Dodge Dakota or Toyota Tacoma ?

[BunnyBuster12]

I am personaly a Toyota fan. I drive a 93 Toyota pickup that did have the head gasket problem. Four hundred dollars for a gasket kit and a timing belt a day in my driveway and I was on the road again. My next truck will be a Tundra. BUT my kennel partner drives a Nissan Titan quad cab. I believe it is a 04. I think that it is the best full size truck on the market. I would consider buying one but I don't like they way it looks. The Titan can ride four grown men (6ft plus) comfortably as far as you want to ride. It will pull what ever you want to pull. It will scat when you mash the gas. I do not know the particulars on the gas milege. It has had only one problem that I know of and it was recalled(brake rotars). It goes in any conditions and I believe it has over 80,000 miles on it. Happy car shopping.

[merv]

I AM REAL HAPPY FOR ALL OF YOU THAT WORK FOR THE FOREIGN CAR COMPANIES BUT IM GOING TO BUY SOMETHING THATS GOING TO BENEFIT MY COUNTRY AS A WHOLE. I AM A UAW EMPLOYEE AND YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT BUT I DONT THINK THAT 50K A YEAR IS BEING OVERPAID. YEA WE HAVE GREAT BENEFITS BUT SO DO ALL THE BIG SHOTS AT THE TOP THAT I AM MAKING RICH. EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION AND MINE THIS:- I THINK THAT BUYING A VEHICLE FROM THE BIG THREE WILL BENEFIT MORE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY IN THE LONG RUN. I HATE MY JOB AND I WILL PROBABLY NOT BE WORKING THERE MUCH LONGER BUT NO MATTER WHERE I END UP I WILL ALWAYS BUY A VEHICLE MADE BY GM, FORD OR CHRYSLER!

[houndsound]

Merv, I appreciate and respect you loyalty to our Great Country. However I just don't think it's realistic thinking that buying a car from the big 3 benefits the US anymore then buying a car from a Corporation thats headquartered overseas.

The only way any car company would specificly benefit the US is if they bought all their raw materials from only US companies, then had only US designers working on their products, and US companies supply them. Had all their vehicles assembled in the US, sold only in the US.... and the big one, invested their profits only in the US.

Not one of the big 3 (which actually number wise Toyota passed Chrysler into the big 3 now) does that.

The whole idea that if Japan or Germany is doing well, or my money is helping them equates to us doing bad is faulty. It's a global economy now, like it or not, for better or worse it is a global economy. We all share in the same economy now, so if my money gets invested in Japan, that's o.k. because they invest their money here also. We may not like it but thats the reality we live in now fella's. Pretending that a bow tie on a truck is somehow more patriotic won't help.

dk

[WrongsideRandy]

I am anxious to see if you all still love them in 20 years when there are no US Jap plants........because they have all moved to Canada for even cheaper labor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/25/opini ... yt&emc=rss

http://www.pkarchive.org/column/072505.html

When the $100's of millions of incentives are gone........so to will the Jap plants. And our jobs and money will then be gone, tricked from our hands.

Anyway you slice it.......we pay Toyota to give us average paying jobs with so so benefits....but costs GM good paying jobs with decent benefits, the US people get screwed. They hire 1 and GM buys out 3.

This is a mute debate with too many people who rely on these folks to feed you giving input! lol

Some Americans preach being patriotic then hire illegals.....to save a dollar. They want to have their cake and eat it.... It's all about the dollar and this discussion is no different. Like Tritronics says......."Buy American, because its just the right thing to do"

Thats my opinion,
Randy

[houndsound]

I agree Randy that will be awful when they move their plants..... just like the US plants that moved to Mexico for cheaper labor..... it's a money thing, not a border thing. That's all I'm saying

dk

[JIMMIE ABSHIRE]

Randy pretty neat article . I do believe this The big 3 got thereselves in this shape , Uaw has helped as well as greed , toyota has siezed the market by non union employees , that get fair pay for a fair job .There quality is also suffering like most. GM is trying to fight back as well as others Anything mass produced can and will have problems. Its a shame this great country has gotten themselves in this position. I have been told in the manufacturing world the less wieght the cheaper the cost . Maybe thats why we no longer see chrome ,safety is over and above the days of old . I never thought i would see the day when 6 cylinder engines where cranking 300 plus horse . We got lots of great ideals . Its like you said owner loyalaty is usally what ever dad drove , right? I hate quaker state
oil but got buddies that swear by it .Go figure . Anyway drive what ya like
run what ya like , but be aware of this fellow beerdrinkers .ANHAUSER BUSCH as well BASKIN ROBBINS ICE CREAM are 2 of the largest supporters of PETA . I will strongly suggest shoot some silver bullets Coors light that is

[joe kaschak]

I am an independent auto mechanic (small one man shop). I work on all makes cars and trucks(foreign american or whatever). I wont weigh in on which truck would be the better buy as I have not seen many new model year vehicles yet. What I will give my two cents worth on is the following: TOYOTA made in America with a lot of American content(batterys by Delco, etc NISSAN made in America (not sure of content) HONDA made in America GENERAL MOTORS entered in partnership with Toyota 15 - 18 years ago. Formed NEW UNITED MOTORS MANUFACTURING INC. made geo prizms and others then changed to Chevy Prizms essentially a Toyota Camry some made in Japan some made here. Now in talks with Nissan about possible Japaneese part ownership of GM. Motors for certain vehicles (can't get into specific unless I research to refresh memory) made in Brazil. Radiators and starters made by Valeo(product of Mexico), etc. CHRYSLER/JEEP/DODGE
That money goes to Europe-- in case you guys havn't heard, that American car company has been owned by Daimler/Benz for about 6 years now. In fact, get that truck with the v-8. You get a Mercedes Benz motor. Same goes for Jeep. Even the old venerable 4.0 in-line 6 is being replaced by a Benz v-6 new for 2006. FORD can't say a whole lot about. They have had part ownership of Mazda for a couple of years, but from what I've read in my trade magazines, are probably the only true American car company left, but evan so, have a lot of foreign made content in their vehicles. So my advice would be to buy what you like and that gives you the best deal, because if you want a TRUE American car, you gotta do it the Johnny Cash way (I built it one piece at a time---)

[ycedy]

Good luck with what you buy. Money is harder and harder to make. Buy what you like. I drive a Chevy have owned toy. and nissan both will run for years. To me Dodge will not hold up, after a year you will think it is ten years old parts falling off, wind noise etc. I was not happy with the last Ford I owned power seat broke problem with water after rain splashing up some getting in plugs and them not holding a seal would run like crap need new plugs too ofter. I would say buy Toy. or Nissan.

[merv]

I KNOW THAT A LOT OF AMERICAN CARS HAVE FOREIGN PARTS. I WORK FOR FORD AND THE FORD FUSION, FROM WHAT IM TOLD, IS TOTALLY MADE IN MEXICO. EXCEPT FOR THE EMBLEM THE WHOLE CAR IS MADE IN MEXICO. DURING CHRISTMAS THEY HAD A BIG SHIN DIG IN THE PLANT AND THEY BROUGHT IN A BUNCH OF CARS. THEY BROUGHT IN A FUSION. I CALLED MY PLANT CHAIRMAN AND TOLD HIM TO GET THAT FOREIGN CAR OUT OF MY PLANT OR I WILL SMASH THE WINDOWS RIGHT OUT OF IT. THEY CAME OUT THE NEXT MONDAY AND SAID THAT CAR WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US AS A COMPANY. I TOLD THEM THAT IF THE FUSION SELLS WELL AND THEY MAKE MONEY ON IT THEN WHY DONT THEY JUST BUILD THEM ALL IN MEXICO. DONT BUY THE CARS THAT ARE MOSTLY FOREIGN MADE. COMING FROM A FORD EMPLOYEE I WILL ASK YOU NOT TO BUY A FORD FUSION, ITS A FOREIGN CAR!

MERV