When did you choose Toyota as your make?

[Capitan]

Typing from my deployed location somewhere in the "Stans"....

I started out with the old family grocery getter, '79 Datsun 210 s/w. The overall Japanese quality compared to the poor quality of the American cars my grandparents and other family members were driving was a convincing factor to buy Japanese later on when I could afford it.

My family earlier bought an '86 Camry and I was very impressed with her. So much that I would routinely "sing the praises of Toyota" in high school. (Class of '91, hooah) I would even write speeches about the high quality of Japanese automobiles compared to American automobiles. ( I know, a real nerd)

After high school, I went to college in the same town (Cape Girardeau, MO) and bought the following cars until I graduated and went into the USAF:
86 Toyota Corolla with 210k miles. She smoked but she was a blast to drive. After a year, traded her in on an
83 Toyota Supra with 135k miles. I loved the looks of her with those stock mag wheels she came with. The best part was the little lumbar pump and the rear wheel spin....I then traded her in on a
91 Toyota MR2 NA. I fell in love with this little two-seater for her looks, small size and the way she handled. I then married and received orders for Valdosta, GA.
I bought the wife a new '96 Corolla and she enjoyed it immensely. We really liked the gas mileage.

After 2-1/2 yrs, I received orders for Misawa, Japan and decided to sell both cars since I couldn't ship them over.
After arriving in Japan, I had already married and converted my wife to become a die-hard Toyota nut, so we had a 91 4WD Toyota Carib s/w and a 93 4WD Camry for those harsh winters.
After 3 yrs, we moved to Italy and in between stations I bought what I had always wanted when I had my NA MR2, a 91 Turbo MR2, same color inside/out as previous but with more miles.
I loved the feel of the turbo when it kicked in. She wasn't as reliable as I had hoped but she had 184k miles on her and the POs weren't very loving so I was forgiveful.

Our little stinker (baby) made his appearance and we needed some new wheels. We really wanted a Highlander but the local dealer didn't sell them but they did sell the 4Runner. We saw the new 4Runner in the brochure and without even test-driving it, we bought it. We've been very well pleased ever since and haven't had any problems whatsoever. Long live Toyota. After I retire from the USAF, I plan to work for Toyota at one of their plants. The workers at the new truck plant in San Antonio earn around $73k/year.

Cheers,
Jon

 

[Faeylyn]

I needed a new car to get back and forth to a new job (45 miles one way). My primary concern was reliability. Based on a lot of recommendations and research, I ended up getting a Toyota Tacoma (before it was called a Tacoma). I sold it 220K miles later for more than KBB value and it was still in excellent shape.

I got a 4Runner because I wanted a reliable, new, capable 4WD vehicle. There just didn't seem to be any comparison - especially for the price.

 

[Mark86]

The other important reason that I decided on a Toyota is because I needed a vehicle that is reliable, safe, and capable of getting me home from college even in the worst blizzard. This was even more important to me. To sum my reasons up, it would be for the features this truck offeres and the safety aspect.

 

[Only4Gold]

Toyota history

We've been a Honda family since about 1990, when we finally realized that we could stand no longer the aggravation and expense of trying to use and maintain inferior American cars. Mostly Chevrolets in my family back to the 1940s; I tried one Chrysler product which was an abysmal failure.

So in 1990 I purchased a used Acura Integra for my daugher, followed by a new Integra coupe for myself...awesome car! Later we purchased two Honda Accords and an Odyssey. All great vehicles. But about 3 years ago, when looking for a SUV for my wife, we ended up with the Highlander because Honda had no offering in that arena. We've loved the HL, and then when looking for a larger, sturdier SUV last fall, gravitated to the 4Runner, after test driving the Pilot and becoming unimpressed with it from many angles. We also were tempted by the Honda MDX, but eventually backed off because of cost and other factors. We purchased the 4R last September.

So we now have two Toyota products in the garage now. We drive these vehicles hard, and have put lots of miles on each. The reliability and drivability have been superb, and every service I've had done at a Toyota dealer has been perfect...so I think I'm pretty solidily in the Toyota fold.

 

[TranceKrayz]

Only4Gold,

I also love integras. My first car was a 92 mercury tracer that is now resting in automobile heaven. After it broke down for the last time in 2002, my dad was planning on getting me a 2000 integra gs-r. upon shopping for cars, i remembered how much he loves 4runners, and our only family car left was a 94 toyota corolla (which is still running strong), so i told him that we should really buy a family car and i'd take the corolla. he smiled and knew exactly what i was thinking, so we immediately looked into a 2002 sport edition. although i loved the masculine, rugged exterior design, i was not impressed by the interior design. then i saw that the 4th gen. was comming out, and we fell in love with it right away. so how did i end up with the 4runner? i just have a really generous dad.

 

[spyne]

I've been driving and buying cars for more than 30 years and this is the first Toyota I've owned.

Previously I always owned US brands, mostly Fords, with some GM thrown in for a change now and then. I even had a Mopar once, though never again. The most memorable ones include a 1970 428 cobra jet Mach 1, 1965 Tempest with a GTO 389 six-pack and a 1988 5.0 LX Mustang. As you might guess, I have always been a bit of a speed freak.

Just prior to buying the 4Runner I had a 1992 Bronco that I bought new and which was probably the best all around vehicle I've ever owned. However, when it was time for a replacement, I just couldn't bring myself to go with any of the big 3 US makers any longer. I wanted something that could really go off road rather than being a glorified grocery getter station wagon. I spent about 6 months reading reviews and looking at reliability ratings and when it was all said and done there was only one choice. I had to buy a 4Runner.

I now have 17,000 mile on it and couldn't be happier. It's gone everywhere I've needed to go off-road and been rock solid from a reliability standpoint. Once I swap out the running boards for some sliders, put on a lift and change out the tires it should be just about perfect.