What was you American vehicle experience that made you buy a Japanese vehicle?

[Rich M]

At work we have a fleet of Tundras that only get oil changes. 200,000+ on a handful. Gonna run em into the ground. The guys arent easy on the trucks. I had my choice and drive a tacoma.

An alternate for me would consider a CRV.

 

[displacedtexan]

Just curious because a lot of people on here are rough on vehicles going on trails and into the mountains and woods. The last thing I would ever want is a breakdown in areas like that.

They can all break.

I lost a radiator hose on a mountainside in Colorado during third rifle a few years ago.

What vehicle is immune to that?

 

[tony]

No particular vehicle made my switch
I had a 2009 Tacoma with which I had a real love hate for.
More recalls than any "American" vehicles I have owned.

Frame starting to rust when I traded it, horrible mileage for a v6, uncomfortable seats on a long drive, rear springs were weak, was a rough shifting manual transmission.

Maintenance was a breeze, best oil filter location ever put on a vehicle. Right on top and at the front of the motor. Tune up was easy, just overall easy to work on. Tacoma's are the "Legos" of vehicles. Everyone is making parts for them. Mild to wild builds. The plastic bed was a good idea, just add a rubber mat.

That said, my 21 ranger has had a few issues and now that its fixed it is a great truck. 26 mpg on this tank as I type. I want to say unofficially the first runs of the eco boost were problematic. Realize everybody is using a 4 cylinder turbo now. Chevy, Ford, Toyota.

I am real interested in the next gen Tacoma's for sure

 

[30338]

Toys do tend to run a bit small. Have to say I am loving the cab space on the F250.

In regards to back country reliability. I've mentioned in on here before, but I always have one of the gooloo battery jumpers charged up and in the truck on hunting trips. Its saved my bacon more than once when a battery was dead and I was in pretty far.

 

[bojangles808]

Bizarre first posts on a western hunting forum

yea multiple threads ?

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Toys do tend to run a bit small. Have to say I am loving the cab space on the F250.

In regards to back country reliability. I've mentioned in on here before, but I always have one of the gooloo battery jumpers charged up and in the truck on hunting trips. Its saved my bacon more than once when a battery was dead and I was in pretty far.

I’ve spent my entire life in the mountains in a dozen different rigs never once had a dead battery. What happened to your rigs batteries “more than once when a battery was dead” ??? Leaving lights on? Running old batteries? Just curious…of all the shit I carry I don’t carry a jumper, just cables, but I may regret that at some point I guess.

 

[30338]

It was a 4 or 5 year old battery. It just quit working that day. Cables are tough when there isn't another car in the area. I jumped it, moved to a new hunting spot, came back and still dead. Jumped it again. Drove to camp. Jumped it the next morning to hunt again. Jumped it again to get back to camp and then finally drove to a tiny local mtn town and paid about double for a battery lol. For about $100 or less, the gooloo or other jumpers work well. But if you never had a battery go dead you probably don't need one.

My old 1998 4runner was a 5 speed. I'd back it up a hill when in the back country figuring worst case, I'd pop the clutch to get it started. It never didn't start though.

 

[DigEmUpPro1]

15’ Toyota tundra 5.7L 125k miles. Taken that truck places truck shouldn’t go. Just starts right up. No major repairs.

20’ Toyota Tacoma 112k miles. Same thing as above. Just starts and runs like it should. Been places trucks shouldn’t go.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I went the other way I've had multiple 4Runners Toyota pickups and a Tacoma. I got tired of bad gas mileage no power and a cramped driving experience. I have a 2020 F-150 now and get better mileage than any of them with gobs of power a more comfortable ride and I can fit everything I need to easily.

I did the exact same. 3 tacos, 2 tundras, wife has a t4r and has had multiple ravs, rest of the family drives yota. Bought a 23 f150 for more room and towing power. The mileage on 33s is still upper 20s on the highway where my taco on 33s was upper teens. Loving this ford

 

[Christopher.Reed]

11’ Tundra w/ 198k

I have been very rough on this truck from the day I bought it new and have done none of the recommended PM aside from periodic oil changes (5-10k) and it still drives great.

My only complaints are that the glue finally gave out on the driver side door button cluster so it’s awkward to roll the windows up and down, the skid plate is so beat up that it’s tough to align it after an oil change and, the atrocious gas mileage.

It’s easier to swallow the gas mileage if I prorate the difference over the life of the vehicle though.

Getting 17 MPG I have spent roughly ($3.00/gal) 35k over 12 years, or 3k/ish per year.

If I had a car that got 27 mpg, my annual gas bill would decrease $1,200 or $100 mo.

I consider that a wash given that the truck has required absolutely zero maintenance money (aside from oil changes and wear parts) for almost 200k miles.


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[PredatorSlayer]

I went the other way I've had multiple 4Runners Toyota pickups and a Tacoma. I got tired of bad gas mileage no power and a cramped driving experience. I have a 2020 F-150 now and get better mileage than any of them with gobs of power a more comfortable ride and I can fit everything I need to easily.

Its early, the problems will come and they won’t be cheap. I have owned a few ford trucks and they aren’t built the same. The tech is cool, the cab space is plentiful, and the fuel mileage is decent. People have different priorities, but if reliability is number 1, Toyota is the only answer. BTW, my Tundra cab has more space than my F350, F150 and Ram 2500, it just comes with a retarded midget bed .

 

[Thinkingman]

No particular vehicle made my switch
I had a 2009 Tacoma with which I had a real love hate for.
More recalls than any "American" vehicles I have owned.

Frame starting to rust when I traded it, horrible mileage for a v6, uncomfortable seats on a long drive, rear springs were weak, was a rough shifting manual transmission.

Maintenance was a breeze, best oil filter location ever put on a vehicle. Right on top and at the front of the motor. Tune up was easy, just overall easy to work on. Tacoma's are the "Legos" of vehicles. Everyone is making parts for them. Mild to wild builds. The plastic bed was a good idea, just add a rubber mat.

That said, my 21 ranger has had a few issues and now that its fixed it is a great truck. 26 mpg on this tank as I type. I want to say unofficially the first runs of the eco boost were problematic. Realize everybody is using a 4 cylinder turbo now. Chevy, Ford, Toyota.

I am real interested in the next gen Tacoma's for sure

Similar to my experience.
If the engine starting is your idea of 'reliable', then Toyota might fit your bill.
If flat leaf springs, frame rot to the point of dangerous, pathetic 6sp manual ratios, and a host of others that made the Tacoma a poor excuse for a truck mean anything, then leaving the Japanese wunderkind was my best move.
My F150 with 149k mi has done way more truck stuff than the Tacoma could ever dream of and needed nothing in the way of bandaids like the Tacoma did.

 

[Iceman82]

Only American for me.
Everyone can do what they feel is best. But I'm damn sure the American profits from Toyota still filter back to Japan.

 

[Christopher.Reed]

Would be interesting to see how many american rigs are made in canada an mexico. And how many jap rigs are made in america

To my knowledge, all “American” trucks are assembled outside of the US while Toyota is assembled in Texas but, all of them source parts globally.


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[robtattoo]

1986 883 Sportster. Overweight, underpowered, wouldn't start, couldn't stop & didn't go round corners. Absolute waste of steel and aluminum.
Replaced it with a yamaha XV1600 that I kept in various custom guises until I moved here.

 

[browning2480]

To my knowledge, all “American” trucks are assembled outside of the US while Toyota is assembled in Texas but, all of them source parts globally.


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Most of GM is still assembled in the US. Then again, so was my Subaru

 

[SonnyDay]

Reading Consumer Reports...

That and my in-laws. They swore by Chrysler/Dodge vehicles... but every other month they were in the shop for major or minor repairs.

We finally convinced my father-in-law to get a Honda Accord. It's been running with no issues for about 15 years... every time we see them they say: "We must have gotten the most blessed Honda that company ever created!" and my wife and I are like: "No, you just bought a Honda Accord."

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

To my knowledge, all “American” trucks are assembled outside of the US while Toyota is assembled in Texas but, all of them source parts globally.


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Depends on the model. Some Tacomas are built in Baja Mexico, some in San Antonio. 4Runners built in Japan. Most tundras are built in San Antonio as well.

 

[mgray34]

I've had multiple F-150s but the last one SUCKED big time. 2013 Ecoboost. Bar none, the worst truck I have ever owned. One problem after another. Bad turbos, no oil pressure, blown engine. I probably spent more trying to fix it than it was worth. I got rid of it and I'm in the market for a truck. I hate to not buy American, but my next truck will probably be a Tundra.

 

[Mike D Texas]

All American for me. Maintain and fix your own vehicles.

Please……..Toyota has vehicle with more US sourced parts than any of the big 3.

There is no such thing as a US made vehicle anymore, at least not wholly. Most parts are sourced from China and assembled in Mexico or Canada.


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