Poll: Problem or Problem Free?

The 3rd choice on the poll perhaps?

 

Should probably break this down between those who bought the truck THEN visited TW and those who were (stupidly IMO TW regulars THEN bought the truck).

 

I agree with you to a certain extent, no complaints from customers or potential customers doesn’t always mean a longer generation. I truly believe a redesign whtherblarge or small, when the time is right, is to stay competitive with other manufacturers. As mentioned, these companies are in it for the profit. If the next vehicle manufacturer is adding Bluetooth when it first came out, the rest followed. I’m using Bluetooth as a simple example, but have you noticed over the years, and decades motors are pushing more horse power and torque across all makes? That’s because it’s market driven. Their goal is for you to not consider something else because they’re lacking against that “something else” which potentially could affect thier sales. They don’t want to be left behind. Manufacturers want to be the trend setters or the “first ones” to have “added this” or “done that” before the competition in order to persuade you that they have the best out there and you can’t get it somewhere else. Would you not agree?

 

As much great discussion and points of views had on both sides, is this poll somewhat reasonable for someone who is considering a Tacoma for the first time to be safely put at ease after seeing all the OCD and issue/problem posts on here?

No matter what anyone does, there will always be complaints, always. I am comparing this poll to say an Amazon or Yelp grading structure because there is no consumer grading online that I know of, and motor trend/car n driver is one person making a judgment. Can’t trust that. And can’t trust what a manufacturer says, they’ll never say our product sucks don’t buy it no ones happy.

If something on amazon has 4.5 stars, and say 10,000 reviews, obviously the 1 star portion will still be very high, but when you consider proportion as wth this poll, I would still buy that 4.5 star product knowing nothing is made perfect, and knowing there are always people that grade things on personal preference, expectations, or even misuse as mentioned before and the Tacoma is no exception. I would still read some of the bad reviews to see if there is a common theme so that I’m ready if something happened, as I do with any problem someone posts on here, but I can also tell if the poster is an idiot or not by reading in between the lines. However, there are naive people out there that will believe everything everyone says regardless. If I saw this poll and never knew a thing about Tacoma’s, I’d still buy it even if all I saw on the first page of TW are TSBs, rear diff leak, front whine, rear whine, 3rd brake leak, sun roof leak, etc..

That’s my point of this little science experiment. There are more happy owners so to speak than not, and to me, that’s good enough because the consumer is the one who invested in it, they have no reason to fluff anything because they aren’t selling or marketing it, for the most part, they already own it. They have nothing to gain or lose by offering thier opinion or review.

 

I would say they all have different strategies. Some try to push tech or power as a way to differentiate themselves from others in the market. Some play the "fast follower" approach where they don't break new ground but they quickly adopt the new tech as fast as they can to squash any competitive advantage of their competitors.

Then, I would say, there is Toyota. Their strategy seems to be: "we are known for reliability and durability. We differentiate ourselves by putting out vehicles that are economical and reliable. "

That allows them to "lag" behind other manufacturers which creates a few competitive advantages: cheaper (older) tech/parts, the tech is more mature when they start using it (which means more reliable), and they don't spend as much on warranty work (theoretically).

But that also means you aren't going to be on the leading edge of automotive advancmemt in most Toyotas. Especially on well established brands/models.

However, if the other competitors start really pushing forward with tech Toyota gets dragged along with them. That's why I'm excited about the ranger.

 

This thread is going all over the place. I have a 2018 Highlander Limited Platinum with Toyota Safety Sense and other features. My ‘17 Sport TRD does not have those features.

I am on a 1000 mile trip as I write with the Highlander. The Technology that is incorporated in Safety Sense is much more than what other car companies are providing unless it’s a Benz, Volvo, BMW etc.

Safety Sense works amazing. So please don’t think that Toyota is not getting technology to the masses.

I was not looking for this technology when I purchased my Taco last year. When I was looking to purchase a ‘18 SUV, I was. So I went Toyota Highlander for its tech and reliability. It replaced a perfectly great running ‘13 Highlander Limited.

My 2 cents.......

 

only issue I had was the diff leak, got taken care of quickly.

 

This should be interesting