of snow and live three miles from a paved road, that's how I justify the SUV's. (Not that I need to.)
My husband's old Ford pickup sits out in the elements and is only used to haul firewood and stuff to the dump. We are always having to have something fixed or replaced on it. We've never had a problem with the Toyotas.
My Dad fought in the Pacific Theater during WWII and swore he would never have a "Jap" car. But he relented and got the new Avalon a couple of months age. Says it is the best car he's ever had............and in his 90 years, he's tried them all. (But, the only place I let him drive, at his age, is to the golf course four miles away.)
Maybe I should go to work for Toyota's PR department. Just love 'em.
I hear ya. Isn't that funny. I am not a car fanatic and I don't particularly like to drive, but there is something about the car that you just love. My son totalled my '94 Tercel last year and I still keep it in the driveway. My excuse is so it looks like someone is always home, but I really hate to part with it. It might make a good parts car someday.
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