Kaye Leery asked:


Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Fleet Manager John Millett said that more than 50 fire service staff has switched from being user-choosers to driving a range of Toyota Avensis diesel cars and the switching has been a smooth one.

Manufactured at Toyota’s plant in Burnaston (Derbyshire), the Avensis 2.2-liter D-4D diesels, all equipped with top of the line Toyota auto parts, are used by fire officers as well as by senior and middle managers for operational purposes. They are being ordered in saloon, hatchback and Tourer form and in T3-x, T4, T-Spirit and T180 grades.

One Avensis is designated to be used in teaching new fire officers road craft skills when driving under blue-light conditions. Meanwhile, three Yaris 1.3-liter T3-x diesels have been assigned to the brigade’s “Red Fleet” to be used on general and community liaison duties. Officers and managers also have the choice of specifying Yaris for their own use if they prefer to drive a smaller one.

Over the past year, the Toyotas have been introduced into the rush on a rolling programme. Mr. Millet said that the feedback has been very good because everyone seems very happy. He added that some comments were expected when the staff has to move from a user-chooser scheme to another, but nobody has had any complaints and most have reacted that the Avensis is a good car. Furthermore, he said that from his point of view, the cars are working out well.

The decision of the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service to shift to a single-badged fleet was influenced by the occurring again of the problem of meeting the needs of new staff who might find their predecessor’s choice of ride not suitable.

John Millet continued that they decided to have one car for all so they looked around for a 2.2-litre diesel with a good specification, one that would be large and durable enough to stand up to attending incidents, and with all the necessary safety features. They made naturally cost-effectiveness as a prime consideration in choosing.

Based at Littleover, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service gets its cars on contract hire through Lloyds TSB, Appleyards and Automotive Leasing. The Avensis cars average 15,000 miles a year and the driving-school vehicle 25,000 miles, with drivers paying a contribution for personal use. At three years, replacement cycles take place.

For more than a quarter of a century, Toyota has relied on the talents of American designers and engineers to help ensure that their vehicles meet local preferences and standards.



Create a video blog…instantly.

Kaye Leery asked:


Toyota Motor has obtained great public relations last week since three of Korea’s major dallies namely the Chosun IIbo, the Dong-A IIbo, and the JoongAng IIbo has released headline stories about the Japanese automaker’s Lexus plant in Japan. But Media Onul or Media Today which is a KBS TV show that examines issues in the media, has refuted the stories saying that it’s being too similar.

As a matter of fact, a headline story like that carried in a major newspaper is much more efficient in reaching consumers as compared to dozens of ads amounting to millions of won each. Last June 8, the current largest automaker in the world and producer of top-of-the-line Toyota coil springs, Toyota Motors has invited 53 journalists from 44 Japanese and foreign companies for a publicity event for its Lexus . All the journalists were based in Tokyo. They were requested to gather near the exit of Toyohashi Station in Aichi Prefecture where the plant is located. The one-way trip took an hour and 24 minutes from Tokyo by bullet train and the round trip fare was 17,000 yen or W127,000.

The journalists themselves shouldered the fare, Toyota for its part provided a bus from the station to the plant, the bus trip took about 30 minutes for which Toyota paid for the fuel.

At the bus were boxes on each seat containing a sandwich, fruit, and a bottle of mineral water. It was a lunch box from Toyota, the very same kind you get from convenience store for about 500 yen or W3,700. And if its lunch box cost about 600 yen or W4,500 including the mineral water, Toyota must have spent about 31,800 yen or W238,500 for the lunch of the reporters.

At the press conference was a table laden with Lexus caps. Each of these caps cost approximately 2,000 yen or W17,000 and if ever each of the journalists took a cap it would cost Toyota 106,000 yen or W795,000. Totaling all the expenses of Toyota for the said publicity event it will reach W1 million to bring the journalists out to it plant and that doesn’t include yet the additional amount paid by the automaker to present its car and its own employees. But of course, the journalists could have shouldered those expenses but Toyota preferred to take the responsibility of paying for the whole expenses.

And in fairness to Toyota’s officials they didn’t forced any journalists to write stories in favor of the automaker. The Korean journalists were not also seated together and didn’t compare notes just to ensure that their stories would become headliners as assumed by President Roh Moo-hyun.

After the visit at Toyota’s plant the three Korean dallies presented their stories on the same day in a similar way maybe for the same reason. That very same day the union of Hyundai Motor which is always playing catch up with Toyota in the global market went rallying to oppose the Korea-US free trade agreement.

The Media Onul reported that the “conservative media companies” shares the same view which just makes the KBS TV accurately right.



Caffeinated Content

midnightslasher83 asked:


The Toyota Yaris has recently peaked my interest with it’s low price tag and amazing gas mileage, but is it’s reputation as solid as other cars in the Toyota line? Also, I’m 6′5″ and a little hefty, but I’ve heard the Yaris sedan has great leg room. Would I fit in this thing?

luvracin asked:

2000 Toyota Camry belongs to a friend. I told her I would post for her since I have posted on this site before.
This car has 200,000 miles…ran great prior to this…is it worth fixing? Camry has been very dependable until now. Is it worth fixing or should I try to sell it for parts (there are tons of these cars on the road)? The a/c, cd/tape/radio, power windows and doorlocks, power seat, entry fobs, etc. work perfectly. What course of action should she take to make a dtermination on what to do with this car? …it is too good to just junk!

Kerry Plowright asked:

In 2000, the waning fortunes of the targa style MR2 meant a radical change was necessary if the Toyota MR2 was to remain on the market. The restyling that occurred saved the MR2 and it went on to become a favourite on the Australian market.

Being a two seater roadster, the Toyota MR2 is strictly for the driver and one passenger only. If you’re looking for luggage space for a weekend away, then you’re unlikely to find much room here either. The Toyota MR2 is strictly a fun car for getting around town in, if you’re after a practical car, look elsewhere. The post 2000 MR2 is available with a 1.8 litre engine, and while it only produces 103 kw, it is a very lightweight car (just 975 kilograms), so it has an excellent power to weight ratio. For the enthusiast, there will be disappointment in the knowledge that the MR2 is only available in a clutchless five speed manual gearbox or a sequential six speed (from 2003 onwards). But while no proper manual transmission is available, there is also no proper automatic transmission either.

With the mid mounted engine, the handling of the lightweight MR2 is tight and responsive. However, with the short travel of the suspension, the car tends to feel very choppy on rougher country roads. It is generally at its best on smooth city and suburban streets.

While the Toyota MR2 is a small compact mid-engined two seater, it has a surprising amount of room in the cabin for both the driver and passenger.

Tips for buying a one owner Toyota MR2

If you are in the market for a sporty two seater roadster and want something with more radical styling than the classic looking Mazda MX5, then the MR2 may be the car for you. Being a Toyota, the MR2 can be counted on for reliability as long as the car has been well maintained. As the MR2 is popular among younger drivers, check for any signs that may indicate that the car has been thrashed about. Inspect for body damage by checking for any colour differences in the body panels. Another indication that the car may have had body damage or been in a crash is signs of any water damage from a leaking roof. The MR2 has a reputation for not leaking, unless of course the body has been bent out of shape at some stage.

Check the servicing log books also. With the engine mounted in the middle of the car, access to some of the serviceable components can be restricted. So, for those that do home services, or for the dodgy mechanic down the road, it may be tempting to just skip a few of the more out of the way components. Having the book stamped by a Toyota dealer will be the best indication that the car has been serviced properly and well looked after.

Iver Penn asked:

Toyota Motor Corp. exceeded General Motors (GM) in the 2006 overall sales, making the Japanese auto maker the biggest car maker all over the world. But according to a leading auto industry journal, Reuters reported that many had expected that the surpassing will take place in 2007.

The huge and top Japanese auto maker outstripped GM by nearly 128,000 units last year. The figure was based on a technicality which excludes sales of vehicles at minority-held subsidiaries and this data was written in Detroit-based weekly Automotive News, whose data centre publishes a ranking, which is widely quoted, of the world’s automakers around in the present generation every year.

The Automotive News holds the statement published by Crain Communications that in Toyota’s success, a little-known Chinese microvan played a vital role.

According to the journal, GM included the seven-seat microvan and other Wuling-brand vehicles engineered by a three-way venture with China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile even though it owns just a small part (less than half) of the company. This was based on the Automotive News’ final tally for 2006.

The 420,140 units was credited with a 51 percent-owner SAIC by the Automotive News and this figure represents the venture sold in 2006. As a result, GM had set global sales at 8,679,860 units in 2006, versus 8,808,000 for Toyota.

The Automotive News Data Center includes in its ranking the sales of a subsidiary in the total for the parent company with the majority stake.

GM at present is in the sore of avoiding restructuring but, fortunately, is growing rapidly in China. For 76 years, the car company has claimed the top spot for, including 2006.

In April, Toyota and GM posted the first quarter of 2007 sales figures which revealed that the Japanese automaker was edging past by 90,000 units its U.S. competitor. And since it was the first time ever that GM was surpassed by Toyota as the top auto maker, the news triggered extensive media coverage.

Corresponding with Automotive News’ tally, Toyota’s sales figures include those at units Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. On the other hand, GM is composed of a dozen of brands that include Chevrolet, Buick, Opel and Saab.

Even by GM’s count after it projected sales of 9.34 million units versus the U.S. giant’s forecast for 9.2 million, Toyota is almost certain to take the lead for the entire year of 2007.

About Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation, or simply known as Toyota, is a Japanese multinational corporation and the largest automaker (followed by General Motors) all over the world by sales revenue as of the first sales quarter of 2007. Last year, the company along with its half-owned subsidiary Daihatsu was the world’s second largest auto company by revenue, the most profitable auto maker in terms of net income, and the eighth largest company in the world according to revenues.

The company is portion of the Toyota Group and is its biggest company. The brands, divisions and companies of Toyota, Lexus, Scion, and parts of Daihatsu are owned and operated by Toyota. And as a whole, the company has 522 subsidiaries.

Founded in 1937, Toyota was established by Kiichiro Toyoda as a by product of his father’s company Toyota Industries to build automobiles.

For 2007, Toyota plans to produce 9.4 million vehicles.

About General Motors Corporation

Also known as GM or GMC, General Motors Corporation is the 2nd (after Toyota) largest car company based on sales revenue as of 2007. Maker of quality cars and their parts, GMC has around 284,000 employees all over the world.

It was founded in 1908, in Flint, Michigan and has global headquarters located at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In Zurich, Switzerland is their European headquarters. This American car maker produces its trucks and cars in 33 countries.

GM cars and trucks are sold under Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall brands.

GM Parts like GMC car cover and accessories are known in the market under GM Performance Parts, GM Goodwrench and ACDelco brands through GM Service and Parts Operations that supplies GM dealerships and distributors all over the world. The United States is GM’s largest national market. This is followed by China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

GM is the number 1 automaker when it comes to Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Index (TQI).

terminal688 asked:

Hello.

I dont no where els to hunt down (private owners) who are slaing thier 2005 toyota camry

I have try trading post site and carsales.com.au

Not much there at the type of colour and price

Is there more out there to check it out for brisbane region ? can include sunshine coast and goldcoast regions

Looking for
2005 toyota camry (can be sportivo or not)
Looking for private owners..

NOT interested in dealer stores.

So suppose trading post and carsales.com.au are one of the regonise sites for what i was looking for… I cant seem to fine much which of course leads to bad luck when your in a rush to hunt them before the end of the year perhaps.

Who knows

I need your help to search geniune sites that are similar to trading post.

Best regards
Lynda

PS: thanks to all who trys to help and participate.
Just want to check whats available out there and price.
P.S lease dont indicate auction sites such as EBAY as i do not deal that and specialy on cars without looking at them in person.

Michael Thornessen asked:

My recent decision to buy a car was not really a voluntary one. I had a small accident in which my almost 20 years old Honda Accord was promptly written off. With such an old car even a small bend and broken headlight is already too expensive to repair, so the insurance decided they better give me $1,500, which was actually a good deal. But it left me without a car.

So shopping for car was in order. This was certainly an undertaking given that I haven’t been following up on cars at all for about 8 years since I bought Honda Accord. I like driving, and do like good cars, I even like fixing the cars to some extent, but I’m no real enthusiast. I don’t read articles on cars; I don’t buy auto magazines or go to auto shows. I also usually do not start a conversation about latest models and features. Similar to a presidential candidate who is seriously “on top of things” only during the campaign — once elected, the interests and priorities change a bit.

Anyhow, I knew I had to do some extensive research in order to be happy about what I’m about to buy. So I did that, and the amount of new information I’ve gathered was even larger than I expected. You know, today’s cars are completely different things than those from 15 or more years ago. Features that did not even exist before became my main focus and motivation.

I spent several days online, just reading whatever I could find. And good thing is that all the car makers have very comprehensive websites where you can find all the information you need including the prices. It actually turned out that the prices I got off of these websites matched perfectly what I got in the dealerships — and that is with all the additions like taxes, AC fee, delivery fee, pre-delivery inspection fee (PDI) and such.

I also read other sources, mostly looking for experience of other people. There are a lot of good resources on the Internet, just do a search and you’ll find whatever you’re looking for — there is so much out there. Some of them I found useful are:

Car Buying Tips: http://www.carbuyingtips.com

An excellent website with the world of information about every aspect of car buying process. It will save you some headaches too.

Edmunds: http://www.edmunds.com

Sort of a “traditional” auto portal. Also covers all aspects of the topic — from prices to safety. And, I’ve heard dealers refer to this site.

MSN Autos: http://autos.msn.com

Another general auto portal. I used it a lot when I was comparing specific features of different models — it has a handy comparison little tool.

Automotive.com: http://www.automotive.com

Automobile: http://www.automobilemag.com

These two are also general portals, and I used them mostly to find specifications of older models including my Accord ‘89 for comparison with the new models.

After a few days I arrived to a set of features that I’d like to have:

New car

Or almost a new car. Before I had time to maintain and work on a car myself, but now, with the family and two small kids, I don’t even have the time to think about the car, let alone do some work. And even having a good mechanic is not sufficient. With an old car, there is no mechanic that can guarantee anything — you have to simply accept that you’ll have unexpected problems. Before I was able to take that responsibility, but now, with a family and no time, I can’t. So I needed not only a problem-free car, but also a concern-free car.

Make

I drove domestic, Japanese and German cars before, and thought I’m going to go with Japanese once more. I thought that would give me better probability of a hassle-free car for a good price. I did question this decision during the research, but in the end I stuck to it.

Safety

With the recent car accident I wanted safety above all. Even in a small accident like the one I had, you get to experience very strongly how utterly unprotected we all are on the road. You absolutely don’t need a lot to get killed or injured. And nobody really has to make any mistake, let alone big mistake. One small, almost negligible thing happens, and there you are in a blaze of events ending with a crash.

The guy in front of me stopped short and I was fraction of a moment late to react and kicked him a bit. Not too much — his car didn’t suffer almost any damage except some scratches and dirt on the bumper. But then I started thinking “what if…” thoughts. It was fairly steep downhill, and if it were raining…! If there was a motorcycle in front of me instead of a mini van… If I was going faster and for some reason in a spur of the moment decided to avoid him by switching to other lane (full of cars)… If all of those things happened together… Even now when I think of those things, my stomach aches.

And then later while researching crash tests scores I watched official crash tests videos on the internet. Boy, I would recommend everyone to see at least one or two of those videos — you’ll get much more realistic picture about driving in a car. There are two organizations that perform crash tests and on their websites you’ll find the safety information for many models:

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA): http://www.safercar.gov

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): http://www.iihs.org

The information on these websites is very educative and complete. It contains the descriptions of the tests, the results for many models and the video clips. You can also find a lot of general info accumulated in the years of research in this area. For example — what is the impact in front, side or rear crashes, how does impact differ for front and rear passengers, how to protect your children, the implications of increasing number of large vehicles (SUVs in particular) on the road (you better buy a bigger car yourself), etc.

The tests videos can also be found (even more of them) by doing a search on the web. A lot of them are posted on YouTube.

So I figured I wanted air bags — not only front ones, but also side and particularly curtain ones that protect rear seat passengers. The side and curtain airbags are not mandatory and they are not standard equipment. Some of the models do not have them even as an option.

ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) was also a must — I hate sudden stops, and if it’s raining or snowing, ABS can help a lot.

Other safety features like active stability control, traction control, active head restraints, car body designed to absorb the impact were also very desirable.

In the end AWD (All Wheel Drive) was something to consider as well.

Space

This was a tricky one. I had controversial requirements. Most of the time we need a small city car — going to work, driving small kids to school, shopping, etc. Only sometimes we’ll go for a longer vacation trip when we need larger trunk. Only sometimes we’ll have parents, relatives or friends visiting when we need at least enough space in the back for two car seats and one or more adults. Only sometimes I’ll need to carry a piece of smaller furniture or such. So should I buy a minivan if 95% of the time it will practically be empty? Or should I buy a small car and not be able even to go for a picnic? This question is actually even now, after I bought the car, still unresolved. Time will show how well I did on this.

Convenience

I did not need or even want things like sun roof, leather seats, body collared and heated mirrors, spoilers and such. Even power this or that wasn’t important to me although I’ve learned that these days a number of even basic models include power options to a good extent. So I figured, I’ll accept it if I have to, what can I do.

Fuel Economy

Very important. Gas prices are going up and the oil wars are going on — need say no more. And over the years that you own a car it adds up. It is actually an excellent idea to calculate the total cost of the car over a number of years (including gas, insurance and other maintenance costs) and use that figure when making the decision. So I wanted the best fuel economy possible — another controversial requirement.

I was actually hoping I’ll find a good diesel car, but in Canada there aren’t many of those since we have pretty high emissions standards so some of the good diesel cars do not qualify. And that is too bad. I rented small VW Polo a few months ago in Europe, and drove 900 km with 1.5 tanks! By specs it spends 4L/100km!! That’s a money saver. And it actually produces such a nice feeling of independence — you drive and drive and drive, and then drive some more, and the tank is still full. So sweet!!

With all these requirements I set off to dealerships one nice weekend. I figured I’ll just go to an auto mall, and browse. I figured later this was really not the best way to approach things. After a whole day of looking at cars and test driving them, you get pretty tired and they all look the same at the end of the day. And after doing that for two whole days I got sick of cars and didn’t want to buy one at all! But on the other hand I did collect a lot of information, and got the first impressions about driving them. Then I let that settle for a while and in the meantime explored options of buying a used car, buying one down-south in US, or in a dealership far away from the city where I could get a better price. Then, of course, I also needed to figure out the best way to pay for the car. Boy, this all takes time. It’s a full-time project. But in the end I had my options laid out and made a decision.

—————————————————————————–

Read the rest on following pages:

Part Two: How?

Part Three: Models and Makes

Part Four: The Dealers

Evander Klum asked:

Searching is not any more an intensive work to do. By merely logging in to your favorite website, you can already search on anything and everything under the sun.

With the newest technology that this era has given, searching for a car does not anymore mean standing and going out the house and looking around for an auto dealer. The internet is very much available.

Because almost everybody’s daily routine involves the mode of transportation, people usually search for vehicles. The more the vehicle is searched, the more it is popular. When people search for a car, it can either mean they are curious about it, or they just love the item they are searching.

Two web sites on auto mobiles, AutoMart.com, AutoMercado.com released the lists of the most searched vehicles in their sites.

Based on the list, the Ford F-150 was the most searched vehicle on both sites in the first three months of 2007.

In AutoMart.com the top nine most searched make vehicles were the CHEVROLET (12.95%), FORD (10.84%), TOYOTA (6.82%), HONDA (6.54%), DODGE (5.61%), NISSAN (4.48%), JEEP (4.48%), PONTIAC (2.94%), and the GMC (2.90%). Their model vehicles’ list was composed of F-150M (2.75%), MUSTANG (2.62%), ACCORD (2.52%), CIVIC (2.44%), TAHOE (1.66%), TACOMA (1.46%), WRANGLER (1.46%), EXPLORER (1.42%), and F-250 (1.34%).

On the other hand, the AutoMercado.com had the following vehicles as their top ten: FORD (16.08%), CHEVROLET (13.55%), TOYOTA (10.72%), HONDA (7.75%), NISSAN (7.68%), DODGE (4.77%), GMC (4.27%), VOLKSWAGEN (3.60%), MITSUBISHI (3.29%), and JEEP (2.94%). Their model vehicles’ list was composed of F-150 (3.70%), CIVIC (2.29%), EXPLORER (2.23%), ACCORD (2.16%), TACOMA (1.98%), EXPEDITION (1.97%), TAHOE (1.57%), COROLLA (1.47%), JETTA (1.44%), and SILVERADO 1500 (1.29%).

From these lists, it can be deduced further that Chevrolet follows Ford in the top rank with its Tahoe and Silverado. These Chevrolet cars have quite the same parts as the Cavalier performance parts.

Similar popularity was shown by high-end brands on both AutoMart.com and AutoMercado.com. An example is the BMW which was the 11th most popular make on both sites.

There were, however, differences between the search patterns of the Spanish speaking and the English speaking consumers. Example of these is the Ford Mustang. It appeared as the second most searched vehicle on AutoMart.com. However, as to its popularity with Spanish speaking consumers, it fell 9 spots down. At AutoMercado.com, the Mustang, the Camaro, and the Corvette were all less searched than on AutoMart.com. But in the case of the Volkswagen Jetta and the Toyota Corolla, the cars did not appear in the top 20 list on AutoMart.com. Nonetheless, they were included in the top 10 most popular vehicles on AutoMercado.com.

The Vice President of Electronic Media at Auto Mart, by the name of Skip Dowd, said that for the most part, the demand is very similar on the two sites. Some of the things that the vice president noticed are that AutoMercado.com shoppers are searching for family utility vehicles, either family sedans or SUV’s, and for pickups.

AutoMercado.com was launched last spring by AutoMart.com as United States’ first fully translated, fully functioning national web site that exclusively targets Spanish speaking consumers.

Dowd added that they were pleased that their choices of vehicles are attractive to a wide range of clients. He said these selections allow both of their companies - AutoMart.com and AutoMercado.com - to remain leaders in the field of online, automotive classified advertising.

About AutoMart.com

AutoMart.com is the largest dealer and exclusive automotive website featuring new, used and certified pre-owned car listings. With more than 1.3 million vehicles for sale, it has an amazing 8 million Auto Mart Magazines monthly and a dominating paid search marketing effort. To over 15,000 dealers nationwide, AutoMart.com drives phone, website, email and cutting edge instant messaging.

It is owned by Cox Auto Trader which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc.

About AutoMercado.com

A fully Spanish-language automotive website, AutoMercado.com features new, used and certified vehicle listings. It exudes listings provided by Auto Mercado® Magazine, and Auto Mart Magazine; and that is through a database of more than 750,000 cars for sale.

AutoMercado.com is owned and operated by Cox Auto Trader which is a division of Cox Enterprises, Inc.

Rico asked:

I have done so many searches and usually come up with only post 81 parts… or more links to later model parts. everything from door window internal hardware to parts cars, motors, interiors… anything and everything. If anyone can help lead me to a good source or a number of legit sources It would be greatly appreciated.