Quality difference between Mexico and USA

I understand all of that and it was well described , but let me ask this a different way with a different example. Lets say a Toyota engine puts out 250 hp. Toyota would not mate it to a transmission designed to handle 200 hp . , but they also would not use a trans that was designed to handle 1000 hp. Do you know what % of extra hp , or Torque ,more than the engine is putting out that the mated transmission would be designed to handle . Lets assume they were not using parts bin equipment and designed the example engine and trans as a pair .

 

Toyota? I would imagine 50% or so. However, life would be much shorter if our engines put out 450 hp.
Design it for 450, run it at 280 and it runs forever. Design it for 280 and run it at 280 and it lives past warranty... maybe. That's the difference.

 

Thanks that is what I was after .

 

Originally under the impression that my ordered Tacoma was coming from Mexico, I was quite pleased upon receiving the VIN that it was coming from Texas. Not because of any possibly quality differences, but because I lived in San Antonio as my home town for fifty years. It's nice having that connection.

 

All Manual Tacoma's come from Texas, I also believe all Access Cabs too.

 

It's getting more difficult but you can buy a few "Japanese" vehicles still made in Japan with 90% of the parts also made in Japan. Most "Japanese" cars and trucks bought in the U.S. market are made in Mexico, U.S., South America , and Turkey with parts from Taiwan , China and other 3rd world countries.

Most U.S. consumers have been conditioned to buy big bright shiny objects without regard for longevity, build quality, durability and where it's made.

 

We’ve been conditioned to Japanese reliability. Now on the back end, most consumers don’t know these details unless reliability goes down over the years but the Japanese are adamant about upholding thier image compared to say, American.

 

My Baja built '18 driver side sun visor fell out of the joint after about 3 weeks, first time I pushed it back in but it fell out again a few drives later. I took it apart to see if something came loose internally but it appears to just push into place. It's still falling out, looking for a permanent fix. Did you fix it yourself or have the service shop take care of it?

 

If I find the "quality" of all US produced vehicles acceptable to me, what difference if there is a product you perceive to be "more quality".

I try to support US products because it results in jobs for US citizens.

When my wife needed a new car and said she wanted a Subaru, that was ok with me. It is a great vehicle.

But my 97 Dakota was also a great vehicle- 19 years and 200k and never once did it not start when I turned the key- is that "quality"?

I live here and will hopefully die here, and am always conscious of people who sacrificed for this unique nation.

So yeah, don't tell me US products are "crap".

 

The "Big Three" GM, Ford and Chrysler have been putting out a lot of junk since the mid 70's. Taxpayers had to bail out Chrysler twice and GM in 2008. A lot of Toyota's success was due to the big three manufacturing complete junk especially in the 70's and 80's. It was bad.

 

The only difference is the Mexico built trucks are loaded behind the panels with Coke.

 

This thread could get political real quick, but at end of the day it's all about greed, the whole NAFTA deal. How many of you can support your families on $1.60 an hour? - which is the negotiated Union wage in Mexico.

 

Mexico also makes the list of the top 100 corrupt countries in the world. U.S. comes in at 161 and Japan ranks better at 165.

I'll take a Japanese built Tacoma over a "'Made in Mexico" or U.S. built Tacoma any day.

 

You want to talk corruption? I ate grapes when Ronald Reagan passed...

 

I'm more curious about Canadians perception of American made vs. Mexican made vs. Japanese made quality. I think most Americans have a built in prejudice on the subject. Really does it matter to Canadians where there Tacoma could come from? I know they get Texas built ones, but if it was either country, would it matter?

 

Skipping ahead since this whole thread ballooned. I would think the only people who can truly answer this questions would be toyota. They probably track errors and defects by manufacturing facility, and have some type of scorecard to compare facility to facility. I doubt that information will ever be made public.

 

Mine was made in Mexico and after being in the states for over a year it still can't speak a word of English. Other than that, no problems at all.

 

It's actually more likely that there are less part-time workers mid-week. Working as mangement in multiple OEM assembly plants you learn that Wednesdays are your highest performance / most stable day.

 

makes sense, who doesn't love Hump day

 

When I was much younger, I too supported GM because they were "built here" - there are plants in Canada too guys lol. I thought it was the right thing to do, support the company that kept Canadians/Americans in the workforce. Over time though (90's), I realized there was another way to look at it - buy what's the best bang for the buck. I don't want to get into it, but I had enough miserable examples of GM cars to last a lifetime. My first new foreign car was a 2001 Honda Accord 4cyl 5 speed manual base model. Yup, plain jane, slow, and bulletproof. Some days I wish I still had that car as a DD.

As far as perception of quality, I still think a vehicle actually built in Japan will come off the line in better "shape" than one built here. I know that the parts probably come from the same place either way.

Edit: Yes I know all the major foreign brands have plants here too.