Just as important as reliability, which Toyota has an excellent long term track record; please check the “satisfaction ratings” by CR on different models. They may be MORE important. Toyota trks are always above ave, Rangers below. I wouldn’t get hung up on specific reports, but long term trends of established models of the makes recommended here. Buying any car is a poor enough investment in and of itself. So like stocks, stay with the proven commodities that have a proven track record, even if it means more shopping and research.
I for one, just don’t get the irritating small problems over time with Hondas/Toyotas I got with my Fords and GMs. But, the sacrifice is, they may cost more money to buy.
here’s a question for you: isn’t it unusual for a dealer to say that he can’t find a certain color even tho that color is current in that truck model? the local toyota dealer told me he couldn’t find a timberland mica truck (in model that it is available for 2010), so he said i’d have to go with one of these other colors (which he listed). from what i remember when i bought my ranger in 1994, we went in & ordered the color we wanted. is there some extra charge for this? i don’t remember there being… i mean, new is new.
Go to safercar.gov and then go to the recall site. Next input the data they request bout your car (manufacturer, model, year) and they will tell you if there are any recalls. Don’t search for the recall#. It will be on a letter attached as a PDF file.
Go to the Toyota web site and check for dealers within 50 miles of your house. Visit each dealer web site and look at their inventory. That will confirm whether anyone has the color you want.
No fooling the Taco X-cab 4cyl comes with LSD?,have to put it on a consider list-Kevin
actually i’m talking about ordering it… ya mean the only way to get a brand new truck is to find one on someone’s lot? i don’t believe that’s the way we got my ranger, years back.
I was under the impression that the LSD only comes standard on the ForeRunner trimline, which is basically like a 4wd truck without the 4wd.
There should be no charge, just a small deposit, which may or may not be able to be returned if you don’t want the truck when it gets here.
Of course your “only” choices from that dealership are the ones they have on their lot, or for them to do a dealer trade. It’s normal for them to tell you this because they want to move inventory. However, if they really want your business now, and possibly in the future, they should be happy to order the vehicle for you.
I put in an order for a Mazda suv a couple weeks ago and the salesman was more than willing to order the vehicle in the color I wanted with the options I was looking at.
I think it comes down to how the salesman feels about his sales. If he can make you buy today, that’s good for him, but if he knows you want Color X with options A, B, and C, and are willing to wait a few weeks, then that’s good for both parties since he makes a sale(maybe during a month when he has no other sales going for him), and you get the vehicle you want.
“bscar” is so right, especially in today’s economy. All dealers just can’t afford to stock all colors for their perspective buyers. The difficulty in trading between dealers is further complicated by profits made on more desirable colors in a different area. As “jt” implies, it’s going to take some leg work in this economy, and often still in good times, to find the color who want. The local dealer’s hands may sometimes be tied by his own profit motivations. But, you have the power of the internet on your side. Great advice so far.
You can order it but you might have to wait for the 2011 model year at this point. The dealer order is a group of cars and trucks that they speculate the public will buy. You will have to wait for the next time the dealer places such an order. If you are flexible, you an do it. My guess is that Toyota will stop manufacturing 2010 vehicles in April sometime. If the inventory is high, they might stop in March. You should bet your best price on a special order truck because the dealer sells it as soon as it rolls off the truck. They don’t have to pay inventory costs to Toyota.
i used to think that if a person got one of the cheaper vehicles like kia, they’d at least be protected by these long warranties. now i was looking more closely at the warranties, & a “10,000 mile/10-year warranty” doesn’t look like what it’s cracked up to be.
as you can tell, i’m all over the place with makes/models.
but how much more would 2011 be than 2010? i’m on a really tight budget, & it’s even killing me adding automatic, but i just have to.
there wouldn’t be many unsold 2009 vehicles out there at all either? (just curious, cuz i thought maybe that’d be a cheaper way to go)
The cheapest way to go is to get a used one through a dealer. You may have to give up on a specific color and go for a choice of say, three. I have never been burned by a used Toyota from a dealer (and that’s all I buy).
yeah, but i’m afraid of not having a very long warranty then. 2 years is not long enough, even on a somewhat-reliable car/truck. like i probably mentioned, a friend bought a 1-yr-old (camry) & she’s had various problems with it, & the dealer is being a jerk.
It seems you want to have your cake and eat it too!
I would begin by analyzing who had to ride in this vehcle, and what the minimum size vehicle size could be. Since you mention that gas mileage is important, and the US imports 65% of its oil, you would pick the smallest engine, unless you have to tow a trailer.
You then assess where you live and the effect of the weather on determining your needs. Very few people living in the continental lower 48 states need AWD or 4WD. All they need in the winter is good winter tires.
Since you are very selective about certain things, I’m assuming you will not care what others think of your choice, since you’ll buy what’s good for you!
There are various ways to go camping economically; drive a car and use a tent, use a slide-in unit on a pickup truck, or pull a small tent trailer.
We travelled all over North America with a family car and a tent tralier, which gave us great flexibility.
Since you are looking at SUV’s I would suggest a minivan with the smallest engine would provide more space, and better gas milege than a truck or SUV. The market is awash with good minivans, and the Kia is the best value for money.
Another good vehicle is the boxy Honda Element, as well as the Scion xB.
All these vehicles can be bought for $20,000 or less with your trade, and provide a lot more usefull space than a Taurus.
Happy shopping.
From your write-up, I se no need for AWD or actually buying a truck.
i’m not really sure what you mean about tent trailer. i do tent camp, but i go back on a lot of forest roads, & they all aren’t straight or non-bumpy like city roads. my taurus isn’t high enough up, so i’m definitely looking for more ground clearance (again).
note: i bring some wood along with me, so there’s gotta be space at the back to put some wood (not a huge amount, but i used to fill at least half of my taurus trunk w/wood), along with a lot of camping stuff (tent, sleeping bags, pillows, chairs, tables, lanterns, cooler, etc.). i had taken a look at a scion xb online but it seemed there was nothing even kinda local for some strange reason.
i really do not like the look of mini vans - that’s so soccer mom-ish, isn’t it?
a vehicle i liked the looks of is Chevrolet HHR, but i don’t know enough about that either.
the honda element is ok, but i thought out of my price range (remember, i’m always needing automatic - which adds $3,000 to a price of a kia surprisingly enough). also the ground clearance may be an issue in most of these.
i do appreciate all the help…
My neighbor is a single mother with a 12 year old son. She has a Dodge minivan, but would like to buy a small tent trailer, that’s a camper with a soft top that folds down for travel. Very practical. Coleman, Starcraft and many other companies make them.
However, if you are tent camping, a minivan is perfect for carrying all that stuff (including wood). Your approach should be at analyze first what you need, then buy new if you can afford it, buy used if you can’t.
My son has a little place in the mountains where he pitches his tent (he will build later), and he drives a Mazda 3 hatchback with a roof rack It hold everything he needs.
A Chevy HHR looks good but has very little useful room inside considering its outside dimensions. It’s all looks. You will need a large roof rack on an HHR.
Your best bet would be to rent some of the vehicles people recommend for a weekend and see how you like it.
You are the first outdoor person I’ve run into who worries about what their transportation LOOKS LIKE! Most practical vehicles range from unattractive to ugly and there’s a reason for that. We belong to a hiking and skiing club with 85 members, and most have minivans, AWD vehicles (such as Subarus), and some larger SUVs in addition to normal cars.
The most useful overall mountain vehicle is the Subaru Legacy Outback. It costs more, but you can afford a good used one.
haha…sorry. i do care what my vehicle looks like, especially buying new. i remember the outbacks & didn’t like the way they looked at all (plus they seemed small). i’m not sure about roof racks, & don’t know how i’d use one to be honest. it’s just me putting things together & i’m not very tall. i don’t have a canoe or anything like that at this time, either. i like subaru foresters tho.
i’ve just been reading an article at edmunds about how some people can get a new vehicle for a few hundred under invoice by calling the fleet manager. guess first i gotta decide on the vehicle!
sorry, still don’t like mini vans. used to like vw buses! but the way mini vans look these days, just plain ugly. plus i heard they were crummy on the highway in wind. if there was anything just slightly interesting about them, i’d consider them, but they’re just so suburban (& remind me of my sisters).
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My wife thinks the HHR looks hideous, but likes the Legacy Outback. You may agree with me that the Pontiac Aztek is probably one of the ugliest vehicles ever built!
You need some time to digest 1) what is really a good vehicle for you 2) What makes the most economic sense and 3) what your sense of beauty can “tolerate”.
The posters here have your best interest at heart, but maybe telling them how many people & what size will ride in the vehicle and outline all your gear will help make a decision.
Years ago I often borrowed my father in law’s Buick station wagon, a big beast, but it held the kids and all our gear on a long trip.
yes, i just looked at it, & the pontiac aztek is pretty ugly!
i live alone, so the vehicle is mainly for me. sometimes i even go camping alone, or bring my cat (yes, my cat!).
at times i bring another person, so i have to have room for extra stuff at that point. with my taurus, it was pretty difficult, & i ended up having to have the other camper pare down their stuff a lot.
like i mentioned, i could fill my taurus completely with no problem (since half or more of the trunk goes for wood, that leaves a lot of stuff in the back seat, etc.). sometimes i bring long shepherd’s hooks, which can be very awkward. i don’t do the simplistic backpack camping - but bring along a lot of stuff for comfort. i used to be able to fill the back of my ranger up with stuff for 2 people, but of course there was always the chance of it getting wet!
i guess i can only describe how much cargo space i need by saying that i almost always filled my 2003 taurus up, including the trunk, & i always wished for more room. the nice thing about trucks is that you can pack things vertically (therefore fitting more stuff in). i’ve had to leave some items home since i couldn’t fit them in w/the other stuff (an inflatable raft, for instance).
i’m finding this all very stressful - haven’t gotten anywhere to get consumer reports & unfortunately don’t know if i will be (shouldn’t i really be able to find this stuff online anyway?). i don’t like spending hours reading stuff, but that’s what i’ve been doing for the past few weeks, & i’m still no closer to figuring it all out than i was at the beginning.