I feel that the current Toyota does not have the same quality or appeal as the Toyota of the 80's and 90's. Then again, I can say the same for Nissan... and Mazda... and Mitsubishi... Remember when Isuzu was high and mighty in the 90's?

It's Japanese automakers in general. They all had a certain wow factor in their high end products way back when, but due to government regulations and probably consumer demand, they have aimed their efforts at making bland and uninnovative econoboxes. It's what the majority wanted, I guess. Screw them.

I remember when beer tasted better.

True. What year is this Toyota?

Good lord man, what did you and that dealer do to those panels!? I have a baggy of extra Yellow & Pink retainer clips I keep from panel replacements and so on for when they go missing. But I rarely have an issue with the new clips for panels in terms of them breaking, hell my 4th gen has been apart multiple times from me tinkering around and the panels are nice and snug like new with no rattling. Hell I've been replacing dashpads in 4Runners, Camry's, Solaras, and Avalons since last spring and I have maybe had less than a half dozen of those yellow/white clips break on me, they're usually really flexible/springy and very forgiving if you are pulling the panels off correctly.

Granted I'm not entirely thrilled with how half the damn car is clipped together, it's both a nice feature and a pain for assembly/reassembly (order of operations is critical since stuff clips into everything else). But I rarely have them break on me, I actually have the old metal style retaining clips break panels more than the new stuff. I kind of prefer them to having everything screwed together because as we've found with the C0M recall the plastic retaining studs that screws go into can wear out/break when that plastic ages.

Also do you mean the castle nut for the ball joints? I don't usually round those off unless I'm not using the right tool or angle, were you using a proper sized socket/box end of a wrench?

To be fair, the accelerator pedal fiasco got way blown out of proportion and the largest cause for them was operator error and owner negligence in the form double pedal driving and hitting the wrong pedal (yes a lot of people still drive like that as unbelievable as it is) and too many floor mats and crap rolling around on the floor (I still see this regularly in customer's cars, like a dumptruck decided to just let go in the floor pan...)

Of the small percentage of legitimate UA claims there's the theory that Tin Whiskers were a culprit (very likely since about 2012 was the last year that Areonautics and Automotive could use Lead infused Solder, of which at least 5% will prevent Tin Whiskers), as well as a possibility of an un-optimized coding structure that could lead to a memory bleed issue. Toyota was not and is not the only one with UA related issues, it's a result of the technology and current practices in the industry (i.e. Toyota is probably the least likely out of most manufacturers to have module or coding issues, Chrysler is world reknown for their modules constantly failing and poor programming quality, not to mention BMW and others having similar issues in terms of modules; most mechanics will not question a Chrysler with a bad BCM or ECM, but they'll rethink their diagnosis when looking at a Honda or Toyota ECM needing replacement.) But they were the most publicized out of all them next to Audi's similar fiasco in the late 90's.

~

In any case, quality is very different than it used to be. The plastics and steel are better yes (a customer wanted me to replace the tape deck on their '01 Prius and in the end the center console trim almost disintegrated when removing because the plastic had become so brittle like they usually do in those old Toyotas), but the design principles are different. Most of our grab handles are clipped into the sheet metal (mainly because if they were screwed in then the side curtain airbags would not deploy correctly), much of the vehicle is designed to crumple and break away in collisions vs. older "sturdier" vehicles that were not designed this way. Then there's the plethora of useless crap that everyone clamours for that costs an arm and a leg to fix and has issues (Blind Spot Monitoring, Automatic Rear Hatches, Parking Assist, ect.), much of the problems seem to be electrical. It's not as bad as some other brands thankfully, but some stuff seems far too regular/consistent; i.e. we seem to see door lock actuators failing a lot, which to me is ridiculous. Then you have the Entune head units, thankfully much of the issues tend to be software related and that's something that you can't fault Toyota for too much (trying to keep up with the latest OS for Apple or Android in this particular application is difficult and Toyota is not the only company struggling with it), but there's still a large number of headunits that seem to have internal issues and we're replacing regularly. I have a Tacoma that's supposed to come back to get a new headunit because we can't set the clock on it, I'm not kidding you... you can do everything but set the clock; you go to the clock setting screen and all it will let you do is choose between 12hr & 24hr.

Then you have the decontenting and "cheapening" of vehicles for higher price margins? You realize that my '04 4Runner Sport Edition 4WD with the optional V8 was about $38~39k brand new? You can barely get a SR5 for that price these days. Our Corollas are rattle cans and there's a noticeable "cost cutting" in effect there, particularly the base models (what do you expect for a cheap eco-car?), the Camry's are nice but they genuinely feel like Jumbo-Corollas in terms of quality. The Prius line is far from quiet, customers will comment "wow it's so quiet!" and in my head I'm like, "yeah... listen to that plastic creak and rattle and that Prius Cheap... I mean Prius C not have rear speakers..." The higher end models are thankfully better built, but some stuff is still either poorly engineered, thought out, implemented, or just plain poorly built. You can tell which vehicles were produced in the US and/or Mexico vs. the ones made in Japan. The Corollas, Camrys, and Tacoma are noticeably lacking in build quality (I had a Tacoma a month or two ago come in for squeaking when braking, turns out there was never any lube put on the backing plates of the drum brakes, the guy had barely 5k on the truck.) The Tundras are surprisingly not as "cheap" in feel despite being made in the same plant as the Tacomas, but for the money you spend on even a lightly equipped on it better damn well not be.

Over all Toyota still makes a good product and has a better track record for reliability and quality, not to mention for the most part when there is a serious issue they will usually do the right thing (i.e. dash pads, the oil consumption engines, ect.); though in the last decade or so it's required a bit more coaxing than I think it should (i.e. 4th Gen, FJ, 5th Gen DriveLine Clunk, Dashpads on Camrys & 4th Gen 4Runners, ect.), particularly if you remember the older days where Toyota stepped up and took care of their customers because they released a bad series of sludge motors. They are still a good company, but the in the last decade or so there has been a noticeable influx of "cost cutting" and "economic efficiency" that was not as prevalent in their earlier "Kaizen" years. At least that's my opinion based on years of observations, diagnosing, and working on Toyotas as well as watching how the company has been operating.

It's a 80's pickup, not sure exactly what year.

A lot of people still drive those today. Just check out the 1st gen sections on YotaTech or here.

This particular case with the clips, were the small white clips that held the plastic trim above the door panels on. Those, along with every single panel in my truck were vibrating/rattling excessively from the premium factory Kicker (I believe it was Kicker) sound system on the 15' Tacoma.

I returned the morning after purchasing the truck at dealer close, with complaints of the entire cab rattling horribly. That turned out to get me nowhere at over 5 dealerships and corporate calls. I removed everything to sound deaden myself.

Far as the castle nut, yes on the balljoint. I have been using the same set of Snap-on 1/2 sockets for 10 years that my uncle gave me for all suspension jobs. It was the proper size, I'm not a mechanic for a living, but I surely am capable of removing a castle nut. The dealership (Toyota of Olympia, WA) didn't even carry a castle nut replacement and had to ORDER me one for $11.

That was why I noted the age of the vehicle as a factor. The truck was brand new, not some old nut with corrosion and alternate factors. It was just awful material quality. No manufacturer is or ever was perfect, but Toyota has definitely lost me after my 15' Tacoma.

I will remain loyal and appreciative of their vehicles, but it won't be on anything new(er).

I don't know about all the technical mechanical stuff but what I do know is out of all the vehicles we've owned (which has been quite a few) the Toyota's have been the best.

The 86 Camry was given to me by my Grandma, she too extremely good care of it. I was only 18 and was pretty stupid. About the only thing I did was replaced the tires and maybe an oil change. It smoked, the cv's clicked while turning and the final straw her death at 256k. When you can do absolutely nothing and the car can go that long and run well....she had some pep!! Toyota did something right with that one.

We also have a 88 Camry wagon (yes we like Camry's & Runners). Bought it for like $1,200. Needed some work just never got around to doing it. Its got 165k and has sat for a long time. I know for the most part its all about the battery but one turn of the key (when jumping it) and she roars back to life. Drives like she never sat sit for a day. I've decided to make this one my project/learning car.

We had a 99 Runner but not long enough to truly give feedback on it. My 04 has been nothing but fantastic. The best thing about it, from a beginner stand point is its easy to work on. Even for a girl learning from the computer. Our 03 Runner has been awesome too. Today the trac/abs & vsc lights came on, so I gotta figure that out.

We've owned a Ford truck, Chevy (I think) cavalier wagon, Honda civic, Oldsmobile boat lol, Cadillac boat lol, Some kind of van, there might be more I just don't remember. A friend told me at one point we should open a used car lot.

-lower revving, lower HP engines
-simple designs
-excellent QC in Japan factories
-infrequent engine design changes

I've had 57,000 KM trouble free with my '13. The only thing that I wasn't happy with was the stereo system (door panel speaker rattle), otherwise a great vehicle. Time will tell if it can make it to 20 years without major repairs.

Well-engineered, lower-rev, durable engines.

The 3F/3F-E from the FJ60/62 and 5VZ-FE from the 3rd-gen T4R have a lower, broader, balanced torque curve and wear less than comparable others.

The VQ25DE in my 2003 Pathfinder was powerful and rev-happy, but developed valve chattering by 50K. The 6VD1W in my 1996 Rodeo ran hot despite a ton of work, and eventually cracked the head. Both had regular maintenance.

20 less hp is worth 20 more years of reliability (my 2c).

Why was your VW thread closed? Is it just rebadged Dodge like the VW minivan?

Toyota's are just built right!

Toyota is not the only one who has good engines.. in fact there some engines that are somewhat longer lasting.. but Toyota is one of the only car companies that has all good engines, which go into all good cars. probably due to superior management, quality control, and emphasis on reliability.. almost any major car company can build a reliable car, its just not all of them want to.. there are some companies that use Toyotas management model as blueprint for theirs, and they have nothing to do with building cars

Here is why:


"A heritage of toughness

It’s no secret that at the core of a superior off-road vehicle lies a body-on-frame construction. 4Runner is one of the last SUVs to still be built this way, keeping true to a heritage that has proven that body-on-frame is the answer to extreme ruggedness. Even after thousands of miles of treacherous, weather-beaten, harsh trails, 90% of 4Runners sold in the last ten years are still on the road." (from Toyota website)



.

THIS
THIS
The great thing now though is craft brew and all of your options. No longer are you tied to just Busch or Schlitz?!?!
That's just marketing. But yes they are pretty reliable vehicles. Also I would affiliate it to the buyer. With these vehicles costing significantly more than domestics, I believe they are bought by "more mature" individuals. By that I mean early 2000 4runners were being bought by adults, doctors, etc. . .early 2000 explorers were like the escape of the time and were driven by a younger crowd that could afford them and or more likely to thrash them. If that makes sense. Also note how I said usually. . .I am not taking into account the 5th gen section where those yokels are modding and mudding their 45k vehicles. . . .even still the enthusiast is taking better care of their vehicle than a typical explorer owner would.

I am an artist and a woodworker. My eye is trained to look for detail. One thing I have always noticed about Toyota is the detail and accuracy in the workmanship and in the "fit'n finish". When I look at even a brand new GM (for example), I'm sometimes amazed at how, even in a brand new vehicle, things often don't line up (like contours in the body shape), or gaps between doors (another example). Variances are often randomly and shockingly different (to my eye anyway).
This is what I don't see in Toyota's, and, I think that what shows on the outside reflects what's on the inside as well (including the engine). Toyota's are simply engineered and put together with a higher degree of accuracy than I see in the domestic brands.
Just my 2 cents.
Oh, and for what it's worth - 463000km's on my '98 Runner - haven't touched the engine beyond regular maintenance.
300000km's on my GM Astro - not only is it finished, to get it there cost me dearly - the thing eats parts like it eats gas.