Toyota: Fill & Download for Free

Toyota, in Germany, is the invisible elephant in the room nobody talks about, visible to and purchased only by people who have overcome German default sentiments suggesting a VW Golf or Opel Astra or Ford Focus - which are actually not very reliable vehicles, when you look at the statistics of the past twenty years, by comparison to comparable Toyotas.Germans do not consider Toyotas cars, but more a kind of kitchen appliance on wheels that unfortunately makes a lot more sense than domestic alternatives. You cannot impress with a Toyota. In Germany, owning a Toyota is viewed as a sign of defeat, or sacrificing taste and sophistication on the altar of reason and economy.So, in a way, buying a Toyota is something those who are working hard for their money know they ought to be doing, but they will usually only do so at the point where they’ve had enough of the niggles you get with vehicles like VWs and Opels.I think the most common line all German Toyota owners will have is “you know, I used to drive VW/ Opel/ Ford, but it got to the point where I’d just about had it with the car trouble, and I needed something that actually runs.”You will probably next to never meet a German who buys Toyota because of a romantic attachment to them. I guess I must be the only one. I have owned several Toyotas, and while I felt warm and fuzzy knowing that these cars are immensely easy to own, what actually drove me to take that step was childhood memories of walking past 1970s and 80s Celicas, Landcruisers, and Crowns on my way to school, thinking that those were terminally cool and different cars, slightly American, and exotic. And every time you watched a documentary on the West African bubble buffalo or the somersaulting Nile alligator, or something, the vehicles driven by the researchers would have TOYOTA emblazoned on the back in huge letters. These, to me, were the official cars of world exploration, as a little boy. They came with a taste of the Far East, North America, and Africa at the same time.To me, Toyotas are a way of owning a vehicle that comes with a whiff of Serengeti while knowing it will take you to the office by 08:30 without any funny stuff, ever.Those aren’t deer by the side of the road, they’re springboks.

State Trooper was there to inform me that my blue Toyota truck was in the ditch several miles away.I blinked at him. Jaw dropped.Then… I look in the driveway behind him and see my shiny blue Toyota truck sitting right there.It takes him a few moments to figure it out…Apparently a Toyota truck I sold YEARS AGO was in the ditch and the person that bought it from me had failed to transfer the title.*That* blue Toyota truck was in the ditch.Yay.

This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.It doesn't surprise me at all that the vehicle of choice for ISIS is a Hilux.Toyota Hilux is one of the most common vehicles in the world. It's almost precisely the same form factor as a Toyota Tacoma, but it runs on diesel, not gas. It's rear wheel/four wheel drive, versatile, extremely desert-friendly, and requires basically no maintenance. A Toyota Hilux can run for 30 years or more without much more maintenance than occasionally changing the tires. And they're everywhere. Basically everyone who lives in the Middle East (who can't afford a fancier car) has a Hilux. Civilian, militant, or otherwise.It's the vehicle of choice for Libyan rebels.Ode to the Toyota Hilux Pickup TruckThe Iraqi National guard.Artillado (vehículo de combate improvisado) | WikiwandSomali fightersThese Toyota trucks are popular with terrorists - here's whyRegular garden-variety Bedouins having a nice time in the desertWadi Zalaga Camel Race - RED C VILLASIf you look at any armed group operating inside or outside of the government, anywhere in the Middle East or Africa, odds are good you're going to see them have a strong preference for Toyota trucks.The Sudanese Liberation Army, in particular, along with the Justice and Equality Movement in Darfur, were both infamous for stopping UN and humanitarian Hiluxes at gunpoint, kicking the driver out, and making off with the vehicle. They usually chopped the top off, put a gun turret in the back, and painted it a drab color. They also liked Landcruisers, when they could get them, which got the same chop shop treatment. Those militants had an all-Toyota fleet.So the fact that ISIS loves Toyotas makes them completely normal. What makes them a bit weird is that they have new Toyotas. Like brand stinkin' new and shiny. That shouldn't be possible. Because there's sanctions and stuff. Or should be. The U.S. department of Treasury is also perplexed by all of these fancy trucks showing up all of a sudden.I have a few friends who work in automobile imports and manufacturing in the Arab world. I started hearing wild rumors and speculation on the street starting in early 2012 that certain unscrupulous overseas "junk men" were buying up trucks legally as "spare parts," pushing them through various Middle East customs and free zones, and selling them illegally to unknown third parties. ISIS wasn't really much of a thing back then, but the volume of vehicles moving through customs surprised the folks I was talking to.I imagine that's how Mark Oberholtzer's old Ford truck eventually showed up in Syria.Texas plumber's old truck resurfaces in Syria, mounted with terrorists' gunsBut that doesn't explain how ISIS is getting new trucks nowadays.My belief, and the stated belief of U.S. Department of Treasury, is that the Toyotas are being bought by middlemen at dealerships outside of the conflict area, and driven or transported into ISIS territory where they're handed off for a fee.ISIS just appears to have enough money that they're no longer interested in auctioned junkers. They want new and shiny. And it seems they're able to use their already established gray-market channels to accomplish this goal.Toyota claims to have no control of the movement of its trucks into enemy hands. And, to a certain extent, this is likely to be true. However, if it turns out that a single buyer has been making repeated bulk purchases, that information would be useful for anti-ISIS forces to have access to.U.S. probes why ISIS uses Toyota trucksThese Toyota trucks are popular with terrorists — here's whyUS Treasury inquires about ISIS use of Toyota vehicles - CNNPolitics.comWhere did ISIS get all those Toyotas? US Treasury investigates.http://www.newsweek.com/why-rebel-groups-love-toyota-hilux-74195ISIS Endorses the Toyota Hilux to the Chagrin of Toyota, Everyone ElseToyota WarEdit: Marcus Abbah pointed out that two of the original pictures I had up showed another very popular Toyota truck, the L70. I changed them out for pictures of Hilux trucks for consistency's sake.Edit 2: From Nigel Shake: In fact, the first couple of generations of the Hilux (60s and 70s) were petrol only, and diesel engines were introduced with the 3rd generation in 1979. Now it is in its 8th generations and has been available with both engines since then.Edit 3: For a more amusing and hypothetical look at the indestructibility and versatility of the Hilux, also see: User-9497531471687060170's answer to If a plague wiped out most people on the Earth, what car should I steal to look for survivors? Should I optimize for gas mileage, reliability, or off-road capability? and Ariel Williams's answer to If a plague wiped out most people on the Earth, what car should I steal to look for survivors? Should I optimize for gas mileage, reliability, or off-road capability?