Your list: The 5 BEST and 5 WORST Toyota products in history
#16
Moderator
Five best Toyota products:
Lexus
1. Lexus LFA
2. Lexus LS
3. Lexus IS F
4. Lexus LX
5. Lexus RX
Toyota
1. Toyota 2000GT
2. Toyota Supra
3. Toyota Landcruiser
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Celsior
Five worst Toyota products:
1. Toyota Echo
2. Scion Xa
3. Toyota Starlet
4. Toyota Paseo
5. Toyota Lite Ace
Lexus
1. Lexus LFA
2. Lexus LS
3. Lexus IS F
4. Lexus LX
5. Lexus RX
Toyota
1. Toyota 2000GT
2. Toyota Supra
3. Toyota Landcruiser
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Celsior
Five worst Toyota products:
1. Toyota Echo
2. Scion Xa
3. Toyota Starlet
4. Toyota Paseo
5. Toyota Lite Ace
Last edited by Trexus; 07-15-13 at 09:01 PM.
#17
Not including Lexus/Scion (which, though Toyota, are separate divisions), here are my rankings:
BEST:
3Gen 1992-1996 Camry. Did almost everything extremely well as long as you weren't a boy-racer.
1994-1999 Celica. Though the American-market engines were a little underpowered, its looks, IMO, were nothing short of dynamite. (I owned one for 6 years, BTW)
1Gen (1994-1999) American-market Avalon. The perfect Japanese Buick....without the added Lexus price.
The 2Gen MR2 Turbo. Classy, well-built, with Ferrari-looks (especially in red), and fun to drive, though the engine often ran hot, it wandered somewhat on long straight roads, and was hard for tall people to get in and out of.
The 1Gen Venza. Finally, a credible Toyota alternative to the popular Subaru Outback, though both four and V6 versions are saddled with too-large wheels and a too-firm ride for a vehicles in this class.
(I didn't list the new FT-86 sport-coupe because it was jointly-developed with a Subaru drivetrain and is not sold in America as a Toyota...only under Scion/Subaru nameplates)
WORST
1Gen T-100/T-150 trucks. Introduced as a "full-size" American-truck competitor, but, in fact, was a mid-sizer with 4 and V6 engines. A complete fail.
1Gen Tundra. Included a V8 engine, but was STILL, in fact, a 3/4 size masquerading as a full-sizer. Almost as much of a fail as the original T-series.
2Gen Tundra. Finally had both the engines and the size it needed to compete with American trucks, but saddled with poor engineering, flimsy parts, and an insultingly cheap interior. Yet another truck-fail.
1Gen Echo. After years of the excellent Tercel subcompact, the Echo's frumpy, awkward looks, cheap center-stack instrumentation, and Nerdish personality seemed like something out of a science-fiction movie.
The 2000-2005 Celica. A huge letdown, IMO, after the beautiful 1994-1999 Celica models. It had the turbo the previous-generation lacked, but was too small, looked like something off a Hot Wheels toy-store shelf, was difficult to get in/out of, had an overstyled/overly-plastic interior, and was noisy, crude, and unrefined.
BEST:
3Gen 1992-1996 Camry. Did almost everything extremely well as long as you weren't a boy-racer.
1994-1999 Celica. Though the American-market engines were a little underpowered, its looks, IMO, were nothing short of dynamite. (I owned one for 6 years, BTW)
1Gen (1994-1999) American-market Avalon. The perfect Japanese Buick....without the added Lexus price.
The 2Gen MR2 Turbo. Classy, well-built, with Ferrari-looks (especially in red), and fun to drive, though the engine often ran hot, it wandered somewhat on long straight roads, and was hard for tall people to get in and out of.
The 1Gen Venza. Finally, a credible Toyota alternative to the popular Subaru Outback, though both four and V6 versions are saddled with too-large wheels and a too-firm ride for a vehicles in this class.
(I didn't list the new FT-86 sport-coupe because it was jointly-developed with a Subaru drivetrain and is not sold in America as a Toyota...only under Scion/Subaru nameplates)
WORST
1Gen T-100/T-150 trucks. Introduced as a "full-size" American-truck competitor, but, in fact, was a mid-sizer with 4 and V6 engines. A complete fail.
1Gen Tundra. Included a V8 engine, but was STILL, in fact, a 3/4 size masquerading as a full-sizer. Almost as much of a fail as the original T-series.
2Gen Tundra. Finally had both the engines and the size it needed to compete with American trucks, but saddled with poor engineering, flimsy parts, and an insultingly cheap interior. Yet another truck-fail.
1Gen Echo. After years of the excellent Tercel subcompact, the Echo's frumpy, awkward looks, cheap center-stack instrumentation, and Nerdish personality seemed like something out of a science-fiction movie.
The 2000-2005 Celica. A huge letdown, IMO, after the beautiful 1994-1999 Celica models. It had the turbo the previous-generation lacked, but was too small, looked like something off a Hot Wheels toy-store shelf, was difficult to get in/out of, had an overstyled/overly-plastic interior, and was noisy, crude, and unrefined.
The T100 (there was no such thing as a T-150, which was only some rumored name for the Tundra before it came out and Toyota denies ever considering it or T-series ) was a great truck. Toyota should've put a V8 in order to gain more sales but they are stone dead reliable and have a huge following just like the smaller Toyota pickups, and anybody that has one loves them. My grandpa has a '95 T100 he bought new and it's been a great truck. And it was a full-size truck and is even EPA classified as such, and actually beats many of the dimensions of the competitors at the time.
The 1st and 2nd Gen Tundra are also great trucks, and I'd sure like to know what kind of "poor engineering" the 2nd Gen has, and do not even try to feed me that myth that the frame is "weak" because you saw Ford's little sales video proclaiming as such. If the Tundra's frame is weak, then so is Ford's own SuperDuty which uses the EXACT same type of construction, and the Tundra, the whole entire truck, is the only 1/2 rated under the newest SAE standards for towing/payload performance. GM, Ford, and Dodge continue to hide behind their internal, self-proclaimed numbers to this day. As for the interior, if the Tundra's interior is cheap, then so are the competitors, none of which had soft touch dashes at the time and none do still except on their super expensive exclusive trim models which Toyota will also have on the 2014 Tundra. Oh yes, and like the T100, the Gen 1 Tundra was a fullsize and is bigger in many ways than some of the competitors out at the time and beat many of them in towing and payload when equipped with comparable engines/packages.
Last edited by 84Cressida; 07-15-13 at 09:57 PM.
#18
Best Toyota, or favorites if you will. It's hard to pick 5 as I have several.
1. Cressida - the proto Lexus, surprised more of you haven't mentioned it.
2. 2nd Gen Camry - just as reliable as the 3rd Generation, I love the boxier styling more though and they're pretty fun to drive.
3. 7th Gen Celica - My favorite Celica, sans maybe the 3rd Gen (1982-1986)
4. Hilux/Pickup/T100/4Runner
5. Land Cruiser - any Toyota enthusiast respects this and the Hilux.
I dont' think they've ever created any truly awful cars, at least not in the sense any were junkers. I wouldn't even say I hate these cars, but I just don't really care about them.
1. Previa - never cared for it
2. Echo
3. Scion xD
4. Paseo
5. Tercel
Best Lexus
1. LS. Toyota engineering at its best.
2. 2GS, 4GS. Don't mind the 3GS but really do not like the 1GS styling. Probably not a coincidence that Lexus designers didn't style it either.
3. IS
4 ES- I have a lot of respect for the ES250 and since I love the 2nd Gen Camry so much, it goes without saying that I would love this car too. I also like the later generations.
5. SC
1. Cressida - the proto Lexus, surprised more of you haven't mentioned it.
2. 2nd Gen Camry - just as reliable as the 3rd Generation, I love the boxier styling more though and they're pretty fun to drive.
3. 7th Gen Celica - My favorite Celica, sans maybe the 3rd Gen (1982-1986)
4. Hilux/Pickup/T100/4Runner
5. Land Cruiser - any Toyota enthusiast respects this and the Hilux.
I dont' think they've ever created any truly awful cars, at least not in the sense any were junkers. I wouldn't even say I hate these cars, but I just don't really care about them.
1. Previa - never cared for it
2. Echo
3. Scion xD
4. Paseo
5. Tercel
Best Lexus
1. LS. Toyota engineering at its best.
2. 2GS, 4GS. Don't mind the 3GS but really do not like the 1GS styling. Probably not a coincidence that Lexus designers didn't style it either.
3. IS
4 ES- I have a lot of respect for the ES250 and since I love the 2nd Gen Camry so much, it goes without saying that I would love this car too. I also like the later generations.
5. SC
Last edited by 84Cressida; 07-15-13 at 10:08 PM.
#19
Lexus Fanatic
I left the generation 2 Camry off my list because of rust issues. But they were incredible cars, probably the most reliable Toyota has ever built. And they have a brilliant suspension, too soft for some but the car ignores bumps and filters out the harshness like it's a much bigger car, especially the 4 cylinder models.
If there was ever a car I'd want Toyota to look at and remember what making a great car is all about, I'd point them to a generation 2 Camry.
If there was ever a car I'd want Toyota to look at and remember what making a great car is all about, I'd point them to a generation 2 Camry.
#20
Lexus Fanatic
.. There was never any 7th Gen turbo Celica (I wish there was though) and the 7th Gen was one of the best performing of the FWD Celicas sans the All-trac and the GT-S, with the 2ZZ-GE was one of the best performance coupes you could buy at the time. Its problems were price and idiotic Toyota execs not investing more in the car to keep sales strong, which the 7th Gen Celica had its first few years on the market. I've never found them noisy or crude either and hope to pick one up some day.
The T100 (there was no such thing as a T-150, which was only some rumored name for the Tundra before it came out and Toyota denies ever considering it or T-series ) was a great truck. Toyota should've put a V8 in order to gain more sales but they are stone dead reliable and have a huge following just like the smaller Toyota pickups, and anybody that has one loves them. My grandpa has a '95 T100 he bought new and it's been a great truck. And it was a full-size truck and is even EPA classified as such, and actually beats many of the dimensions of the competitors at the time.
[quote]The 1st and 2nd Gen Tundra are also great trucks, and I'd sure like to know what kind of "poor engineering" the 2nd Gen has, and do not even try to feed me that myth that the frame is "weak" because you saw Ford's little sales video proclaiming as such. If the Tundra's frame is weak, then so is Ford's own SuperDuty which uses the EXACT same type of construction, and the Tundra, the whole entire truck, is the only 1/2 rated under the newest SAE standards for towing/payload performance. GM, Ford, and Dodge continue to hide behind their internal, self-proclaimed numbers to this day. As for the interior, if the Tundra's interior is cheap, then so are the competitors, none of which had soft touch dashes at the time and none do still except on their super expensive exclusive trim models which Toyota will also have on the 2014 Tundra.
Oh yes, and like the T100, the Gen 1 Tundra was a fullsize and is bigger in many ways than some of the competitors out at the time and beat many of them in towing and payload when equipped with comparable engines/packages.
As far as the interior-quality goes, I partially agree that 90's vintage Detroit full-size trucks also had some shortcomings inside, but, overall, seemed to have more solid-feeling materials inside. (This time, I say seemed, because it is simply my opinion and not necessarily fact).
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-16-13 at 09:38 AM.
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
Five best Toyota products:
Lexus
1. Lexus LFA
2. Lexus LS
3. Lexus IS F
4. Lexus LX
5. Lexus RX
Toyota
1. Toyota 2000GT
2. Toyota Supra
3. Toyota Landcruiser
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Celsior
Five worst Toyota products:
1. Toyota Echo
2. Scion Xa
3. Toyota Starlet
4. Toyota Paseo
5. Toyota Lite Ace
Lexus
1. Lexus LFA
2. Lexus LS
3. Lexus IS F
4. Lexus LX
5. Lexus RX
Toyota
1. Toyota 2000GT
2. Toyota Supra
3. Toyota Landcruiser
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Celsior
Five worst Toyota products:
1. Toyota Echo
2. Scion Xa
3. Toyota Starlet
4. Toyota Paseo
5. Toyota Lite Ace
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Thanks, Mike. To an extent, I had forgotten that one, too....although it applies more to the newer than older ones. The newer ones, indeed, are superb (and by "newer", I mean the last 25-30 years). But, back in the 1960s (I remember an old Consumer Reports write-up on it), the Land-Cruiser had a potentially dangerous design....fuel-plumbing/fuel-lines running INSIDE the cabin, near the seats.
#23
Lexus Fanatic
This list mostly factually incorrect, and I have to question just how much experience you've had with these cars.. There was never any 7th Gen turbo Celica (I wish there was though) and the 7th Gen was one of the best performing of the FWD Celicas sans the All-trac and the GT-S, with the 2ZZ-GE was one of the best performance coupes you could buy at the time. Its problems were price and idiotic Toyota execs not investing more in the car to keep sales strong, which the 7th Gen Celica had its first few years on the market. I've never found them noisy or crude either and hope to pick one up some day.
The T100 (there was no such thing as a T-150, which was only some rumored name for the Tundra before it came out and Toyota denies ever considering it or T-series ) was a great truck. Toyota should've put a V8 in order to gain more sales but they are stone dead reliable and have a huge following just like the smaller Toyota pickups, and anybody that has one loves them. My grandpa has a '95 T100 he bought new and it's been a great truck. And it was a full-size truck and is even EPA classified as such, and actually beats many of the dimensions of the competitors at the time.
The 1st and 2nd Gen Tundra are also great trucks, and I'd sure like to know what kind of "poor engineering" the 2nd Gen has, and do not even try to feed me that myth that the frame is "weak" because you saw Ford's little sales video proclaiming as such. If the Tundra's frame is weak, then so is Ford's own SuperDuty which uses the EXACT same type of construction, and the Tundra, the whole entire truck, is the only 1/2 rated under the newest SAE standards for towing/payload performance. GM, Ford, and Dodge continue to hide behind their internal, self-proclaimed numbers to this day. As for the interior, if the Tundra's interior is cheap, then so are the competitors, none of which had soft touch dashes at the time and none do still except on their super expensive exclusive trim models which Toyota will also have on the 2014 Tundra. Oh yes, and like the T100, the Gen 1 Tundra was a fullsize and is bigger in many ways than some of the competitors out at the time and beat many of them in towing and payload when equipped with comparable engines/packages.
The T100 (there was no such thing as a T-150, which was only some rumored name for the Tundra before it came out and Toyota denies ever considering it or T-series ) was a great truck. Toyota should've put a V8 in order to gain more sales but they are stone dead reliable and have a huge following just like the smaller Toyota pickups, and anybody that has one loves them. My grandpa has a '95 T100 he bought new and it's been a great truck. And it was a full-size truck and is even EPA classified as such, and actually beats many of the dimensions of the competitors at the time.
The 1st and 2nd Gen Tundra are also great trucks, and I'd sure like to know what kind of "poor engineering" the 2nd Gen has, and do not even try to feed me that myth that the frame is "weak" because you saw Ford's little sales video proclaiming as such. If the Tundra's frame is weak, then so is Ford's own SuperDuty which uses the EXACT same type of construction, and the Tundra, the whole entire truck, is the only 1/2 rated under the newest SAE standards for towing/payload performance. GM, Ford, and Dodge continue to hide behind their internal, self-proclaimed numbers to this day. As for the interior, if the Tundra's interior is cheap, then so are the competitors, none of which had soft touch dashes at the time and none do still except on their super expensive exclusive trim models which Toyota will also have on the 2014 Tundra. Oh yes, and like the T100, the Gen 1 Tundra was a fullsize and is bigger in many ways than some of the competitors out at the time and beat many of them in towing and payload when equipped with comparable engines/packages.
As for 7th 8ths size, yes it was smaller but when it was released it was very competitive.
Is the current Toyota Land Cruiser a full size SUV? NOT if you park it next to a Tahoe or Expedition. But if you follow the capacity and payload then it is a full size.
The facts also show that the 04-06 Double cab Tundra is about the size of the current double cab. However the engine and payload do not compare to the current 5.7.
As for Marshall claim that the Tundra is a worst ever Toyota he is wrong there again, the first gen sold exceptionally well however the second did not sell to expectations. But neither did the Sequioa or anything else since the recession hit.
#24
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
I have to agree with you on the Tundra. Marshall is a bit incorrect about his facts. The first gen Tundra is a full size truck, dimensions are not the only story. The payload and capacity are really what is the determining factor the first gen was right in there for capacity and payload.
As for 7th 8ths size, yes it was smaller but when it was released it was very competitive.
As for 7th 8ths size, yes it was smaller but when it was released it was very competitive.
Tundra sales, now, are doing fairly well...but that is because a number of changes were made in recent years.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-16-13 at 01:01 PM.
#25
Lexus Champion
My personal list for the 5 TOYOTA GROUP CARS that I like/love and WORST 5 products from the Toyota Group:
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
5 FAVORITES
NOTE: I obviously have MORE THAN FIVE favorites.......but the thing is, the list say pick FIVE ONLY.
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
5 FAVORITES
NOTE: I obviously have MORE THAN FIVE favorites.......but the thing is, the list say pick FIVE ONLY.
#26
Lexus Champion
FIVE FAVORITES FROM THE TOYOTA GROUP
Note: I didn't mention the GT86/BRZ because you guys already mentioned it way too many times hehe
Anyways, here we go:
1) Toyota Alphard/Vellfire
2) Toyota Previa (aka Estima or Tarago)
3) Toyota ZELAS
Nice car
4) Toyota Wish
If Honda has a STREAM
then Toyota has a WISH
And this for me deserves special mention:
5) TOYOTA CALDINA
If Nissan has the Stagea and if Mitsubishi has the Galant VR-4 LEGNUM, then Toyota has the CALDINA. This is another one of them awesome and epic JDM WAGONS!!! Indeed, uber-cool estates and tourers from the Land of the Rising Sun.
I swear to God. If were really rich, I would pay the Toyota Group to create a one-off model of a 3rd gen Caldina. I WOULD PAY WHATEVER PRICE for it.
Fantastic vehicle indeed
Note: I didn't mention the GT86/BRZ because you guys already mentioned it way too many times hehe
Anyways, here we go:
1) Toyota Alphard/Vellfire
2) Toyota Previa (aka Estima or Tarago)
3) Toyota ZELAS
Nice car
4) Toyota Wish
If Honda has a STREAM
then Toyota has a WISH
And this for me deserves special mention:
5) TOYOTA CALDINA
If Nissan has the Stagea and if Mitsubishi has the Galant VR-4 LEGNUM, then Toyota has the CALDINA. This is another one of them awesome and epic JDM WAGONS!!! Indeed, uber-cool estates and tourers from the Land of the Rising Sun.
I swear to God. If were really rich, I would pay the Toyota Group to create a one-off model of a 3rd gen Caldina. I WOULD PAY WHATEVER PRICE for it.
Fantastic vehicle indeed
#27
Lexus Champion
LEXUS = FIVE FAVORITES
1) Lexus LFA
The performance flagship of the Lexus brand
2) Lexus LS
The premium flagship for the Lexus brand.
This car has won so many awards so it's self-explanatory
3) Lexus GS (3rd and 4th)
4) Lexus IS (2nd-generation)
The front-end of the 2IS looks way better (and cleaner as well as more consistent) compared to the 3IS imho.
5) Lexus LX 570
The LC200 is awesome without a doubt. The LX570 however takes it a bit further =)
1) Lexus LFA
The performance flagship of the Lexus brand
2) Lexus LS
The premium flagship for the Lexus brand.
This car has won so many awards so it's self-explanatory
3) Lexus GS (3rd and 4th)
4) Lexus IS (2nd-generation)
The front-end of the 2IS looks way better (and cleaner as well as more consistent) compared to the 3IS imho.
5) Lexus LX 570
The LC200 is awesome without a doubt. The LX570 however takes it a bit further =)
#28
Lexus Champion
WORST 5
1) Lexus HS (pre-facelift)
Damn those wheels look uninspiring. And man, that front end could've been better.
In fact:
The Toyota SAI version looks WAAAAAY BETTER
as well as the HS with the MMC Facelift:
Which IMHO could've helped saved the Lexus HS from extinction (in the North American markets)
2) Toyota BB (aka Scion xB at one point)
Some people like shoebox cars and I respect that..........but as for me, well.......not so much
3) Toyota AVANZA
Not that there's exactly anything wrong with it per se. I mean it works for utility and practicality purposes sure.
But for me, my goal in life DOES NOT involve owning a BUDGET CAR NOR does it involve owning an ASIAN UTILITY VEHICLE (or AUV).
I'd prefer something more stylish and more expensive. Thank you very much
4) Toyota Etios
Again nothing wrong with it per se. It's just that I can't envision myself driving a mass-market subcompact made for developing countries.
And an FYI, this was primarily designed for the Indian market.
Now, I have nothing against Indians. It's just that it's too cheap and budget-oriented for my tastes.
I'd rather be rich so that I don't have to drive cheap budget cars (such as that one)
5) TOYOTA 4RUNNER (facelift?)
GODDAMIT. That front grille looks like some MOTHER-****ING UGLY PIECE OF ****.
Attachment 498860
The front designer either has to have his EYES CHECKED and/or his BRAIN CHECKED..........PLUS an KICK IN THE ***.
PURELY EPIC FAIL WITHOUT A DOUBT
It's so goddam ugly...........that yo grandma's butt looks way better than that.
1) Lexus HS (pre-facelift)
Damn those wheels look uninspiring. And man, that front end could've been better.
In fact:
The Toyota SAI version looks WAAAAAY BETTER
as well as the HS with the MMC Facelift:
Which IMHO could've helped saved the Lexus HS from extinction (in the North American markets)
2) Toyota BB (aka Scion xB at one point)
Some people like shoebox cars and I respect that..........but as for me, well.......not so much
3) Toyota AVANZA
Not that there's exactly anything wrong with it per se. I mean it works for utility and practicality purposes sure.
But for me, my goal in life DOES NOT involve owning a BUDGET CAR NOR does it involve owning an ASIAN UTILITY VEHICLE (or AUV).
I'd prefer something more stylish and more expensive. Thank you very much
4) Toyota Etios
Again nothing wrong with it per se. It's just that I can't envision myself driving a mass-market subcompact made for developing countries.
And an FYI, this was primarily designed for the Indian market.
Now, I have nothing against Indians. It's just that it's too cheap and budget-oriented for my tastes.
I'd rather be rich so that I don't have to drive cheap budget cars (such as that one)
5) TOYOTA 4RUNNER (facelift?)
GODDAMIT. That front grille looks like some MOTHER-****ING UGLY PIECE OF ****.
Attachment 498860
The front designer either has to have his EYES CHECKED and/or his BRAIN CHECKED..........PLUS an KICK IN THE ***.
PURELY EPIC FAIL WITHOUT A DOUBT
It's so goddam ugly...........that yo grandma's butt looks way better than that.
#29
Since I'm not old enough to be familiar with 60's/70's Toyota products, all of mine have been built within my lifetime.
In no particular order, my favorite 5:
1. 84-85 Truck/4Runner. Still had a solid axle in the front, very reliable, just don't own one if you live in the great frozen brine states up north. Personally I love the styling on those model trucks, and this was back in the day when you wanted a small truck, it was actually small and fuel efficient. Plus the aftermarket is huge, so you can build/customize it, these things look great with big wheels/tires, aftermarket bumpers, etc.
2. 1990 LS400. Turned the notion of what a luxury car should be on its ear when it came out. Its a car that launched an empire and almost made Cadillac irrelevant(it did make Lincoln irrelevant).
3. 1993 Toyota Supra. Crazy styling and what has to be one of the most overbuilt and brilliantly engineered engines under the hood in any car.
4. 1992 Lexus SC300/400. Maybe I'm biased since I own one, but they are drop dead gorgeous cars. Provided some needed style to the Lexus brand, but it still had all the luxury appointments and refinement of the more staid LS400.
5. 1985 Toyota MR-2. Maybe I'm weird, but I love the very 80's styling on this car. Granted it isn't fast, but it sure is a novel car. Its like the Lotus Elise 10-15 years before there was a Lotus Elise, for about 1/3rd the price.
For the top five worst cars, just opinion though:
1. Toyota Echo. What an ugly pile of junk. Cheaply made(as in about on par with a Chevy Aveo), stupid center instrument binnacle. From what I've seen they haven't aged well either, and I don't see them on the road very often(not sure if thats from lack of sales when new or that they've all been junked)
2. 2007-2012 Corolla Actually a step backwards IMO from the previous model. The previous model had a much nicer interior and was better made. Flash forward to 2012 and we still have a 120hp and 4 speed automatic under the hood, same combo they've been selling since 2000 or so. Toyota has really let this model slide into irrelevance, yet people are still dumb enough to buy them when there are much better options out there IMO.
3. 2007-2011 Camry. The king of bland. Much like the Corolla, its ugly, the interior is cheaply made and worse than the model it replaces. Granted its a good car in terms of being spacious and quiet, but they could not have made a more bland/mediocre car.
4. Cressida/MK III Supra with the 7M-GE and 7M-GTE motors. Great cars with a flawed engine. The headbolts were torqued to the wrong spec at the factory, thus leading these cars to blow headgaskets. A lot of them would overheat so bad it would warp the head/block and require total engine replacement. The official Toyota service manual the dealer used had the same wrong torque specification for the head bolts, so you'd have the same problem again. They were good engines if they were fixed right, many were never fixed right by the Toyota dealers.
5. 88-94 trucks/4Runners with the 3VZ-E SOCH 3.0 V6 motor. Once again another turd, 150hp, popped headgaskets and was prone to catastrophic failure before 100k miles. If you were ever shopping for a truck/4Runner from this era, you'll notice A LOT of them had the whole engine replaced at some point in their lives. The 22RE 4 cylinder is a much better option, but with a heavy 4Runner its too much truck and not enough engine IMO.
In no particular order, my favorite 5:
1. 84-85 Truck/4Runner. Still had a solid axle in the front, very reliable, just don't own one if you live in the great frozen brine states up north. Personally I love the styling on those model trucks, and this was back in the day when you wanted a small truck, it was actually small and fuel efficient. Plus the aftermarket is huge, so you can build/customize it, these things look great with big wheels/tires, aftermarket bumpers, etc.
2. 1990 LS400. Turned the notion of what a luxury car should be on its ear when it came out. Its a car that launched an empire and almost made Cadillac irrelevant(it did make Lincoln irrelevant).
3. 1993 Toyota Supra. Crazy styling and what has to be one of the most overbuilt and brilliantly engineered engines under the hood in any car.
4. 1992 Lexus SC300/400. Maybe I'm biased since I own one, but they are drop dead gorgeous cars. Provided some needed style to the Lexus brand, but it still had all the luxury appointments and refinement of the more staid LS400.
5. 1985 Toyota MR-2. Maybe I'm weird, but I love the very 80's styling on this car. Granted it isn't fast, but it sure is a novel car. Its like the Lotus Elise 10-15 years before there was a Lotus Elise, for about 1/3rd the price.
For the top five worst cars, just opinion though:
1. Toyota Echo. What an ugly pile of junk. Cheaply made(as in about on par with a Chevy Aveo), stupid center instrument binnacle. From what I've seen they haven't aged well either, and I don't see them on the road very often(not sure if thats from lack of sales when new or that they've all been junked)
2. 2007-2012 Corolla Actually a step backwards IMO from the previous model. The previous model had a much nicer interior and was better made. Flash forward to 2012 and we still have a 120hp and 4 speed automatic under the hood, same combo they've been selling since 2000 or so. Toyota has really let this model slide into irrelevance, yet people are still dumb enough to buy them when there are much better options out there IMO.
3. 2007-2011 Camry. The king of bland. Much like the Corolla, its ugly, the interior is cheaply made and worse than the model it replaces. Granted its a good car in terms of being spacious and quiet, but they could not have made a more bland/mediocre car.
4. Cressida/MK III Supra with the 7M-GE and 7M-GTE motors. Great cars with a flawed engine. The headbolts were torqued to the wrong spec at the factory, thus leading these cars to blow headgaskets. A lot of them would overheat so bad it would warp the head/block and require total engine replacement. The official Toyota service manual the dealer used had the same wrong torque specification for the head bolts, so you'd have the same problem again. They were good engines if they were fixed right, many were never fixed right by the Toyota dealers.
5. 88-94 trucks/4Runners with the 3VZ-E SOCH 3.0 V6 motor. Once again another turd, 150hp, popped headgaskets and was prone to catastrophic failure before 100k miles. If you were ever shopping for a truck/4Runner from this era, you'll notice A LOT of them had the whole engine replaced at some point in their lives. The 22RE 4 cylinder is a much better option, but with a heavy 4Runner its too much truck and not enough engine IMO.
#30
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Aron90001
Toyota Echo. What an ugly pile of junk. Cheaply made(as in about on par with a Chevy Aveo), stupid center instrument binnacle. From what I've seen they haven't aged well either, and I don't see them on the road very often(not sure if thats from lack of sales when new or that they've all been junked)