New Charm.li update site covers 1960-2025!!! lemon-manuals.la

Click the announcement link for some ascii art and keygen music! Retro!!

They won't accept adverts OR donations!? Whaaat?
Probably just don't want to be sued.
Servers located in Guyana and Laos.. (and Ukraine but it said technical difficulties)

Thanks!

I just had to send them a 'thank you' email!

The trouble to find a little information in this day and age.. I know I could subscribe to X-Y-Z manual companies..
BUT I much prefer the simple, no-nonsense layout of charm.li and craigslist.. and now lemon-manuals.la !!!

Like old Napster and mp3's, but NOW 20 years later we get 4x the file size and might have playlists on apple, amazon, tidal, spotify..
Speaking of corporate greed, my lady just bought a 2021 Rav4, but has to pay a subscription for remote start!!!
Jackholes....

mikez71 said:

my lady just bought a 2021 Rav4, but has to pay a subscription for remote start!!!
Jackholes....

Click to expand...

lol I was just talking about this a couple months ago. Wife’s Mercedes has a remote start that is only operated through an app and subscription.

The kicker? It was based on 3g cellular so now that 3g is obsolete, she lost her remote start… fun.

Tonyv__ said:

lol I was just talking about this a couple months ago. Wife’s Mercedes has a remote start that is only operated through an app and subscription.

The kicker? It was based on 3g cellular so now that 3g is obsolete, she lost her remote start… fun.

Click to expand...

I keep saying it... I don't understand the infatuation with Toyota.

joe

homesick said:

I keep saying it... I don't understand the infatuation with Toyota.

joe

Click to expand...

I grew up with a few old toyota's.. which I hated at the time because, no power!

But after driving 80's-90's Toyota minitrucks, the same era nissans and mazdas (ford courier!) felt much crappier.
And after driving my old Toyota MR2s, starlets and celicas... the hondas, while precise feeling and revvy, felt light duty and were all FWD.
(at least in the econo lineup)

I've had 3 different landcruisers,'78 fj40,'94 fj80 (triple locked, 4.5L I6, only I6 I've ever liked), and a '99 fj100 (V8)..
Driving a '94 gmc sierra (305, booooo!), felt crappy in comparison.. (Different uses, not a great comparison)

I think the main thing with Toyota is reliability, and ergonomics.
vs Mercedes.. 20 tiny buttons in a cluster, all the same size and shape.
vs GM, the wiper stalk and headlight controls.. the old window switches, my buddy still has those tiny chrome tabs in his '95 impala!
GM finally caught up on window switches around '07... 15 years later compared to japanese/german companies..
Toyota maintenance seems easier.. tidier wiring, fewer screws.. fewer broken plastic bits..
No main wiring bundle sticking into the front wheel well.. (I can't believe someone hasn't had a flat tire take out those wires!)

Now lots of toyotas with leather seats all seem to rip in under 10 years.. Thin leather.. older power door locks would eventually die..
But this rav4 prime (300hp) drives quite good from what I can tell, and gets CRAZY gas mileage!
It's like the electric supercharger I always wanted, but connected directly to the transmission.
More power, responsiveness AND fuel efficiency.. More weight yes, but it's all down low so cornering doesn't really suffer and ride quality improves.
More complexity, but it's seamless.. Higher cost, but you'll save that in fuel costs.
It's an impressive package with the handling, ride quality, power, and efficiency.. No one thing stands out, but it's a SOLID balance..
Which isn't anything you see in the specs or photos.. and isn't exciting.. (although the non prime version drives like poop.. )

Any of you guys noticing these new cars seem to ride better? I'm not sure what about the suspension has changed (geometry, shocks, wheel size, ?)
But newer cars seem to ride better than they did 10 or 15 years ago.. Like they soak up bumps better, and are sporty feeling..
(I haven't driven many newer cars, but at least this '21 rav4 and a friends '17 bmw x1 or something like that.. They handle great and ride great!)

So while not infatuated with Toyota, I guess I do rate them pretty high.. along with BMW, better interiors and the leather holds up..
But looking for fullsize trucks or SUV's, they don't have much.
Everyone seems to love the Sienna minivan is what owners keep telling me..
They need to make some fun vehicles and fix their ridiculous grilles! (My friend says it's the chinese market's fault they all have big ugly grilles now)

mikez71 said:

I grew up with a few old toyota's.. which I hated at the time because, no power!

But after driving 80's-90's Toyota minitrucks, the same era nissans and mazdas (ford courier!) felt much crappier.
And after driving my old Toyota MR2s, starlets and celicas... the hondas, while precise feeling and revvy, felt light duty and were all FWD.
(at least in the econo lineup)

I've had 3 different landcruisers,'78 fj40,'94 fj80 (triple locked, 4.5L I6, only I6 I've ever liked), and a '99 fj100 (V8)..
Driving a '94 gmc sierra (305, booooo!), felt crappy in comparison.. (Different uses, not a great comparison)

I think the main thing with Toyota is reliability, and ergonomics.
vs Mercedes.. 20 tiny buttons in a cluster, all the same size and shape.
vs GM, the wiper stalk and headlight controls.. the old window switches, my buddy still has those tiny chrome tabs in his '95 impala!
GM finally caught up on window switches around '07... 15 years later compared to japanese/german companies..
Toyota maintenance seems easier.. tidier wiring, fewer screws.. fewer broken plastic bits..
No main wiring bundle sticking into the front wheel well.. (I can't believe someone hasn't had a flat tire take out those wires!)

Now lots of toyotas with leather seats all seem to rip in under 10 years.. Thin leather.. older power door locks would eventually die..
But this rav4 prime (300hp) drives quite good from what I can tell, and gets CRAZY gas mileage!
It's like the electric supercharger I always wanted, but connected directly to the transmission.
More power, responsiveness AND fuel efficiency.. More weight yes, but it's all down low so cornering doesn't really suffer and ride quality improves.
More complexity, but it's seamless.. Higher cost, but you'll save that in fuel costs.
It's an impressive package with the handling, ride quality, power, and efficiency.. No one thing stands out, but it's a SOLID balance..
Which isn't anything you see in the specs or photos.. and isn't exciting.. (although the non prime version drives like poop.. )

Any of you guys noticing these new cars seem to ride better? I'm not sure what about the suspension has changed (geometry, shocks, wheel size, ?)
But newer cars seem to ride better than they did 10 or 15 years ago.. Like they soak up bumps better, and are sporty feeling..
(I haven't driven many newer cars, but at least this '21 rav4 and a friends '17 bmw x1 or something like that.. They handle great and ride great!)

I guess I do rate Toyota pretty high.. along with BMW, better interiors and the leather holds up..
But looking for fullsize trucks or SUV's, they don't have too many..
Everyone seems to love the Sienna minivan is what owners keep telling me..

Click to expand...

I don't say they're crap, but they don't deserve the blind love they get. They're like Sig Sauer pistols- good but over-hyped, with more failures than fan-boys will admit.

Your experience is a sample of one. No offense, but it proves nothing. My wife drove a Toyota, we bought new, for 12 years (edit to correct to 22 years). It was a non-stop parade of minor failures; with a class-action lawsuit engine replacement thrown in for fun. My older Chevy truck, bought used, only lost a fuel pump during that time.

I'm a life-long Chevy driver. I've been happy with them, but I, also, am a sample of one.

joe

Agreed. We are small samples.

Despite all the worry about AFM lifters and torque converters breaking,
I wonder what the ratio is compared to the huge number of GMT-900's that are still on the road and past 200k..

Lately I like thinking about the 'common' vehicles.. Thoroughly tested, dissected, and a large parts supply available for a long time.
One of the reasons I think about the past model 4runner. It's the same model for 13 years!!!
I never rode in one, but it doesn't look bad for a daily driver / trail vehicle..

But really I wanted a larger vehicle and a V8, so that's how I ended up with a Tahoe..
Essentially the same vehicle as GM's entire SUV/light truck lineup for 7 years.. not bad..

I gotta know, which Toyota did you get? Was it sludge buildup in the engine?
I have the impression they went downhill in the late 90's to 2000's..
Maybe focusing on the Lexus lineup, but I hated the way those drove.

Thing is, I've been happy/unhappy with many brands (mostly happy).. So I'm not brand loyal.
Figure companies change CEO's and accountants over the years.. And they will all put out lemons time to time..

mikez71 said:

Agreed. We are small samples.

Despite all the worry about AFM lifters and torque converters breaking,
I wonder what the ratio is compared to the huge number of GMT-900's that are still on the road and past 200k..

Lately I like thinking about the 'common' vehicles.. Thoroughly tested, dissected, and a large parts supply available for a long time.
One of the reasons I think about the past model 4runner. It's the same model for 13 years!!!
I never rode in one, but it doesn't look bad for a daily driver / trail vehicle..

But really I wanted a larger vehicle and a V8, so that's how I ended up with a Tahoe..
Essentially the same vehicle as GM's entire SUV/light truck lineup for 7 years.. not bad..

I gotta know, which Toyota did you get? Was it sludge buildup in the engine?
I have the impression they went downhill in the late 90's to 2000's..
Maybe focusing on the Lexus lineup, but I hated the way those drove.

Thing is, I've been happy/unhappy with many brands (mostly happy).. So I'm not brand loyal.
Figure companies change CEO's and accountants over the years.. And they will all put out lemons time to time..

Click to expand...

I think government is the biggest problem with cars these days; with the hoops carmakers have to jump through for asinine regulations, and the thousands of dollars compliance adds to each car price.

I surprised Mama with a 2002 Sienna, her first brand-new vehicle. Yeah, it had the 3L sludge problem. They bolted all the old, existing parts to a new(?) block. The engine then had a minor oil leak that Toyota's master techs still hadn't figured out when we sold the van, a couple of years ago. I understand the engines locked up on some people, so I guess we got lucky there.

I've had great service out of my Chevrolets. I blame them on my dad because they're what he bought too. Mine've all been used except a '78 Camaro.

joe

homesick said:

I don't say they're crap, but they don't deserve the blind love they get. They're like Sig Sauer pistols- good but over-hyped, with more failures than fan-boys will admit.

Your experience is a sample of one. No offense, but it proves nothing. My wife drove a Toyota, we bought new, for 12 years (edit to correct to 22 years). It was a non-stop parade of minor failures; with a class-action lawsuit engine replacement thrown in for fun. My older Chevy truck, bought used, only lost a fuel pump during that time.

I'm a life-long Chevy driver. I've been happy with them, but I, also, am a sample of one.

joe

Click to expand...

Very well said.

government is the biggest problem with cars these days; with the hoops carmakers have to jump through for asinine regulations, and the thousands of dollars compliance adds to each car price.

---

^ This.. I dont pine for the fumes of 1960’s unburned tetraethyl lead laced fuel but certainly the EPAs recent contributions seem more political than environmental. NHTSA should have stopped at seat restraints. Now the nannies keep a comin! Brakes that slam on for no reason, lane assist that is just plain wrong; not helpful! Did we ask for any of it? Do folks like or actually use it?

I remember when I was little riding in a friend’s dad’s vw who was so pissed at the seatbelt buzzer that he cut the buckle off the belt and plugged it in so the buzzer would stay off permanently. I think we are definitely at odds with our government’s efforts that we wind up paying for in more ways than one!

…Forgot to say thanks to Mike for turning us on to charm, it’s quite useful…Thanks Mike!

I totally understand your friend's dad!

Someone else here mentioned charm.li is how I found it..

Sorry I don't remember who... But thanks TYF!