new vehicle

[Gavin_Sons]

The last few weeks we have been thinking about trading in our 2010 chevy traverse. It has developed a few problems that will cost 3-5 thousand to get fixed. So tonight we stopped by the toyota dealer and test drove a 2015 Sienna. Yes a minivan. I was actually really impressed with it and it has a ton of room. We talked with the salesman and they offe4ed me $10,500 for our traverse. Thats more than I was thinking, then I talked them down another $3,500 on the Sienna. We really wanted a sequoia but at 70k we just couldn't justify it. We got the top of the line,  leather everything, navigation and the whole 9 yards for less than 40k. Oh, and it's AWD. I'm sur I will get use to driving a soccer mom car eventually. We should have it by wednesday because they didn't have what we wanted on the lot.

[Patrick]

Oh, well, you're not asking for opinions. I hope you have good luck with it.

[Challenger]

The last five vehicles I've had since 1981 were Toyotas, Two pick-ups and three 4-Runners. Don't know what the Toyota service centers are like since I have never had to use one. 

[f6john]

  I think you will be happy once you get over having to leave you nuts in the garage .   Just kidding.    I bought a Camry Hybrid last November and have been quite pleased. Plenty of room, plenty of power, and close to 40 mpg overall. Best of all no service issues.

[Mgbringo]

We have two Toyota 4Runners. A 2003 with 153,500 miles on it and a new one we bought one year ago.

The 2003 has not had one problem with it. Never been to a mechanic to fix a problem. Just did the brakes this week.  Have run Mobil 1 since day one.

You will like the Toyota.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Have a 2007 Highlander bought with 17,000 miles. Now at 150,000 and never had a problem with it. Tires,wiper blades and oil changes. I think you'll be happy 

[Gavin_Sons]

I also have an 05 Tundra I bought new. 191,000 miles with no issues. It has been a great truck.

[bentwrench]

I manage a fleet of 440 vehicles that range from small wheelchair  buses and vans all the way down to small cars.
The siennas are some of the most trouble free of the whole fleet.Good choice,but remember AWD is like 10 lbs. in a 5lb. bag so some repairs down the road are going to cost more than a fwd.

[Jess Tolbirt]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

[Jersey mike]

you made a great choice, between the Honda Odyssey and the Sienna the 2 have set the standard for mini-vans. fit and finish are outstanding as well as reliability. Change the oil and watch your maintenance.

I have one comment on the Toyota because several YEARS ago I was looking to buy a mini van and while doing my reading and research there were customer complaints about the AWD (and I think) and tire wear.  I can't remember the specifics right now though.

best of luck with it, in no time, especially if you do a road trip you will like the new ride and it will last a long time.

[Gavin_Sons]

They threw in 2 years of maintenance and 6 years for tires. Meaning for the first 2 years we wont have to pay for oil changes or general maintenance and if we wear out the tires they will replace them for free for 6 years. Pretty good plan I thought . I'm not crazy about owning a minivan but I guess I'm past the stage of looking cool by what you drive. Thats why I have the valk. It brings back that cool factor 1 ride at a time.

[cookiedough]

am sure you will like it even if it is a minivan.

The sienna and honda odyssey are 2 of the best quality vehicles being minivans to own and purchase.  Great ride and roomy inside and so-so gas mileage, not horrible though like a V8 pickup truck. 

I owned a 2001 dodge grand caravan and if was not for the electrical issues under warranty still,  I would have kept it longer than I did.  It rode the nicest of all the vehicles I have ever bought and very roomy inside, well laid out and versatile.  Although dodge quality is not on par with Honda or Toyota, the price at the time was right low 20's brand new. 

If you were in the market for an SUV,  I suggest looking at the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa fe 7 passenger 3.3L V6 290hp  for looks, function, and price with good warranty and good gas mileage averaging 26 mpg.   I own 2 Hyundai's and knock on wood,  are trouble free, roomy, and excellent priced I believe on par overall with Honda and Toyota quality/reliability and much cheaper to purchase as well.  I am glad I bought the 7 passenger SUV since cannot get the 3.3L V6 engine in the 5 passenger design anymore, also since they are much harder to find and thus increasing resale value as well in the 7 passenger V6 SUV vs. the 4 banger 5 passenger SUV readily available.  I am not a fan of higher revving, turbo charged 4 cylinder engines that get no better gas mileage than the normal aspiriated V6 engines.

[PAVALKER]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

Hmmm, I think this topic deserves a thread of its own......

[Rams]

Regardless of brand, buying a minivan is kind of like sky diving.   That first step is hard to take and there's normally someone pushing you in the back towards that door and out of the plane.   One look out and you realize it's a long ways down.   Watch that first step.   

Been there, done that.   Keep the Valkyrie, it'll remind you of what you once were. 

[DK]

You will like the Toyota.

I'm on my third Landcruiser. Drove each of the first two > 300,000 miles. Both were 6 cylinder models and mechanically great when I traded them due to the interiors showing wear.  My present one, a V8 has only 25,000 miles and gets better mileage than my Valk.

On all three, I've been out < $500.00 for repairs and most of that was replacing a plastic radiator on the first one.

For highway use, they are practically indestructible.

Dan

[Jess from VA]

My 2003 Dodge Intrepid only has 26K and serves all my needs.  But I have been wanting a Dodge or Mercedes Sprinter, or the new Dodge Promaster, or Ford Transit... something capable of rolling an interstate in the back and camping in, without removing the shield.

But not only do I get hit for 4.1% sales tax, but annual personal property taxes so long as I own it (forever).  And personal property taxes in my county are $4.57 per $100 of assessed value.  

So if I buy a $40K vehicle, my sales tax is $1640, and first year's personal property tax is $1828.  Next year it's $1600 something, and so on, forever.

This year, Fairfax County mailed over 800,000 personal property tax bills.  

I refuse to pay over $10K in taxes for a nice truck.  Just because I could afford it is besides the point.

I could buy an older beater (value-wise) and try to make it reliable, but why should I have to do that?

Communism sucks.

Yeah, I know, I should move.

[Rams]

Communism sucks.

Yeah, I know, I should move.

Knowing the corrective action and failing to take it puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the person failing to take that corrective action.   

You have options and I have a neighbor with a nice home for sale.   

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Communism sucks.

Yeah, I know, I should move.

Knowing the corrective action and failing to take it puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the person failing to take that corrective action.   

You have options and I have a neighbor with a nice home for sale.   

Ahem.............when I moved to Kentucky to help In-Laws (not by choice) I learned how much higher insurance is here and they charge a value tax every year as well that sounds very similar to what he describes. Don't know if he wants to move here if it's relief he's looking for. 

[Rams]

Communism sucks.

Yeah, I know, I should move.

Knowing the corrective action and failing to take it puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the person failing to take that corrective action.   

You have options and I have a neighbor with a nice home for sale.   

Ahem.............when I moved to Kentucky to help In-Laws (not by choice) I learned how much higher insurance is here and they charge a value tax every year as well that sounds very similar to what he describes. Don't know if he wants to move here if it's relief he's looking for. 

Compared to where he's at, I'll take KY but, that's a call he has to make.

BTW, there's an open house tomorrow. 

[Patrick]

My 2003 Dodge Intrepid only has 26K and serves all my needs.  But I have been wanting a Dodge or Mercedes Sprinter, or the new Dodge Promaster, or Ford Transit... something capable of rolling an interstate in the back and camping in, without removing the shield.

But not only do I get hit for 4.1% sales tax, but annual personal property taxes so long as I own it (forever).  And personal property taxes in my county are $4.57 per $100 of assessed value.  

So if I buy a $40K vehicle, my sales tax is $1640, and first year's personal property tax is $1828.  Next year it's $1600 something, and so on, forever.

This year, Fairfax County mailed over 800,000 personal property tax bills.  

I refuse to pay over $10K in taxes for a nice truck.  Just because I could afford it is besides the point.

I could buy an older beater (value-wise) and try to make it reliable, but why should I have to do that?

Communism sucks.

Yeah, I know, I should move.

I thought NY was bad. Geeez.

[baldo]

I've always driven cars/trucks that are 5-7 yrs old when purchased. I don't think I've ever spent more than $5000 on one, obviously not financed. The thought of a car payment in the hundreds just doesn't appeal. The only tax we pay on vehicles, other than sales tax, is an excise tax computed at $25/$1000 of value. I don't think that bill has ever been much more than $100.

Listening to these stories of VAT's, personal property taxes, etc... my state of Massachusetts doesn't seem too bad.

[cookiedough]

And here I am whining on only buying a 60 dollar item in Illinois having to pay 8% sales tax vs. here in WI that the store did not have that item in stock at 5.5% sales tax.
 
A whole 1.50 more out of my pocket plus a few more bucks in gas money.   

Yet another reason on why I won't live in Illinois, although the property taxes, depending on where you live, is much cheaper in parts of Illinois nearby me than in WI where I live.   I can get in Illinois a home near 2x's in value/size for the same property taxes per year I pay in WI.

Face it,  a lot of states have a way to squeeze every penny out of our hard earned money.   

[WNGD]

We *ahem* my wife is on her 3rd Toyota Sienna totaling 10 years and 200,000 miles.
ZERO repairs on any of them, just oil changes and tires.
Kia and particularly Hyundai have come a long long way. It's sad but Ford/GM etc aren't seeing my money any time soon.

[cookiedough]

We *ahem* my wife is on her 3rd Toyota Sienna totaling 10 years and 200,000 miles.
ZERO repairs on any of them, just oil changes and tires.
Kia and particularly Hyundai have come a long long way. It's sad but Ford/GM etc aren't seeing my money any time soon.

Agree,  but I'd also ad Chrysler/Mopar in with GM/Ford. 

That should get some responses , whether good or bad?

Anyone who thinks any so-called foreign company is strictly foreign and the big 3 (GM/Ford/Dodge) is ONLY American is sadly mistaken. 

Not only Hyundai/Kia makes very good vehicles, but I think Mazda, who use to be part owned by Ford but don't think so anymore, is making some good vehicles as well nowadays.

[Patrick]

Anyone who thinks any so-called foreign company is strictly foreign and the big 3 (GM/Ford/Dodge) is ONLY American is sadly mistaken. 

Not only Hyundai/Kia makes very good vehicles, but I think Mazda, who use to be part owned by Ford but don't think so anymore, is making some good vehicles as well nowadays.
end quote




First sentence. Yep, and, its hard to tell some folks that.
2nd sentence.  Mazda makes a good product. They showed Ford how to make a small vehicle.                       
                       Well, they made the small vehicles for Ford.

[f6john]

    I presently own Nissan, Toyota, and Chevy, so I don't discriminate. I am aware that certain models have their issues and are wise to be avoided but I suggest not putting blinders on either. Just recently went shopping for a new car for my mother and ended up with a 2015 Buick Regal Turbo. Very much on par with the 2015 Camry my wife has, gas mileage not so much, but makes up for it in performance, handling and looks. GM, Ford and Chrysler are all still in business and competing with the best has and will improve the breed.

[BF]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

Would you like to expand on that comment?  What was wrong with your F150?

[Jess Tolbirt]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

Would you like to expand on that comment?  What was wrong with your F150?

i will have to find the messages i have been sending to pavalker and will paste them here.

[Jess Tolbirt]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

Would you like to expand on that comment?  What was wrong with your F150?

here is a start,
the new tacomas are the old tundras,,the tundra grew up and so did the tacos a few years back.
i have owned toyotas, tunra and tacomas and never once did they have to go in to the dealer for service..

take a look at the new colorado's and and the jimmy version of the colorado.. those trucks are as big as my f-150 now and have one picked out to trade my ford for...

here is the issue i have with my ford,,anything that needs to be done to the ford has to be done at the dealrship,, i am a mechanic and i cannot work on my truck.. one instance, if a tail light burns out you have 4 starts to get it fixed, if you do not then it will disable and you will have to pay to have it towed to the dealer to get the computer reset..i am having issues with it not wanting to start now, when you turn the key nothing happens for about 3 tries so i take it in today for warranty repairs,, well after it gets in the shop they call me and tell me they need both keys,, well one key is at home 45 minutes away, so i go and get it,, what would happen if i was in texas and needed the key for service?

the truck is a very nice truck, roomy, rides like a cadillac and gets 17.5 mpg,,i just dont like not being able to work on it when needed...
every other truck on the road gets better mileage than mine does..

i dont hate the truck, i just wish i would have kept my tacoma..

o yea i have a street here that goes uphill,, when it rains i cannot get up the hill with this ford,, my tacoma would go up like it was dry..

on another note, my son traded his f-150 in on a chevy and he said the chevy was very cheap feeling compared to the ford,, so the ford wins out there..

my truck cost 45,000 dollars and it kills the pocket book every month but thats my fault,,i thought i wanted a ford..

anyway thats my position,, i dont want to sway you away from the ford, if thats what you want i think you will like it,,

this is what happened today

if you have a key go bad and you dont have both keys with you, you are SCREWED,,if you are half way across the country you will have to fly home and get the other key, that is NOT negotiable,,then they can only make the key for the registered owner and only then if the dealership owner or MGR can get permission from ford.. its a long story but this is a synopsis of it,, you will have to have it towed to the dealer and hand them both keys to get going again,, i am a little pissed about all this today..

[Jess from VA]

I don't see this so much as Ford issue, as a big brother issue.

Who ever thought they were going to build big brother into our vehicles??????

My engine light is on perpetually (see Penny in Big Bang Theory).  The code is evaporative emission system, but it's been checked, and there is not one cursed thing wrong except for the infamous loose gas cap.  I reset the code and cleaned and vaselined the cap threads and it stays off, for awhile.  There was nothing wrong with my cap, but I bought a new one anyway, and it's the same thing all over again.  I'd like to tighten the cap with a four foot pipe wrench or hit it with a pile driver, but you know that at about 5lbs of pressure, it just clicks away.

So I drive around with my light on all year long (might as well follow Penny's advice and put tape over it), and that's the Boy Who Cried Wolf because eventually I'll get a meaningful code, but I'll just keep ignoring it (and then be found on road dead).  But I sure as HELL will never pay for a whole new computer, they can just KMA on that one.

I cannot pass my annual safety inspection with an engine light, so once a year I have to clear it and grease the cap to go pass.  And I will not clear it by removing the battery cable, since some freekin' genius stuck the battery down in the wheel well (I can do it, but on general principle I will not do all that work to clear a lying code).  So I go to a shop and they reset it for me.  Oh, and if the light fails me at the inspection, then I have a short window to get it fixed and repass, or the G cancels my registration and plates and makes it illegal to drive the GD thing.  But not to worry, even illegal to drive and inoperable, so long as it is garaged at my home, I am still liable to pay my annual personal property tax on it.

I appreciate better gas mileage and lower emissions as much as the next guy, but they can stick the rest of their Big Brother vehicle design up where the sun don't shine.

I'd pay a couple thousand over list, if I could go to the dealer and order a new car without a computer.

[cookiedough]

last year i traded my tacoma for an f-150 BIG MISTAKE!!!

Would you like to expand on that comment?  What was wrong with your F150?

here is a start,
the new tacomas are the old tundras,,the tundra grew up and so did the tacos a few years back.
i have owned toyotas, tunra and tacomas and never once did they have to go in to the dealer for service..

take a look at the new colorado's and and the jimmy version of the colorado.. those trucks are as big as my f-150 now and have one picked out to trade my ford for...

here is the issue i have with my ford,,anything that needs to be done to the ford has to be done at the dealrship,, i am a mechanic and i cannot work on my truck.. one instance, if a tail light burns out you have 4 starts to get it fixed, if you do not then it will disable and you will have to pay to have it towed to the dealer to get the computer reset..i am having issues with it not wanting to start now, when you turn the key nothing happens for about 3 tries so i take it in today for warranty repairs,, well after it gets in the shop they call me and tell me they need both keys,, well one key is at home 45 minutes away, so i go and get it,, what would happen if i was in texas and needed the key for service?

the truck is a very nice truck, roomy, rides like a cadillac and gets 17.5 mpg,,i just dont like not being able to work on it when needed...
every other truck on the road gets better mileage than mine does..

i dont hate the truck, i just wish i would have kept my tacoma..

o yea i have a street here that goes uphill,, when it rains i cannot get up the hill with this ford,, my tacoma would go up like it was dry..

on another note, my son traded his f-150 in on a chevy and he said the chevy was very cheap feeling compared to the ford,, so the ford wins out there..

my truck cost 45,000 dollars and it kills the pocket book every month but thats my fault,,i thought i wanted a ford..

anyway thats my position,, i dont want to sway you away from the ford, if thats what you want i think you will like it,,

this is what happened today

if you have a key go bad and you dont have both keys with you, you are SCREWED,,if you are half way across the country you will have to fly home and get the other key, that is NOT negotiable,,then they can only make the key for the registered owner and only then if the dealership owner or MGR can get permission from ford.. its a long story but this is a synopsis of it,, you will have to have it towed to the dealer and hand them both keys to get going again,, i am a little pissed about all this today..

Jess,  does your f150 have the 5.4L, 5.0L, or 3.5 V6 ecoboost engine?  I know a few who have the V6 twin turbo and although snappy off the line,   has had some major issues with the turbo system. 

As far as gas mileage, 17.5 avg mpg is still just a tad bit better than my 2014 5.7L tundra averaging 17.  So, what the tundra doesn't get in gas mileage makes up for in resale and reliability,  2 of my biggest concerns.  Plus,  I still think the ford and chevy 1/2 tons are overpriced even with all the rebates are still higher than my mid-level SR5 tundra bought new in 2014 for 32K.  Not cheap and never thought I'd see the day I would EVER spend over 30K on ANY vehicle, but in 2014 that time came. 

[Jess Tolbirt]

there are 2 v-6's the 3.5 eco boost that you speak of and the 3.7 flex fuel.. mine is the 3.7, i hate turbos,,as far as the truck goes i like it ok,, but the electronics is also part of the deal i will not buy another one of these..i will research a lot before i buy another vehicle..

[Gangman036]

Like our motorcycles.....Toyota has mythical reliability. We have owned a Toyota truck (89), Sienna (00) and now a Highlander (12) made here in Indiana.....no regrets !

                                                              Ride Safe !!

[cookiedough]

there are 2 v-6's the 3.5 eco boost that you speak of and the 3.7 flex fuel.. mine is the 3.7, i hate turbos,,as far as the truck goes i like it ok,, but the electronics is also part of the deal i will not buy another one of these..i will research a lot before i buy another vehicle..

I may be wrong, but I thought you meant the 2.7L vs. 3.7L ecoboost V6 correct?   If so,  that is a new engine smaller in stature than the 3.5L, but if only getting 17.5 avg mpg,  the old saying is, 'should have got a V8' applies here.  I heard epa myths that new 2.7L ecoboost twin turbo V6 is suppose to be getting 25 hwy mpg, guess not.  If I am wrong and the 3.7L is a base V6 NON turbo,  that engine is being overworked for sure in any 1/2 ton pickup thus the poor gas mileage just driving it.  V6 is o.k. in the chevy colorado or dodge dakota, but I'll take a v8 over any V6 in any 1/2 ton truck regardless of mfg.  Even my former 2wd 1996 chevy ext. cab 4.3L V6, although torquey,  never seen over 22 mpg on the hwy.  I'll gladly sacrifice 2-4 mpg to get the bigger comfort and tons more power in my toyota tundra 391hp/401lb. torque 5.7L V8 (4.30 rear axle ratio is the torque monster-awesome). 

[Jess Tolbirt]

Not sure. Will have to look at mine...but the ecoboost is a turbo and its the smaller of the 2v-6s..I have the larger one  and mine has more HP than my old 390ci had...