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.
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.