lol family's bought Toyota's for years...so have I...built to last, yes. But like many other cars, they are also built rather cheaply in certain spots...so getting hit there, well, all I can say is a lot needs to be replaced Rank 'em as Toyota, Hyundai (since they've now ramped up their quality as of late) & Honda...newer GM's are junk. First car I had was an old '88 Mercury Topaz...and it WAS built Ford tough for the circuits I put that thing through
The BEST car still being made is the Mercury Grand Marquis. I don't have the time right now for the specs. Check it out for yourself and the next car you buy will be: http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/grandmarquis/
I have an '05 Tundra Quad Cab Limited. My first Toyota. I've had the Fords (Fucking Old Rebuilt Dodge), Chevys/GMCs, and Dodges and as far as a half ton goes the Toy is the best truck I've owned. No problems whatsoever. Really high resale value. Also have an '04 Honda Civic EX and an '02 Acura RSX Type S. No tranny issues. The Acura 6 speed is the sweetest gearbox you will ever throw, short of the Honda S2000. I let people drive it just to shift and they can't believe how smooth it is.
U.S. automakers were the first to heavily inve$t in and utilize the "robotic" automated assembly line, and had reps from the Japanese automakers in for tours of its plants to show them how it was done... Another example of how cycles will always continue in any industry.