[IceFire]

there's a toyota that can go over 120mph made after 2002?
seriously?
Well, its nice to see that there are others whom also know that TOYotas..
..suck. quite simply put i wish i could muster up some more reasoning other than that they discontinue any sort of 'cool' car (supra) in favor of the boring and lame in scary numbers.

Toyota's don't suck because they don't have a sports car in the line up... not really justification for anything really.  They just tend to lack the enthusiasts angle... although that is changing with the Lexus LF-A and the FT-86 RWD coupe (and a new CEO).  Toyota is still up on the top for reliability, resale and making solid point A to B cars. I ended up with my Corolla because of my long legs and the other small cars not fitting properly (not the Civic, Mazda3 or Sentra - Lancer was ok... but I didn't like it for other reasons). Plus the 2.4L in my car has great torque and I enjoy driving it most of the time.

[Mongoose]

Seriously, "cool" cars might be, well, cool, but they're kind of a waste for driving back and forth to work every day.  When money gets tighter, people want a reliable car that's not going to have high maintenance costs, and from what I understand, Toyota excels at making that type of vehicle.

[Liberator]

It's what they're built on. 

The reason they aren't making a big deal of this is because it would damage that reputation.  The fact of the matter is that less than 1% of their products have actually had this go wrong.  They're not going to throw the company off a bridge for what, in they're eyes, is a minor, fixable problem.

[MR_T3D]

there's a toyota that can go over 120mph made after 2002?
seriously?
Well, its nice to see that there are others whom also know that TOYotas..
..suck. quite simply put i wish i could muster up some more reasoning other than that they discontinue any sort of 'cool' car (supra) in favor of the boring and lame in scary numbers.

Toyota's don't suck because they don't have a sports car in the line up... not really justification for anything really.  They just tend to lack the enthusiasts angle... although that is changing with the Lexus LF-A and the FT-86 RWD coupe (and a new CEO).  Toyota is still up on the top for reliability, resale and making solid point A to B cars. I ended up with my Corolla because of my long legs and the other small cars not fitting properly (not the Civic, Mazda3 or Sentra - Lancer was ok... but I didn't like it for other reasons). Plus the 2.4L in my car has great torque and I enjoy driving it most of the time.

solid point A to B cars are IMO are not as 'fun' as that old car you had, with its 'quirks' and which you almost feel 'connected' to. if it work perfectly all the time, where's the fun?
And yes, i had a transmission break down and wait 4 hours for a tow, but i feel richer from the experience.
I don't care, if you have the reputation of being solid,  reliable, strong resale (boring), and also not known to be much fun, then i simply don't like you.
I too have long legs, and i seriously hope i don't need to buy a corolla, ever.
i'd much rather pay the gas and extra expense associated with, say, an  80's Crown Victoria, or something.
WAIT... i sat in corollas at autoshow (for the lulz), and they actually are almost dangerous for me given my foot size, in that it is a little difficult to go from the accelerator to the break (but, to be fair, its only 1/2 as bad as many of the 'new' GM products, but i like ford anyways, so  )

[StarSlayer]

4WD 5-speed standard Tundra in a snow storm is a bundle of fun

[Mika]

Plus the 2.4L in my car has great torque and I enjoy driving it most of the time.

Wait, you (seriously!) have a Corolla with a 2.4 L engine? I didn't even know it was possible to fit such motors in that chassis. Corollas here are around 1.3-1.6 litre range.

The only good thing from automatic that I have found out is exactly the congested traffic driving. Especially when starting uphill. Though some manual cars also have hill holder to stop moving backwards when starting uphill - this will certainly cause hilarity when one gets used to that property and then drives a car which doesn't have one...

However, I especially don't like automatic gears when driving on icy or snowy road.

[CP5670]

I have only ever used automatic transmissions. I can imagine some advantages to a manual, but it would probably just be a hassle for typical commuting in traffic. The less work I need to do while driving, the better.

Also, automatics are just mechanically cooler. Anyone who has built both types of transmissions out of Lego would agree.

[redsniper]

...had a transmission break down ... richer from the experience....

Nah man, transmissions are expensive.

[MR_T3D]

...had a transmission break down ... richer from the experience....

Nah man, transmissions are expensive.

under warranty, fortunately.

[Mika]

And yes, i had a transmission break down and wait 4 hours for a tow, but i feel richer from the experience.

This, highly likely, depends on if the surrounding environment was around -40 degrees of Celsius...

[asyikarea51]

Because in a proper car you can push the clutch down and set gear to neutral.

I kind of question how to do this in some of those semi-automatic boxes... like DSG/Ferrari F1 or similar... (didn't really read the whole thread though.)

Then again I'm not fortunate enough for a personal vehicle so don't hurt me >_<

And on the LF-A... I kinda liked the styling of the 2007 car more than the current one, and it's limited production which kinda puts a =\ to things... but that's not relevant to the topic...

[Mika]

I think there has to be a way to quickly switch to neutral in order to regain control of the car if it starts sliding.

[Liberator]

Every Automatic Transmission that I've ever driven has a neutral setting in between reverse and the forward gears.  And I know it works at speed because I accidentally shifted it when I was 4 years old, thought my dad was gonna kill me acutally.

[IceFire]

Plus the 2.4L in my car has great torque and I enjoy driving it most of the time.

Wait, you (seriously!) have a Corolla with a 2.4 L engine? I didn't even know it was possible to fit such motors in that chassis. Corollas here are around 1.3-1.6 litre range.

The only good thing from automatic that I have found out is exactly the congested traffic driving. Especially when starting uphill. Though some manual cars also have hill holder to stop moving backwards when starting uphill - this will certainly cause hilarity when one gets used to that property and then drives a car which doesn't have one...

However, I especially don't like automatic gears when driving on icy or snowy road.

Starting in 2009 there are two engines in all North American Corolla's.  A new 1.8L engine making 132 hp and a 2.4L engine sourced from the Camry which makes 158 hp.  The 2.4L goes in the XRS sport model ... its not exactly comparable to a Civic Si but its sort of in the range of a Mazda3 GT.  The chasis isn't as good, the ride is a bit harsh over some surfaces, but its a fairly fun car to drive and a bit better suited to my size.  Plus the price wasn't bad and the car is made by Canadians so it all sort of worked out for me.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

New info: Australian's cruise control runaway car escape

[Aardwolf]

Necropost & 404

[Woolie Wool]

Well, since's it's already been necroed...

while the brake has little effect, as the car continues to accelerate with the brake pressed.

This is impossible. The brakes of a modern car can provide much greater stopping power than the engine can provide acceleration. If you were to hold both the brake and accelerator to the floor, you would do nothing but spin your wheels, rev your engine, and wreck your transmission (if you suddenly let go of the brakes/dump the clutch) and possibly your tires. A car cannot accelerate with the brake floored unless it is hydroplaning or otherwise experiencing catastrophic traction loss, in which case the gas won't work either. Even if the power brakes fail the brakes will still work; you will have to push hard, but they will work.

there's a toyota that can go over 120mph made after 2002?
seriously?
Well, its nice to see that there are others whom also know that TOYotas..
..suck. quite simply put i wish i could muster up some more reasoning other than that they discontinue any sort of 'cool' car (supra) in favor of the boring and lame in scary numbers.

Have you ever seen a Toyota Avalon? Those things are pretty big, and for a family car, pretty fast, with 260 horsepower.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Well wtf, they killed that vid.

Anyhow, this Australian was driving a Ford pick-up truck on the highway, when his cruise control broke down. So he was stuck speeding, brakes didn't work. Called his car dealer, who thought he was driving drunk. Then called the police, who scrambled to escort him through the traffic. Eventually, after an hour or so, he managed to steer off the road and used his handbrake to stop.

[NGTM-1R]

This is impossible. The brakes of a modern car can provide much greater stopping power than the engine can provide acceleration. If you were to hold both the brake and accelerator to the floor, you would do nothing but spin your wheels, rev your engine, and wreck your transmission (if you suddenly let go of the brakes/dump the clutch) and possibly your tires. A car cannot accelerate with the brake floored unless it is hydroplaning or otherwise experiencing catastrophic traction loss, in which case the gas won't work either. Even if the power brakes fail the brakes will still work; you will have to push hard, but they will work.

Not true. Brakes overheat; you can restrain acceleration, for a period, but you can't stop it indefinitely.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Okay, so here and here. No idea why BBC removed it.