Toyota Officially World's Largest Carmaker

[henk4]

Not necessarily, I'd say.

Take the DS for instance.

less than 500000 over an almost 20 year period????

[Ferrer]

less than 500000 over an almost 20 year period????

AFAIK nearly 1,5 million were sold during the production time.

[Kitdy]

Which if you think about it, is slightly sad.

I think that is not sad. Diff'rnt strokes for diff'nt folks.

Some people like steel fridges because they look nice, others treat them as appliances and do nothing. So what? Same applies to cars to me.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I think that is not sad. Diff'rnt strokes for diff'nt folks.

Some people like steel fridges because they look nice, others treat them as appliances and do nothing. So what? Same applies to cars to me.

considering how much money even the least interested folk will spend in his whole life on cars, perhaps he should bother more.
besides, person not really interested, involved, affected about what he is doing, being buying a car or choosing what he is going to do at the evening, yeah, I think is said.
the point can be a little forced, what I'm talking about is common things accepted by all the folks which don't bother to be individuals, but just a member of the mass. I don't have any in particular against a guy which bought a Toyota in the same way I don't hate Ferrer who has a 1-Series, stereotypes are not laws.
Toyota is reliable, which is a good reason for buying their cars, but my cousin, which bought a Yaris, after going to see a Fiat Punto (the alternative) back in the days, wasn't capable of telling me if she saw (and her brother drove) the new Grande Punto or the older model. Not that she has to know the difference, it doesn't affect her life, but at this point, even the definition of Toyota being reliable in her book could be arguable.

just to explain that I'm not against Toyota or other established products, if a pretty simple new car from one of those brands is going to achieve a level of success unthinkable even for a ground breaking new project like the T.25 from Murray. even if that car would turn out to be cheaper, better and simpler, we already know how many years it would need to be just accepted.
thinking out of the box is such a difficult thing to do.
Subaru explained it quite well in an old commercial when the present Legacy was unveiled.
a lof of 40/60 years old men are arguing about cars they are going to buy, quoting only BMW, MB and the usual stuff, obviously with a diesel engine. At a certain point the dude comes out of the blue and says "Well, I'm going to buy a Subaru" and then their lpg system was advertised together with the new car.
It was really simple, but at the same time the ad got the point: no one chooses.

[f6fhellcat13]

As the (sometimes) driver of a Toyota Camry wagon, I sometimes fail to see the supposed build quality. There are squeaks and rattles and it doesn't seem to want to work. It performs all commands in a very lethargic manner. The car is 11 y/o, but it has been pretty well maintained and only has 120,000 miles on the clock.
I have also driven a new Corolla and it was horrendous to drive. Not, just from an enthusiasts point of view, but its lower gear were much too low causing the engine to rev too high under mild acceleration(it was an auto), and in turn make too much noise. It was also not a very pleasant place to sit. The seats and the ride where quite uncomfortable and the seating position seems to have been designed by someone with oddly shaped legs.
My dad's 10 y/o Escort is better in most respects aside from having broken its alternator a year ago and gone through a couple batteries.
I think that other Japanese manufacturers offer better products than Toyota too. I think that Toyota's success lies in the fact that they have a model range that covers every segment well and at a reasonable cost. Despite all I've said, I don't blame Toyota owners for buying the wrong car. I save that for Audi owners.

a car bought by a great number of people tends to become boring just because of that....

The best Yank counterexample is the original Mustang. That car will always be special.

[LeonOfTheDead]

As the (sometimes) driver of a Toyota Camry wagon, I sometimes fail to see the supposed build quality. There are squeaks and rattles and it doesn't seem to want to work. It performs all commands in a very lethargic manner. The car is 11 y/o, but it has been pretty well maintained and only has 120,000 miles on the clock.
I have also driven a new Corolla and it was horrendous to drive. Not, just from an enthusiasts point of view, but its lower gear were much too low causing the engine to rev too high under mild acceleration(it was an auto), and in turn make too much noise. It was also not a very pleasant place to sit. The seats and the ride where quite uncomfortable and the seating position seems to have been designed by someone with oddly shaped legs.
My dad's 10 y/o Escort is better in most respects aside from having broken its alternator a year ago and gone through a couple batteries.
I think that other Japanese manufacturers offer better products than Toyota too. I think that Toyota's success lies in the fact that they have a model range that covers every segment well and at a reasonable cost. Despite all I've said, I don't blame Toyota owners for buying the wrong car. I save that for Audi owners.


The best Yank counterexample is the original Mustang. That car will always be special.

was the Corolla equipped with a CVT transmission? that could explain the revving

[Ferrer]

I think that is not sad. Diff'rnt strokes for diff'nt folks.

Some people like steel fridges because they look nice, others treat them as appliances and do nothing. So what? Same applies to cars to me.

You are going to spend a lot more time (and money) in your car than in your fridge, so the decision on which car is more important than the decision of which fridge.

And still, not focusing on the fridge example particularly, but yes I like my house to look good.

[f6fhellcat13]

was the Corolla equipped with a CVT transmission? that could explain the revving

Unless it was one of the CVTs that mimics the shifting of a normal 'box, I don't think so. I think it was the 5 speed auto.

[wstander]

I owned 2 Toyotas:

1971 Corolla wagon 4spd, 1166CC, bought used from dad........lots of fun in 1972; like a sportswagon...handled better than my 1975 MG Midget

2005 Prius...fun in a Starship Enterprise, Meet The Jetsons sort of way....great mileage, soso seating, lots of hatchback space, great ergonomics...NOT a sporting vehicle, but neither was my GEO Metro...BTW: no service issues at all with either car, and when I sold the Prius at 102,000, there was still over 30,000 miles of brake service left...

OTOH: When I sold the 911SC, it was in the service bay at the dealer, undergoing its 3rd engine removal....

'Course, it DID have soul....