Believe me, I'm not drinking the Toyota Kool Aid, but consider these facts:
- We've had > 10 Toyotas in the immediate family over thirty years. I do not recall a single issue requiring a warranty repair.
- I drove an '89 Land Cruiser for 10 years/200K miles, and sold it for $10K. I had replaced the radiator, a leaking gas tank, and routine belts, hoses, brakes, etc.
- My '02 Sequoia (first model year) was underpowered and needed honest-to-goodness truck brakes. That has been fixed nicely.
- I've sold two Celicas to good friends... something I will not do without standing behind the reliability of the car.
- My wife drives an '05 Matrix. We bought it new, and it is hands down the best car I've ever owned. I travel frequently, renting lots of different brands/models. I'm always amazed at how our '05 stacks up against the '09s and '10s in the rental fleets with less that 10K miles on their odometers.
- My daughter drives my wife's former car, a '98 Corolla. She and I replaced the four interior door handle assemblies this week. I am expecting a hood latch in the mail soon. And if anyone knows where to find "like new" tan replacement A/C vent registers, please let me know. Other than those minor issues, the thing is bullet proof.
Don't get me wrong, the accelerator issue scares the hell out of me. And if the Toyota execs are trying to alienate their die-hard fans with arrogance and stupidity, they're doing a good job. But, I haven't written Toyota off as a potential next truck purchase.