Toyota overtakes GM as the bestselling automaker in the US.

[bryankazmer]

i'm asking about F DuV's Va tax

[TerryB]

50 states and 50 different ways to collect fees and taxes.  Frank’s note does seem to imply low mpg vehicles, especially those driven a lot, get to pay no use tax.  My state, PA, has the highest state gas tax in the country, 58.4 cents for gasoline and 74.5 cents for diesel.  Added to that is the federal tax at 18.4 cents for gas and about 25 cents for diesel.  Even at these rates the state says it can’t afford to repair big bridges and take on large projects so Federal help is needed to fund them.
 The Fed is quickly finding out in these times of higher mpg vehicles and the expected increase in EV sales their 18.4 cents a gallon no longer generates sufficient income if we want to actually pay for highway improvements without borrowing more money.  The idea of a Federal mileage use tax to replace the Federal  per gallon gas tax gets everyone who drives a vehicle to be contributing to the cause in perhaps a more equitable way.  Businesses with a lot of vehicles will probably be able to claim the fees towards their tax burden like they do now for business miles.  Many companies buy mileage trackers for their vehicles as it’s easier than having drivers keep a log book.  No one wants more fees, me included.  Unless we have bake sales and lottery tickets to pay for Highway improvements it seems new ways to raise funds is on the horizon.

[JamesR]

I found this top ten list of the most reliable engines online, but it's from the UK. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but I'm guessing it probably tends toward being accurate. (It seems to be focused on new or newer cars, so don't go looking for the Mopar slant six on the list😄.) Not surprisingly, Honda and Toyota are at the top. Surprisingly (IMO) Jaguar is #5 (behind Volvo.) Ford is #8 so that's positive, but I don't know if that's for US made Fords since it's a UK list.

 

Who makes the most reliable engines? | The Car Expert

 

Top 10 manufacturers – most reliable engines

	Manufacturer	Failure Rate
1	Honda	1 in 344
2	Toyota	1 in 171
3	Mercedes-Benz	1 in 119
4	Volvo	1 in 111
5	Jaguar	1 in 103
6	Lexus	1 in 101
7	Fiat	1 in 85
8	Ford	1 in 80
9	Nissan	1 in 76
10	Land Rover	1 in 72

 

There's also a bottom ten list that accompanies the top ten. Many European makers on it.

 

It doesn't surprise me that Mitsubishi is on the bad list, too. My 2006 Chrysler mini van had the engine fail at 136k miles, and it has a Mitsubishi engine. We replaced it with a used engine because it was less money than a new engine or rebuild. That engine now has 150k miles and seems ok, but I don't know how much longer the vehicle will last.

 

Bottom 10 manufacturers – least reliable engines

	Manufacturer	Failure Rate
1	MG Rover	1 in 13
2	Audi	1 in 27
3	MINI	1 in 40
4	Saab	1 in 40
5	Vauxhall	1 in 41
6	Peugeot	1 in 44
7	BMW	1 in 45
8	Renault	1 in 46
9	Volkswagen	1 in 52
10	Mitsubishi	1 in 59

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Frank DuVal]

7 hours ago, bryankazmer said:

are you saying that one pays less tax for a vehicle that gets poorer mileage?

John has it right. The worse mileage vehicle already paid more tax at the pump, so no extra tax is needed at registration renewal time.

 

4 hours ago, John348 said:

someone or corporation is sitting on that money collected before it is paid to the government,

I only had 8 employees at the most, and I had to submit employee withholding every two weeks, or the IRS was causing me trouble! Try not forwarding employee garnishment to the IRS and see how long the phone takes to ring with threats of imprisonment!😲 

 

I do agree a week float at a 100 employee company is a large amount.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Frank DuVal (see edit history)

[jdome]

It doesn't surprise me that Jaguar & Land Rover are on the top 10 list along with Ford. Ford has been building some very good cars the past 2 or 3 decades. Ford owned both Jag & LR from about 2000 to 2010 and re-engineered their engines and platforms during that time as well as sourced them some badly needed reliable electrics. Both are still benefiting from that marriage. Tata Motors (Daewoo, Hitachi tractor & machinery) owns them now.  Keep in mind that this list appears to be based on engines. There are brands on that list that I don't think fair very well overall due to other reliability issues. 

[charlier]

On 1/9/2022 at 10:57 PM, f.f.jones said:

Most news and industry sources are saying Toyota was able to stock and manage their computer chip supply better than GM did. Toyota did not have the new car production problems that GM did, were able to supply their dealers with cars when GM couldn't, and had inventory for sale when GM didn't. 

There was a great demand for new cars and people purchased cars from sources that could supply them. 

The situation is purely economic...not political,

Hold on a second fellas. I need to hitch up my Toyota Tundra so I can pull this discussion back on track.... 😁

 

I agree 100% with you f.f.jones. The following is a little more history on the subject.

 

Back in 2011 Toyota experienced a supply chain disruption after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis that year. One of the shortages back then was semiconductors. Toyota decided to not face something like that again without a plan to deal with it. Fast forward 10 years later to the supply chain interruption of 2020/21. Toyota pivoted from their just-in-time supply chain philosophy to a hybrid version where they stockpiled critical parts like semiconductors. They did that as soon as their supply chain showed signs of stress. That plan and pivot has helped Toyota to deal with the semiconductor shortage in a manner that has reduced the impact of the current shortage to a degree.

 

Bottom line is Toyota had a plan to deal with the supply chain shortages when almost all other automakers did not.

 

FYI, other automakers like VW, BMW, Daimler and yes GM all recently announced they will change their supply chain systems to stockpile more parts and build up reserves. Better late than never I guess.  The real question is did these automakers learn from their recent mistakes and put together plans for the next time this happens or will them doom themselves to repeat their mistakes once again by not putting a plan in place for the future. Time will tell. Stay Tuned.

Edited January 13, 2022 by charlier (see edit history)

[bryankazmer]

Toyota's manufacturing methods do not try to just minimize inventory.  They try to use inventory to smooth flow, not to cover up inefficiency.   So no change in principles was required.