View Poll Results: Select all that apply: | |||
My opinion of the Toyota brand remains the same considering recent developments. | 24 | 51.06% | |
My opinion of the Toyota brand has degraded considering recent developments. | 9 | 19.15% | |
If I were buying a car today, I would consider buying a Toyota despite recent developments. | 22 | 46.81% | |
If I were buying a car today, I would no longer consider buying a Toyota because of recent developments. | 3 | 6.38% | |
If I were buying a car today, I wouldn't have considered a Toyota regardless of recent developments | 16 | 34.04% | |
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 47. You may not vote on this poll |
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Although I wouldn't recommend it generally: One of the best things I ever did for me personally was get my bike license, and then get a 900cc monster. Boy, did I learn defensive driving, and how not to panic, quick! In some ways, just jumping in an all singing all dancing box on wheels straight after passing your test is about the worst thing you can do. I blame the parents today. But more seriously the way cars are sold like drugs today: As a panacea for all ills. If you watch the ads not only will they give you head while you drive them they'll also sprout wings and fly you out of danger too. So why bother developing any road craft? Traffic lights, the cops and your SatNav can nanny you all the way home. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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giggity |
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Sneaky Punk
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I think the real issue is that most people don't get driving instructors, or get poor ones. I had a great driving instructor, so I know what to do in most situations... okay other than the time I guy hit me from behind, while I was waiting to make a left hand turn. I didn't see the guy coming so there was nothing I could do in that case anyway.
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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In my state they have a driving school run by the police which was the school I went to. They had this skid car program as well. It was fun as hell. http://www.idrivesmart.com/programs_skidcar.cfm giggity |
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Sneaky Punk
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If parents are the teachers, no wonder the drivers are bad.
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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Yeah they are pretty much.
All the driving school does is get you familiar with some of the laws( in the classroom portion) and the basics of driving( parallel parking, K-Turn, etc). Learning road etiquette, etc is up to the parents to teach. giggity |
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Good grief. That is insanely shocking! I really did not know that it was that bad in the US. Wow! Just WOW!
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Sneaky Punk
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Yeah, with my driving instructor, we were on the road the entire time, no in class crap. Here there is a driving manual, I studied it, passed my learners permit, then drove with my parents and the instructor for 18 months before I could even drive on my own (those are the rules for a learners permit).
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It just occurred to me why this throttle thing is so scary for US drivers.
Not only is there the issue of the generally lower level of driver education, there is also the fact that the majority of them have never learned to drive a manual so they've NEVER experienced a car pulling away crazily from them when they drop a clutch..... Good grief! It must be terrifying. All this says to me is you need to learn to drive a manual and you need to get lessons. Period! 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Sneaky Punk
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Ugh, no thanks.
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Well, the thing is you may need to drive one if you travel, and it makes you a better driver.
Personally, and it's just my personal belief, while they exist - and long may that be - I think your license should be restricted if you don't know how to drive one. It's administered that way in the UK, last time I checked. And case in point. *If* you had experience driving one you'd find a car "accelerating out of control" a lot easier to a: understand b: deal with. The fact is, *if* you've never driven a manual you don't understand how a car works. Which to me seems pretty stupid if you are sitting in one moving along. You only have to watch an episode of Amazing Race to see how comical it is when US drivers get hire cars in South America and Europe which are manual...... EDIT : Just speaking to my wife about it, and we're talking about memories from 23 years ago.. I still very firmly remember every single emotion and sensation from the first time I stuck a car in first gear and let the clutch go in.. I thought I was on a roller-coaster ride. Same thing the first time I rode a motor-bike. If you've never experienced that out of control feeling, and then mastered it you can't drive IMO. Period. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt Last edited by scratt : 2010-02-09 at 02:04. |
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Sneaky Punk
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I have driven cars with manual transmissions, I just don't like them for normal driving. In all honesty though, I do a lot of shifting, even in my automatic, knowing what gears to use when has saved me from a few rear enders, when traveling behind idiots.
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I considered a trip-tronic this year... That's about the only compromise I'd make. And before I'd even go to the next stage and buy one I'd want a full hour long test drive so I can convince myself I am actually in control. I don't consider I need to use manual every day to keep myself current, but what I don't want to lose is the ability to control exactly how the car accelerates, when it accelerates, to use engine braking, and to manage my own fuel economy vs performance and so on. But honestly.. Any trip-tronic gear box or flappy paddle affair would have to be up to the standard of a Porsche's gear box for me to really consider it. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Sneaky Punk
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Yeah, I would love the control of a standard, and I almost bought a manual trany 04 Civic, might have been a better choice for fuel economy, but at the time I had never driven a standard, and didn't want to learn at that point.
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
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I definitely agree that it makes you a better driver though. I wouldn't be opposed to tougher license testing including a test on "what to do if something goes wrong". We didn't really have that when I went for my license. Retesting would be good too |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
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Most people hit the brake and the car bucks until it stalls, or the instructor takes over. But glad we both agree that it gives you a better grounding in what cars are, and how they behave. And puts you in a position to drive anything, rather than just automatics. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Formerly “AWM”
Join Date: May 2009
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For those interested in the sudden acceleration issue, this is an article from the current issue of Car and Driver where they test the ability of brakes to overcome the throttle and related issues. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...tion-tech_dept |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
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The only thing to crash into out there is one of these obscure artworks.
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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OMG I am dying of unintended laughter. So far the Toyota fans I am reading are saying two things.
1) We're blowing it out of proportion. 2) The supplier is an American company. Which obviously is further pushing the perception of Americans can't engineer a quality product/part. giggity |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Unknown
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I'm going to turn the world on it's head and use a computer analogy in a car thread:
I look at it like Windows and OS X: Windows (american car companies) have been having security and stability problems for decades. OS X (toyota, honda) has generally been more reliable, more elegant, and less susceptible to malware. Now, anyone who is reasonable would agree that the potential for harm is out there and that OS X is not perfect or forever immune to such issues. But given the track records of the two... I much prefer my odds with OS X. Do you know where children get all of their energy? - They suck it right out of their parents! |
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Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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Agreed. One design screwup that has an easy fix and suddenly everyone's up in arms? Unless I've missed them from living under a rock for years, Toyota doesn't exactly have a long list of major malfunctions. Are people just looking for reasons to hate on Toyota or something?
For the record, I haven't ever "taken sides" in the automotive wars. That just seems silly, like arguing and fighting with someone over football teams. I like and dislike cars for their own features and designs, not based on some affinity or disdain for the parent company. The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting. |
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Sneaky Punk
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Sure it is an easy fix, but it is a rather dangerous blunder.
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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Also, I read over at MR that an ex-Toyota lawyer went on Fox and said they were destroying evidence, etc. Now I don't know if that is true. Any ex employee saying something condemning, I always look with skepticism because I figure there is more to the story then what that ex employee is saying and think he is sore over something and wants revenge. But, Toyota needs to be investigated. If reports of unintended acceleration have gone back to 2004, and yet for some reason those models haven't been recalled as well, the NHTSA needs to investigate that. giggity |
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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I don't think so. In the long haul, I doubt this will effect Toyota. I bet next year no one will remember it and they will be moving forward again( maybe not intentionally) with Toyota in no time.....
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Sneaky Punk
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You mean, like how people should forget all the times GM screwed up?
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