Ok, my brother in law in shopping for a new suv and has pretty much decided on a Toyota Prado (new). I have looked at them with him and they look like a great vehicle. However, his best friend is very vocally opposed to the Prado as he says that it is a very dangerous vehicle as they are a target for thieves and other bad guys. He says that it is the most stolen vehicle in the DR and that it is highly dangerous to drive one! Normally I would not pay much attention to this but he is normally a fairly intelligent person and quite reasonable so this seems out of character for him. He is also wealthy so it is not a jealousy thing. Anyway, he is so emphatic about this that my brother in law is now having doubts in case this has some thread of truth to it. To me it seems equal to other suv's. Does anyone have any knowledge about this suv that we don't know?
- Thread starter Bigocean
- Start date
Toyota Prado a problem suv??
I am a foreigner who visit the DR a few times per year, one of my friends from USA who visit the country more than me is friends of people from the PN and another law and order organization. We were talking once about how bad suv owners in DR drive, they think the streets belongs to them. He also told me the his PN friend affirmed that Prados is the most popular vehicle among delinquents so in terms if delinquency it is not a good vehicle to own. In terms of street safety suvs are now the safest vehicle to drive because of the stability control system which is now a standard feature on all new cars. New Suvs protects more drivers and passengers than any other vehicle according to the NSTA and Consumer Reports tests.
So they shouldn't be bought because they are the most popular vehicle for thieves to steal? In the US I would say "who cares?" But in DR if your car gets stolen, I'm sure its a pain in the a$$ situation as I'm sure the insurance company will do everything not to pay.
SHALENA
SHALENA
i think the issue is less of stealing and more of actual delinquentes driving that car. those big toyotas, mainly land cruiser but prado as well, are very trendy among drug dealers, somehow 
i'm not saying only narco bosees drive them, mind you. my father in law has one. and one of his sisters, who is a very "uncool" old wrinkled bat
i'm not saying only narco bosees drive them, mind you. my father in law has one. and one of his sisters, who is a very "uncool" old wrinkled bat
The worst drivers I have seen drive Toyota Prados and Mitsubishi Monteros. As for the Prado being a bad vehicle, I doubt Toyota makes a bad vehicle. As for buying a vehicle that is stolen often, that would cause me to reconsider buying it, but not be the overriding decision maker.
they must be stolen at gunpoint because you just don't pick the lock, jimmy the door and hotwire a prado. the ones i've been in run on diesel which is a plus and perform like a porsche. beautiful interiors and not fuel beasts as are the toyota land cruiser.....all sounds like envy to me.........
I had a Prado for four years and have just traded it in for a Cayenne. In all honesty I think it was a mistake. I think I prefer the Prado. The 3 litre turbo diesel is a wonderful engine and very frugal on fuel. Unlike the Cayenne!
One does not JUST steal a Prado and somehow I doubt that your usual idiot car thief would know how to bypass all the factory security equipment. Get it fully insured and install the Lowjack tracker on it.
You will not regret buying a Prado.
One does not JUST steal a Prado and somehow I doubt that your usual idiot car thief would know how to bypass all the factory security equipment. Get it fully insured and install the Lowjack tracker on it.
You will not regret buying a Prado.
Are you sure you don't like the Cayenne diesel? I am pretty sure this Audi engine is a lot smoother than the Toyota's.
This is the Lexus
Ther Prado is a bit smaller.
That isnt a GX, that is an LX 470. That is actually a luxury Land Cruiser.
This is a GX 470
This is a very dressed up Prado.
My wife says she wants Prado when we go back home to DR. I better get of DR1 and start working more OT. Jajajajajajajajaja
That isnt a GX, that is an LX 470. That is actually a luxury Land Cruiser.
This is a GX 470
This is a very dressed up Prado.
Ok, thanks, I really never saw this model.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks for all of the feedback. I never thought about the drug dealer profile type of connection, maybe that's what freaks him out so bad? I was worried that there was some inherent problem with the suv that we were not knowledgeable about, but it seems not to be the case. One thing that I liked about the suv was that it has an intelligent key system that does not allow the vehicle to be started without the original key within a couple of feet of the drivers seat. It only comes with two keys and delta said that to get a replacement, the owner has to go to delta with proof of ownership and they have to solicit from Toyota. Sounds very secure if it works that way! I checked the Lexus website and it seems that the Lexus GX has the same body style of the Prado:
GX | Overview
I'll show my brother in law this thread at lunch and I'm sure he'll feel better! Thanks again for your feedback everyone.
Thanks for all of the feedback. I never thought about the drug dealer profile type of connection, maybe that's what freaks him out so bad? I was worried that there was some inherent problem with the suv that we were not knowledgeable about, but it seems not to be the case. One thing that I liked about the suv was that it has an intelligent key system that does not allow the vehicle to be started without the original key within a couple of feet of the drivers seat. It only comes with two keys and delta said that to get a replacement, the owner has to go to delta with proof of ownership and they have to solicit from Toyota. Sounds very secure if it works that way! I checked the Lexus website and it seems that the Lexus GX has the same body style of the Prado:
GX | Overview
I'll show my brother in law this thread at lunch and I'm sure he'll feel better! Thanks again for your feedback everyone.
Hey if you like it, have the $$ for it, God bless you and get it! Toyota/Lexus is a great brand! The one thing in DR, like anything else, is to be cautious. Suvs in the DR are stolen at GUNPOINT, and you might get kidnapped as well. The mother of a friend of mine was followed and they threatened her at gunpoint and took her new Lexus SUV from her last year...and thats one of many similar cases that Ive heard, and thats only in Santiago! I could only imagine SD...
My former boss in DR, would buy older cars while in DR and go around in Rock tshirts and jeans...but he has megabucks! he did it to avoid attention.....
Lots of luck to you!
My former boss in DR, would buy older cars while in DR and go around in Rock tshirts and jeans...but he has megabucks! he did it to avoid attention.....
Lots of luck to you!
I agree with you on this that just because it is stolen a lot is certainly no reason to not buy it. But my brother in law was more worried about the violent robbery scenario since the suv is primarily to be for his wife and children to use. As a side note, I had a suv stolen about 10 years ago and in that time, the insurance company had "by law" 6 months to try to recover the vehicle before they paid. Of course after the six months passed (they did not find it, thank god as I sure it would have been destroyed), they drug their feet, made excuses, etc. until I finally got a lawyer involved to get them to pay. It took about a year total to receive some money from them. A terrible and eye-opening experience.
Drug dealers these days do not drive the Prado. Absolutely bull ****. They are driving around in Cayennes turbos and M6, that type of cars.
Prado is not the most stolen car in the DR. Also no correct. Besides that, the new Prado 2011 is very difficult to steal with its electronic wireless key. If somebody does not have the key they can not start it. The ones with the normal locks, like every car, can be stolen quickly.
Here my list of new cars i had (and never stolen and i make many miles)!! 20% very heavy offroad (Samana-Playa el Valle), 20% offroad, 40 % normal roads and20% highway.
-Prado diesel 45.000 km 2005 : Absolutely 0 problems and never did any maintenance!!! Comfortable, economic but slow. Very good for off road.
-Touareg diesel 55.000 km 2007. From the beginning to the end problems with the front suspension. Exchanged 9 times the front suspension and in total was more than 3 month in Abreu. NEVER AGAIN. Comfortable. Not suitable for heavy offroad.
-BMW x6 diesel 55.000 km 2009. Sold it at the moment that problems came. One time a mirror was stolen and the front grill. Absoluty not good for heavy off road
-at this moment Range Rover Supercharger 2010. Several suspension problems and had to stay for almost 3 weeks in the garage because did not have the parts. Very good for heavy off road. Consumes like crazy!!!
-looking now to the new parado diesel and landcruiser. Mostly reading reviews and test from Australia. Its the best country for reading test and reviews because of the road conditions. Prado has more power and nowadays very easy to order a remapping chip that increases power with around 30%.
Anti-theft system: a niece pitbull !!!
Prado is not the most stolen car in the DR. Also no correct. Besides that, the new Prado 2011 is very difficult to steal with its electronic wireless key. If somebody does not have the key they can not start it. The ones with the normal locks, like every car, can be stolen quickly.
Here my list of new cars i had (and never stolen and i make many miles)!! 20% very heavy offroad (Samana-Playa el Valle), 20% offroad, 40 % normal roads and20% highway.
-Prado diesel 45.000 km 2005 : Absolutely 0 problems and never did any maintenance!!! Comfortable, economic but slow. Very good for off road.
-Touareg diesel 55.000 km 2007. From the beginning to the end problems with the front suspension. Exchanged 9 times the front suspension and in total was more than 3 month in Abreu. NEVER AGAIN. Comfortable. Not suitable for heavy offroad.
-BMW x6 diesel 55.000 km 2009. Sold it at the moment that problems came. One time a mirror was stolen and the front grill. Absoluty not good for heavy off road
-at this moment Range Rover Supercharger 2010. Several suspension problems and had to stay for almost 3 weeks in the garage because did not have the parts. Very good for heavy off road. Consumes like crazy!!!
-looking now to the new parado diesel and landcruiser. Mostly reading reviews and test from Australia. Its the best country for reading test and reviews because of the road conditions. Prado has more power and nowadays very easy to order a remapping chip that increases power with around 30%.
Anti-theft system: a niece pitbull !!!