Just found out that my current car will die any day now due to a known defect. It’s out of warranty and I have no money to replace it right now.
I’ve been cursed with car problems my whole life, no matter how well I take care of them, I keep getting screwed.
All of the cars have been Fords because I always heard they were generally dependable and cheap to repair/upkeep, but so far they have all failed me.
What cars do y’all recommend? What cars do you have that just won’t give up the ghost no matter how old/beat up they get? If your life depended on your car lasting as long as possible, what car would you drive?
I want whatever car I get next to last me 10-20 years. I want to be that person posting a picture of the odometer hitting 300k miles. I also don’t care much about features, reliability is key.
Suckless philosophy. The less computerization the better. I wanna be able to fix the whole thing with a 10mm, a jack, and an adjustable spanner.
Currently I have a 92 Corolla, it has too many computerized parts and I’m planning to replace the engine with a carbureted 3 rotor and a manual transmission. Ideally, I’d also like to implement Koenigsegg freevalve as well.
If all goes to plan, it could handle an EMP and keep running, though I’m not a prepper or anything, i just want a fully mechanical vehicle because I understand mechanics, but adding computers into the mix muddies the water.
The problem with the computer parts is that they’re closed sourced and tivo-ized. Computers could be as flexible and tractable as mechanical parts.
If I’m gonna have computers in my car, ideally they’d be arduino-like such that I can modify the code on-board as I see fit or replace the parts relatively cheaply if damage were to occur to the electronics.
And if there’s some issue of people making modifications to that code that should reasonably be illegal, that part could be made read-only. I can’t off the top of my head imagine what people would want to modify but shouldn’t but if it became a problem it would be easy to fix.
For me, I’d edit things like timing as well as whether a given cylinder/rotor is actively firing based on engine load, disabling cylinders under low load (eg: already at speed, idling) to improve fuel efficiency and maximize power output for a given amount of fuel based on load and whatever the task at hand is (eg hauling loads, hauling ass, or gentle driving)
Edited: I was really tired when I typed this and missed a couple very important words.
Pre-1975 FJ40 is an indestructible super car
I have a Tesla and an audi.
I have a Nissan I gave to my kid. 2008. Only one issue during the first year. Otherwise it’s been trouble free. I’ve been impressed with it.
Toyota and Honda are the most depends and reliable. There’s a reason they hold value the way they do. I have a Toyota Highlander and Honda Odyssey both over 250k miles, still running like champs.
Toyota Landcruiser with the straight 6 1hdfte engine. Plenty of power comes in several different models of car. Unfortunately because of their unparalleled reliability they are expensive and Toyota discontinued making the engine due to emissions.
I have seen these engines go over 1million kms as they are bassed of the original 1hz engine which was really bullet proof but lacked in power.
Honda and Toyota. But since we bought 1 Honda we now own 3. I buy the Honda oil filters in 10 packs. Our van has over 300,000 and still drives ok.
Toyota Yaris, most reliable car ever in my eyes
Those things are indestructible
German cars. Not because they’re great, but because I swear whilst being in the same physical location as them. I’ve owned a handful of VWs/Audis and they are rather annoying vehicles to work on. Though half of them I’ve owned lacked any major issues. Just expensive… Fairly expensive.
Joking aside, Toyota is always a safe bet for reliability.
What is your budget?
Don’t get a jeep! Ours developed a heart defect 2 weeks before we paid it off. Turns out, it’s a known issue that Jeep just doesn’t care about addressing because “loyal” owners will just replace it (meaning the whole engine), and often do.
Echoing this. Stay away from Jeeps
It’s not just Jeep, it’s any FCA/Stellantis vehicle with the 3.6L Pentastar engine. If you know it’ll develop a head gasket leak after 100K and replace it ($5K) before it does, you won’t have another problem with it. If you don’t, it’ll total the engine ($15K). Happened to me. I hope there’s a class action law suit honestly.
As someone who kind of likes the idea of owning a Wrangler, this disappoints me to no end. :(
You can always swap the engine with a honda vtec engine, but in doing so you’ll trigger the ire of other jeep owners who’ll complain about the lack of torque at low rpm on honda engines.
I get shitbox Toyotas for under a couple grand and run them into the ground. Whatever maintenance I can afford.
I don’t trust cars nor roads nor drivers
Can’t go wrong with Honda and Toyota. They are basically tanks that keep running even when you abuse them.
Pretty much the only thing that will stop them is rust. They’ll disintegrate long before the motors give up if taken care of properly.
A Corolla or Camry’s lifespan is measured in decades, not years. I occasionally just whisper “oil change” to my Corolla while driving and it makes happy engine noises and just keeps going. They might not be flashy and there’s certainly cars out there with more features but if you’re looking for a car that “just works” and you (almost) can’t kill, get a Toyota.
Honda too I guess although I can’t speak to them specifically.
Just remember, Toyota and Honda may be gold tier for reliability but they still issue recalls too. They’re also overpriced by $5K-$10K because of their reputations.
I don’t see recalls as a problem - they find an issue, they fix it for everyone, for free. The three times my Toyota hybrid was recalled it was back to me the next day, not only washed, but with the interior cleaned as well. They were mainly software fixes I think. The car’s now 12 years old and still bowling along just fine.
Overpriced due to good performance? Sounds like people are just will to pay more to get more
What about Suzuki and Mazda, are they almost as reliable?
I have no experience with Mazda but there are plenty of old Suzukis on the road where I live.
Mazda’s are very reliable, especially ones built in Japan. The newer ones have excellent designs, equaling luxury brands on the newest and are still fun to drive. More importantly they’re still inexpensive to fix.
2014 and newer Mazdas are good but the infotainment may need replacing or repair on 2014-2018s due to the screen delamination usually from being parked outside. Prior to that, you need to be specific about what model. The engines and transmissions have always been bulletproof so long as they are kept wet, except for the Mazdaspeed and CX-7 turbo needing an oil restrictor.
Suzuki are cheap cars that need cheap fixes and will keep running as long as you keep fluids in them. I’d never buy one unless I couldn’t buy a Honda, Toyota, Mazda, or American V8.
Fully agree with Toyota and Honda with the exception of the 2019 and other same gen versions of the Honda Civic. There is a known defect with the air conditioning system that causes leaks even after repairs and results in a failed AC system. My brother has been plagued with this issue and unofficially Honda acknowledges it but will fight like hell to pretend it doesn’t exist.
No AC, but it still runs, right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ya that’s the only issue he’s had but in 40+ degrees it’s rather unbearable and pretty bad considering the issue arose within the first year of ownership and regular use.
Honda is known for crap AC systems unfortunately. No one wants to really acknowledge it but it’s true. I had mine replaced 3x and it still stopped working. Sold it just because you can’t drive an oven and live.
Ouch ya checks out with my brothers car. Had to get it fixed 3 times now. He’s looking to offload it to another unfortunate soul.
So far I’ve owned a Ford, Chevy, and Hyundai. Ford and Chevy were nothing but trouble; had the Hyundai for about 4 years now and not a single issue, so it’s got my vote.
Toyota Prius. I’ve seen people in central Asia rock mud and dirt trails with it, that most Westerners wouldn’t dare to go on with their SUVs
I agree completely. I have a 2009 that I got second hand, just passed 7 years and I’ve only had minor repairs in addition to regular maintenance.
One caveat - if you have to park on the street, invest in a cage for your catalytic converter. Mine and literally everyone else I know who has a Prius had theirs stolen. That’s the biggest expense I’ve had with mine.
2WD cars can do some amazing stuff, especially because the Prius is heavy because of the batteries and has more traction as a result
mid 90s to mid 00s corollas i know they are different gens there but any from that era are great for reliability.
