I think timing belts became popular when a lot of people kept their new cars for only a few years. If the new car buyer only kept the car for 5 years, he would trade it or sell it before the timing belt needed to be replaced.
I would add that edmunds.com has maintenance intervals for most cars. When shopping I check that. It is a bit time consuming since you have to put the mileage in and see what is due, but it generally gives you an idea of what is needed, associated cost, etc.
Timing belts are not a deal breaker for me either, but given a choice I would rather not have one. Labor is expensive where I live, good labor is difficult to find. My last car with the belt was a 95 Mitsubishi and the indy guy who did the belt did a poor job and caused a lot of aggravation (for both of us) and another day spent at the dealership. I always remember that.
“I would add that edmunds.com has maintenance intervals for most cars. When shopping I check that. It is a bit time consuming since you have to put the mileage in and see what is due, but it generally gives you an idea of what is needed, associated cost, etc”
That is a helpful shopping tool, but the reality of the situation is that, because manufacturers are omitting vital services such as valve lash adjustment and trans fluid changes from their maintenance schedules in an attempt to look as maintenance-free as possible, those internet postings of maintenance costs are not realistic for anyone who intends to keep his car for the long term.
If somebody is leasing a car, or is planning on trading-in a car after 3 or 4 years, the omission of trans fluid changes and valve lash adjustments is not significant. However, those of us who tend to keep our cars for upwards of 10 years realize that the maintenance costs publicized by Edmunds and other sites are…not realistic…and are intended only for those who are going to dump their car after a few years.
There seems to be an opinion on the Toyota forum that at least with their motors, they tend to use chains if they are Interference motors and belts if they were not. That would seem to be a logical reason.
My Honda dealer adjusted valve lash when they changed my timing belt. It seems to me it must be part of the process for them at least.