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Old 05-04-2009, 08:14 PM   #1
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I'm driving a new Toyota!

Well, for the week anyway. On a business trip, step up to the rental counter and they give me a few choices. One of them is a Prius. I have never been in any hybrid. I am curious about hybrids, so I say “sure-I’ll take it”.The only cool thing about it is a back-up camera…which you need because you can’t see a darn thing out the rear window! Who the heck designed this thing?
I n one drive his afternoon, I satisfied my curiosity, I wish I had got the usual Chrysler…at least they are comfortable.
I am not knocking hybrid technology, I think we need it. But I’ll stick with diesel.
If this is Toyota’s flagship…I am not impressed. The most boring lump of plastic I have ever been in. A real appliance.

Gotta' get some work done, it's gonna' be a long week driving this thing,

Bill
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Old 05-04-2009, 08:30 PM   #2
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To bad they didnt offer you the Fussion... Maybe its not out yet in Hybrid. It is supposed to get 41 mpg. A guy at work has an 08, he hit a deer at 60 mph, and he was fine. The car wasnt that bad off either. I was surrprised.

I have always been concerned about those little tin cans, that Fussion impressed me, Kinda put my mind to the Crown vic a bit. The way it held up in a corner frontal. I also hear the Cobalt is pretty good also. I rented an 300 m ?? ( mopar) I felt like a mobster. I liked that to

I wonder if you can tow the hybrids behind a motor home... If you do, will it charge the batteries? or use the Motor home with an inverter, or genset to charge???
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Old 05-04-2009, 08:45 PM   #3
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Bill, lighten up. I drove a friend's a couple of years ago and it was comfortable, though it seemed small to me and felt like it weighed about 50 lbs. It has side mirrors, just like towing, to see behind you. All those read outs on the dashboard are cool too.

It's just one of many models Toyota makes, not the flagship. Maybe you can rent a Tundra and find out how good life can be.

Look at this as some sort of cosmic payback. I drove a diesel bus many, many years ago for a while—I've served my time.

Enjoy being green.

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Old 05-04-2009, 09:04 PM   #4
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I wonder if you can tow the hybrids behind a motor home... If you do, will it charge the batteries? or use the Motor home with an inverter, or genset to charge???
As of the 2008 model year, you could not tow a hybrid Prius or Civic. I would assume other models by the same manufacturers would be the same, but we all know what happens when you assume. It could have changed for this year, I haven't checked into it.
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Old 05-04-2009, 09:48 PM   #5
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opposite opinion

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Originally Posted by BillTex View Post
If this is Toyota’s flagship…I am not impressed. The most boring lump of plastic I have ever been in. A real appliance.
Bill,

You are tough to please, it aint no truck, it is a passenger vehicle that is constantly given "Best Value" ratings not to mention highest resale value and highly rated reliaility and quality standards that provide customer satisfaction levels at the top. We have Prius (of course I am bias) that has 50,000 trouble free miles running on the original tires and regularly getting 500 miles on 11 gallons of regular. There are enough airbags to float the thing, XLNT GPS, HID headlights, stability control and in California, a 150,000 mile warranty on the hybrid battery. I am sure you have not tried this yet, but one can get 10ft two by fours in the thing with the hatch closed, although as I said it aint no truck.

But as many have said, to each his own, and next time you should get the Chrysler, after all, they are great rental cars. It was good to see that you did give the Toyota a try. And please consider my retort just playful banter, I enjoy reading differing opinions.

time
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Old 05-05-2009, 06:12 AM   #6
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I drove an Escape hybrid and was most impressed. However, even though it was 4WD, I was advised that fording (pun intended) a small stream to access my mining property was not advised. The USFS has purchased a number of hybrids here in the Durango office including a Suburban and a dual fuel F-150.
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Old 05-05-2009, 06:22 AM   #7
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I read the title, clicked the link and was floor to see Bill, of all folks driving a Toyota....then I read the post...funny.

In about 2-3 years it will be time to retire one in my fleet....am very torn as to which why to go, but I suspect Volt or similar may be next in my stable.
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Old 05-05-2009, 06:46 AM   #8
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A real appliance.

Bill[/quote]

Good post Billtex - I agree with you I would have gotten the Chrysler and rode in style!!!
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Old 05-05-2009, 07:59 AM   #9
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I drove an Escape hybrid and was most impressed. However, even though it was 4WD, I was advised that fording (pun intended) a small stream to access my mining property was not advised.
I can see the headline now- "Man Electrocuted Driving Hybrid Through Creek"
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Old 05-05-2009, 08:06 PM   #10
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Bill,

You are tough to please, it aint no truck, it is a passenger vehicle that is constantly given "Best Value" ratings not to mention highest resale value and highly rated reliaility and quality standards that provide customer satisfaction levels at the top. We have Prius (of course I am bias) that has 50,000 trouble free miles running on the original tires and regularly getting 500 miles on 11 gallons of regular. There are enough airbags to float the thing, XLNT GPS, HID headlights, stability control and in California, a 150,000 mile warranty on the hybrid battery. I am sure you have not tried this yet, but one can get 10ft two by fours in the thing with the hatch closed, although as I said it aint no truck.

But as many have said, to each his own, and next time you should get the Chrysler, after all, they are great rental cars. It was good to see that you did give the Toyota a try. And please consider my retort just playful banter, I enjoy reading differing opinions.

time
To quote Winston Churchill; "I am easily satisfied with the very best".

Gene; There is no foreign truck, available in America, that can handle the payloads required by my toys...

Bill
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Old 05-05-2009, 08:37 PM   #11
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And Bill, we agree about good beer. And also, as Hunter Thompson would agree, touring Las Vegas quite loaded requires a white whale.

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Old 05-06-2009, 05:24 AM   #12
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I friend of mine bought a used 1996 Toyota pickup several years ago and he still has it. This wasn't for towing, just a daily drive. It turns out Toyota pickups had frame problems from something like 1996- 2001, so they just recalled it. They paid him 1.5 times the highest Blue Book value plus $1,000 off a new truck. So he got his fully purchase price back and $1,000! That is doing right by your customers.
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Old 05-06-2009, 05:36 AM   #13
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Toyos

I drive my Toyota 1987 Van daily, originally called the Van-Wagon here in the States, and the SpaceMobile in England.

It was green before it was cool to be green. It has a short wheel base, you're sitting on the engine, (no it doesn't get hot, there's an asbestos wrap) and you can do a u-turn in one lane.

It's not a tow vehicle.. only 4 cylinders, but I hope to keep it ANOTHER 23 years.
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Old 05-06-2009, 06:17 AM   #14
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Quote:
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Gene; There is no foreign truck, available in America, that can handle the payloads required by my toys...

Bill
Maybe it's just my overdeveloped sense of irony, but has anyone noticed that Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and is headed towards Fiat? Pontiac is over and GM is racing to beat a June deadline. Despite billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars, U.S. auto makers are still teetering on the edge.

If things keep going this way, Bill, there may be no American truck, available in America, that can handle the payloads required by your toys. Oh, by the way, I think you can find a Hino that will pull your truck and your toys.

As for Toyota, I have owned two, a 1973 Celica and a 1988 Pickup. Both were utterly reliable and are probably still on the road.
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Old 05-06-2009, 06:52 AM   #15
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Our Stable

1987 Toyoa Van-Wagon
1996 Toyo Tercel
1998 Toyo Tacoma
2002 Toyo Tundra

we're so impressive :-)
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Old 05-06-2009, 07:11 PM   #16
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I friend of mine bought a used 1996 Toyota pickup several years ago and he still has it. This wasn't for towing, just a daily drive. It turns out Toyota pickups had frame problems from something like 1996- 2001, so they just recalled it. They paid him 1.5 times the highest Blue Book value plus $1,000 off a new truck. So he got his fully purchase price back and $1,000! That is doing right by your customers.
Yes, one of the Dad's from my Scout troop got caught short in this (unanounced?) recall. Brought his truck to the yota dealer for an oil change, they put it up on the lift, called him, and told him the frame was so corroded they could not let him drive the truck.
He did not make out so well, as he left there with a Corrola (?) or some kind of small car...
He is not pleased.

A Hino (never heard of them) AFAIK cannot handle my 3000# TC. Nor can any other foreign made vehicle for sale in the US.

I have no doubt my DuraMax/Allison will be around for at least as many years as my last GM truck.
If GM is not around when I need to replace it, I will buy a Ford. I have owned one before and it was a great truck. 215k miles and was still around for a while after I sold it...
Ford's have great payload capacity and some nice features on the new ones.
But it is unlikely Chevy trucks will be going anywhere except up from here.This economy has been brutal to all manufacturers. GM has taken some significant LOANS from Uncle Sam...it will be a challenge to pay it back. Too bad banks were not held to the same standard.

BTW; even yota is way off for the year...37% last I heard.VW is slated to take over as the #1 global automotive sales volume leader. VW is big in Europe, as they don't care for japanese vehicles either...they are much too nationalistic. We could learn from them.

Bill
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Old 05-06-2009, 07:34 PM   #17
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Not the prettiest looking vehicle but here you go

Hino Motors Canada, Ltd. - 2010 Hino 358 Class 7

I'm not sure about Europeans not liking Japanese vehicles, granted we British did favor British cars until most of the British manufacturers were wiped out with the 70's union "struggles" coupled with terrible reliability problems. I could be wrong but I believe the biggest UK domestic manufacturer is the London Taxi company, that's all that's left.
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Old 05-06-2009, 07:52 PM   #18
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Well, Bill, Hino is Toyota's truck division. By trucks, I mean commercial trucks. If you want "street cred," Hino has won the under 10,000cc division of the Paris to Dakar rally for 17 straight years. When the diesel Tundra hits the market, I'm guessing it will have a Hino motor. You've probably seen Hino trucks around Texas (often configured as box trucks) and just didn't notice them.

The smallest Hino (the 145) compares roughly to the Ford F-350. Heck, Nissan and Isuzu are players in what you might call the "medium duty" market... not for consumer trucks, but for commercial fleet vehicles. These are not "pickups" but trucks which can be built as flatbeds, dump trucks, tow trucks, box trucks, etc. The success of the Tundra is due in no small part to the Hino experience. My guess is that if American automakers continue to struggle, Toyota will move into the consumer 3/4 to 1 ton market with either an upsized Tundra or a downsized Hino. But make no mistake, Bill, there are "foreign trucks" that will tow your whole shooting match down the road.
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Old 05-06-2009, 08:12 PM   #19
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Well, Bill, Hino is Toyota's truck division. By trucks, I mean commercial trucks. If you want "street cred," Hino has won the under 10,000cc division of the Paris to Dakar rally for 17 straight years. When the diesel Tundra hits the market, I'm guessing it will have a Hino motor. You've probably seen Hino trucks around Texas (often configured as box trucks) and just didn't notice them.

The smallest Hino (the 145) compares roughly to the Ford F-350. Heck, Nissan and Isuzu are players in what you might call the "medium duty" market... not for consumer trucks, but for commercial fleet vehicles. These are not "pickups" but trucks which can be built as flatbeds, dump trucks, tow trucks, box trucks, etc. The success of the Tundra is due in no small part to the Hino experience. My guess is that if American automakers continue to struggle, Toyota will move into the consumer 3/4 to 1 ton market with either an upsized Tundra or a downsized Hino. But make no mistake, Bill, there are "foreign trucks" that will tow your whole shooting match down the road.
Towing not so much my concern as hauling (payload). And I need a pickup, not a commercial body.I don't want a hiny, a yukozota, or a shitzujunki. I want an American made, American designed, American built, by an American owned, listed on an American stock exchange company, freakin' truck.
I do not want UAW workers to make less than they do now.I don't care what other companies pay their workers. Foreign companies subsidize health care, pay lower wages, and do not have the same tarrifs as US Companies. They do not compete on a level field. Why would anyone want a US industry to suffer. What do you do for a living? Should we suggest your salary should be on a level with foreigners?
( I have never been a union employee, have never worked for a union company. I am white collar. Born on the 4th of July. American). I do not want the American way of life compromised. At any level.
It is beyond me why any American would celebrate the demise of American manufacturing.
Let alone contribute to it.
As noted, the Brits have seen all of their automotive manufactures disintegrate. I believe the largest sellers there now are VW and Opel
(GM) which is also on the block. I am pretty darn sure they are not happy about this.

Tomorrow will be a good day; I return this piece of crap rental car I have been driving all week! Sorry, but I could never own one of these things...they are horrible.
Gene, at least I gave it a try!

Bill
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Old 05-06-2009, 10:31 PM   #20
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Prius as Toyota's flagship, not by a huge margin. Try the Lexus LS 09, 380 horsepower. Now that's a flagship! I guess for Ford owners a Prius looks like a flagship. Just think of the Prius as Toyota's equivalent to the Ford Focus but with intelligent design, decent gas mileage,reliability, and durability. One can't even hope for those attributes when thinking of the Focus!

I'm happy to give the American manufacturers the same consideration they've given me for the past 30 years. They know how to treat the people who buy what their products and I know how to treat them. Sufice to say it's not a love - love relationship, more like distain! I'll continue to go with a company that respects me as a buyer.
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