Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Can Toyota's Reputation Recover?

Even those who don't keep up with the auto industry know that Toyota's reputation has suffered drastically from various safety issues. Most famously, the "stuck accelerator" issue caused world-wide notoriety and was the subject of ridicule and concern. The big question is, can this automaker ever recover from its slump?


Just to demonstrate how tarnished Toyota's reputation has become recently, I'll cite J.D. Power’s 2010 Avoider Study which found that 19 percent of new car shoppers surveyed steered clear of Toyota showrooms because they thought the automaker had “bad reputation.” 

Toyota has always prided itself on being a manufacturer of safe vehicles with superb reliability, but with so many marks against itself in these areas, consumers seem to be putting their money elsewhere. Domestic sales have risen, and projections indicate they will continue to do so. 

Question for my readers: if you had $30,000 to purchase a brand new vehicle, what would you choose and why?

Update:  My favorite answer thus far is Sucio's.

34 comments:

  1. Hyundai Genesis Coupe, no fucking question about it. Rear wheel drive, 3.0 motor capable of 30mpg, and affordable.

    either that or a used VW GTI, or a used Mini Cooper S.

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  2. I would chose a bmw mini cooper because they look amazing and they are gas efficient!

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  3. actually with 30k i coul dbuy new ones, so i would buy both and give the mini to my gf

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  4. i would buy a new audi a3 TDI, practically the best gas mileage and style for miles :)

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  5. Think they've gotten kind of a unfar wrap... but thats what you get for sneak attacking Pearl Harbor

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  6. Well, I'm not sure what i'd buy. But I wouldn't knock Toyota out of my consideration ring because of safety. My biggest concern would probably be gas efficiency.

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  7. with the amount of bad publicity Toyota has gotten, I'm surprised only 19 per cent of new car buyers are avoiding them.

    I've never owned a car, and I don't know anything about cars. But whenever I'm going to make any purchase, even for something under $10, I always do as much research as I can to find the right product for the right price.

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  8. I'd buy two Suzuki SX4 crossovers.

    Toyota owners are the kind of people who don't want to think about anything mechanical. They're non-technical, non-analytic people. They need a car to give them the warm-and-fuzzies. That's why this has been disproportionally damaging for Toyota.

    Nobody buys a Prius on economic, scientific, mathematical or environmental grounds. They do it because it makes them feel good.

    Not sure what their fallback brand is. I need to know what to avoid when driving.

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  9. Forget cars, I would buy a BMW 1200GS Adventure and a Ducati GT1000 Sport Classic.

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  10. My first car was a toyota Camry. Drove that baby till she had over 300,000 miles.

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  11. I'd glady accept a Toyota donation if they wish to start giving them out to rebuild their image.

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  12. Honestly my opinion of Toyota hasn't changed much. It might sound bad, but honestly sometimes things happen, you can't stop every bad thing from happening to every person.

    And in any case, Toyota's last forever and I've always had a good experience.

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  13. I'd probably buy a bike instead. I really can't think of anything off the top of my head.

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  14. Suciô Sanchez is not one of my favoritest people ever.

    I do think Toyota has created a name of reliability for themselves which is why it's actually so damaging for their image. But at least their cars don't explode if you hit them from behind...yet.

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  15. Oh hey, there was a question. I would buy a 1969 Camaro. They don't make cars like they used too. Older cards, like pre 90's to pre 80's are extremely cheap and easy to repair compared to newer cars. The repairs costs alone would make older cars excessively more cost effective compared to the newer ones. Half the time your car is worth less then the repair bill on newer cars.

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  16. I'd go for an AUdi A6 i've always liked the brand

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  17. Acura or Nissan altima. And I agree with incorrectlogin. They don't make em like they use to. I use to have a '69 camaro and never had a problem with that thing.

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  18. 30k ... Nissan Rogue. Not because of the Toyota bad rap going on but because I had been looking at a rogue anyways. As for the bad rap ... hell its all cyclical. Few years ago Ford was getting reamed over the Roll over issues. GM Dodge Nissan (Infiniti) Honda (Acura) Toyota (Lexus) ... they have all had recalls.
    The majority of the bad rap is cause some people are too stupid to say "Oh crap my cars accelerating" and then throw the damn thing in park. Stripped transmission gears or kill some one? The whole thing that went on in California several months back. The guys stuck pedal went on for several minutes and miles WHILE HE WAS ON THE FONE WITH 911!!! I had a throttle cable snap before. I didn't freak out cause I lost power. I said "OH shit this sucks!" and pulled over to the side of the road. We need to update our Drivers ed classes not just here in the US but everywhere. Cars are sophisticated pieces of machinery we need to teach people to take care of them! ... If you dont know how to change a tire you dont need to drive!

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  19. Hyundai Santa Fe with the four banger all the way. Fast enough, fuel efficient and safe.

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  20. i drive toyota, but i wish i would drive BMW

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  21. I'd buy 5 Segways... hand them out to my 4 best friends... ride around town in awesome leather jackets... and have facesex with women...

    sucio can keep his suzuki sx4's... the '4' represents his ranking on the 1-10 Man Scale...

    everyone knows bitches love two tires... and gyroscopes...

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  22. I would buy myself a Subaru WRX STI for the cold canadian winters and snow. DRIFTING AHEAD

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  23. i think its only matter of time when toyota will be this old toyota.

    i dont want toyota, i want subaru!

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  24. iam german therfore either audi or mercedes

    :D

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  25. Same as David. My first car was a Camry. That thing lasted quite a while. I have a much better car now. Don't think I'd get another Toyota.

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  26. I also wouldn't knock out Toyota just for this incident. It may be really profitable stock-wise when they do recover. Safety is an issue every automobile company will need to address if they want to remain profitable.

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  27. Wow, how have a not heart of this? Sucks for Toyota...

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  28. I have owned 2 Toyotas. Would not hesitate to buy another. Honda is loving it right about now though.

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  29. I've never really like Toyota that much. Their handling of this really has been awful though. Always liked Honda a little better

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  30. I'd buy This 2004 F350 4x4 diesel crewcab and spend the rest on hookers and blow. And after the apocalypse, my diesel will run on filtered used cooking oil.

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