supermoto

Some of that shortfall of engines has already been coming from Japan and according to Toyota they have excess capacity in a new China engine plant and have been shipping some of those 4 cylinder engines to the US Camry plant in Kentucky.

During any year there are always buyers who had one brand and then switched to another for their next purchase. It's certainly possible for Toyota to sell 30k trucks to the former millions of GM or Ford buyers and maybe nearly that many Dodge and Nissan buyers. There also will be a number of former Tundra buyers going to all those other brands. Expecting 75k new buyers to enter the full size segment in one year and be buyers of their truck when the segment is shrinking from fuel economy concerns is crazy. I for one don't expect Toyota to sell more than 150k and a lot of that will come from Tundra owners much like the increase from the Double Cab. They should get a lot of flack from bringing out such a large truck and trying to call themselves green, but the media will probably overlook that.

Not in this lifetime.

For those of you that think not buying from Exxon or Citgo will change anything with those companies, you are completely wrong. All you will hurt are the small to medium sized businesses that operate those stations that are independant of the big oil corporations you direct your hate. Exxon and Citgo will sell their crude oil to someone. They will sell their refined product to someone. What you buy at a station may or may not be refined by the company who's sign is out front. grow up children.

Toyota had to bring more products to Indiana because the plant could build more vehicles than they could sell Tundras. What do you think they'll bring to Texas to occupy the unused capacity there? I don't see Dodge needing to be that concerned with an ugly Tundra. This is Toyota's third swing at the segment and the first two were strikes. It may be a base hit, but it also may be the last strike, no way it's got the punch to be a home run.

The people who hate large SUVs like to call this a tax break as if people who use the deduction are paying less tax in the long term. In reality they only get to accelerate the deduction into an earlier period. If they sell the vehicle for more than the tax base, they will have to count it as income. If they keep it for a long enough time, they will just get a lower tax deduction in later years.

He's up to death watch 95 and GM is gaining strength. When is that loser Farago going to realize he knows less about running gM than he accuses Wagoner of. Buickman and him are two insane birds of a feather.

Had an 89 Cutlass Supreme, 2.8L V6 that got 33 mpg highway, 92 Buick, 3.3L V6 that got 32. A 97 Skylark 2.4L that got 40 highway. I've known several people with V8 Silverados that got from 18 to 21 highway. Because you know 1 person that gets 14 doesn't mean that is the norm. I've been able to beat EPA ratings on every domestic I have ever owned. Toyota expects to sell 300k Tundras a year shortly and they don't get any better mileage than anything GM has. They will redesign the Sequoia next and it can be expected to be no better than its GM competition. How many plants in the last 10 years has Toyota built in the US to produce hybrids and subcompacts and how many are for trucks? If Flint wants to criticize GM, don't you think it would be appropriate to level the same to Toyota?

So exactly what do you own? I asked a simple question of where the plugs were and 91z4me came back with an answer that provided no usefull information and now looks to have been completely wrong. Looking at the aluminum head version it was not so obvious that a plug could work in that location and I was just asking for some feedback. All I got was useless information from the smart ass patrol. Just the same thanks for providing some insight into the correct answer and for showing that nothing 91z4me added was off any value and showed absolutely no knowledge of the subject.

Well the genius certainly isn't you. There still isn't a spark plug. I did mention the difference in a direct injection motor. A gasoline direct injection needs both a spark plug and an injector. It's pretty apparent from your responses that you don't have a real clue about this motor and have called a fuel injector that is attached to a fuel rail and doesn't appear to be located in the right place to be direct injection, a spark plug/fuel injector. Time to quit acting like you are smart and know what you are talking about, when it's painfully obvious how limited your knowledge really is. Now go back to your high school studies.

Possibly sounds like you really don't know what a spark plug even looks like. Injectors squirt fuel into the intake, except on direct injection and the spark plug goes into the combustion chamber. Could learn how engines work before posting comments that display your lack of knowledge.

So your saying the injector and spark plug are one unit, with no coil or wire attached.

I guess the smart ass patrol came out lately. None of the pictures shows either a plug or coils. The onlt recess in the head by the exhaust port looks higher than the inside floor of the head. Could of just provided an answer, because you don't look any smarter with the answer you gave.

Is it just me or do others have a hard time finding a spark plug.

The 4.9L was a V6 based on the Duramax. The new one has been rumored to be a 4.5L V8.

Actually the share price has no direct corrollation to value of the company. The number of outstanding shares times the value of those shares is the market capitalization. Ironically Toyota had 30 times the revenue of Harley Davidson, but only 15 times the net income, which is why the market values Toyota only 15 times higher than HD. At leats that was the numbers a few months ago. With Toyota down 10% from its high tis year it could be different. I guess buying GM or HD stock in January would have been a been better than Toyota.

The US could be completely self suffcient on oil if it just developed the resources it has. The oil shale projects of the Western US have more reserves than the Saudis and possibly the entire rest of the world. The coal deposits in the US, which can be used to make synthetic gasoline, diesel or jet fuel could supply all of our needs for over a hundred years. Crude prices only need to stay above $30 a barrel to make those options viable. It's time to work on them and the obstacles some place in the path of their development.

Wow, did you think about your response for a long time? Seems like it.

I do recall you stating that the domestics made 100% crappy cars in the 70s, 80s and some of the 90's, when my Taurus was made. Siegen said that my Taurus was not a good example of a reliable car and I was responding to him and for some reason you must think all responses are directed at you. Couldn't be your smug attitude of superiority that you display. You are 100% wrong in your assumption that all domestics were crap or even somewhat less reliable than Toyota or Honda. I have owned as many reliable GM and Fords during that period to believe your unsupported statement. The problem GM and Ford have had is the highly incorrect perceptions of people like you. People like to do something different than others, thinking that would make them look smarter. In the early 70's gas prices went up dramatically and people shifted towards much smaller cars that the Japanese already had. Most took a bath on a domestic for the privledge of buying a car with better fuel economy. I couldn't count the number of people who spent $40 per month more on payments to have a smaller car just so they could save $30. So they didn't have to admit how foolish they were, they started saying their new Japanese car was so much more reliable and the myth was born. You are the one who said anyone who believes Toyota's designs and parts come from Japan is ignorant or intentionally lying. With so few design and engineering workers in the US compared to the big 3, Toyota and Honda are far from creating the majority of their new products from those employees. Gathering input is a far cry from creating product. As I stated my truck and car are far more American than any Honda you ever owned. You are either ignorant or blind to the rising sun if you don't see that. You brought up that GM was building engines in China and when I bring up so is Toyota, you suddenly don't care. GM is and has been a global company based in the US. The products that I buy from them are created by Americans and more so than products by Honda or Toyota. It's obvious that you can't accept that and choose to believe that GM is no more domestic than those Hondas you buy. When you first started buying Hondas they were far from being as domestic as the vehicles I bought. When I brought up Harley it was not in response to anything you said and your only comment was asking if they were unionized. On this thread, Toyota has been the subject and is praised for their success in the world. I brought up Harley as an example that Toyota isn't the almighty, always right, greatest company in the world that no one can compare to. If you don't feel like addressing that then just shut up instead of saying who gives a rat's a$$. If you believe that GM is getting dominated by Toyota, good for you. I don't. I see a GM that outsells Toyota in virtually every segment of the market. They have tried to give the unions more than they should for too long. That is costing them too much and they have tried dealing with it in the wrong manner for too long, They appear to be trying to address that now and hopefully they will come out of it as a more profitable company. The media in my opinion has tried to increase GM and Fords problems by being extremely negative and even distorting their situation. So why does bringing up that I do own Japanese products so silly? I'm sorry I said something that went over your head. I am not blantantly against their products or against Toyota as you seem to think. I just don't give them the free pass the media and many of their worshippers give them. I don't have blind loyalties, nor blind hatred that you display.

Looks to me that roo is being totally smug in his attitude. I certainly don't see where I've been crazy defensive. I asked if I should be disappointed and all you come up with is that you never changed an O2 sensor and possibly that I should be disappointed in my car for that reason. I don't consider that addressing my question, which I have asked several times, hence the point about getting something through your thick skull. You certainly won't concede that a domestic can rival a Toyota or Honda on quality and reliability have you? You earlier stated that GM and Ford have decades of making 100% $h! to make up for. Gee I could be wrong, but that sounds like a domestic hater since you offer no proof of your point. I've owned several GM and Ford vehicles that have been as good as any Japanese one. I had an 84 Olds Ciera that most Japanese worshippers would call crap and yet when I compared it's repair history with a friends Sentra that went over 200k before he sold it running good, he conceded that I really didn't have more problems in the 160k that I had the Olds. Calling my vehicle a precious little Taurus is an example of your smug attitude of indifference. I feel that it is the equal to a Toyota or Honda in reliability and you counter with a Buick is better than a Kia. Instead of saying if it is good or bad, you point out it only has 118k miles. My friends 94 Corolla has less and has experienced just as many problems. Earlier you brought up that domestics would be using engines built in China, yet wouldn't respond when I brought up that Toyota was doing that as well. I guess you don't get panicky in a defense, you just ignore the point. I brought up that Harley was doing better than Toyota, but doesn't get praise like Toyota for their success and all you ask is if they're union. What difference would it make? They still outperform Toyota. Try addressing the point. You're comments about why you have bought Hondas for so long include a very negative stereotypical attitude towards domestic products being poor choices. I guess those aren't words of a domestic hater at all. If the domestics are so bad and not what people would want, then why does GM sell more 4 door sedans in this market than Toyota? Why do they sell more vans than Toyota? Why do they sell so many more SUVs than Toyota or so many more trucks? You still foolishly believe that since Toyota and Honda have a few token design and engineering staff here that it means they actually produce the car assembled here. Because your Honda was assembled here doesn't make it an American product. Honda got into trouble with import duties a few years back when they cast Civic engine blocks here, installed Japanese made parts inside and called it 100% American when they shipped it to a Canadian factory. GM had Isuzu design most of the Duramax and then use a number of parts from Japan. The fianl machine work and assembly is done here, so would that make it a 100% American product? If it was a Toyota or Honda most people would believe that it is. How about you, is it domestic or foreign. My Taurus and Chevy pickup are both considerably more domestic than any Honda that you have ever owned and more so than any they make today. They are more domestic in total content than any Toyotas made today. Don't forget about the tooling necessary to build that car and where it is made. Try following some of your own advice roo and read what others say and not just what you want to hear. Address the points made or do what you suggest I do and shut up. You're the one making yourself look silly and some of the responses by others would support that opinion. Why come to a predominantly GM site to brag about your decision to buy mostly Hondas anyway? You have a need to defend the fact that a lot of your purchases over the years have led to a deterioration of our economy. BTW I have a Honda and Suzuki in the garage and the 04 Honda has required more repairs than the Taurus. Of course I do admit I beat on the Honda much harder.

Let me see if I can get the point through your thick skull. A friends Toyota had an alternator failure before my Taurus did. Having an O2 sensor need replacement because of road damage is not a panicky defense. I feel that I have had great luck with this car and that is not a panicky defense, it is just a fact. I asked for specifics about why I should feel disappointed with my reliability so far with a car that domestic haters like yourself will dismiss as unreliable with no proof to back up your claim. O2 sensors are like spark plugs in that as they get older they can still work, but have an effect on performance and fuel economy. I'd be willing to bet that if you look through the owners manual in the maintenance schedule for a number of Toyotas and Hondas, that it will recommend they be changed by 100k miles. Same friend with the Toyota had a Sentra that he went 130k on the timing belt. Most people would recommend against doing that since the cost of failure is so high with a Japanese car when doing that. I have also gone 233k so far with my Chevy truck and have the original rear brakes. Doesn't mean that your car would be a POS because you already changed yours. I also have the original engine, transmission, transfer case, differentials, a/c system, steering linkage and several other things, but OMG I put two alternators in it. I should have bought a Tundra and sold the trailer my Chevy pulls that the Tundra can't. To clarify my earlier statement, my Taurus is easily as reliable as an import including any Toyota or Honda. Again should I be disappointed in the reliability of my Taurus? I don't need to defend my car, I just asked if the service I received from it is somehow lacking. Compared to people I know with Toyotas and Hondas that think their cars are so superior, I haven't had more expensive maintenance costs with my Taurus and it's even less than some. Your lack of presenting anything outside of never changing an O2 sensor is just as telling of your position, which is one of denial.

The claim that the Asians are less domestic than Ford and GM is very valid. Both Ford and GM have many more employees actually working building cars and trucks than any Asian transplant does. Their productivity at their plants is close to and some plants are actually better than the transplants. GM and Ford are going to close more plants than Toyota and Honda have and will still have more. There has been a large improvement in the amount of production done in the US by transplant companies, but they have a ways to go. Roo, I don't think you actually read much of my posts. The 95 Taurus had 33k 2 1/2 years ago which is very low. I've been trying to catch up since then. A O2 sensor bent by possibly a rock is not an indication of poor reliabilty. Just accept that a domestic can rival the perceived reliability of an import.

Are you serious? The alternator is a problem for lasting over a 100k miles? My friend's wife has a 94 Corolla that had an alternator failure sooner than that. In a very hot climate alternator failure is a more common problem. Mine only had a bearing noise and I chose to swap it before it failed. A mechanic told me 60 - 80k is normal for an O2 sensor and mine had a metal tube with a ceramic insulator inside that was bent over causing the insulator to crack and the SES light to stay on. It very possibly was caused by a rock bouncing up. I don't know what fantasy world you live in, but two replaced parts in over 100k is not indicative of a vehicle that's in the shop all the time. That's the comment most people who worship Japanese vehicles have about a Taurus and they tell me I that is what I should expect. When I look at the results they have with even Hondas and Toyotas, I really don't see any better reliability. I also can't believe some of the prices they will pay for parts and then say, but it's a better quality part. I guess that's why they are buying one.

So Siegen why is my Taurus not a good example of a reliable car? I did ask if I should be disappointed with it given the service I have received so far. Try addressing that. Do I need to be disappointed with it's reliability or should I just assume that since a lot of people that hate domestics consider it unreliable, I should take their word for it. None of the friends I have with Japanese cars can show me better reliability at the same mileage. I can't vouch for the first 33k miles as that is how much it had when I got it 2 1/2 years ago. It had been hit in the front and I repaired it and I have a good car. What else do I need to consider?

If you feel that the best vehicles you have owned were Japanese, can you accept that the best I have owned were domestic? There has not been up to this point a Japanese pickup that is capable of replacing the domestics I have owned. My current Chevy with 233k miles has done an excellant job of meeting my needs and being reliable and it is not the only domestic that has given me reliable service. I have a 95 Taurus that most of those who worship anything Japanese will tell you is not comparable to a Toyota or Honda. So far I have replaced the alternator and both oxygen sensors in 118k miles. Nothing else but oil changes and front brakes once. Should I complain about that kind of service from a vehicle? I once many years ago traded a friend an 83 GMC for a late 70's Nissan 200SX and some money on top. During the negotiations he kept telling me what book value was for his and the loose door handles, clunk in the steering, rattles, loose shifter and seats that were frayed was normal for 80k miles. I told him to drive my 110k mile truck that looks and drives much better first. When I did get the Nissan on the freeway, it also had a noise in the rear end. I was overjoyed when some fool paid what I needed to take that turkey off my hands. I was really surprised how eager buyers where to own something as tired as it was. Learned then just how perception can cloud the thinking of people. It was only one example of a Japanese car, but it was the worst car I ever owned.