We have 2 Toyota Land Cruisers that are diesels. They are older with approx 200,000 km's on them. If I could get one in the States that was a diesel, I would buy it. They are a pretty bullet proof engine.
My buddy's parents had a Toyota Land Cruiser I think in 1985 time period and it was a diesel. It was great.
As for Corolla's, 99% of the taxi's here in country are Corolla's. Corollas are what most of the car bombs are made of. They are bullet proof, but not bomb proof. LOL

 

What "little guys " in NASCAR are going to be hurt by Toyota ? They said the same when Daimler/Chrysler merged . All that Mercedes money and engineering never really made a difference . The driver makes a difference . Michael Waltrip and Dale Jarrett aren't exactly championship contenders .

 

Iron Mike, do those come in other cab configurations? I like the overall idea of it, (small, efficient) but would never need a full 4 doors (and would like a 6'6" bed)

 

Same here and my buddy with an 02. 20 ain't the norm.

 

Yeah, big deal!!! Why didn't they burn the engine compartment, because we all know that would have been the end. How come he didn't hit the tree head on, because that would have been the end of the radiator (ditch the roll bar and grill guard and see how long that POS would have lasted). They must have found the only old toy left on the planet without a rusted out frame.
Submerison, do it almost every weekend, so what!! (means nothing for anything sold today with ECM's).....

http://ox.users.superford.org/GREEN_...D/JIMswamp.jpg

As for abuse, give one of those to some real rednecks for 10-15 minutes and it won't be running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0rCE...elated&search=

 

Uh, yeah......
Getting through that Police cover was torture enough.

 

Yeah, with the engine they stole from dodge. NASCAR will ensure toy's success due to the $$$$$$, just like it had for GM all these years. Only thing good about it will be the GM fans crying.

 

Yes I would!! If not, what? A Power Stroke? No way! I'd happily take a Mercedes if no Cummins were available. My only complaint with the Dodge is the front axle and steering could be better designed in a number of ways. The unit bearing W/O hubs, the sway bar struts, the weak (appearing) linkage are some examples. But compared to the Chevy it's WAY better.

Wetspirit

 

I towed my friends' '82 'Cruiser back from Mex. twice with my '82 Ford F-250 w/292 V-8. My buddy had more electrical problems with that thing along with the need for high octane gas. Neal Young was right too. "Rust never sleeps" That thing disintergrated here along the coast in San Diego. I've no doubt though that Toyota would do it right with a current product.

 

In that statement I made, I was asking what would you do if Toyota were to put a Cummins motor in their trucks, would you still buy a Dodge with a Mercedes diesel. If you would, then good for you, but you would be in the minority. The motors in our trucks are why we all have them, I will follow Cummins, not Dodge.

 

Here is a link to the new Toyota diesel:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006..._introduc.html

This is available in Europe and most of the world in a few months and will be very similar for the US in 2009, mainly with some added emissions controls which may lower the mileage. Note its 25mpg for auto, 28mpg for 5speed.

Its only a 3 liter so all you scared of them taking over the full size market can stop worrying. My Cummins gets almost as good mileage and its more than 2x the size (and torque)!

But I am sure it will be a very nice small truck.

 

Hey tristan21, I agree that the newer one is ugly, But I like the looks of the older style. They are not for everyone but they are very functional. The bed comes standard with a headache rack with folding ears, etc., They ill not tow a lot but are great at what they were built for.

PJ, They do make them with regular cabs. I've never seen an extended cab over there.

 

I was down talking to the toyota rep and he was telling me about the diesel market and he said don't be suprised when toyota comes out with the diesel dually. I'll tell you one thing i think i would buy one as a second truck.

 

It kinda amazes me for how fast we (not everyone) trash our trucks made by Dodge. How that if it weren't for the Cummins, we would never have bought it. Why? All of the big three have their strong points and their weak points, but everything pretty much evens out in the long run. Toyota trucks are no better. Yes I have driven them and worked them, and they have their share of problems just like ours do. Customer service (IMHO) is a result of that particular dealer. The Dodge dealership I go to for my wifes caravan is the best customer service I have ever experienced. One of the worst is from a foreign car dealership. As far as quality goes, of course it seems like there are more problems with American vehices than Toyotas, Hondas, etc. look at the numbers. The percentage of American vehicles sold to foreign is pretty considerable in the past in favor of the Americans. Nowadays, I would wager that the quality is about the same. I also seem to remember that toyota quality was horrible not too long ago. They ran forever, but the body fell off in less than 5 yrs! Look at the Dodge 1st gens, all of 'em 17-14 yrs old, have an indestructable engine, massive axles, arguably the best t-case ever made, are averaging around 300,000 miles, bodies are ranging from crap to perfect, are pulling mileage in the low 20's and can pull with the best of them. It isn't all because of the Cummins, it is because Dodge made (and still makes) a darn good truck. Toyotas of those years, even if garaged all their lives, still fell apart...and repair costs?!? Fugedaboudit!!! If you were ever a backyard mechanic or do it yourselfer, the task was a mighty one. How many of us can swap out a Chevy V8 or BOMB our Cummins with minimal knowledge? I apologize for getting off track, but so far every truck that has come from overseas isn't worth spit. Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline? Tacomas a great truck for sure, but at carrying what? Towing what?? I am sure a new Toy with a Cummins enigine will be great, but give it time and everyone will be complaining about the problems that it has. I am just a little surprised at how quickly some people jump ship at the idea of a possible good truck coming down the pike. To each his own I guess...

 

89dieselkong,

I'm with you. I'm on my fifth Dodge and it's an '04. It is by far the best truck, if not the best vehicle I have ever had! It has a few weak points but it has some very strong points too. The ability to take on just about any job, the amazing brakes and good handling are all nice features. Sure, we'd all like to get 40 MPG and have 800 HP but come on, these engines are so good and so much more powerful than they were a few years ago that how can anyone complain? Just look back ten or fifteen years ago at what was available and considered good. My first gen Cummins was a great truck too, and I loved it, but it was so crude. And my Ford 6.9 ran good when it ran but it cost me $5000. in various repairs to get it, barely, to about 90,000 miles when I happily sold it. At that time Chevy was trying to dig out from their self inflicted and well deserved bad rap on their diesel ripoff.
My biggest complaint with todays offerings is the added complexity and increased electronics. But it amazes me to see how much performance can be delivered to a spoiled and abusive public without more problems.
The beat goes on and here comes the American performance diesel sedans, the midsize diesel trucks, diesel motorcycles and diesel aircraft engines. Bring 'em on!!

Wetspirit