Switching Brands From Toyota

[Red diesel]

Person i know has had a Corolla from new for over 7 years now with high miles clocked up (they think)

They have decided that they are bored/fed up* with Toyota and as things stand - they fancy an Audi, however im wondering

has anyone else thought about switching brands or have they done so.

What other brands are worth considering - all i can think off is an Accord (he wants a saloon)*, yes he could have a Kia of some kind or something. But if hes bored with a Toyota i can't see him been blown away with a Kia

All thoughts greatfully recieved - thank you

* Car has been very reliable and done its job fine - but its just hes had Toyotas for so long and fancies a change

* I could think of plenty of ideas but the Accord is the only sensible option - the other ideas id have would be wild unsensible ideas like buying a Saab 9 5 or something for a grand. But because he does 30 or 40 miles a day to and from work he needs something reliable.

Red diesel

[acetip]

people will quote horror stories about makes other than toyota,but then there are those who can say the same thing about a toyota they have owned.to travel 40 miles a day is nothing,actualy the longer the trip the better.one should not look a toyota through rose tinted glasses.

ive had 4 vw cars wich were ultra reliable over many years except for the golf wich was a Monday morning build quality car,and loads of niggly faults that were sorted by the warranty, but i exchanged it for a Passat after 6 months from new.the passat was bullet proof and i kept it 16 years.what you will get from toyota that you wont get from some others is good service and back up when you do get problems.

which has to be taken into consideration when replacing your car.

[Parts-King]

He might be bored with his Corolla but it has taken him 7 years Maybe he is just in need of another car for the sake of it. There is so much choice out there it is impossible to say this or that is better, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. What sort of budget does he have would be a better starting point?

Kingo

[Lorna2]

Maybe your friend would be better to stick with what he knows is good. He could swap to another brand and regret it. Obviously I know he might be just as happy with another brand. But I have done the brand swap before and badly regretted it, then went back to Toyota. I've really liked both my Toyotas far better than others I had before/or had test drives in. Think as well of the customer service you get, I have got the best customer service from my local Toyota dealership - far better than I have ever experienced anywhere else.

[Karma Supra]

I was fed up that I wanted something with decent pace and correct wheel drive, and Toyota had not made anything to fullfill my needs, so went for a BMW.

One thing that did shock me was how much cheaper parts were!

[Bos]

I am looking for a new car to replace my Yaris.

I test drove the new Yaris yesterday, very good but expensive with the few luxuries I want. £13,260 + metalic paint for the 5 door TR. I don't want all the extras like rear camera, blue tooth and the like, just air con, good radio/CD and the like.

I have test driven a Mazda 2 Tamura with all the 'goodies' I want for £10,415 incl. metalic paint. Am amazed at the price and quality.

One advantage of the Mazda is that it is built in Japan ( I think that it is an advantage? )

I have owned Toyota's since the middle 70's, but that may soon change!!

[dave.m]

I switched to Mazda myself a year ago, no regrets, it's the best equipped car I've ever had.And 70's rock music sounds great

on the Bose sound system

[Cyker]

Nissan... GTR? :D

[Brandane]

I am on my first Toyota (Corolla 1600 VVTi, 2006) after several years of owning VWs. I got fed up with VW because their legendary build quality and reliability had slipped over the years, while they still expected you to pay premium prices for their used cars.

Much the same could now be said of Toyota. The Corolla is a good enough car, but doesn't really get the heart racing. It's dull and boring, but that's one reason why I bought it! I'm getting into middle age now, so reliability, low fuel consumption and insurance costs are more important to me than how fast it can get to 60mph.

When the time comes to replace it, what have Toyota got to offer? Not much! The Auris doesn't seem to have the build quality of the Corolla, and is even duller. Yaris, no thanks. So I really don't know what it will be, but probably not another Toyota.

[Karma Supra]

I got fed up with VW because their legendary build quality and reliability had slipped over the years

To be fair I think this is the same for EVERY car manufacturer...

Apart from Alfa Romeo.... who couldn't get any worse... and have probably got better due to more shared componants (mainly electrical) from other brands...

[Lorna2]

I got fed up with VW because their legendary build quality and reliability had slipped over the years

To be fair I think this is the same for EVERY car manufacturer...

Apart from Alfa Romeo.... who couldn't get any worse... and have probably got better due to more shared componants (mainly electrical) from other brands...

Chevrolet is another brand that couldn't get any worse!

[Jamesbelfast]

Maybe this forum is not the right place to ask this question as there is likely to be bias either direction.

Why not seek an independent opinion - go ask a roadside breakdown engineer. Even the opinon of a fleet manager would be worth having.

It is well accepted in the car fleet or hire business that eastern manufactured cars are more reliable than most European brands with Honda being the most reliable manufacturer - a title it has now scooped for six consecutive years.

[dervdave]

Person i know has had a Corolla from new for over 7 years now with high miles clocked up (they think)

They have decided that they are bored/fed up* with Toyota

* Car has been very reliable and done its job fine - but its just hes had Toyotas for so long and fancies a change

Theres nowt like an unreliable car to cure the `boredom`, its only after having a troublesome motor that you truly appreciate reliability and the `boredom`.

[Red diesel]

Just thought id update

Chummy is still thinking about upgrading,fancies Audi - but but ive managed to steer him clear of the bothersome 2.0 tdis. Likes the idea of Honda and quite likes the sound of Mondeos.

Im told i will be hearing more when and if he goes test driving

Thanks for the opinions folks

Red diesel

[Karma Supra]

Hopefully soon Toyota will release a car that is not as dull as ditch water :)

[duncerduncs]

Hopefully soon Toyota will release a car that is not as dull as ditch water :)

The new Celica can't come soon enough...

I wonder if I can part ex my wife to get one?

[Leeky]

It almost certainly wont be called a celica....

Im 99% certain it'll be the Toyota FR-S as the Scion version for the US market has been confirmed as getting that name. And the IQ got the same name under the Scion Badge.

Plus its way too small to be a celica.... its roughly the same size as the MX5!

But i would like to see a Gen8 Celica.

Im gonna be queuing up for an FT86/FR-S on the release day :)