When Does a Safe Toyota Become Dangerous?

Are You Paying Attention?…”Stay In Your Lane Meat-head!”

We all possess in town driving patterns that are predictable. There is a left hand turn that I take everyday, sometimes multiple times a day into my neighborhood that falls in this predictable category. It will help if I can help you visualize what I look at everyday as I approach this left-hand turn. Everyday it gets a little more scary. It is not a matter of if but when someone is going to be hurt and hurt bad.

I Bet You Witness What I Witness Everyday

I make this turn approximately 150 feet from a crest of a small hill, so the oncoming traffic has plenty of time to see me. I have sufficient time to see them coming as well, as their vehicle tops the crest and the road flattens out.  The traffic moves at a constant clip of 45MPH, sometimes a little faster. However speed is not the problem here. Drifting left of center for eight out of ten cars is. Having made this same turn for the last twelve years the frequency of this drifting  has gone from zero to close to 80%.

What has Changed Over the Last Twelve Years to Raise the Risk Level of the Left-hand Turn?

• It is not the vehicle. Cars, trucks, SUV’s are all manufactured safer today than they were in 1998.
• The road I use to make the left hand turn has been widened and improved, it is a safer thoroughfare.
• The weather is the same. Global warming has nothing to do with it.

So that leaves one variable. The driver. Everyday as I watch one car after another drift left of center headed directly for the center of my front grill, I flash my lights to wake them up. If I don’t it could be “curtains”,

The  Definition of a Drifter up to 1998: Tramp_Wanderer_Vagabond_Hobo_Transient_Rolling Stone_Vagrant

Starting in around 2001 a new definition has emerged to define a “Drifter”, Automobile drivers that have a phone held up to their ear, sitting in their lap or in the palm of their hand. These drivers are paying more attention to their phone than they are to the road. As cars continue to improve in safety driving skills seem to diminish in the same proportion.

Today The # 1 Hazard to Your Overall Car Safety

The number one safety issue for any car, truck, SUV or van is the cell phone. Why stop at cars and trucks? Excuse me for being a dim-wit for not mentioning the following,  How about passenger trains, freight trains, airplanes, boats or any piece of machinery that requires your undivided attention to operate.

What Causes More Accidents A Defect in the Car of the Driver?

As manufactures continually upgrade the performance and safety of vehicles they also give the driver a false sense of security.  I came across an interesting point of view about car accidents, asking…..is it the driver or the car?, this is a short but poignant  article by Jon Hamilton, click on this link.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123610366&sc=17&f=1001

When Does A Safe Car Become Dangerous?

Recently Toyota had a recall on various different models concerning a possible “sticky peddle” that could cause a sudden and unsafe boost in acceleration. This defect has been confirmed in less than 20 cars worldwide. To maintain Toyota’s long tradition of building safe cars the manufacturer decided to recall every car made that in any way shape or form could be affected by this malfunction. A blanket recall regardless if any Toyota sold had the defect or not, Right now Toyota is upgrading 50,000 cars a day. That is how you keep a safe car, safe.

As a Toyota dealer my first duty is to serve our local customer needs first, and then any Toyota customer worldwide  thereafter. If you have any questions or if can provide any help call me at 918-333-0900. I have and will always be proud to represent the Toyota Corporation.

For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 6% [?]

2009 Toyota Yaris: Economy, Style and Fun

Fuel Economy Without Hybrid Price Tags

These days, those who are looking for a car that gets excellent mileage often turn to hybrid vehicles. For many, however, the added cost of hybrid technology puts what is supposed to be an economical vehicle out of their price range. If you are one of these people, have no fear. Hybrids aren’t the only way to get great fuel mileage. There are still great economy cars out there that can deliver the fuel mileage your looking for.

Welcome to the 2009 Toyota Yaris.

2009 Toyota Yaris

The 2009 Toyota Yaris is the sub compact economy car from the manufacturer who made their name with economy cars. And by economy I don’t mean cheap. Though frugal both in sticker price and fuel bills this little commuter offers all the styling, room, features and attention to detail that one would expect from a car sporting the Toyota badge. Add to this Toyota’s solid reputation for reliability and quality and what you get in the 2009 Yaris is a lot of bang for surprisingly little bucks.

2009 Yaris Body styles

This 2009 Toyota subcompact offering is available in one of three body styles. Whether you choose the three-door hatchback, the five-door hatchback or the four-door sedan, if you like cute, you’ll love this car.

Kelley Blue Book points out that the liftback makes the more expressive design statement and they are right. Somewhat beetle like in its shape the three and five door hatchbacks are the ultimate in urban geek chic. Headlights and tailights stand out looking bulbous and over-sized and fit nicely with the rounded edges that dominate this car. Get the S-trim package and the to add even more funky flare with 15 inch steel wheels and a ground effects body kit.

Toyota Yaris Interior

Where the hatchback stands out in exterior style, the sedan makes its statement in interior room. With an additional 20 inches of body length the four door sedan Yaris is one of the more roomy subcompacts to be found on today’s market.

For those who love the hatchbacks bulbous cuteness, though, you will be happy to see the focus on young fun styling continue into the Yaris’ interior. A narrow center stack, three glove boxes, and center mounted instruments combine to keep the Yaris’ playful style consistent inside and out. Toyota also offers the option of sliding and reclining rear seats to help overcome the tighter confines of the hatchbacks smaller size.

2009 Yaris Performance and Economy

A 1.5 liter four cylinder motor powers all Yaris models. This little powerplant delivers 106 ponies and 103 lb-ft of torque to the Yaris’ front wheels via a standard five speed manual or optional four speed automatic transmission and manages to deliver respectable acceleration for a subcompact economy car.

As should be expected in the subcompact economy class, however, this car is all about fuel economy. Posting a miserly 29 city 36 highway with the standard transmission and 29 city 35 highway with the automatic the 2009 Toyota Yaris delivers where subcompact consumers want it most, at the gas pump.

2009 Toyota Yaris Safety

Where subcompact consumers often expect their cars to deliver least is in safety. Toyota doesn’t think one should have to sacrifice safety for economy, however, and in the 2009 Toyota Yaris they made sure that safety was a primary focus.

With standard safety features one would expect in much pricier cars, like side curtain airbags and ABS, the 2009 Toyota Yaris managed to earn four of five stars for the front occupant and five stars for driver in frontal crash tests. The car was also rated good by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in both frontal offset and side impact tests.

A Great Little Subcompact Economy Car

As you can see, in the 2009 Toyota Yaris, Toyota has made a great little subcompact economy car. If you would like a quote on a new 2009 Toyota Yaris fell free to contact me through my quick quote form. You can also browse my entire inventory of new and used offerings from Ford Toyota Lincoln and Mercury on my Bartlesville lot. I will be more than happy to assist you in any way I can.

I hope that if you are in the market for a subcompact car you will give the Toyota Yaris serious consideration. Until tomorrow, have a great day!

For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 23% [?]

2009 Toyota Avalon: Luxury, Power, Economy, Safety

2009 Toyota Avalon; #1 Affordable Large Sedan

The Toyota Avalon may not be the first car most people think of when they are asked to name a great large sedan. However, according to U.S. News and World Report, it probably should be.

In this year’s rankings U.S. News and World Report have the 2009 Toyota Avalon ranked as the number one affordable large car. The ranking is based on analysis of 55 published reviews and test drives of the car as well as safety and reliability data. So, apparently there are a lot of reviewers who consider the Avalon to be the tops in its class. Maybe this car deserves more attention than it gets.

Let’s take a look and see what all this praise is about.

2009 Toyota Avalon

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For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 90% [?]

The 2009 Toyota Car Line Up

Over the past several decades Toyota has gone from an auto manufacturer that was mostly associated with cheap tiny cars to a name that is synonymous with top notch quality, economy, value and style. Combine these qualities with Toyota’s pioneering vision in safety, hybrid and electronic technologies and its easy to see why Toyota is among the very best auto manufacturers in the world today. Today’s Toyotas are, as a matter off fact, constantly rated among the best in almost every automotive category by automotive journalists, independent testing firms and consumers alike.

While over the years Toyota has been scaling to the top of the ranks they have also introduced a number of new vehicles and greatly expanded their line. In today’s Toyota lineup you will find everything fropm full sized trucks and SUVs to their more traditional compact and sub compact offerings. no matter what kind of vehicle you are in the market for, there is a Toyota to fit your needs.

Here is a sampling of Toyota’s 2009 car lineup. Take a look and see what you’ve been missing if you haven’t taken a look at Toyota in a while.

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For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 18% [?]

2009 Toyota Venza Videos

More Venza for Bartlesville Toyota fans

Not long ago I wrote a review of the 2009 Toyota Venza titled “Toyota venza: A Great CUV for the Bartlesville Mom”. In the past few days that post has been receiving a lot of views and even managed to creep into my top ten most popular posts as you can see by the “most Popular Posts” list in the right hand sidebar. Well, since there is so much interest in this car, I thought I might offer a little more on the 2009 Venza today.

I think we pretty much covered the stats on the car and all the great qualities you will find in this brand new model of CUV. So, today I’ve gone out and found some video fro Toyota that will allow you to get to know the car even better. These videos come from Toyota’s YouTube channel and are just a few of many videos Toyota offers to help consumers get to know there products a little better without having to take a trip to the lot.

Toyota on Youtube

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For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 15% [?]

2009 Toyota Prius Tops Consumer Reports Best Value List

Well Bartlesville Toyota fans, it looks like the Toyota prius has earned yet another honor. In the recent Annual Auto Issue of Consumer Reports Magazine the Toyota prius was named as the debut recipient of the brand new “Best New Car Value” title.

This title is new this year and one that Consumer Reports offered, along with the magazines traditional rankings of top vehicles, to highlight for consumers the car determined to be the best value across a five year period. According to the press release “To determine which cars are the best values, Consumer Reports looks at its overall road-test scores, five-year owner-cost estimates, and predicted reliability ratings for more than 300 recently tested vehicles. CR then divided each vehicle’s five-year owner-cost by its overall road-test score to get the cost of each test-score point — the lower the cost-per-point, the better the value. To ensure the vehicles named as best values were also models that held up well over time, choices were limited to those with above-average predicted reliability ratings. Consumer Reports’ owner-cost estimates are based on six major elements: depreciation, fuel economy, insurance, interest on financing, maintenance and repair, and sales tax.”

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For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Toyota Venza: A Great CUV for the Bartlesville Mom

Well, Bartlesville moms, it looks like gas is on the rise again and, as moms know, the SUVs that have been so popular over the last few years are not overly friendly at the gas pump. With the drop in popularity of the styling of the mini van and the rise in fuel prices taking a bite out of the appeal of the SUV, another class of car is on the rise as the family hauler of choice in Bartlesville, Tulsa and cities and towns everywhere. Mom’s new best friend is the CUV.

These roomy people movers offer the fuel economy of sedans with the added space of SUVs and are quickly becoming favorites all across America. And, in the class of CUVs, there is one new comer making quite a splash of its own. Meet the Toyota Venza.

Toyota Venza: Not Just Another CUV

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For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 34% [?]

The 2009 Toyota Corolla-Guess What?-New Car, Super Value

In 2007, When the Toyota Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, no one was really surprised. The reason for this is that people expect a great product to do well, and in the Corolla, the world had found a great product. Read more

For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 7% [?]

2009 Toyota Camry — The Sultan of Sedans

America’s Top Seller

You can probably count the number of family sedans that offer affordability, fuel economy, luxury, comfort, style, safety and a hybrid option on one hand. Better yet, you can probably do it on one finger. Not that finger. The one next to it. Yes, that’s it. Raise it towards the sky and say, “Number one, Toyota Camry.” Well, I think that probably covers it. Read more

For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Raving For the Rav… the 2009 Toyota-RAV4 that is

The Original Compact SUV

Thirteen years ago, if you had been in the market for a compact SUV, you would have been full sized SOL (that’s swift out of luck, of course). It wasn’t until 1996, with the introduction of the RAV4 into the U.S. market, that the class even existed. Read more

For more information please contact Brad Doenges of Doenges Ford Lincoln Mercury Toyota in Bartlesville Oklahoma at (918) 333-0900.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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