"Don White" wrote in message
...
What to do...
choices...

2006 Toyota RAV4: Took it for a test drive this afternoon.
Lots of pep...but seemed to lag a bit between when pedal was floored until
OD kicked in. Also OD jumped out very quickly. Model with moonroof way
too confining...base model not bad.. a bit small and rear seat room
cramped.

2006 Toyota Sienna: For $800.00 less and a better interest rate on
financing/leasing, was quite reasonable. Much smoother in both power and
ride..... very roomy in front and back seats. But vehicle just looks too
big from the outside...and after all it's a mini-van.
After driving one for 11 years, do I want to jump into another?

2006 Ford Ranger: They are giving these things away on a 3 year lease.
$209.00 per month CDN for 6 cyl manual transmission model..no security or
downpayment, $1K in free accessories and a chance to play some stupid
'Open Suitcase' game to win money.
To add automatic and air conditioning you add another $50.00 per month.
The 6 cyl 3.0 liter engine isn't very powerful, but could fill in as a 2nd
vehicle and boat hauler.



Never had a Toyota anything, so I can't comment, but I have had a couple of
Rangers and I think they are one of the greatest values around. Actually a
re-badged Mazda, just about everyone I know that's had one, including me,
loved the little truck. I also had a Chevy S-10 for a while. The Ranger
was much better, IMO. It acts like a little truck.

RCE

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 19:51:54 -0500, "RCE" wrote:

Never had a Toyota anything, so I can't comment, but I have had a couple of
Rangers and I think they are one of the greatest values around. Actually a
re-badged Mazda, just about everyone I know that's had one, including me,
loved the little truck. I also had a Chevy S-10 for a while. The Ranger
was much better, IMO. It acts like a little truck.

I have a Toyota Tundra which acts like a big truck.

All kidding aside I think it's a great vehicle. Whether it is a great
"value" or not is an interesting debate. There is no question that
there are cheaper trucks out there with comparable capabilities, but
my past experiences with Ford and Chevy quality/reliability leaves a
lot to be desired. Honestly, your recent experiences with a Ford
truck have done nothing to change my mind.

My Tundra will be 5 years old in the fall and has never required any
unscheduled maintenance. That is consistent with what we have have
become accustomed to with Toyotas and Hondas, and is worth a lot to
me. My youngest son is still driving our old '92 Camry every day in
NYC traffic. Almost 200,000 miles and it has never required any
unscheduled maintenance either, although it did need a radiator
replacement at one point.

If only they made boats... :-)

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 19:51:54 -0500, "RCE" wrote:

Never had a Toyota anything, so I can't comment, but I have had a couple
of
Rangers and I think they are one of the greatest values around. Actually
a
re-badged Mazda, just about everyone I know that's had one, including me,
loved the little truck. I also had a Chevy S-10 for a while. The Ranger
was much better, IMO. It acts like a little truck.

I have a Toyota Tundra which acts like a big truck.

All kidding aside I think it's a great vehicle. Whether it is a great
"value" or not is an interesting debate. There is no question that
there are cheaper trucks out there with comparable capabilities, but
my past experiences with Ford and Chevy quality/reliability leaves a
lot to be desired. Honestly, your recent experiences with a Ford
truck have done nothing to change my mind.


Since I moaned and groaned before about my Ford Powerstroke, I guess I
should also report some of the more recent up side.

About 2 months ago, which was about 1 month after my second stranding by the
truck, I got a notice from Ford requesting that I bring the truck in to the
dealership for a software update on the engine. At the time the truck was
running, I was busy and I forgot about the letter.

Before I started this trip to Denver, I brought the truck to the dealership
for regular service and remembered the letter. The short of it is, they
reprogrammed the engine control computer or whatever it is called with
revised software. The effect was immediate. The engine is quieter,
particularly when cold, is smoother running and has gobs more power. This
trip to Denver really underscored the difference. Going out with an empty
trailer, I noticed more power and smoother throttle response, but expected
to notice some difference coming back hauling the old truck on the trailer.
Nothing. This thing hauls up and down hills at 70-75 miles an hour, never
downshifts out of overdrive (it used to all the time, even pulling a 20'
boat) and gets about 2-3 miles per gallon better fuel mileage to boot.

I weighed everything (loaded truck and trailer with '55 truck) at a CAT
scale on the way back. 14,400 lbs.

I think the original engine software had a glitch in it.

If it keeps running like this, I'll never get rid of it.

RCE

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:47:17 -0500, "RCE" wrote:

I think the original engine software had a glitch in it.

If it keeps running like this, I'll never get rid of it.

Glad to hear that they have made progress with it, and that your trip
went OK. Towing across country with that kind of weight is a good
test.

Does Ford recommend towing in overdrive? I always make a point of not
doing that although I'm sure it costs some fuel mileage. You have
more torque with a diesel of course than I do with a relatively small
displacement V8.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:47:17 -0500, "RCE" wrote:

I think the original engine software had a glitch in it.

If it keeps running like this, I'll never get rid of it.

Glad to hear that they have made progress with it, and that your trip
went OK. Towing across country with that kind of weight is a good
test.

Does Ford recommend towing in overdrive? I always make a point of not
doing that although I'm sure it costs some fuel mileage. You have
more torque with a diesel of course than I do with a relatively small
displacement V8.


Ford's new transmission for these trucks came out in either 2004 or 2005.
It has a tow/haul mode, which I use, but it does not lock out overdrive like
the older ones. I like it a lot - it behaves similarly to an Allison auto
transmission, downshifting based on speed and brake pressure, plus holding
in gear longer while accelerating.

RCE

If only they made boats... :-)

They did for a while and ultimately failed at it. Hard to imagine, but
true. And managed to fail in a market segment that was showing huge sales
growth (inboard ski boats) vs. other types/styles of boats.

http://www.epicmarine.com/history.html

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:48:12 -0700, "RG" wrote:

They did for a while and ultimately failed at it. Hard to imagine, but
true. And managed to fail in a market segment that was showing huge sales
growth (inboard ski boats) vs. other types/styles of boats.

http://www.epicmarine.com/history.html

Interesting. It sounds like they could have made a success of it if
their commitment had been a little stronger. They may have over
estimated the market however and eventually decided that the long term
ROI was not there.

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:19:14 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:



My Tundra will be 5 years old in the fall and has never required any
unscheduled maintenance. That is consistent with what we have have
become accustomed to with Toyotas and Hondas, and is worth a lot to
me. My youngest son is still driving our old '92 Camry every day in
NYC traffic. Almost 200,000 miles and it has never required any
unscheduled maintenance either, although it did need a radiator
replacement at one point.


One thing to consider... if Toyota does things like Honda used to, you
can have quite a bit of "unscheduled" maintenance on your Ranger
before it adds up to the "Scheduled" maintenance required for the
Honda. Is it the same for the Toyota? How much have you spent on
"scheduled maintenance"?

With the required maintenance on the only Honda I've ever owned, in
60,000 miles I had spent a LOT of money. The Ranger will require oil
and filter to kepp up the warranty.

Jack

On Fri, 31 Mar 2006 02:13:31 GMT, Jack Goff wrote:

Is it the same for the Toyota? How much have you spent on
"scheduled maintenance"?

Good question but I'm not sure. Probably less than $600 during the
warranty period but that's a guess. The dealer always tried to "up
sell" required items but the actual wording in the owners guide was
not that onerous.

After the warranty on the Camry was up it was basically just oil
changes, tires, etc. The only exception to that was struts at about
70K thanks to really bad NYC/NJ roads, the aforementioned radiator at
about 120K miles, and preventive replacement of the water pump, timing
chain and spark plugs at 100K miles.

My wife's Honda Accord is now well over 100K miles and has never even
needed new struts. We did do PM of the water pump and timing chain
at 100K.

200,000 miles on CamryXLE: No unscheduled maintenance or repairs. Routine
oil changes, timing belts at 75K intervals, 2 sets of tires, 1 set brake
pads, 1 air filter, windshield washer fluid as needed, 2 sets of wiper
blades, 1 transmission fluid exchange. Spark plugs never changed.
If you plan to keep the vehicle for many miles, Toyota wouldn't be a bad
choice.
Jim

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 31 Mar 2006 02:13:31 GMT, Jack Goff wrote:

Is it the same for the Toyota? How much have you spent on
"scheduled maintenance"?

Good question but I'm not sure. Probably less than $600 during the
warranty period but that's a guess. The dealer always tried to "up
sell" required items but the actual wording in the owners guide was
not that onerous.

After the warranty on the Camry was up it was basically just oil
changes, tires, etc. The only exception to that was struts at about
70K thanks to really bad NYC/NJ roads, the aforementioned radiator at
about 120K miles, and preventive replacement of the water pump, timing
chain and spark plugs at 100K miles.

My wife's Honda Accord is now well over 100K miles and has never even
needed new struts. We did do PM of the water pump and timing chain
at 100K.