Ummm...errr....well?

[POS Racing]

Can/do Nissan and Toyota make a superior truck? Absolutely. Will the average American hick ever consider buying one? Doubtfully.

The average truck hick is folks like me and you, if the Toyota comes in at the same price as a Dodge, Ford, or Chevy I'm buying the Toyota or possibly the Nissan. Brand Loyalty only goes so far these days.

But I have noticed some folks who own trucks especially Dodge Diesels seem to have excessive sand in a bad place!

[Titus]

The average truck hick is folks like me and you, if the Toyota comes in at the same price as a Dodge, Ford, or Chevy I'm buying the Toyota or possibly the Nissan. Brand Loyalty only goes so far these days.

But I have noticed some folks who own trucks especially Dodge Diesels seem to have excessive sand in a bad place!

If we are talking SUVs, then I agree, but I suspect that there are way too many rural NASCAR watching pick-up truck buyers that are like my father-in-law and would rather take a bullet to the head then own a Japanese truck.

Also, we have yet to see a Japanese truck at prices comparable to the American fire-sales of late. I believe it was CM who recently gave in to the low prices and bought an F-150.

[Dave04]

But I have noticed some folks who own trucks especially Dodge Diesels seem to have excessive sand in a bad place!

Hey... just because we have a superior product, doesn't mean you can let loose the personal insults...

In truth, if the Japanese companies would sell a half-ton truck with one of their highly proven diesels, I think it would sell. They have these in other (i.e. Non-US) markets and they are great.

[tailchaser]

Can/do Nissan and Toyota make a superior truck? Absolutely. Will the average American hick ever consider buying one? Doubtfully.

Hey... I'd love a Titan... But... I got a 4 year old truck for half the price, twice the fuel economy and 3 times the towing capacity. I'll be ecstatic when the Japanese makers enter the heavy duty truck segment in the US.

[POS Racing]

Also, we have yet to see a Japanese truck at prices comparable to the American fire-sales of late. I believe it was CM who recently gave in to the low prices and bought an F-150.

Thats a darn good point, but when ya can't give them away at list price, ya have to break into deep discount mode to get them off the lots.

[Treibenschnell]

If we are talking SUVs, then I agree, but I suspect that there are way too many rural NASCAR watching pick-up truck buyers that are like my father-in-law and would rather take a bullet to the head then own a Japanese truck.

They've got Darrell Waltrip pushing the 'Yota's... so that's one of their own.

[pliablemoose]

The new Toyota pickup is going to be rough for GM/FMC/DCM.

Toyota has the resources to crank out a hell of a vehicle. Built in Austin, TX no less. They're supposed to come on line in November.

[black roadster]

My wife's family are rural folks and I can assure you, they will not ever own a Japanese truck, regardless of where it's built.

At family gatherings it's mostly trucks and SUVs and nothing but American.

The John Deere/Rural Walmart crowd will keep the US trucks alive and well for the conceivable future. Go to any small Texas town and there isn't even a Toyota/Nissan dealer until you get to a city of at least 100,000 people.

Hit the small towns of Texas and you hardly see a foreign car.

[POS Racing]

Hit the small towns of Texas and you hardly see a foreign car.

Whatever Sparky! I travel Texas quite a bit and ya do see foreign cars and trucks not huge numbers but they are out and about.

Ya wonder how the drop in gas prices will affect the Ford and GM?

[sammm]

When you visit the Rust Belt (where I'm originally from), you are hard pressed to find any Japanese vehicles. (Mainly because GM/Ford are the biggest employers in that part of the country, or at least used to be)

[black roadster]

Whatever Sparky! I travel Texas quite a bit and ya do see foreign cars and trucks not huge numbers but they are out and about.

Hit the small towns of Texas and you hardly see a foreign car.

That's basically what I said Sparky. I didn't say you never see a foreign car. The American cars far out number the foreign jobbers even though the Japanese have built a superior vehicle for nearly 30 years. (maybe more?)

[POS Racing]

The American cars far out number the foreign jobbers even though the Japanese have built a superior vehicle for nearly 30 years. (maybe more?)

I don't think anyone was building anything worth a crap in the mid 70's!

[black roadster]

I don't think anyone was building anything worth a crap in the mid 70's!

I dunno.

I think it straddles two decades.

The late 70's through early 80's were very bad.

The early 70's weren't so bad you had some interesting domestics still and the imports were kicking into gear.

You just had to search really hard. Mustang Mach1, 240Z, RX-7, (loved my 74 Ford Capri), Bandit's Firebird. There's others. Your vision is just clouded with the memories of the Pinto, Pacer, Gremlin, and Mustang II to name a few.

[Monkey of Death]

Also, we have yet to see a Japanese truck at prices comparable to the American fire-sales of late. I believe it was CM who recently gave in to the low prices and bought an F-150.

Thats a darn good point, but when ya can't give them away at list price, ya have to break into deep discount mode to get them off the lots.

The low cost appeals big to us cheap bastards! But, a lot depends on if you're someone who keeps your cars (trucks) or gets a new one every three years. I sold my old Nissan pickup to my father in law after 11 years and 175,000 miles so I could buy another one. It's now got over 200k miles and still runs great. My brother in law's GM truck is newer with lower miles, and is literally falling apart. So if you're planning on hanging onto it, it may be worth paying a little extra up front.

Or you can save the money now and mod up the Miata some more!!

[Treibenschnell]

Hit the small towns of Texas and you hardly see a foreign car.

Not so... I agree with POS. I've seen a good mix of small, Japanese cars on my travels through small, rural towns in this state. Hell, same thing in Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana.

When you visit the Rust Belt you are hard pressed to find any Japanese vehicles. (Mainly because GM/Ford are the biggest employers in that part of the country, or at least used to be)

Agreed. I worked a two week gig in Detroit and hell if I could find anyone driving something made outside this country. I suspected it was because there was no need to piss of their collective bosses.

[channelmaniac]

Haven't you noticed it's now the American way to merge/buyout. Soon we will all be working for the USA Corporation (located in India somewhere)

You mean "Wal-Mart"?

[channelmaniac]

If we are talking SUVs, then I agree, but I suspect that there are way too many rural NASCAR watching pick-up truck buyers that are like my father-in-law and would rather take a bullet to the head then own a Japanese truck.

Also, we have yet to see a Japanese truck at prices comparable to the American fire-sales of late. I believe it was CM who recently gave in to the low prices and bought an F-150.

Why... Yes it was!

X Plan pricing combined with $4500 in rebates/savings and an additional $1000 rebate for financing through Ford Motor Credit made for a sweet deal. It went from $23,739 down to $16,339... and they threw in the heavy duty tow package too boot.

Besides... since it's a Ford it fits nicely in the driveway with the Mazdas.

[channelmaniac]

The John Deere/Rural Walmart crowd will keep the US trucks alive and well for the conceivable future. Go to any small Texas town and there isn't even a Toyota/Nissan dealer until you get to a city of at least 100,000 people.

Hit the small towns of Texas and you hardly see a foreign car.

Uh... 27k people in Paris, TX, and they have a dealership... well, stealership... After getting by them I swore of Toyotas for life.

[MadMerv]

That's basically what I said Sparky. I didn't say you never see a foreign car. The American cars far out number the foreign jobbers even though the Japanese have built a superior vehicle for nearly 30 years. (maybe more?)

...and you remember thirty years ago??????

[altiain]

Nissan and Toyota seem to be figuring out the truck part at a rapid rate. IMHO, this one should really scare both GM and Ford.

While I think the new Tundra will be more successful than the previous generation, until the Japanese start offering 3/4-ton and 1-ton trucks with multiple bed lengths and large diesel engines, they'll never have more than a toehold in the American truck market. Yeah, I know that these vehicles only make up a small percentage of overall truck sales, but it's the perception that your V6 F150 shares parts with an F350 dually that fuels a lot of these sales. Call it the halo effect, but with trucks instead of sports cars.

Every contractor or field service guy I know owns a quad-cab, diesel, 4x4 F250/Silverado 2500/Ram 2500. These guys don't really care about price or mileage, because they expense all of that anyway, and they use their trucks in their line of work. While a lot of them own a Honda or Toyota or Nissan in addition to their truck, not a single one of them considered a Tundra or Titan, simply because Toyota and Nissan don't offer anything that they can use.