Hondas, Toyotas and the brainwashed

[EricBeau]

Go ahead and count me among the brainwashed. But first, a little background-

I sold Toyotas from June 2013 to February 2014
I sold Hondas from February 2014 to March 2016
I sold Fords from March 2016 to February 2017
I'm currently a service advisor at the same Ford dealer where I used to sell

Ford makes some great cars, and there are a few I wouldn't have issue owning, but I'm so much more of a Honda/Toyota guy. My daily driver is a 2001 Camry with 138k and the thing is gosh darn bulletproof. Sure it has some flaws from 16 years in Midwest roads, but it's honestly in better condition than some Fords I've seen as late model years as 2012. Our family car is a 2010 Odyssey with almost 99k miles that we bought with 61,342 on the odometer. Aside from a few small things (a couple TPMS sensors, a P/S pump replaced under Honda CPO warranty) the thing has been indestructible. The van is solid and still feels right like a brand new car.

Working in the service department of a Ford dealer, I see the worst of Ford vehicles. That is, I get to see the issues these cars have. The 2.7 EcoBoost is bad news, the PowerShift DCT is hot garbage, the 1.6 EcoBoost has a handful of problems, etc. The only Ford product I'd buy would be a Fusion with the 2.5, a F-150 with the 5.0 or an Edge with the 3.5 NA. I know my views may be skewed because I work where these cars go when they have problems but my money will continue to stay with Honda and Toyota going forward. I could maybe branch out to Kia/Hyundai but I just don't feel all that interested in a jumping at a Ford.

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted By: EricBeau
Go ahead and count me among the brainwashed. But first, a little background-

I sold Toyotas from June 2013 to February 2014
I sold Hondas from February 2014 to March 2016
I sold Fords from March 2016 to February 2017
I'm currently a service advisor at the same Ford dealer where I used to sell

Ford makes some great cars, and there are a few I wouldn't have issue owning, but I'm so much more of a Honda/Toyota guy. My daily driver is a 2001 Camry with 138k and the thing is gosh darn bulletproof. Sure it has some flaws from 16 years in Midwest roads, but it's honestly in better condition than some Fords I've seen as late model years as 2012. Our family car is a 2010 Odyssey with almost 99k miles that we bought with 61,342 on the odometer. Aside from a few small things (a couple TPMS sensors, a P/S pump replaced under Honda CPO warranty) the thing has been indestructible. The van is solid and still feels right like a brand new car.

Working in the service department of a Ford dealer, I see the worst of Ford vehicles. That is, I get to see the issues these cars have. The 2.7 EcoBoost is bad news, the PowerShift DCT is hot garbage, the 1.6 EcoBoost has a handful of problems, etc. The only Ford product I'd buy would be a Fusion with the 2.5, a F-150 with the 5.0 or an Edge with the 3.5 NA. I know my views may be skewed because I work where these cars go when they have problems but my money will continue to stay with Honda and Toyota going forward. I could maybe branch out to Kia/Hyundai but I just don't feel all that interested in a jumping at a Ford.


You're so right about the Fords. Call me brainwashed too as I love my 09' Camry LE

Most reliable car I have ever owned

 

[Jarlaxle]

2010 Odyssey...is that part of the class action suit against Honda?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: car51

You're so right about the Fords. Call me brainwashed too as I love my 09' Camry LE

Most reliable car I have ever owned

How long have you owned it?

 

[53' Stude]

Over a year so far

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: stockrex
Honda - My 2010 Honda Fit will be my last honda ever, I am done with honda, both mechanically and service dept wise.
I drive a rental car nearly every week of the year and I have driven just about everything they have out there. Toyota is light years ahead of honda and so is kia.


I also rent lots of cars and I would have to agree with you that Honda has fallen behind other manufacturers.



I like the I can do an extended drive and get a feel for the vehicle.
till now the ones I have been most impressed with are:
Nissan Rogue - comfy, sips gas, spacious, and has good power
Toyota Prius - no words, after I dump my fit, if I ever have to buy a small commuter again, this is IT
Kia Soul - I felt for the rental co, I think I did not leave any tire tread ;-) and I had to visit a chiro.

The honda Fit was my 7th brand new honda and last.
I have driven 200k on average on my hondas,

 

[TheKracken]

I have owned a few prius's now and it is by far my favorite vehicle with the most reliability. Last one went 245k miles with no issues at all before the wife crashed it. Now we are on a 3ed gen prius and it is even better than the 2ed gen by a lot. We take road trips all the time and often multi thousand mile trips and it is very comfortable even at 80 mph. Not to mention an average of 52 mpg on trips.

 

[Alfred_B]

Quote:


BMW's are designed to be dealership only maintainable!

 

[earthbound]

Originally Posted By: EricBeau
Go ahead and count me among the brainwashed. But first, a little background-

I sold Toyotas from June 2013 to February 2014
I sold Hondas from February 2014 to March 2016
I sold Fords from March 2016 to February 2017
I'm currently a service advisor at the same Ford dealer where I used to sell

Ford makes some great cars, and there are a few I wouldn't have issue owning, but I'm so much more of a Honda/Toyota guy. My daily driver is a 2001 Camry with 138k and the thing is gosh darn bulletproof. Sure it has some flaws from 16 years in Midwest roads, but it's honestly in better condition than some Fords I've seen as late model years as 2012. Our family car is a 2010 Odyssey with almost 99k miles that we bought with 61,342 on the odometer. Aside from a few small things (a couple TPMS sensors, a P/S pump replaced under Honda CPO warranty) the thing has been indestructible. The van is solid and still feels right like a brand new car.

Working in the service department of a Ford dealer, I see the worst of Ford vehicles. That is, I get to see the issues these cars have. The 2.7 EcoBoost is bad news, the PowerShift DCT is hot garbage, the 1.6 EcoBoost has a handful of problems, etc. The only Ford product I'd buy would be a Fusion with the 2.5, a F-150 with the 5.0 or an Edge with the 3.5 NA. I know my views may be skewed because I work where these cars go when they have problems but my money will continue to stay with Honda and Toyota going forward. I could maybe branch out to Kia/Hyundai but I just don't feel all that interested in a jumping at a Ford.


love my Toyota highlander....currently own an 17' civic with the 1.5t...big time FD and a well documented cvt warm start grind. Honda imo is definitely not what they used to be. my next vehicle will no doubt be a Toyota albeit, boring yet over the top radical styling.

 

[jeepman3071]

No matter what you buy, it is best to do your research. Find something you like, do research on common problems it may have, and enjoy it.

Buying something only because of it's theoretical reliability is kind of silly, especially with something used.

My friend's mom has a 2016 Honda HRV. She bought it to replace her 07 Civic with 200k because the Civic is getting worn out. She hasn't sold the Civic yet, and is hanging onto it for now because the HRV shut off and died 3 times now with no warning. The dealership said this is a common problem for one of the control modules and the modules themselves keep failing. She is working on getting it lemon lawed. One of the moms on my sister's basketball team had the Rav4 head bolt problem. Another had a Honda Pilot with a blown engine.

Meanwhile there are plenty of Hondas and Toyotas with tons of miles.

All were likely bought with the "Japanese cars are more reliable" mindset. All cars are complex, some are more problematic than others. Buying blindly based on brand is foolish.

 

[PandaBear]

Brainwashed goes both ways, like those who think others are brainwashed.

Out of our 7 cars ownership in the family. The Prius V and IS250 are both rock solid, never went back for anything other than recalls (well, carbon intake may be considered a defect if they didn't cover it), the Integra went back for a few minor squeaks in warranty, Corolla went back for a few belt and interior issues, the Mazda5 for a few suspension mods (fix the factory alignment that eats tires for lunch), the Camry V6 for a few leaks and suspensions parts, the Taurus for roof leak, broken knobs, cracked hoses, warped rotors, cracked coolant tank, blown electronics, etc.

So far Toyota seems to have better power train reliability, at least the more boring less techy ones. Honda, Mazda, and Ford are doing ok unless you get one with design problem.

Had a Ford Fiesta and a Chevy Malibu for rental, I hated the interior quality. Plastic not lined up and painted (which the color will wear through or fade in a few years), rough turn signal, weird materials that feels like a soft wrapper on top of a hard piece, etc. Mazda is not any better either but my dad really likes it, so we got one. It is not just the American, Nissan is a lot of time even worse.

I don't know, but to me it seems like the 93-97 Corolla is the best, then the current gen Prius V. Lexus of course is much nicer than Buick. Maybe it is just the style preference, but I do not like American cars' interior, they are just not that good.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
No matter what you buy, it is best to do your research. Find something you like, do research on common problems it may have, and enjoy it.

Buying something only because of it's theoretical reliability is kind of silly, especially with something used.

My friend's mom has a 2016 Honda HRV. She bought it to replace her 07 Civic with 200k because the Civic is getting worn out. She hasn't sold the Civic yet, and is hanging onto it for now because the HRV shut off and died 3 times now with no warning. The dealership said this is a common problem for one of the control modules and the modules themselves keep failing. She is working on getting it lemon lawed. One of the moms on my sister's basketball team had the Rav4 head bolt problem. Another had a Honda Pilot with a blown engine.

Meanwhile there are plenty of Hondas and Toyotas with tons of miles.

All were likely bought with the "Japanese cars are more reliable" mindset. All cars are complex, some are more problematic than others. Buying blindly based on brand is foolish.


I agree 100%. Also, the servicing dealer can make a huge difference in the ownership experience. In my area there are a few brands I never consider because their dealers refuse to hire techs with opposable thumbs.

 

[Toros]

Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: Toros
Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.


Before my GF's BMW 325xi she had a 2010 Prius. The engine would knock randomly and consumed 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles. The car had under 65k miles and was dealer maintained before she bought it. The abs system also seemed pretty dangerous because it engaged way too often in conditions where it really shouldn't have. New brakes, tires, and many trips to different dealers solved nothing. The car was great on gas, but not much else. Toyota offered no help and the dealers we went to were all very arrogant.

To be fair, it seems there were a few model years of Prius that had oil consumption problems, but the arrogance of the Toyota dealers that their cars were flawless and we had no idea what we were talking about was very eye opening. Many times the dealer techs refused to even ride in the car to see if there was a problem, they simply stated it was normal.

I've only been to the local Jeep dealership twice when I first got my Jeep 8 years ago. They were extremely expensive, but the techs were happy to ride along with me and let me watch as they diagnosed a front end noise.

Like MCompact suggests, dealer service can definitely make or break car ownership for some people.

 

[funflyer]

Originally Posted By: Toros
Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.



Well they are a fantastic car

By the way, the new Prius has a great ride and handles far better than the previous 3 generations, and the MPGs are well above EPA ratings. You should drive one before you spew ignorance.

 

[supton]

I dunno--I've thought a few times of getting a Prius, but I don't like their rear view (reminds me of neon signs from the 50's for some reason), and when I drove one recently, I just didn't like it. Maybe if they ripped out all the LCD's save one (radio/backup) I might like it better. I mean--I engaged cruise on a 40mph backroad, just to see what it'd do on rolling hills--and it gave me some warning about using cruise!

 

[TheKracken]

Originally Posted By: funflyer
Originally Posted By: Toros
Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.



Well they are a fantastic car

By the way, the new Prius has a great ride and handles far better than the previous 3 generations, and the MPGs are well above EPA ratings. You should drive one before you spew ignorance.


The first 2 gen's are not all that great but the 3ed and the new 4th gen are amazing vehicles. My last prius gen 2 (2008) rode fine for me but compared to most 08 vehicles it was mediocre. My new Gen 3 rides much better, even at 80 mph for multiple hours (utah and idaho driving) it did well.

 

[Bambam]

Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
In the last 40 years I've owned 2 Datsun's and 2 Toyota's they have all given me great service. The only negative I have on my Toyota's their paint sucks! Everything else has been so far above American manufacture spec its unbelievable. If Toyota had a diesel PU I like would have never bought my Duramax although its been trouble free so far.


X2 !

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted By: Toros
Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.


600,000 miles silly?

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099...pparently-video

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Toros
Prius cars are out and out goofy. I'm sick of hearing their praises. What the Prius toolbags won't tell you is how [censored] the ride is. Prius is a a silly car for silly people.


It is just a people mover, some people want nothing to do with a car other than going from point A to point B with no drama, economically. What's wrong with boring reliable ride?