Rant: Some people are way too naive!

[trd_4runnin]

So I get on this forum occasionally called Ohio Customs and I mainly just check it every couple of months. The forum is 75% domestic owners and then some import guys too. And these domestic guys aren't the cool kind either.. They pretty much think that all Toyotas and Hondas and other imports are junk and people are stupid for buying them and then bring down the American economy and all that hoopla.

So today I see a post title "Why do toyotas sell so much?". So naturally I click on this. The topic starter starts to rant about how Toyota makes commercials and don't tout their accolades (J.D. power and accoc., #1 in fuel economy...etc.) and still sell cars leading him to believe that Toyota isn't any better than anyone else but that Americans buy Toyotas because its the cool thing to do... whatever.

A bunch of other ignorant people continue to post and agree with this guy that they aren't any better by any means and that consumer reports are all just bogus and they are made cheaper and with cheaper parts ..and then I heard the dumbest thing ever.

One guy claims that the reason Toyota is the #1 selling manufacturer is because the total sales also reflect fleet vehicle sales and since a cheaply made base Toyota Camry can be had for cheaper than a nice for Fusion, its no wonder why their sales are so much higher. The companies purchase the cheapest cars for the fleet since they are simply "throw away vehicles" and since Toyotas are cheaper they naturally get the nod...

Now I'm not sure what it's like where you guys are from but around here Toyotas and Hondas cost more than their GM/Ford/Chrysler competitors and are NEVER used for fleet vehicles because of this. Probably the most common fleet vehicle I see is a Ford Ranger/F series and the rental car places around here typically use mostly chrysler products and I don't think they even have a single Toyota or Honda available. If people wanna support their favorite brand then that's cool, but does this just seem like complete stupidity to anyone else?

Sorry for the rant, I just couldn't believe someone would actually say something like that.

 

[jrs2]

Some people think that this country is superior to all others in all aspects because they were born in it.

 

[gptoy96]

Ya that guy's reasoning doesn't make sense from what I've been reading. What I read is that the big 3 relied quite a bit of sales to fleets. Just walk through a rental angency's yard and count the Flex's, Caravan's and Focus's. I'd be interested to see what the Domestic/Import ratio would be.

It's the same around here, you pay a premium for imports. But to those who appreciate quality and know you get what you pay for it makes it worthwhile. I imagine it's the same reason the rental companies mostly stay away from them here too. They don't care about long-term longevity as they'll send them to the auction in 6 months anyways.

 

[motif]

It's the same around here, you pay a premium for imports. But to those who appreciate quality and know you get what you pay for it makes it worthwhile. I imagine it's the same reason the rental companies mostly stay away from them here too. They don't care about long-term longevity as they'll send them to the auction in 6 months anyways.

good point, today any new car can last without a problem, but not all imports are better (more reliable) then all domestics. Germans cars e.g. have more problems.

 

[GMZ]

I lol at those guys. I suppose the 6 out of 10 purchased cars via Cash for Clunkers being J3 were fleet sales? And Toyo having 20% of total sales? Nevermind that most GM cars are made in Mexico and Canada!!! What re****s.

 

[VNT]

he is probably one of those people that never take responsibility for their actions, can't admit when he's wrong and everything bad that happens in his life is somebody else's fault.

 

[Thai]

he is probably one of those people that never take responsibility for their actions, can't admit when he's wrong and everything bad that happens in his life is somebody else's fault.

DEMOCRATIC MANTRA!! :jk:

 

[offshorebear]

People on the internet get way too heated about the cars they are fans of. Toyota makes some good cars and some craptastic cars, just the same as any other manufacturer.

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Fleet Sales



While Toyota is not a huge "fleet" vehicle, there are more than enough rental-car companies that use them. The most recent vehicle I rented was a Toyota Camry. Before that, I had a Toyota Sienna minivan and a Nissan Murano (great vehicle!) prior to that. Back in 2005, my company sent me to Florida and I had a Toyota Corolla for three days.

I have rented Ford & GM vehicles too; but who hasn't?


Regarding what constitutes an "import" nowadays, who knows? A Dodge Ram or Jeep Grand Cherokee will hail from Mexico, the Chevy Camaro and Ford Crown Vic are built in Canada; while Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi assemble vehicles here in the USA. The line separating import from domestic has gotten blurry!
:artist2:

 

[GMZ]

Regarding what constitutes an "import" nowadays, who knows? A Dodge Ram or Jeep Grand Cherokee will hail from Mexico, the Chevy Camaro and Ford Crown Vic are built in Canada; while Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi assemble vehicles here in the USA. The line separating import from domestic has gotten blurry!
:artist2:

It is quite surprising how many people are employed by the J3 here. Also that GM employs more ppl overseas than in the US, like 3x as many.

I was doing some research and found that the 2UZ-FE/Tundra were made here in AL/TX, while the 2UZ-FE/4 Runner is made in Tihara at the Lexus plant which is apparently Toyotas creme de la creme.

 

[Thai]

Regarding what constitutes an "import" nowadays, who knows? A Dodge Ram or Jeep Grand Cherokee will hail from Mexico, the Chevy Camaro and Ford Crown Vic are built in Canada; while Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi assemble vehicles here in the USA. The line separating import from domestic has gotten blurry!
:artist2:

Very true. For me, i look at WHERE THE PROFIT GOES. For example, with profits made in the US, does Toyota USA keep the profit or does it go back to Japan? Now, if they use the profits made here to build MORE FACTORIES, and thus create more jobs, then yeah, the domestic/import line is indeed blurry. But, if the profits still goes back to Japan (and thus, stimulate THEIR economy), then Toyota is still an import in my eyes. The same goes for GM making their cars in Mexico...if the profits come back to the US, then i am OK with it. (Everyone outsources these days to keep afloat...so, that is no longer a biggie for me.)

My view.

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Profits


That is a blurry area, too. GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, etc., etc., are multi-national corporations with shareholders and employees all over the globe. This trend is only going to continue and the lines will become less clear in the coming years.

While the "foreign" companies are hiring more and more US-born workers to work here in the USA, realize that a lot of "domestic" manufacturing is moving elsewhere (Mexico, Brazil, Canada, etc.). Where is GM building Buicks for the burgeoning Chinese market? Why China, of course! When Toyota, Honda and others from overseas sell their cars here (even ones that are built offshore), Americans usually own the dealership, sell, service and otherwise keep those cars running. American companies also are contracted to make repair & replacement parts - which in turn creates a lot of jobs in smaller, lesser known companies. Unlike what so many politicians want us to believe, economics is far from being a zero-sum game!

I would focus more on how well a vehicle is made - rather than where it is assembled. How many of us would HONESTLY knowingly buy junk just to support US companies? Few, I would hope. Likewise, how many of us would agree to paying new taxes or tariffs on "imported' goods, which amounts to a subsidy of domestic competitors?

Trade and tariff wars are bad news, but you know that some dipstick in Congress will come up with some type of scheme that will "fix" Detroit. How about getting other nations to open their markets to our stuff instead of threatening to restrict our markets to them?
:hatsoff:

................................................

"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear government, there is tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson

 

[DefJeff]

Ya that guy's reasoning doesn't make sense from what I've been reading. What I read is that the big 3 relied quite a bit of sales to fleets. Just walk through a rental angency's yard and count the Flex's, Caravan's and Focus's. I'd be interested to see what the Domestic/Import ratio would be.

It's the same around here, you pay a premium for imports. But to those who appreciate quality and know you get what you pay for it makes it worthwhile. I imagine it's the same reason the rental companies mostly stay away from them here too. They don't care about long-term longevity as they'll send them to the auction in 6 months anyways.

So very true. I work as a Buyer and see domestic Prior/Fleet/Lease/Rental junk all day long. The residual value is much higher for imports. Especially Toyota and Honda. If these guys did their homework they would know that. Oh well.