I have nothing against Toyota's...I just wanted to cause trouble and thought I would toss the match and run.
I owned two land cruisers (before they were luxury-ized) and use them exclusively for fishing. Rust was an issue but you could not kill them. Rolled one 3X and replaced windows, used it for 5 years on the rock and sold it for more than I paid for it. I was pleased.
But as I got older, I seem to be turning into my farther...I buy American. Yes I know a lot of parts are made overseas but I still buy American for other reasons. Quality has improved immensely over the years and that is no longer an issue IMO. Yes labor is cheaper in Asia, the fact is in Asia factory workers work long hours for 35 cents and a bowl of rice while our government and labor unions insist we provide health coverage, a good wage and retirement benies. It simply costs more to build in the US with these rules. I understand people wanting to buy things cheap...ie walmart and Sams club culture but there are repercussions...that's part of the reason we have 11+% real unemployment (not to mention local tackle shops going BK).
Capital flows to where it is most cost effective to make things to feed this culture of wanting it cheap. This is why American can not compete on labor. The fix is for the government to provide incentives to build stuff here, this means allowing investors taking the investment risk to make (and keep) good (and big) profits. As long as we have a socialists mentality at the helm, it will not change. Hope all you want, america can not compete, we shot ourselves in the foot.
Back on topic...I would keep the vehicle...there is a lot to be said for a vehicle that is free and clear!
Threaded Mode