most people would think this is backwards but most people are stupid.car was falling apart anyways lost hope for it. Now need to focus on saving for A 300 turbo 123, the 240 for around town the 300 for trips,want A little more top speed.

Good move! While Toyota's are reported to be dependable when new but when they get older they fall apart. I've had a couple so I know, an '89 4X4 and a '92 Camry. The Camry started falling apart very early on, when it was only about 4 years old. The 4X4 started having issues when it got to be over 10 years old. Parts were expensive and it was a very big PIA to work on, the Camry was even worse. I might have kept the 4X4 longer but my knees started having problems with clutches in traffic so it had to go.
In a way, my 300D replaced the Camry.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Having kept both Toyota and MB, I find the Land Cruiser to be a higly superior vehicle, way more reliable and needs way less maintainance. When Top Drive BBC did a test on a 10 year old S-Class MB and equally old Lexus LS-400 with same milleage, they found the Lexus to have way less rattles and it was holding up way better.

If one were to look at Consumer Reports one can clearly see the advantage of Toyota versus MB.

Both are good and one cant really put down either with this kind of comparisons.

My Accord V6 is still running after 500,000 miles, it is a testimony to Japanese engineering and my OM 616 too lasted that long so the Germans are quite good too although their current crop leaves much to be desired.

gurkha your right toyota makes dam good cars didnt mean to come off sounding bitter, the 90 corolla was an ugly year,but pulled through for me with very few problems.good car just kind of ugly the 240d has much more style but it costs A lot more than A corolla.Ii really wish toyota would bring diesel models over here to the states that would be fun . OH WHAT A FEELING TOYOTA!! or something like that.

If that 240D is stickshift car you should probably never let it go.... arguably the most desirable general purpose MB of the last 35 yrs. Mechanics and home garage DIY'ers love em - many owners prefer their old world styling and they are last bastion for owning economical vintage Benz that provides lotsa fun paddling through the gears.

Think I'm joking??? Check ebay where even crummy ones often draw 8-12 bids and close at 4 figures. Basically the 4-spd 240D has bottomed out in depreciation - now watch their value go up, up, up over the next several years as they capture cult classic appeal.

Jeremy,

Wish you could drive the Corolla diesel which is quite common here in India and Asia in general, it has one the most responsive, sweetest diesel engine and runs as quite as a gasser and is peppy to boot. Also due to inherent diesel atttributes is very frugal and extremely reliable.

Seems like the management at Toyota is real afraid to introduce diesel to the US market due to apparent bias against anything diesel, it is sad as the US is missing out on a great deal.

no its an auto but with manual windows and manual heat and air no auto climate stuff here technically Iam the third owner first guy bought it in germany then brought it over had it for about 10 years, then second owner for about 10 years till he gave it to my little sister she had it less than A year, now I own it, never been smoked in which is kinda nice but very well worn 323,000 miles and it shows but youll have to pry it off my cold dead hands to get it. I want to keep it its A fun car

You guys can keep your Toyotas or any other Japanese car for that matter. I'll never buy another one.
In Japan, they don't keep their cars as long as we do. Their government increases taxes so high on their older cars that they have to scrap them. Therefore there's no reason for the Japanese auto makes to make their cars long lasting. You see far more older American cars on the road here than you do older Japanese ones.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Having seen countless number of high mileage Corollas, Civics, Subarus in the US as well as in India, I for one have full faith in the longeviety of Japanese autos. Out here in India, people bring back engines from scrapped cars which have been relegated to junk and graft the engines into Willys Jeep as well as other vehicles like taxis etc. and in that condition, these old Corolla, Civic, Isuzu and Nissan engines last over 200,000K.

I challenge DCAG to design and sell an automobile that is as good as a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic in terms of reliability and great affordability. It's a sure bet that DCAG will never be able to do such a thing!

The Japanese design and manufacturing processes are extremely efficient and very detail-oriented. Just look at the Japan-made CE products(TV, radio/CD/DVD player, camera, camcorder etc...) and you will see how sophisticated and finely tuned they are.]

Eric

Damnit lads - lets not get into car-fight here!!!

Nobody will argue against Japanese metalurgy techniques and close clearance engineering that builds the finest 4 cycle engine on earth, as Gurkha suggests..... but we just dont see any Japanese diesel cars here in the USA - and Japanese cars in general typically rust and fade to smitherines in fewer than 20 yrs on account of recycled steel going into sheetmetal body parts and lousy paint.

And if truth were known, wide bodied American car owners myself included just dont fit comfortably into the Toyota driver's seat where everything is bent elbow reach from comfortable position and we basically feel cramped and uncomfortable making anything over a 30 minute ride practically unbearable.

Eric, this is no offense against Japanese engineering.... but fat and bald-headed cigar smoking Germans are better qualified to design an automobile that pleases the American driver with all creature comforts provided.

Lietuviai, are you even old enough to know the legacy of the Datsun 240Z or the earlier Datsun 2000 that were legendary sports cars imported to these shores?

Jeremy sacked his '90 Toyota in favor of keeping the 240D.... can anybody argue with that choice?

Yes 240DieselDog I am old enough.
I formed my opinion on Japanese cars very early on. I had always enjoyed doing my own work on cars until I put my hands under the hood of a Japanese car. It was with these cars that I learned the importance of specialized tools. Also with these cars I could never finish a job without any injury to my hands because of all the tightly placed components or because of the weak bolt material that would unexpectedly break.
On my last two Japanese cars, it was impossible to change the oil on them without making a mess on the garage floor and within the engine compartment no matter how strategically I tried to place the oil catch containers.
All my American vehicles have held up better than any Japanese car I have owned. That's why I still own them.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012