Honda is actually #2 now, ahead of Nissan and behind Toyota.

 

seriously? Honda's lineup is still tiny compared to Nissan.

 

I would agree. Toyota over all is probably the best (#1) car company. That said, there isn't a Toyota right now I would buy. Well, maybe the Toyota Camry once they get the potential tranny issues fixed. Lexus on the other hand I would gladly buy an LS/GS. I would also buy the new BMW 335i, or M35/45 or RL. What is comes down to for me is just because a company is at the top of the list and #1, doesn't mean they make the best products in all categories. If you count Lexus as part of Toyota, there are only 3, maybe 4 cars I would buy from them.

 

I couldn't disagree more. I've found that Honda has always done a better job of nicely finishing the visible surfaces, where Toyota has done the exact opposite. Toyota interiors have long been some of the lowest quality (in terms of appearance and feel) around.

 

Heh, if you were in the middle east or Afghanistan and asked the local population this question it would be Toyota. Toyota trucks are the first things to be stolen during periods of unrest. If that doesn't speak to their durability that some guerilla fighters could have any vehicle they want they choose Toyota.

Seriously how do you measure "best vehicle"? Racing, well Toyota vehicles have won everything from Baja Off Roading, Formula 1, Cart, Pikes Peak. Reliability? Well they have that locked up. Performance, Supra Twin Turbo. Energy efficient, well there is Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive. Affordable midengine car? MR2.

The more I think about it, maybe they really are the best, LOL. Pretty much have everything covered, even putting lots of people to work in their factories

 

When did Toyota ever win in F1? Toyota as a company is great. There is little question to that part. With the same argument that you provided for Toyota though one could also argue in favor of Honda. Honda had dominated F1 in the late 80s. I believe it was 6 constructors championships with two different teams. The have dominated in motorcycle racing. They have dominated in IRL. Performance? Just like Toyota had the Supra, the NSX comes to mind. Seriously, you can make a strong cases for many different car companies based either on profit, racing history, quantity of cars sold, or quality of cars. Different perspectives and categories will yeild a different winner. Toyota excells in many ways, but they don't make the best products in every category.

Like I mentioned before. Over all I think they are the number one car company in the world right now. That doesn't mean they make the best products though. Just some of the best, and mostly in their upper range of cars sold under the Lexus name.

 

Toyota is not the best in any of those races, and F1 as in formula one? Who are you kidding? Honda, and Nissan are definatley on par with toyota on terms of reliability, performance... supras are basically nothing without modification when stock, but I'll give that one to you just because supras are effin legends when modded, many companies have hybrids, the Prius doesn't get as much gas mileage as Toyota says, and the MR2.. in comparison on mid engine, are they affordable? yes.. when put next to other mid engine cars such as the NSX, then the MR2 is a geo metro.

Toyota is number 1 in selling and producing reliable vehicles definatley, and has accomplished a lot.

If you went to the middle east? HA. Go to the UAE or Dubai and talk toyotas. They'll laugh there asses off, they are too rich for Hondas, and toyotas. No one really gives a crap about Afghanistan right now other than Canada and their little mini war there.

Your making me put toyota down and I love toyotas.

 

That last part is exactley my point.

 

The Civic has the tiniest power window switches ever and in the back seat, the cloth part that isn't part of the seat that folds is actually hard plastic underneath. In the Corolla, that same area has some cushion. You can imagine the shock when I jabbed my elbow there thinking it was soft like the Corolla.

Sienna - cut corners by using a thin wire as a sensor for the "pinch protection" for the power sliding doors instead of the more complicated system (and better made) on the Odyssey.

1999-2003 Acura TL - wiper and indicator stalks are from my friend's 1991 Accord

2002-2006 Camry - interior door handles from a 95-00 LS (so is the remote keyless entry fob)

 

99-04 Acura RL - Same inside door handle, power lock switch, and seat memory as a 91-95 acura legend.

GM's 3.8L motor shared in the impala LS, monte carlo, buick regal, 6 cyl camaros... exact same motor.

 

almost all lexus, new and old: cruise control **** from my mom's 1993 camry (looks outdated and non-luxurious)

 

Sorry but your friend is right. Best car in the world? my corolla. I sold it to a co-worker... 300K + miles and still going with original engine and tranny.. actually the only things that are not original are the stereo unit and the power steering pump... It doenst have much features but everything still works. Toyota #1.

 

Almost every car company has some very vintage samples still roadworthy. Seeing what is still around at the TORC meet in Long Beach is an eye opener. I have an 80 Celica that even though it is undriven these days. It, will start on the second turn after sitting for months on end.

Yeah, it needs work but that is a testament to how well I think Toyota did in building cars in the day. As they say, YMMV...

 

Where Toyota excels is in making very high quality and reliable cars with mass appeal. They don't excel at making exciting or fun to drive cars. They don't excel at turning heads. They don't excel at offering you lots of power for very little money. They don't excel at getting your pulse or enthusiasm up for driving. Actually, they may do just the opposite, lol. In general, they're cars for people who don't care about cars, and prefer to own one that'll give them as little trouble and fuss as possible.

If I wanted something to tear up the streets and didn't want to spend much money, I would go buy a 300hp Mustang GT V8 right now. Or in a few years when it comes out, buy a 400hp LS2 Camaro. Or maybe a used Pontiac GTO. The entry price for any sort of import V8 is often at $50k or so. A new American V8 can be had for around $25k.

If I wanted something that handles well and encourages you to take corners fast and drive hard and really gets you excited, I'd go buy a BMW. Toyota need not apply here either. Some Toyotas may be capable of good handling, but you'll never be able to find out since the stability control always kicks in way early and you can't always easily defeat it.

If I prefer to shift for myself, Toyota need not apply for the most part either. Infiniti offers you a manual in the G35, a lot of the Nissan models do, and BMW offers manual transmissions in almost every car they sell. I think the 7-series is the only model without a manual option. Every other one does. Even the X3/X5 if you can find one or order one.

If you want to turn heads, Lexus will do it better than Infiniti and FAR better than Acura, but is still nothing compared to the Germans IMHO. The prestige factor for the German brands, in particular BMW and Mercedes, is still far ahead of even Lexus.

If you want a cheap car, you might want to look elsewhere also. For the price of a no frills Toyota you can often get a more optioned out car with a bigger (V6) engine from a competitor. Chevy Malibu V6's and Hyundai Sonata V6's are literally everywhere because they offer more car for the dollar than Toyota does with the Camry, and for the price of a Toyota 4-cylinder car you can get these V6's. The Chevy Malibu V6 gets 32 mpg hwy too which is better than any other V6 in its class. Actually, it may be the most efficient V6 period because I've never seen anything better. Both the Chevy and the Hyundai might not have the quality of the Toyota, but they do offer much better warranties.


People that want a cheap car don't necessarily need top quality and reliability.
People that want to turn heads don't care about top quality and reliability either.
People that want manual trannys want manual trannys, not top quality and reliability.
People that want fun to drive good handling cars want fun to drive good handling cars.
People that want to tear up the streets with a V8 don't care if they break stuff once in awhile.
People that just want top quality and reliability buy a Toyota, but they're not getting much if any of the above.


Every manufacturer offers something a little different. They each could probably claim "#1 status" in one thing or the other in whatever their particular area of focus or specialty is. So it'd be really hard for me to say which car company is the best when there are so many different possible criterias to use. It's just impossible. #1 at WHAT??

Toyota is CERTAINLY one of the best "manufacturing" companies of the world of anybody that makes anything, not just cars. They're able to deliver very high volumes of their products from manufacturing plants all over the world with consistently high quality which is something that every manufacturing company strives for whether it's cars or toys for kids. Being able to do this is the 'holy grail' of the manufacturing world, and I doubt there's anybody that comes as close to this as Toyota does, although it's difficult to compare companies in different fields. So Toyota's ability to manufacture may be where it stands apart, but there's certainly plenty of room for criticism and argument on the actual products that they produce. Those are often not #1 under any number of criteria despite the excellence with which they were manufactuered.

 

I don't know.

My Prius' cruise control stalk is different than the one on our 02 Camry. They look the (almost) same but they feel different.