Toyota, just won't quit.

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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If you folks are living in DR or planning on living in DR then consider buying a toyota as these cars just won't quit on you when you are on the road.
Just yesterday we were in jarabacoa in a late model KIA SUV, owned by a girlfriend of my friend. My friend was driving and I was BSing in the back, chewing on food and drinking coke. Then he noticed the engine was losing power and making rattling noise. The power seem to have been deminishing every second. the temperature needle was within normal range. So we ruled out the high temperature (over heating of the motor). then the sound really became loud and the engine quit.
It turn outs there was no water in the radiator and the motor was burning red hot. Since there was no water in the radiator, we didn't see any overheating signs in the temp meter. Temperature of the motor is measured by the circulating water in the radiator from the engine, so no water, no temp reading. Needless to say, the motor is history and siezed.
Now I have a piece of Sh*t toyota tercel (1990) and believe me, I put it through rough abuse. The reason being, I simply hate this car because its so ugly. But I need this car because where I work, I have to park on a tight street and often the motorcycles and trucks bump into it. I have about 5 dents on it from people running into me while parked.
This car is just amazing. Its the most basic model you can find with a 1.5 liter engine and 5 speed stick. I have put this car through hell, blew up tires from hitting hell holes which would eat up other models of various other non-jap cars. I drive over speed bumps on high speeds and get my girlsfriends afraid. I have over loaded the car with enough people to have myself listed in the guiness book of world's record. I simply want to kill that car and I just can't bring it to stop on me. On top of all that, my A/C still works. In fact all of my friends who own toyota models, never seem to complain of any serious trouble in their cars.
Now I have other friends who own french cars, Kias, skoda, volkswagon and english cars, always complain of high cost of maintenance and contant breakdown. Carlos got it the worst by buying a 2002 landrover discovery SUV. Every time the guy went to mechanic he paid 16-30 k pesos on each jobs. His oil change alone was in thousands of pesos. I remember his a/c compressor went out the first 3 months, then the transmission went out, then the hydrolic raised shock pump went out, then this and that. His power doors went bad. This guy had nothing but problems from the very start. he bought it brand new. He just got rid of it and never feels more relieved. Now he drives a 2000 toyota camry and can't believe he never thought of toyotas before. It seems toyotas are built for this country. They have tough bodies and high raised to be driven on dominican rough roads. Mechanics seem to know how to work on them so it makes it very cost effective to own one and be able to get cheap parts for it. Junkyards are full of toyota parts and you will always have full access to service at any part of this country.
I recommend toyotas for dominican roads if you don't have the money to buy a japanese SUV. I predict gas prices to really go up through the sky so stick with regular sedan cars.
Good luck.
 

Eddy

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
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Just don't buy the parts at Toyota dealers. 1 pair of wipers for my Previa RD$3000.00. Parts for my Passat are cheaper. Everything else I just brought back from Canadian Tire in Montreal this weekend. Now that's cheap.
 

MONCHI8

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Jul 9, 2003
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Question???????????

Is this true of all Japanese cars or only of Toyotas? I can relate to AZB in that as soon as I start to care about a car and treat it really well all sorts of things start to go wrong but as soon as I say I'll never put a dime into this car and I hope it breaks down tommorrow so that I can get a new one it last me for ages no matter what kind of abuse I put it through. Are Acuras just as good and cheap to maintain? I like the Integras? What do you guys think.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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Not all Japanese cars are the same, but Toyotas and Hondas are the top quality earners pretty much every year. Accuras are made by Honda, so their quality is pretty good. Basically the Accura is the same accord, but more luxurious. Different sheet metal, but pretty much the same. Lexus is made by Toyota, so is pretty much the same as the Camry, Land Cruiser, etc...A while back I posted that the best vehicle to own in the DR (IMO) is the Honda CRV...for several reasons.

The Toyota Camry is a very nice quality car, but it does not have much clearance from the ground, which is necessary in the DR, because of the potholes and bumps (policias acostados). Still the Camry is probably the best selling car in the DR.

The Tercels are notorious for being as reliable as they are ugly.
 

MONCHI8

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Jul 9, 2003
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Question???????????

Thanks suarezn for the info but it brings up another question that I have. I read the info below from some government site and I was just wandering how does this compare with the DR since the most popular car over there is the Camry and the Honda. By the way I don't mean to hijack the thread but I don't think this question has been asked before. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks

Non-profit organizations such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) track the most stolen vehicles in America by tallying all cars that are reported stolen by law enforcement agencies each year. The NICB's current top ten list of most stolen vehicles nationwide is as follows:

1.Toyota Camry
2.Honda Accord
3.Honda Civic
4.Oldsmobile Cutlass
5.Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6.Chevrolet Full-Size Pickup
7.Toyota Corolla
8.Ford Taurus
9.Chevrolet Caprice
10.Ford F-150 Pickup
 
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Paulino

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Jan 4, 2002
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I'm glad to hear what you say about the Honda CR-V, being the happy owner of one myself, a 2000 sky blue (?) stick shift CR-V, at the moment sitting in a garage somewhere in the Cibao... until I get back in February! Only problem was the original owner had put some really slim racing tires on the 16'' magnesium rims, I had a flat tire almost daily until I switched to normal tires. Once I was stuck with two flat tires and no spares on the autopista Duarte, south of Bonao. Glad I survived...

I actually also own a '97 same model -wine red- here in Europe....

suarezn said:
...A while back I posted that the best vehicle to own in the DR (IMO) is the Honda CRV...for several reasons.

The Toyota Camry is a very nice quality car, but it does not have much clearance from the ground, which is necessary in the DR, because of the potholes and bumps (policias acostados). Still the Camry is probably the best selling car in the DR.

The Tercels are notorious for being as reliable as they are ugly.
 

pasha

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Sep 4, 2003
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AZB is spot on..... Toyota is the car to beat. I don't think there's a place in the developing world, on any continent, where it's not the most popular brand. For non-believers look at their stock.

As a result, parts are easier to come by and every shade tree mechanic knows how to fix it. Insofar as possible I'd avoid a bells and whistle model [electric windows, seats, etc - tho' electric door locks are essential for high security risk areas...no time to be fumbling around when some beady-eyed type is climbing in front seat with you].

As for rough terrain driving, as much depends on the driver as the vehicle. Only need to see goat herders in Yemen swaning over deep sand dunes in their 2WD Toyota pickemups [about same clearance as the Tercel I think], with landlubbers in their fully rigged 4WD behemoths stuck nearby, rocker panel deep in doo-doo.

Best, P
 

Jon S.

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Jan 25, 2003
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They get two thumbs up from me

I'll tell ya, AZB, Toyotas are hard to beat when it comes to best value. My father has a '92 Toyota Hilux 4 door pickup and the only problem it has ever given him is when he had to change the alternator about 2 years ago...........after 9 years of use and abuse.........I learned how to drive in that truck, it is one of the big wheel trucks so it stands higher than most trucks, when me and my friends would go out somewhere like a beach or when the family got together, you wouldn't believe how many people would fit in that truck.....my cousin has a '99 Camry and its really good too.

Thats my opinion of Toyotas and their outstanding bang-for-your-buck
 

A.J.

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Jan 2, 2002
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I can finally say it out loud how proud I am of my corolla Yippeee.

Although you all seem like youngsters (at least your cars) My 84 corolla still looks good, runs right and gosh darn it she loves me.

i took a friend on a tour of the country we went from monte cristi to Samana down to the capital over to higuey and then on to barahona, after that up the mountains to jarabacoa. We only had one problem the whole time and it got fixed in La Vega. It has survived traffic jams in santiago the hills to jarabacoa, the tour buses of puerto plata and the only dent i have is from a boat outside of santo domingo.

in other words if someone is going to buy a car in the DR i agree with alll of above - buy a Toyota or honda - you can get parts and get it fixed anywhere (especially outside of the capital)
 

quaqualita

Member
Feb 4, 2002
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I drive a 1981 (!!!!) Toyota Corona.
Very very ugly car, but it runs and runs and runs.

Have it since 4 years, I drive 50 miles every day, and it allways starts in the morning and never broke down while driving. Most parts I needed for it in the last years, I could buy at at a Motoconcho mechanic or "Clinica de Frenos", avarage costs 30 - 250 Pesos.
 

Eddy

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Jan 1, 2002
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OK OK You guys have convinced me. I'm going to keep the Toyota (Previa) and sell the Passat.
 

Lissa

Member
Aug 7, 2003
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www.lldesigndr.com
I had a Corolla ?86, (what a car) I went to jarabacoa many times , all over the country, and never ever I had any kinda of problem with him. Once on friday night I was driving very very fast on Luperon?s street in SD I hit the car with a deep hole and the base of the shock absorber got broke, but I didn?t realize it. next day I went to jarabacoa and stayed there for 2 days going up and down in all the mountains, when I got back home in SD on monday I felt something strange in the car so I took it to the mechanic and voila i saw the damage. But the car was fine all the time .
Later I change that jewel for a newer corolla (93) excellent car, with abs brake system and very confortable it is the luxury edition and still runs like new..
I love the TOYOTA brand..
 

andy a

Bronze
Feb 23, 2002
532
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Not so fast ...

Toyotas are certainly good cars.

I've owned Toyotas, Nissans, and Mitsubishis.

Mitsubishis are the easiest of the 3 for self maintenance - easily accessible oil filters, spark plugs, etc. It is my choice for the US. One Mitsubishi I drove for more than 200 thousand miles, and it was still fairly nice at the end of that time.

It does have an achilles heel, however, as do most cars. That is especially important in the DR where maintenance might be a problem. Although it was due to my own negligence, I let the mileage on the timing belt go too far. On the interstate, it broke and I was stranded in Mayberry RFD (or something close to it) for 3 days waiting for it to get replaced. Luckily, or perhaps because of excellent engineering, the engine itself survived - a major factor indeed.

Toyotas use timing belts also, so are susceptible to the same risk. Note: I understand that Toyota tried to address this problem recently, but I don't know the outcome.

My choice in the third world is therefore NISSAN. It avoids the timing belt problem by not using them, but gears instead for its' engines (at least some of them, the 2400 Stanza, for example). The Stanza is my choice for the DR. It's engine is the absolute best in the world in my opinion. The oil seems to stay cleaner, even as it uses less, than in Toyotas or Mitsubishis.
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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The Soltuion is the Road to Xanadu!

AZB said:
I have over loaded the car with enough people to have myself listed in the guiness book of world's record. I simply want to kill that car and I just can't bring it to stop on me.
Next time your in town buddy, we'll load the poor little thing up with as many ugly black Sosua hookers as we can pull in off of the street, strap a few to the hood, and the roof, and let you negotiate the road to Xanadu.

That'll finish off the little sucker, pronto! Of course you'll be stuck here poolside with all those ugly pros. Your worst nightmare! But XR will be having fun!

Tom (aka XR)
 
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Aguayo

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Oct 11, 2003
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Parts for Ford F150?

I'm thinking of moving to DR next year bringing my pick up F-150 model 2001 there.

I wonder if I will get parts and service at good price in DR.

An alternative would be selling it here (Canada) and buying another car there.

I would appreciate any advice.
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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Sell the gas-guzzling 150 and buy a japanese car here ( SUV perhaps). Ford 150 is an impressive vehicle but its also very bulky and consumes too much gas. The huge pot holes in DR streets will surely damage the suspension and will cost you a fortune to have it replaced. The fords do have nice comfortable suspension but the DR potholes are no joke, they can swallow a car. Be smart and don't bother going through the trouble of bringing you car here and having to go through the government red tape, customs to get it out without duties (if you are a resident here). Not worth the trouble.
 

Aguayo

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Oct 11, 2003
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The truck is 4x4 and in perfect condition so I hope it will not broke soon. I'm a very quiet driver, so I will slowdown when the road is very bumpy :)-
I'm already used to fill the tank of this guzzler and I love its loading capacity.

Of course, I know that the F150 is not as hard as Toyota Tacoma or Tundra. If I had knew before that I was going to DR may be I would have purchased a Toyota instead a Ford.

For the time I get the residence in DR I would have owned the car for more three years and it is less than 5 years old (I purchased it brand new), so, base in what I read in this forum, I can bring it there with all my other things without paying a fortune.

But the specific thing I would like to know is if you can parts and services for a Ford F150 easily there, by example in Puerto Plata.
 

Larry

Gold
Mar 22, 2002
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Re: The Soltuion is the Road to Xanadu!

XanaduRanch said:
Next time your in town buddy, we'll load the poor little thing up with as many ugly black Sosua hookers as we can pull in off of the street, strap a few to the hood, and the roof, and let you negotiate the road to Xanadu.

That'll finish off the little sucker, pronto! Of course you'll be stuck here poolside with all those ugly pros. Your worst nightmare! But XR will be having fun!

Tom (aka XR)

Can I come too?Not for the hookers and all the booze I am going to drink at Toms ranch, I just want to help kill the car.
Larry