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.
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No not perfect, certainly. And cars are definitely complex, and recalls are a normal and expected component of car ownership for most people. Watch for them, get them rectified.
To be clear though, recalls are sort of outside what we are talking about when we are talking about reliable and long lasting cars. A recall is a known issue that the company addresses. It doesn’t mean the car won’t last.
Toyota and Honda, while they have the normal minor issues any car might have, are absolutely head and shoulders over other makers when it comes to their cars simply lasting longer with less maintenance.
Consumer reports is good for identifying which older models or vehicle have stood the test of time. I’m not sure it’s as useful for newer vehicles since it’s very hard to assess longevity of new models before there is data.
Prius/Prius prime might not be the most efficient but it’s pretty damn good.
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.
I agree entirely with what you are saying, but that doesn’t change what I said about how long people keep the same car. I suspect we are in the midst of the length of ownership increasing, but not to 10-20 years on average.
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.
Yeah you’re the kind of anecdote they’re warning about
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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.
Yup, the only real gripe I have is a small percentage of the complaints seem to be more user error than design flaw, but that’s to be expected from any review site.
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This whole comment reads like an advertisement for a porn site to someone who doesn’t speak German.
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.
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.
+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.
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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.
You know what “Ford” stands for, eh?
Fix It Again, Tony.
But to add something to the conversation, my vote goes to Toyota and Honda.
Anecdotally: Had a 1999 Corolla that I drove into the ground, ignored oil changes, was a stupid teen, and it ran fine until I wanted automatic windows. Currently riding in a Nissan Altima, which seems to be pretty great (as long as the transmission doesn’t fail, which they can do sometimes).
Parents had a Ford Eacort that was a lemon, and a Ford Escape that was a money-pit.
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It’s a joke from King of the Hill, one of the main characters misquotes the joke the way the OP commentor wrote it.
I will say the variation of the Ford joke I’ve always heard growing up was “Fixed Or Repaired Daily.”
First On Race Day
Fucked Over Rebuilt Dodge
(But I like yours)
Idk… I’ve had my Escape since 2015 and it hasn’t been a money pit. There was one massive issue it had with a cable for the transmission snapping, but it ended up being a recall so I was completely refunded the money it cost to fix it. I’m not saying they are necessarily the best, but it’s been fine for me is all.
I think with any of these questions, picking a specific brand seems silly. Hell, even a specific model isn’t always a good idea because some of the models made in a specific year might be shit and the next year they might be great. You have to do a lot more research in depth rather than just blindly picking a brand imo.
Ford is Fix Or Repair Daily.
FIAT is “fix it again Tony”.
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.
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. :(
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.
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.
Honda and Toyota last forever. Incredibly reliable cars.
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, Toyota, Subaru. Specific models with high sales and as such high parts availability. I’d avoid new models or low sales. It’ll be harder to pick-n-pull parts. The prius claims to be low maintenance and I believe it based on experience. Most issues I’ve had with those brands have been fixable and not too soul crushing. Even the worst prius issue i ever had with a stuck coolant valve I was able to fix myself wigh youtube vids.
Of course this comes with the caveat that you take care of your vehicle. Don’t drive like a moron being harsh on it, perform regular maintenance at proper intervals, do your fluid and filter checks and changes, don’t swing for only cheap products, use full synthetic oil when you can. Use higher quality oil, air, cabin, etc filters within reason. Follow the manual. Set maintenance reminders for yourself. Don’t add unnecessary performance mods. Don’t go to jiffy lube. Be skeptical of mechanics that will screw up your car. Check their work when you can, or do it all yourself. If your car allows it, use better fuels.
Reliable doesn’t equal zero maintenance or zero cost.
On that note. Michelin tires are worth it. Cheap tires are cheap and get replaced more. Tire performance under braking is perhaps the most important safety feature. I’ve never been disappointed by Michelin for performance, safety, or life. Worth every penny every time.
By the way, if you want some fun, go to the car dealer area of your town on random days and check out their service departments. I laugh every time I see places like Hyundai packed in the waiting room.
Subaru is great. I live in the land of eternal winter, and it’s unstoppable. Bought my Impreza diesel two years ago and put 50k kilometers on it with zero mechanical problems. Plenty of used parts out there for a 2011 as well.
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My mum swears by Subaru cars as well for the same reason - she walked away from what should have been a fatal accident without hospitalisation.
My Honda Civic is 12 years old. I just put new shocks and tires on and it feels like it’s brand new. The thing is rock solid. It’s needed very little work beyond maintenance for normal wear and tear.
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~ $200
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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.
