opinions on TOYOTA TUNDRA for my towing needs

[Robert_in_NY]

How many plants does Ford, GM and Chrysler have in the US anyway? Is there a way to find out? I know Ford has a large stamping plant here outside of Buffalo and I am fairly certain GM has a plant up here also but I have never seen it yet. I know in my travels I have passed a few other plants. While they are not assembly plants the are plants that employ a lot of people.

I am glad Toyota built their plant here but it really did make sense to. How many of their full size trucks would they sell overseas anyway? They would be importing almost all of these trucks into the US so why not just build them here and cut out a lot of shipping. I was reading an article about the Toyota plant and I guess they had a lot of their suppliers build plants on the same piece of property so the raw materials go to the plant and the truck comes out. Kind of nice to have almost everything at one place so if you want to know where your shipment of parts is you walk next door and find out.

I have three Ford trucks right now. One is assembled in Canada, one in Mexico and the 2006 with the 6.0L was assembled in Louisville. But I have a lot of friends and family that are employed by Ford and GM up here so I guess it is safe to still consider Ford and GM to be American companies that assemble "some" of their vehicles in other countries.

 

[KAB]

I just had a cahnce to spend some up close and personal time looking between the Tundra and New Sierra. What I was expecting to see were to very comparable trucks. I had a chance to look at a frame display at the auto show a couple of weeks ago to see that it was basically a cheap knock-off of the old GM frames.

A few Toyota items that caught me off gaurd today:
1. Hood - Talk about flex grab it by the grille (when open) and flex it - Amazing.
2. Hood Prop struts - more flex there than what was in the hood.
3. Cheap grille - Opens with the hood
4. No hood lliner
5. Door hinges look like they came off of my compact car.
6. Exposed seat mounting
7. Tight drivers area.
8. ++++ Tilt and Telescopic steering wheel
9. Bed Gaps - off by 3/8" between bed and cab (comparing right to left sides)
10. Plastic bracing around wheel wells. Could not even find any pencil braces.
11. Extremely high bed sides. (I am 6'4" and had a hard time reaching the bottom of the bed reaching over the side - This was a 4wd model)
12. +++++ Nice tailgate design - Had a dampener system to keep the tailgate from slamming down when opening and easy to close.
13. Tailgate - Felt really flimsy (sp). The guy that I was with said he weighed 250+ and every time that he set on it the tailgate would creek. They have an access panel on the inside of the tailgate that was already dented. This was a new truck that was for sale, window sticker and all.)
14. 2 piece driveshaft.

I don't have the brochures with me right now but when I get a chance I plan on looking at the fine details in regaurds to the real benefits and their engine and transmissions. On the surface if you get the 5.7 and 6 speed the acceleration should be better with a lower first grear and either 4.1 or 4.3 axle ratio (Might not be good for fuel economy though.)


BTW. When looking at US based companies it might not hurt to look at who donates money/goods in times of needs here in the US. I had seen some numbers that the car companies donated during the recent times of needs here in the US. A large majority of the money came from US based companies not the Imports.

Kurt

 

[RobertN]

I am glad Toyota built their plant here but it really did make sense to. How many of their full size trucks would they sell overseas anyway? They would be importing almost all of these trucks into the US so why not just build them here and cut out a lot of shipping.

Taxes and tariff's. Shipping is a big expense, but taxes and tariff's on direct imports was a big big reason to start building here in the US. Toyota, Honda, Kawasaki etc were paying a lot to get thier products in to the country.

Interestingly, as a side benefit, I read a few years back that US Honda plants were turning out cars with fewer defect/higher initial quality than thier factories in Japan. Not sure if that is still the case.

How that relates to taxes and tarrifs on GM/Ford/Dodge built in Canada or Mexico I am not sure.

 

[HarleyBob]

I have a 2000 Tundra with the 7K towing capacity. I LOVE the comfort and speed of the truck when not towing. I have had ZERO problems in
90,000 miles. It is the best made truck in the world.
HOWEVER, I feel way way underpowered when I am towing my flatbed trailer
with tractor (Kubota L3010) and every time I drive it I swear I will
switch to a full 3/4 or 1 ton diesel, even though they won't be Toyotas.
If you do a lot of towing get a diesel and research the best transmissions.
I hate GMC but their diesel is good and so are their transmissions.
Of course the paint may fall off soon after you buy it.

 

[rdln]

"3. Cheap grille - Opens with the hood"

new superdutys do the same and dodges have since '94

TRUST me am not defending a jap product, but just because its not what u r used doesnt mean its bad.

I do like the toyota commercials, showing the difference between their parts and competitors' parts gets the attention of manly truck buyers.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I hate GMC but their diesel is good and so are their transmissions.Of course the paint may fall off soon after you buy it.

Around here I see 10-12 year old Chevy/GMC pickups that look practically new. And we use road salt in the winter. GM's paint problems of the 80's and early 90's seem to be totally gone.

 

[dgl24087]

Around here I see 10-12 year old Chevy/GMC pickups that look practically new. And we use road salt in the winter. GM's paint problems of the 80's and early 90's seem to be totally gone.

Paint problems weren't limited to GM. I've seen autos from all manufacturers with issues in that time period. Some auto body friends laid the cause to the federally mandated removal of lead from paint. Don't know if that is the cause, just what I was told.

 

[_RaT_]

Buy the truck that you think delivers the best value to you. To blindly buy a Ford or GM because it is "American" and then feel that you really did not buy the best truck does nothing for you and in my opinion gives a pat on the back to the wrong people. Its as if your saying, good job brand X, you build a lousy truck truck, keep it up. If you like Ford or GM the best and they offer you the better value, then that is your answer. After 3 Fords, I'm am quite ready for another brand. Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler, Honda or GM possibly in that order.

 

[KAB]

I am not saying that opening with the hood is cheap. The grille is cheap and it opens with the hood. Just ask my head. It has the battle scars to prove it.

Kurt

 

[Lynkage]

I am not here for bashing but the one thing I would say is if you are towing 5000lbs or less just about any truck will do.

If you tow more than that you are asking for trouble. You need weight on the towing vehicle to properly handle your load.

Here in Colorado I head up I70 30 mi of 4-7% grade to get up to camp, fish and other activities.

I have seen many Toyota's going up the mountain with small single Axel 1000-2000 lb trailers and they are going about 35mph.
When they come back down they either go very slow or end up smoking their brakes jackknifed or off the road. To me this is just not safe.

Just be careful to choose the proper tow vehicle for the load. I tow average of about 12,000lbs and believe me you KNOW it is there even on a 1ton truck. I would never attempt towing 10,000 lbs with a 1/2 ton truck it is just not safe.
JMO
Shane