I didn’t realize until recently myself… somewhere along the way I have become a GREAT Toyota loyalist.
This is a declaration that I have made after great rationalization and debate. Standing up and saying you love Toyota, is like acknowledging that the frumpy girl down the street might not be the cutest thing around, but at least she makes a pretty good casserole.
Of the 33 vehicles that I have owned to date, twenty-four of them have carried the name of Toyota or one of its subsidiaries. Among the nine off brand vehicles that I have owned, there are seven independent brands. No other car is even a close second. Cementing my relationship further, I coincidentally married a lady from Toyota, Aichi.
Our family, currently five Toyotas and four people (two of whom are nearly a decade away from driving) just picked a 2018 RAV4. The shopping experience began when I decided that it was time to move on from the FRS. That is no fault of the FRS itself, but rather a realization that taxes, braces, and old age were stacking up fast. The goal was to trade the FRS for a more practical four door toy – i.e. FK8 Civic or VA WRX.
Somehow I ended up with the perfect four-wheeled appliance instead – A decision that I’m still reeling from.
Calm yourself… I still have the FRS.
…We also have the UCK45 Sequoia, JCE10 IS300, and Ryan’s old and scary SW11. All of which I love and loathe the thought of getting rid of.
So much for practical choices.
The actual thought was that the FRS would go, along with the Sequoia. That would leave me money and space for a fun four-door.
Stay tuned on that…
The RAV4 is at least a wonderful commuter. The SA44 generation gets a lot of hate. I understand it in part… however while I might have enjoyed driving both the Pilot and the XV more, it was immediately obvious that I just couldn’t feel the same way about giving a brand other than Toyota my money.
Which I suppose is why I still don’t own a fun four door…