Some general Questions for Toyota Owners, Helping a friend with a term paper Options

[barterj]

Here are some interview questions, please answer 1 or 2 of them, or all if you want. Copy and paste the question you are responding to so I know which question the response is for.

Have long have you had, or did you have, your Toyota, what made you buy it? What year, model?

Why do you like your Toyota, and what do you use it for (driving, racing, towing stuff)?

Do you know any myths, superstitions or conspiracies involving Toyotas? What about jokes, inside or about Toyotas (like the punch bug or dub, depending on the year, for VW)?

Is there any rivalry that you know of with other car companies?

Is there a special recognition factor you get from begin a Toyota owner (like the "Wrangler Wave" for jeep owners)?

If Toyota owners could fall into one or two "general" stereotypes what would it/they be (Like Subaru owners are known to be like outdoor hippies, and VW owners are generally awesome...)?

Their current Ad campaign "Moving forward", and their promises off reliability?

How do you feel about the Prius, and the people who drive them?

During the Cash for Clunkers thing, the Corolla, the Camry, and the Pruis were all in the top 10 sellers, ranking at 1, 3, and 7. Any thoughts, or comments regarding this info?

How do you feel about the current issues surrounding Toyota, such as the recalls, the guy with the "run away Prius guy" and the lawsuit, such as the recent $16 million one?

Why do you think the recall got so much media attention, and do you think the massive media coverage could have been part of a conspiracy trying to get people to buy American?

Are there any other noteworthy things that you've noticed about Toyota, or the people who drive them, or anything else you want to add?

[Keiri]

Here are some interview questions, please answer 1 or 2 of them, or all if you want. Copy and paste the question you are responding to so I know which question the response is for.

Have long have you had, or did you have, your Toyota, what made you buy it? What year, model? 1 year and 1 month as of the 24th of April. I bought it because I've always had a special place for the Celica GT and when I decided to buy a new car it was the first thing I looked for. 1999 Toyota Celica GT.

Why do you like your Toyota, and what do you use it for (driving, racing, towing stuff)? I like the design aesthetics and the rarity of it; I don't see many Celicas and even fewer GTs in my area so it stands out. I use it for daily driving and all that entails - hauling groceries, commuting to work, and weekend excursions.

Do you know any myths, superstitions or conspiracies involving Toyotas? What about jokes, inside or about Toyotas (like the punch bug or dub, depending on the year, for VW)? Well, the myth that they're more reliable or last longer than other cars is the biggest one - but it also seems true from my experience.Beyond that there's the inevitable jokes about Toyotas being boring, cookie-cutter machines without passion.

Is there any rivalry that you know of with other car companies? Anything with a 4-cylinder under the hood is a rival to most Toyotas.

Is there a special recognition factor you get from begin a Toyota owner (like the "Wrangler Wave" for jeep owners)? Other than the random thumbs up or nod from other Toyota owners when I'm at a stoplight? Nope.

If Toyota owners could fall into one or two "general" stereotypes what would it/they be (Like Subaru owners are known to be like outdoor hippies, and VW owners are generally awesome...)? Boring, middle-aged people and young ricers, unfortunately.

Their current Ad campaign "Moving forward", and their promises off reliability? If they're moving forward to bringing souls back to their products then they need more vehicles that show it, ie. the FT86 needs to be out NOW.As for reliability, having never owned a newer ('00 - present) Toyota I can't comment other than to say the build quality from the 90s needs to return.

How do you feel about the Prius, and the people who drive them? Eh, it's a great symbol and for some it's awesome - gets from A to B with less damage to the Earth.

During the Cash for Clunkers thing, the Corolla, the Camry, and the Pruis were all in the top 10 sellers, ranking at 1, 3, and 7. Any thoughts, or comments regarding this info? I guess it speaks for itself.

How do you feel about the current issues surrounding Toyota, such as the recalls, the guy with the "run away Prius" and the lawsuit, such as the recent $16 million one? Personally, I think every auto maker has issues at times with quality but Toyota's catching so much flack because of their reputation for quality and impeccable standards. In the race to be number 1 they may have lost sight of their end-users as more than just numbers. In time their reputation will return to it's previous levels - if they take return to a quality not quantity business model. The runaway Prius story looks like a fraud and since I wasn't in the car I can't be totally sure but it just looks too opportune to be coincidence.

Why do you think the recall got so much media attention, and do you think the massive media coverage could have been part of a conspiracy trying to get people to buy American? See my above answer but I think it has been made more or less into a big catalyst to "buy American".

Are there any other noteworthy things that you've noticed about Toyota, or the people who drive them, or anything else you want to add? Toyota's future will rest heavily on the leadership of Akio Toyoda and I hope he delivers the kind of cars that Toyota faithful have been clamoring for since the mid to late 90s.

This post has been edited by Keiri: Apr 6, 2010 - 12:50 PM