Leaderboard

I like the simplicity. Definitely will take it over this mess of the front end I do like the looks of the RAM the most though

Rather than create a separate thread/review, I thought I'd write update what's gone wrong / gone right in 100,000 miles and 12.5 years of motoring in the LaCrosse. Stuff that wears routinely such as tires, brakes, hoses, struts, and batteries excluded, though they did hold up well. 1 - Powertrain: - fitting at the junction of the transmission cooling line to the radiator was leaking and had to be replaced 2 - Cooling system: - thermostat was throwing a check engine code that it was not correctly informing the coolant temperature sensor and had to be replaced 3 - Suspension and braking: - front driver side hub bearing assembly for ABS had to be replaced 4 - Hardware: - front hood prop struts gave out and had to be replaced 5 - Electrical: - door actuators (3 of them) went bad - headlamps (3) - hard to get to - had to be replaced - many dash illumination buttons (D.I.C., light control switches, and console) went bad - - - - - That's it. Not too bad. Still on my original serpentine belt, but waiting to replace it very soon. Was going to tune it at 100,000 miles, which I will do soon, but got ~ 32 mpg on a road trip within the last three weeks, so that tells me things are tight. I'm just driving it until the automotive market gives a clearer indication of where it's going to see if any vehicles I like get refreshed or introduced.

He can miraculously fit into a Bolt but a CX9 and Continental are cramped and tiny.

How “exciting” does a pick up need to be? It’s a damn pick up.

Not disagreeing with your post but that was not reason for my reply to riviera. They made the statement that Tacoma sales were garbage like the Tundras when they are not, so much so that they sold double the number of Colorado’s last year despite the Colorado being the overall better truck. Brand loyalty 101, much like the F-150 and Silverado outselling RAM even when RAM has had the better truck at times. And sorry Balth, but I’m more than happy to show the sheer pile of twenty year old S-10s and first gen Colorado’s that turned to pure $h! since you seem to think that only the Tacoma should face that level of criticisms. Like them or not, they have earned their reputation for being solid trucks with a pretty healthy record in the reliability department. Their high resale values over the years back this up.

Back on topic, how about the 2020 TRD Pro? I like the shade of green and how the model name is embossed on the rear fenders rather than a decal... I like the front end, simple and relative clean, not as busy and overwrought as many trucks are today.

Profits go to CEOs and shareholders while actual jobs for average people are going to Mexico, China and Canada. I would rather give my money to the company that gives jobs to American workers than to the bean counters and upper management. I don't own a Toyota and unlikely will, but my wife drives MDX that was designed and build in US. And I would rather give money to Honda that provides thousands of jobs in Ohio and Alabama, than to GM that outsorces more than 50% of the product to foreign countries. Unlike most people on this forum I work in manufacturing. I happen to work for an American company but I have seen many American companies outsorce manufacturing overseas. I have sern thousands of people loose jobs because of that, while the tip brass sits here getting richer. So excuse if I care more about American jobs than CEOs and shareholders.

This morning, I listened to the Mach E drifter do its EV motor whine and I sooooo wanted to defend it and try to contradict Balthy...but I ran out of time. I had to go to work. But, something funny happened to me this late afternoon. I was bitten by a snake. And hearing that V10 made me realize: Its hard to argue with Balthy... The Mach-E sounds HORRIBLE. I like the tech behind it. I like the way it looks. I HATE the way it sounds.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L Plus And I am super excited about it. It almost makes me sad that it is my wife's vehicle. For the life of me I have no idea why these things have such a bad reputation amongst the general public. They do everything a CUV does but better, with the possible exception of towing and that even depends on which CUV you are comparing it to. I personally think this thing is kick ass. I just wish GM would rejoin the market and make a stylish minivan. A Buick minivan would be good. Maybe make a little more stylish version of the GL8 they sell in China?

Wire-wheeled / hand sanded 3 rims down, got 2 of them etch-primed for paint. These are for my ‘64 - if the powertrain examination/testing goes well and it runs/moves, then she gets all new brakes /tires.

I think new. I don't buy that frequently. However, I wouldn't buy a brand new model and would wait until the model has been around for 2 or 3 years ... just like I did with my current and last car. I want to make sure it gets broken in correctly, which is somewhat of an "old school" concept. I know that I've also been advised on here to look at CPO. I'll have to see. As they say, it's the "second largest purchase."

Here's what I did for the car "lately" - within the last week or so, given it was around 100,000 miles: Dealer - my usual dealer - lube, oil, and oil filter; cabin filter Dealer - NOT my usual one, and won't be - air conditioning service and charge Costco - free tire rotation and balance (was told the Michelins are wearing very well) Me - FRAM premium air filter with the red paper, Techron fuel system cleaner, and a full tank of Shell 93 octane to go along with that

While I'd take David at his word he could fit in the back with the door closed, I doubt it'd be comfortable on a decent-length trip. His knees are at the beltline and outside the seat in front. And I know there's no excess room between the seat back and the side of the car- OEMs don't build vehicles with wasted space like that anymore. My key fob was down for a day (wife put it thru the wash for a few minutes until the panic alarm started randomly going off). I can barely shove my forearm between the seat & the B-pillar to reach the rear door lock button on my 2500HD, and that's like 80" wide.

Leg, hip, shoulder room? This is such BS.. Look at your knee outside of the seat because it's too cramped for you. I can almost guarantee you can't close the door in that EXACT position.

@ocnblu @ccap41 @Robert Hall @balthazar Might only be .4" taller, but the interior has way more space than the CX9 or Continental and YES, I can Actually fit in a Bolt. Wife hated the interior colors. From the 2016 auto show when I checked out and then wrote up about the Bolt. I could even squeeze into the back and be far more comfy than either the terrible CX9 or Continental. Interior dimensions of the Bolt are far bigger than many ICE auto's.

You are correct on the V6 but they were offering the 4.6L on the entry level until very recently apparently. They haven’t offered the V6 in years. For YOUR truck. Doesn’t mean there weren’t others depending on the VIN. Still doesn’t change what I have said and I stand by it. Overall, both Toyota’s are reliable, end of story. Your one off anecdotal story about your one truck doesn’t change that.

^ 0.4" difference, advantage Bolt.

There's actually only one engine available. There's no V6.

Fair point but my point is that most trucks are being sold on “sizzle” Instead of function, something the Tundra does not excel at since it hasn’t changed in eons. Now having said that, lets look at some those factors, starting with resale. According to KBB, the Tundra is tops there. https://www.kten.com/story/41657657/5-used-trucks-with-the-highest-resale-value Reliability? You can’t even begging to say that the Tundra isn’t reliable. As yes, it lags in power because it only offers two engine choices, which is dumb on Toyotas part. However, that 5.7L has more HP than the 5.3L which is a selling point for some buyers. The point is, that its not as bad as you think. Yes, it is dated, inside I and out. Yes, it needs more engine choices. However, it is still just a pick up truck, the same as the rest and would perform 100% of the time for 99% of the pick up buyers out there that don’t need a heavy duty truck. As this point though, Toyota either needs to get serious about the Tundra (if it wants it to survive) or just pull the plug and focus solely on the Tacoma. Just my two cents. Since you brought up recalls earlier though, here’s a comparison for you. 2020 Tundra vs 2020 F-150. Does it still matter?

Tacomas lead the sales of the mid-size trucks...by a pretty good margin. As of Q2, they sold 51k Tacomas and the next closest was the Ranger with 25k units.

This thing is so bland no one will notice whether its a 2021 or a 2016 anyways......

I really liked the 4.6L V8 in a rented Thunderbird coupe toward the end of its life as a large coupe and like how that engine has served FoMoCo so well. Enough power ... smooth ... good gas mileage. The more I look at the Mustang, the more I think it's the best retro rebirth job of the Camaro-Mustang-Challenger trio. - - - - - I see this duo periodically, and parked next to each other just like this. It took me some warming up to the current-gen Charger's slimmer, cleaner looking, and more rectangular grille. Now, I definitely think it makes for the best refresh of the Dodge Charger yet.

Well it is a GT, so it's a V8. Still the 4.6L, IIRC, as when they went back to a 5.slow, those badges also returned.

Honda is much smaller company to compare to Ford. However, MDX and Pilot have substantially more US content than Explorer. Toyota employs in the US 135000 people. GM employs 86000.

Tundra sales are garbage and always have been. The Tacoma, however, continues to outsell the domestics. Not sure where you got the notion that Tacoma sales are bad. And good grief! What the hell happened on this thread? Sounds like a few folks need a bed and med check.

Maybe they will make a big and tall version.

Yellow Viper SRT10. Exactly like this one. Pulled into my drive-thru window at around 7:00 PM tonight. Had a couple of hot dogs and a Coke. And on he went on his merry way. The front end had all kinds of little paint chips and bug stains. THAT tells me this Viper gets driven...a lot. THAT makes me happy as the owner of that Viper is ENJOYING his car!!! Cars are meant to be driven... PS: That V10 thundered and growled and put a huuuuge smile on my face.

Those SLUTS! Hey Statue, are you going to be devastated when you realize you cannot fit in a Rivian, because it sounds like it's not very big.

Given the complexity of vehicles today esp. w/ the electronics, I don't know if I want to go for longevity anymore....10 years or 100,000 miles seems like enough. There are so many systems in a modern car and failure points, and planned obsolescence of certain components..

LOL, some of us are just more REALIST than others Skippy!

Sad to learn that Regis Philbin died (at 88). He was great on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" He was from The Bronx and a Notre Dame grad, which he sometimes mentioned on TV. He was named Regis after the prestigious Catholic high school in Manhattan that this dad went to. On one show, he had some nuns who were part of the charity someone was playing for and, as the stakes were getting higher, he said something like, 'work those rosary beads, sisters ...' He got a laugh out of that. My mom would watch his morning show. He apparently had good chemistry with Kathie Lee Gifford, with her trademark deep voice. However, I don't thinking working with an obnoxious airhead like Kelly Ripa would be good for anyone's health. I always assumed she was from SoCal. However, Ripa is from New Jersey.

Usually rust eats the car away here before they have any big drivetrain problems here......

I heard things by folks who were alive then. No longer alive now. Well documented could very well mean well doctored too. Revised history is a very real thing. We will never know the truth about that. Allegations are just that. Allegations. You are right, Time magazine has NOTHING to do with GM. The general state of knowledge then was to turn a blind eye to Nazi Germany, so you are right again that it does paint a significant portrait of the general state in 1938. So much so, that America ignored Nazi Germany up until 1941. And it took the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour to kick things into motion...officially. Because unofficially, America contributed to the war effort. And...Hitler had declared war on America before 1941 I believe... I could post links that share my point of view on this, but its just allegations, conspiracy theories and opinions at this point in time. And in reality...WHO CARES???!!! The war ened. The "good" side one. (And "good" is definitely in quotation marks as even on our side, we kinda fueled what was to be Mein Kampf and the evil to follow. Including the Anti-Semitism that came out of that election in Germany in 1933) And...Im a HUGE fan and believer of General Motors. Then and now. I understand that business is business sometimes. And when hostile environments exist where you do business, you do whatever it takes to survive... I aint judging. But by that statement, We got another one of them sticky situations in China as we speak. Trump's administration ordered the Chinese consulate closed in Houston with very serious allegations as to why that place should be closed down.... In retaliation, China did the same in Wuhan? for the American diplomatic office. The South China seas are a hot spot for US warships, Chinese war ships... GM is doing business in China hands over fists and is heavily partnered with a (several?) Chinese car manufacturers and suppliers... If anything was to come out of this with bloodshed...what are we going to say then about GM? Food for thought....

You misread what I said when I mentioned “disagreed”. You also know, as well I do, that recalls do not mean a car or truck is unreliable. Now, specific mechanical or powertrain failures or issues are one thing but thats not what is going on with the Tacoma. Your point is still flawed in that even when the average Toyota “isn’t”, it is still more reliable than most of the competition. The average buyer is loyal but not so loyal that they will continue to buy a product if its a pile of $h!. Just saying, I get that you don’t like Toyota but lets keep this grounded in reality, since the rest of this thread clearly went off into a black hole of historical nonsense.