Comments on: Toyota passes GM as top automaker

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:26:38 +0000

Ray, Ray , Ray. I feel so sorry for you. It’s really hard to believe anything you say.
By the way, your showing your age, “nerd”. That’s the best you can do as well. You have been hangin out with Potsy and Ralph Mouth too much.
Hey I heard deanj needs a friend.
Dean, what a manly name.
Internet Tough Guys.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:23:19 +0000

deantj, get an education. Do something productive. Your just jealous because your intelligence level holds you back from being capable as speaking as I do. This is the best you can do, call me a bunch of jr high names.
Yea, not too insulted by the way.
Maybe you should consider some English courses.
I will run circles around you any day.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:04:23 +0000

The cars might change. The service, as I continue to hear from GM drivers, hasn’t. That is a big part of it. It’s what I’ve been saying all along. I have had no reason to go back to GM.

Believe me, I have owned a couple of Cadillacs, a few chevys, including a Corvette that I owned for so long that I’m a lifetime member of the local Corvette club even though I no longer own one. The Corvette club meets once a week. There’s over a hundred members, many of whom buy new Corvettes, silverados, Tahoes, Cadillacs, etc. I hear all the time about the service. Things haven’t changed that much.

So, go ahead and keep accusing me of cherry-picking, but I have not had a bad experience with jap cars or service yet. Like I said, my beater, a ‘91 Lexus, a sixteen year old car, still is washed by the dealership every time it goes in for routine maintenance or oil changes…no charge. What reason do I have to change my opinion? Because GM cars LOOK BETTER today than they did before? In my opinion, Lexus and BMW have the best designs across the full lineup today. I wouldn’t drive a BMW, but I understand the popularity of them. Anyway…

Suppose you are a football coach, and you have to choose a play. It’s a relatively important game, and you’ve got the ball. You’ve actually narrowed your choices to 2 plays. The first play has never ever failed you. It has always worked beautifully and gotten you a lot of yards. The second play looks good on paper, but it has never ever worked out right or been successfully executed. What would you do?

If I’m the coach, I’m going with the play that has always worked and never let me down. And I’ll keep choosing that play until it stops working. Then, and only then, would I consider going with the other play.

But before I’d ever get back to GM, I’d go through Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Hyundai, and Kia. I’ll probably be dead before I’d ever find my way back to GM.

Now I think I’m embarrassing myself by having beaten this dead horse to dust. You all can have your opinions. I’ll maintain mine. Good luck to all. See you in another article.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:37:32 +0000

the biggest pos i ever had was a 1989 toyota pickup but i would have no problem buying a tacoma….why…..cars get better. i wouldnt limit my choices today over something that happened over 10 years ago. didnt audi change? yes, they went from painted turds to sweet ass cars.yeah gm has a long way to go for sure, so at least keep an open mind if anything.and i wish all the gm haters would at least not bash the people here who happen to like 1 or 2 of the cars in gm`s entire lineup. for me its the NEW cadillacs (i agree the old ones were ugly and stupid pos`s)and the c6 lineup, the rest ….meh.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:27:54 +0000

And perhaps none of you are old enough to remember, but Cadillacs were that expensive in 1993. I paid cash.

The insurance totaled the car out and I got about 30 grand. And purchased a 2 year old Lexus LS400. Life has been wonderful ever since. I use the Lexus as my beater now.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:10:26 +0000

Nobody gets a second chance to screw me over. Sorry. That’s the way I operate. Hey, you know what? September 11 was almost SIX YEARS AGO! Get over it, man. There are many people today who WOULD make that statement. I don’t believe ANYBODY on this page would say it. Is it Different? Yes, definitely, but yet I did have this personal experience, and you guys sound like the dumb****s for even commenting about it. You won’t change my opinion. I have had no trouble with jap makes since 1993, so being the intelligent minded person that I am, I’d have to be an absolute moron to shop with GM. Judging by Toyota’s sales, I’d have to say a lot of people are with me on this. Maybe nobody here, but somebody’s buying up the Toyotas.

How did 2 japanese cars, the Camry and the Accord, ever overtake the Cutlass, which was one of the best selling cars several years back. And later the Taurus. How did they do it? By building a better car and offering great service. Well you all say that GM is building better cars…where are the sales? When is the Accord or Camry going to be outsold by the Malibu. Maybe this next Malibu, which looks a lot like an Acura TL without the sun in its eyes will gain some traction. ‘Til then, there really isn’t much of an argument that you can make.

By the way, I will correct myself. It wasn’t an Impala SS. It was the impala that most resembled the SS…Black, 5-spoke rims, spoiler, top-of-the-line. Had it been today, it would have been the SS model, considering GM is badging everything including ****ty little Cobalts, big dorky trailblazers and HHR’s with the SS badge. Once again, I don’t care enough about GM to distinguish it. But thanks to the nerd who corrected me. Keep it real, son.

You guys seem to be the ones who can take it in the rear over and over and enjoy it so much that you encourage others to do the same. Good. Good for you I say.

By: Piablo

Piablo — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:24:40 +0000

Seriously, I think this is BrokenCaddilac reincarnated. He took a hiatus after we schooled him for thinking it was okay to be violent against Hummer drivers because they knew what they were getting into.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:25:35 +0000

rodeo40, theyre fun to drive but i said ssr(i dont like the hhr its just blaaah) the fj was not as good as i thought, not terrible neither but in no way”exciting”.
ray = mr.brokencadillac, dude things change, it is 2007 now, were you in a coma this whole time?
lamboz get a life, you sir make me laugh, those were some good posts.lmao.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:57:25 +0000

Piablo, Same to you as well. Yea I agree Lambo Z is just a young guy, probably smart, fresh out of college
but still too young to be considered mature. He certainly has that young guy arrogance in his writings. Feels and thinks he is much smarter then what he really is and needs some life experience under his belt.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:54:42 +0000

Ray Sinclair, 1993? Do you know what year it is now? Thank you for the nice compliments. Again, show me a 41k
Seville built in 1993. Do not exist, they never cost that much back then, in 2000 or 2001 they did.
There is still no such car as a 2000 Imapala SS, did not come out as an SS until 2004.
Ray, I don’t think you would know a brand new car if it hit you in the street.
Anyone who would rant and rave on an automotive enthusiasts website about an old car could not afford a new car because I doubt someone like that could hold down a job for very long.
Something tells me that perhaps you either A) work at Jiffy Lube and claim to know cars. or B) the porter at the local Enterprise Rent-a-Car at the BFE International Airport in BFE, California which would explain how you feel you know cars. You know that 1/8 mile jaunt at 5 mph’s to bring the car up to the renter.
Once again get some help.
Hey I heard Lambo-Z needs a girlfriend? You should e-mail him sometime. You both would make a perfect couple.

There, There Ray, you internet toughguy.

By: Piablo

Piablo — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:22:21 +0000

You were one of 40? ONE OF 40????? 40 caddies catch fire and all of GM sucks? You’ve got some issues bud. What, did you forget your icecream cone in the raging inferno? I’d be pretty angry too if a burning caddie melted my icecream cone.
Not to mention, that was 1993! Toyota was a different company then as GM was. As I said earlier, just keep talking, we’ll see where your bias really comes from. And yes, cherry picking. Anyone can find stories to support their agenda. It’s a bit different though when you open your eyes and accept truth.

LamboZGetALife – It’s a pleasure. If LamboZ is the product of an overly liberal family. So many of his views will have a ‘what everyone else should be doing’ kinda ring to it. He’s young, with a little help he’ll come around.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:53:07 +0000

Go ahead and look up Cadillac recalls for 1993-failed fuel lines leading to underhood fires. I was one of the lucky 40 or so whose car caught on fire. FACT.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:45:03 +0000

Really? Cherry Picking?

By: rodeo40

rodeo40 — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:19:31 +0000

I’ll give you the CTS, but only the 08 version and the solstice. Don’t know anything about the voxhall, opel or holden. I’m just as patriotic as anyone and want to see GM do well, but I need to see some long term quality and innovation before I put my money down. By the way the last GM car I drove was an HHR…whoever was on that design team should be fired. Not really bad looking, but crap nonetheless.

By: stadt

stadt — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:09:45 +0000

Ray, you just cherry-pick evidence to support your point and heavily rely on personal experience and NOT facts.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:19:32 +0000

The Toyota FJ is hardly boring…now tell me which GM car isn’t boring…not including the Corvette of course.

Comment by rodeo40, posted on April25 at 9:04 am

cts
h3
ssr
solsticegxp/saturn redline
silverado
any voxhall
any opel
any holden

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:59:53 +0000

And by the way…I’m not upset at all…read the headline-I’m happy. But I’m also realistic about this year. While I do think Toyota will take GM once and for all sometime in the future, I realize this statistic accounts for only the first 3 months. I know GM will probably do something like employee pricing or low financing to generate more sales to remain no. 1 for the year… I’m perfectly fine….and happy as hell…thanks for the concern, though. As for medication? Don’t think I’ll need it now that I don’t have to deal with GM service anymore…hopefully not for a long time. Thanks though anyway. And, like PrimeGTP said before me, Lamboz get a life, you are MY new best friend as well….aaaahhhhhh, sigh. GM still sucks. Anyone out there with me?

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:54:32 +0000

Lamboz get a life, you are my new best friend.

By: HalGameGuru

HalGameGuru — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:09:11 +0000

the FJ cruiser is a staid toyota model with new body panels and interior materials. They “say” its based off the 4runner, and it may well be i mistook the 4’s in the names, but the dimensions and “underpinnings” are far closer to the rav4 chassis than the 4runner/mega cruiser chassis.

its a retro styled body kit on a basic toyota chassis.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:35:56 +0000

by the way Ray Sinclair, California is mighty populated to say you know that no one with Honda’s or Toyota’s has issues with there cars?

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:55:37 +0000

Hi Ray Sinclair, you are an idiot. So you had a Caddy 15 years ago that was obviously used so who knows how old it was when you bought it. Yes there were certainly issues with quality of domestics as well as there dealership network practices back then. Great strides have been made. Tried to buy a Honda lately? A new one I mean. They treat you like an uneducated fool if you try and negotiate a price with them, because they don’t negotiate because they know if you don’t buy some Consumer Reports worshiper will. My brother (whom believes Honda is the second coming of Christ)has a loaded 2004 Honda Pilot. Very nice SUV, though a little feminie for my taste, he has had issue after issue with it. Honda used a bolt that was too long on the timing belt cover that cut the timing belt while driving at 35 mph’s. Fortunatly covered under warranty and later became a recall. Yes Honda has those too and just like GM it takes a few episodes of the same situation to make it a recall.
You truly are a pshyco Ray. What normal person gets this upset at a car company let alone people whom he is speaking with via the internet. You don’t even know much about cars because earlier you stated your buddy had a 2000 Impala SS that cost 35k. There is no such thing as a 2000 Impala SS let alone the fact that a 2007 cost 30k. Get your facts straight before you make up BS stories to prove your invalid point about bad service experience 15 years ago. It’s mentality like yours that is the downfall of this country.
Ray , get some treatment before you hurt yourself or someone around you. Perhaps some 500 mg of Zoloft or something to get you through the day without worring about your bad Caddy service experience 15 years ago. Move on, better yet move away.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:29:01 +0000

This is my first time to comment on LLN, though I get onto the website at least once a month to hear the constant import versus domestic bashing which seems to be all this website is about. It’s funny to see know matter what story you open, especially domestic ones, Lamborgini Z always seems to be on there at one point bashing anything domestic just to stir up the pot. Just like GMnumberone, whom is missed lately, he should be ignored. Though he writes intelligently as opposed to GMnumberone, they still have the same objective, to piss people off on this website and turn it into something other then talking about cars and the automobile industry. Look at the times Lambo Z is on the website, it’s all over the place. Does he have a life? kids, wife, or a girlfriend or something else to do. It strikes me a true auto enthusiast has more to do then insult on the web. Lamborgini Z as you call yourself, you are not an American as a true American would not want to see the failure of any American Company whether it be cars or dish washing liquid as this cost Americans there jobs and economy.You must be European. It’s great that foriegn automakers are investing in America, they should, we are the one’s with the money that buy there cars. Considering one of the oldest foriegn manufacturing plants in this country is Honda (Marysville, OH) and it is only a 25 year old facility, the foriegn manufactures have not dealt with American policies such as workers comp, EPA, American retirees, disability and on and on as much as they are still young in this country. One thing I notice living close to the Honda plant that produces the Accord is the constant turn over rate at Honda is pretty high, the same goes for the Toyota plant outside of Lexington, Kentucky. Someone looking for a blue color position at either of these plants must become employed first with the temporary employment service, Manpower, in order to even get a foot in the door. They have an ad in The Columbus Dispatch every Sunday for Honda workers “with a chance to be hired fulltime at 7 to $10.00 an hour.” Not exactly economic booster type hiring practices and pay scale. It takes 6 months to one year to become a fulltime Honda employee. I realize some of this is to swap the good and bad potential employee’s but it’s also to weed out people that may incite union membership, which I agree has alot to do with the issues of American automakers, especially on quality fifteen years back. Lmaborgini Z, it’s obvious you believe you are the know all be all of automotive quality, but obviously you are not as you have not driven every car available in this country. If your only domestice experience is a base model rental Impala or the Berretta your friend had in high school then shut up and stay out of the domestic features and just rant and rave on the import stories. All cars are the same in this decade, some are faster, some are pricey, some are cheap. A car that cost 60k should be put together differently then one that cost 20k, but sometimes that is’nt the case. BMW has reliability issues that a Camry or an Impala don’t have, so it’s all hand in hand. Once everyone that is a follower of what the mainstream media through TV and magazine publications gets over the perception of quality thrown at them everyday, it will be seen that it is all the same good and bad. Lambo Z, perhaps a hobby other then the internet might do you some good.

By: rodeo40

rodeo40 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:56:03 +0000

@HalGameGuru

The underpinnings of the FJ are from the 4Runner and Tacoma. It also looks nothing like the RAV4. What exactly do you mean by “warmed over RAV4″?

By: 0GSharK6

0GSharK6 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:25:13 +0000

I work somewhat for GM, and yes, rebates are down. Sales are remaining pretty steady with the slightly slashed rebates. People love the Impalas and Tahoes, and rightfully so.

By: rerone

rerone — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:01:09 +0000

All my friends with Toyotas agree that Toyota service departments are very average. My friends simply maintain that they don’t need the Toyota service department. Makes since, Toyota is a plebeian brand with millions of cars on the road just like Chevy.It’s not considered a premium or upscale brand. You don’t get Premium treatment.That’s why they created Lexus. To Lexus credit they did raise the bar on customer service. I’m able to differentiate my BMW service experience in the early 1990’s, which was terrible, from my sister’s BMW experience now which she says is excellent. But that brings up a point, how do you guys know so much about Toyota service unless you’ve needed it?

By: stadt

stadt — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:00:23 +0000

Well they just fought a lawsuit over sludge buildup? Wouldn’t the Toyota thing to do be admit the problem and get everyone new motors? Ugg, you people are always “well my PERSONAL experience blah blah blah.” Proves nothing.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:25:24 +0000

Deantj has proven my point exactly. You all think that Toyota will head downhill because of quality…not true at all. If they ever begin to treat customers the way GM does, then maybe…but I think they know where their advantage is, and I’m not so sure that will happen anytime soon…get off the sinking ship and shut the hell up already…

By: rerone

rerone — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:04:01 +0000

The US auto market is the most competitive in the world. THAT IS A FACT!

By: rerone

rerone — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:01:08 +0000

Again,you don’t get it. Get over Toyota. The US auto market does not belong to any one company. And it never will. There will be no clear dominator in the US market anymore. Just look at the rise of Hyundai. There beating Toyota in some comparisons tests. Hell, don’t forget about Kia.They’re not just diluting sales for GM, and Ford. And the Chinese aren’t even here yet. There was never a way for GM and Ford to keep 50% of US car sales to themselves unless we lived in a closed economy. Fact is,there are stigmas and prejudices that change from generation to generation. The Korean car stigma is disappearing. Someday so will the idea of a Chinese car. And they will be taking sales from the larger players.

By: stadt

stadt — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:56:21 +0000

Hey Ray, Toyota passed GM worldwide, not in US sales. So your personal observation about GM fleet sales and the wide swaths of the country with no Toyotas yet Toyota STILL overcoming GM really doesn’t hold water. Last I checked GM smokes Toyota in domestic sales.

By: rerone

rerone — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:41:22 +0000

Your tone. They have a spot for you on The View. Why don’t you audition.

By: rerone

rerone — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:38:06 +0000

Ray, there may not be something wrong with your car but there’s clearly something wrong with you.

By: HalGameGuru

HalGameGuru — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:35:35 +0000

the toyota FJ is a warmed over RAV4, call us when it gets a dedicated design.

By: Ray Sinclair

Ray Sinclair — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:08:43 +0000

Well, whether or not I’m an asshole, I get great service from my japanese-make dealerships. But you ALL are right. There’s absolutely NO reason why Toyota surpassed GM. I mean, c’mon…How many thousands of cars does GM sell fleet to rental car companies and cities, and law enforcement agencies, and yet they still had their asses handed to him. This despite certain areas of the country where you could go all day without seeing a single Toyota or Honda, and yet Toyota passed them. Even when you can now buy any GM product, which may very well have a better warranty for hundreds to thousands of dollars less than a comparable Toyota, and yet, well…as they say…look at the SCOREBOARD. You don’t need to take my word for it. I’m not even part of the equation here. I buy my Jap cars and drive them for at least 12 years…I have had no need to buy anything in recent years…I’m not one of the 9 million people purchasing a Toyota every year. It’s not just me, many people buy these cars and drive them ’til they turn to dust. And I don’t drive like an old lady… But fine, have it your way. I AM THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO HAS RECEIVED ****TY-ASS SERVICE CONSISTANTLY FROM GM DEALERSHIPS, WHO HAVE SERVICED CARS WHO HAVE ONLY BEEN ****TY TO ME BECAUSE I’M AN ASSHOLE, AND THEREFORE I’M THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO HAS MADE THE SWITCH TO THESE JAPANESE MAKES FOR SUCH REASONS. That’s why I pay more for a car of equal quality, equal customer service, less of a warranty, etc. Whatever. Somebody’s going down the tubes, and nobody may want to admit who it is, but it certainly isn’t Toyota, you worthless pieces of ****…but thanks for the compliment.

By: gbb

gbb — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:13:01 +0000

Ray, you think your bad experience with dealers and their service departments might be just a teeeeeeeny bit related to the fact that you act like a huge asshole? Nawwwwwwwwww, not a chance.