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.
Don’t trust what people say from their individual stories. You need statistics of hundreds of cars, not single anecdotes. There must be sites that evaluate cars reliability, average spending on repairs and so on, model by model. Find those.
This is good advice in general.
But the answer to this question is extremely well known across the internet and every thread that comes up will eventually boil down to the same two responses: Toyota and Honda as 1 and 1a.
There isn’t some secret answer to find, those are just the answers. People will definitely come up with anecdotes supporting various other cars, but as these threads hit a certain mass of replies they invariably boil down to those two choices.
They are not the flashiest cars, nor the most feature rich, nor the most efficient or most powerful. But if you want to buy a car that will just keep on running after years of minimal maintenance, often even after being abused during that time, a Toyota or Honda is what you should buy.
And their daughter brands. Lexus = Toyota, Acura = Honda. For when you want something flashy.
deleted by creator
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/ is exactly that!
If you really want a long lasting machine, listen to this person. So much nose in this thread. For example: Subarus, in fact, do not have reputation for being long lasting without major repairs. Most people do not keep a vehicle for 10+ years nor for 300k miles. I have a vehicle that is older than that with 30% more miles. As said above, an anecdote.
Somebody keeps track of the cost of ownership over time. Perhaps a company, maybe a government agency.
Good luck!
The average car age in the EU is 12 years old. Even in richer member states the average is often over 10 years (germany: 10.1, Netherlands: 11.4)
So at least in that part of the world, most people absolutely do keep a vehicle for 10+ years.
Source: https://www.acea.auto/figure/average-age-of-eu-vehicle-fleet-by-country/
The average in the US is 12.5 years old.
I think people’s impression of things is skewed because overall cars are much more reliable than they used to be. When I was a kid a car over 10 years old was something you expected to have issues, and certainly wanted to avoid buying. That’s not the case these days, and the huge numbers of functional older cars on the roads make us not realize just how many old vehicles are out there because they’re normalized.
My car is 15 years old, my wife’s is 9. They’re both perfectly fine and they don’t feel old to us.
Spent 10k on a 2014 Subaru Outback with 120k miles, headgasket leak. First and only owner. Whats even worse is brake error light after spending that much. Carmaxed that junk. I will never ever buy a Subaru. Replaced it with a Honda.
There must be sites that evaluate cars reliability, average spending on repairs and so on, model by model. Find those.
In the U.S., that would be Consumer Reports magazine, available at most public libraries.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/
Take any site with a grain of salt, but I find they’re usually not too bad for a general idea of what you may be in for.
This one is my favorite and was super helpful last time I was looking for a car. You can see trends year over year in the same generation, so like if the first 2 years of a 4 year run had some chronic issue that was fixed for the last 2, that sticks out.
Stiftung Warentestfor german POV in this case
Can’t go wrong with Honda and Toyota. They are basically tanks that keep running even when you abuse them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I’m currently driving a company owned Toyota corolla Fielder, with a cool quarter million KMs on the clock, 260-something thousand to be exact.
Toyota have a legendary reputation for reliability, for good reason.
+1 for Toyota Corolla
I’ve got -06 model with 225000km (140000mi) on the meter. Outside basic maintenance the only problem it has had was that the ABS timing ring snapped. It cost about 80€ at the local shop to clean the spot and weld it whole again.
I had a 1989 corolla as my first beater car as a teenager. I drove that poor thing for 150k miles without ever changing the oil. I only stopped driving it because it got totalled in a wreck.
I have had mazadas and toyotas run for decades with zero problems but they are also decades old and may not be reflective of the current quality of the cars. See: BMW and Mercedes. they used to be quality in the 20th century, now they are a bit shit.
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
2WD cars can do some amazing stuff, especially because the Prius is heavy because of the batteries and has more traction as a result
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.
Flawed premise.
You don’t care about brands generally, you only care about the car you buy specifically.
Every brand / model has good and bad cars. If you’re unlucky enough to get a shit one, it doesn’t really help you if people swear by that brand.
Just figure out the format (SUV, hatch, etc), then your budget, then buy the lowest kms you can.
Some are definitely more good or bad in general than others.
Obviously, yet my point remains.
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 am not native and wanted to say I always swear on SUVs, Pickups and unnecessarily loud or stupid cars.
Dont get one of those, please.
I swear near BMWs, some day they will ship with a turn signal included.
So funny, I think BMW people are pricks everywhere. Fucking Nazi company, but VW, Audi and Porsche are as bad I guess
The folks you really need to watch out for drive Altimas
Never heard of, have to check
Honda. The answer is Honda.
As long as you don’t take your a/c into the equation, or have one of the 3.5s that have ring problems.
Friend had an insight with oil consumption issues, so not those either.
Most of the newer stuff with miles on it uses a bunch of oil, it’s crazy.
If your city plan allows for it, I swear by no car. Cars are expensive, and if you don’t need a car for your daily errands and your commute, it may be help to consider ditching it altogether and go by bike and bus/train. After all, you don’t need to worry about paying for & maintaining a car if you don’t have one and the responsibility for keeping your ride rolling is handled by the business. And a plain bicycle takes almost no maintenance and runs on whatever you had for breakfast.
Of course, if you live in a place like Florida or Texas or Ontario outside of central Toronto, you’re fucked.
Depending on where you live, you might be able to consider not getting a replacement. Public transportation and cycling is vastly superior if the infrastructure is available. Costs less, keeps you healthier, better for the environment, less noisy cities, more flexible, etc etc.
Not to mention that a replacement doesn’t need to be a car. An e-bike or a motorcycle might cover needs. Also as to once a year needs, if you go with a cheaper option, you can always rent a car or moving van if you want to.
Honda and Toyota last forever. Incredibly reliable cars.
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.
Toyota or lexus are most reliable, Honda (Acura) is a close 2nd. After that it isn’t even close.
Yes ford’s aren’t all bad, especially their international designs are not bad.
After Toyota and Honda the reliable cars to buy are going to be specific models and specific years, you’re going to have to find the many youtube mechanic commentary videos “buy this not that” and do your research.
It may be that rather than buying the most reliable vehicle you avoid buying one of the known worst vehicles. I’ve been there and now I own 2 Toyotas and a Honda.
And it goes without saying, before you buy anything have it inspected by an impartial mechanic you trust.
You will see that Toyotas cost a lot more than other cars. It’s because the cheaper cars end up costing thousands more in the long run because of the many repairs you’re going to have to do. Pay now or pay later.
