I have a Yaris. Once had an A4. The better engineered and more reliable car was the cheaper.

Look at a 10 year old Yaris versus a 10 year old Polo#: read the Owners' Forums. One is rather dull and boring, one is full of wiring and electrical faults..

I know which make I would rather buy for longevity....

#Or Golf, or Audi A2.

Edited by madf on 24/11/2010 at 09:50

Let’s not slide into denigrating one make over the other. The fact is that Toyota have been incredibly successful tailoring cars to the marketplace. My observations about cars in Mombasa left out the detail that these were mainly a kind of four door saloon that reminded me of the Carina E, (probably called Corrolla) likely to be locally assembled and to a basic specification.

We were travelling in a Nissan bus, but the native population were bussed around in Toyota vans…there must have been hundreds of them.

My point being, that if this popularity was simply based on reliability, where were the other “reliable“makes?

Re-reading the article, VW are not that far behind in sales volume, so their aim might be achievable. I wonder where in the world it is that VW group vehicles dominate the market?

>>"Let’s not slide into denigrating one make over the other"

Unfortunately for many its the primary purpose of posting and involvment in the forum.

The saving grace of VW's is that parts can be easily obtained down the road from many reputable suppliers. They're not perfect though, the same engineering faults occur in successive generations, water leaks through doors, leaves blocking the scuttle drains and needing a new ECU if left too long due to water damage.

Toyota's parts are on the whole more expensive, but unless you've bought a lemon they very rarely need anything other than servicing. If you're buying nearly new, I would say that the dealer experience is more preferable to VW, which would appeal to many people.

It's down to personal choice in the end, and what your priorities and tastes are.