Consider Buying A Toyota

Well, I have had Toyotas since I started driving.

Remember, back when only dweebs drove Toyotas, because back then the Nova was the most poopular car in America? I had a Corolla 1200 that got 34 MPG, until I put a set of Michelin radials on it, and it jumped to 38 MPG. Note, this is Combined mileage...

Why a Corolla and not a Nove? $1,000, that's why! Actually, my Mom bought a Corona in '72, because the current Nova was bigger than her '64 Chevy II it was replacing.

However, with EVERYONE driving Toyotas now, and realizing what good cars they are, trade differences, Yen to Dollar exchange, and the fact that people want their Corolla to be better equipped than a Cadillac, the price of both new and used Toyotas is through the roof (of course, I always got High Dollar when trading or selling my old Corollas. Usually I ran them into the ground...or someone hit them and totalled them out...)

For reasons beyond my control (the Clintons) all the jobs I was qualified for have gone to Bangalore, so I can't afford a new Toyota (well, I guess a Scion counts, eh? ;) and even used Toyotas are out of range most of the time. I did have my Tercel, a fine car, and I have my Supra, a blast, but Corollas and Camrys command high prices.

So, in my stable now I have an '89 Subaru, a '97 Subaru, an '89 Mazda, the Supra and the Scion. For all the trouble the Subarus have been giving me, they are easy to fix, run quite well, and as someone here said a few months ago, are over-engineered like Toyotas. I think they're FAR more over-engineered than Toyotas, actually!

The point is, finally, except for my LHS I wish I never traded, and the two Gr V'gers (I liked ALL of them, really), I still have a stable of Japanese cars.

They're just made better...

My dad owned GM products until 1974. We couldn't afford a new car, and having looked at all the American cars the year before, we realized we'd have to buy one of those butt-ugly Chevelles at 3,500 to fit into one, despite the fact we were fitting into a Corvair at the time. We had a choice, a Dodge Dart that had been in a wreck, or a Toyota Carina. Dad was somewhat loathe to buy the Toyota, but our mechanic recommended it. First car we ever put over 100,000 miles on.

Since then we've owned:

77 Corolla bought new (Dad's last car driven until 1999) 79 Corolla (3K, 4 speed 2 door, aka 1501 my first new car) 80 Corolla SR-5 Green (bought used in Mississippi, wrecked in Mississippi) 80 Corolla SR-5 Red (bought in North Carolina, driven mostly in Arkansas and Illinois) 81 Corolla SR-5 Tan (Bought in North Carolina, driven mostly in Illinois) 82 Corolla SR-5 coupe (Mom's car) 93 Corolla DX (My sister's first car, then I bought it) 94 Corolla DX (Jap Built, still running) 95 Corolla LX (Sister bought this car to replace the 93, totaled this spring) 95 Corolla (I bought last year, this one is differentiated by being referred to as Prissy Blue) 08 Corolla Nancy just bought.

Right now between the various family members, we still own the 94, the Prissy Blue and the 08.

Charles the Curmudgeon

Paul Ditech sold out to the GMAC group several years ago when his loans looked as attractive assets. He did a great job brand building and promoting. Unfortunately, I think that the picture has changed a bit.

Natalie

Close:

72 Corona auto on the column 74 Corolla 1200 4 speed (5 not available) 72 Corona MK II (NICE!) 78 Corolla 1200 5-speed 80 Corolla SR5 5 speed (There were two SR5's, the hatch and the coupe. the coupe had small windows that opened in the back seat...or was that the hatch. Going by Japanese models, the one with the openeing windows was a Levin, and the one with the fixed windows was a Trueno...my first Trueno) '85 Corolla GTS (Trueno. They didn't sell the Levin/fixed headlights in the US) '87 Corolla sedan. Butt ugly, carb'd, but 45 MPG on the highway.

Alas, that was it for the new cars, although the MK II was used. After the Clintons got in office, I was relegated to used cars:

1985 X-Tra cab truck, actually a gift from my step dad. He couldn't drive it any more. 1995 Tercel, a bargain at $1400 1988 Supra

and then a string of beaters, including the '83 Tercel AWD and the '85 Celica GTS

And of course, the Scion...

Yay - I see your posts again... Tomes

...

Yeah but that thread is not really centered on this NG. It is mainly two guys from another group duking it out with a bit of chiming in from our folks is all. Tomes

"Tomes" ...

WOOHOO! I'm out of the penalty box.

:-)

Natalie

That definitely says it all Natalie.

For the poor autoworkers, it sadly does.

Natalie