Ultra reliable cars
Discussion
My 1990's BMW e39 Touring with 137k on the clock is still going strong.
Just flew through this years MOT with only the one advisory for discs & pads (the rears are original).
In fact everything on the car is still original except the suspension which was air bags & is now sports springs.
Just flew through this years MOT with only the one advisory for discs & pads (the rears are original).
In fact everything on the car is still original except the suspension which was air bags & is now sports springs.
RobinBanks said:
MattHall91 said:
S2000
I've seen quite a few posts in the last few weeks talking about major engine problems with them.The one that got me was someone who said that the cost of replacing a steering rack (or something like that) was £13500
Always thought Mondeos were a safe bet. Uncle has run 3 to over 200k each with not much to report.
MrMoonyMan said:
I totally biased on this but you're bang on. They were so well built.
If I were to drive round the world I'd take a n/a version and be confident in it.
My grandad bought one in 1980 and it was in the family without any fault for 21 years.
Turbos are not so good, mine ate it's headgasket and the gearbox lunched itself too. But yes I'd take an N/A version...If I were to drive round the world I'd take a n/a version and be confident in it.
My grandad bought one in 1980 and it was in the family without any fault for 21 years.
MGJohn said:
glasgowrob said:
My reliable old taxi barge
260k now and still on original clutch turbo injectors etc etc
Only let me down for the first time last month thanks to a flat battery other than that rock solid and Bill free apart from wear and tear
Twenty five years ago, waiting for a train arrival at Gloucester Railway Station got talking to Taxi drivers waiting for fares. A line of white Montego. 2.0 litres... all white which I believe was a council rules Taxi requirement. Those Montegos covered high mileages very reliably as did one I owned at the time which approached starship mileage when I drove it to the scrapyard on its final journey. Still running strong even then but getting a bit tatty ~ my sons and their schoolboy friends learned how to handle a reasonably powerful car on my own track...
It aint Rocket Science, simple regular checks and keeping the basic maintenance up to scratch.
I have never had an unreliable car.
MattHall91 said:
Fair enough, I'll retract that then.
Always thought Mondeos were a safe bet. Uncle has run 3 to over 200k each with not much to report.
I think the S2000 is above average, but nothing special overall for longevity.Always thought Mondeos were a safe bet. Uncle has run 3 to over 200k each with not much to report.
It was the £13500 steering rack thing that really turned me off to it!
MGJohn said:
How many of these have been made and are still going strong? The Hindustani Ambassador:~
When I were a lad, these were a common sight for me .... on UK roads known then as a Morris Oxford or was it Cowley?
Wasn't the Morris Cowley a lower spec. version of the Morris Oxford?When I were a lad, these were a common sight for me .... on UK roads known then as a Morris Oxford or was it Cowley?
Kentish said:
My 1990's BMW e39 Touring with 137k on the clock is still going strong.
Just flew through this years MOT with only the one advisory for discs & pads (the rears are original).
In fact everything on the car is still original except the suspension which was air bags & is now sports springs.
My '02 M5 is still on it's original rear discs and I think it's 3rd set of pads at 143,000 miles. Just flew through this years MOT with only the one advisory for discs & pads (the rears are original).
In fact everything on the car is still original except the suspension which was air bags & is now sports springs.
The fronts are a different story though...
battered said:
80s - 90s Vauxhall Cav and Astra. No, seriously. It disappoints me that they have so comprehensively dropped the ball. A banger owning mate had a string of shonky Astras and Cavs that he bought for loose change and then killed, in many cases over the course of years. One he bought from me - I had taken it from 75k to 155k, he did 40k plus before the speedo cable broke and another ~10k after that. It eventually got sold sans MoT. The major mechanicals were bulletproof, but by then it needed a clutch, radiator, petrol tank, wiper mechanism, tyres...
The Astra of the same time was very reliable too. Both these cars were the taxi of choice in the 90s, the 2.0 petrol Cav in particular.
These days a 1.9 Skoda Octavia seems to be nigh on indestructible, if given taxi mileages. The only things that pack up are brake consumables and clutches, both of which are so what issues for taxi drivers. They seem to last less well under more normal use.
Agree with the mk2 Astras and mk3 Cavaliers, but my old mk3 Astra sucked balls... I think the mk3 Cavalier was Vauxhall's swansong. Anything newer has just got progressively more wk.The Astra of the same time was very reliable too. Both these cars were the taxi of choice in the 90s, the 2.0 petrol Cav in particular.
These days a 1.9 Skoda Octavia seems to be nigh on indestructible, if given taxi mileages. The only things that pack up are brake consumables and clutches, both of which are so what issues for taxi drivers. They seem to last less well under more normal use.
hornetrider said:
Petrol Mazdas.
My sister's 6 is one of the most unreliable heaps of ste ever to grace the roads, rust, rust and more rust, brake callipers keep seizing up, countless other issues, yet she keeps throwing money at it hoping it will keep plodding along!Buff Mchugelarge said:
In my personal experience - Micra K11. Apart from the rust.
And bizzarely,
Fiat Siecento's.
Surprisingly robust little things they are. Mine was the epitome of reliability no matter how much abuse it got. I still miss that little car.
And any car that's well Serviced..?
I forgot about the humble K11. This is the most indestructible car ever conceived. And bizzarely,
Fiat Siecento's.
Surprisingly robust little things they are. Mine was the epitome of reliability no matter how much abuse it got. I still miss that little car.
And any car that's well Serviced..?
DoctorX said:
On my second Honda CRV and absolutely nothing has ever gone wrong with either.
I've jinxed it now though!
My Dad has one of these, he keeps it pristine, but always curses the MOT guy when it fails on bushes, which it seems to burn through at quite an exceptional rate. It also suffered from dodgy brake callipers, but in general it is quite a robust thing. High tax bracket though so he is thinking of getting rid just because of that. I've jinxed it now though!
klunkT5 said:
DukeDickson said:
Not always - mine certainly wasn't (Civic). However, I guess the boggo ones can be.
Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
Volvos own I5 engines are pretty good aswell Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
My
I bought a shed Skoda Felicia 1.9D (non turbo) a few years back for a daily runner, the bloody thing was built like a tank and it must have one of the least stressed engines ever fitted to a car it just went on and on...great car.
Micra 1.0L , I paid £1200 for a late model K11 put over 40k miles on it and sold it for a grand some years later...never missed a beat.
Micra 1.0L , I paid £1200 for a late model K11 put over 40k miles on it and sold it for a grand some years later...never missed a beat.
DukeDickson said:
klunkT5 said:
DukeDickson said:
Not always - mine certainly wasn't (Civic). However, I guess the boggo ones can be.
Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
Volvos own I5 engines are pretty good aswell Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
My
Porsche did help with intake/exhaust design initially, but this was the extent of German involvement.
Volvo did use Audi inline 5 diesels for a while before replacing them with their own, hence the confusion.
Edited by skyrover on Thursday 10th September 10:28
skyrover said:
DukeDickson said:
klunkT5 said:
DukeDickson said:
Not always - mine certainly wasn't (Civic). However, I guess the boggo ones can be.
Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
Volvos own I5 engines are pretty good aswell Bubble Micra is the cockroach of the car world, or anything with the Volvo (nee Audi) 5cyl engine can pretty hardy if not mucked about with & some bits of preventative maintenance done.
My
Porsche did help with intake/exhaust design initially, but this was the extent of German involvement.
Volvo did use Audi inline 5 diesels for a while before replacing them with their own, hence the confusion.
Edited by skyrover on Thursday 10th September 10:28
The Volvo 5pot is all volvo and has the same architecture as their modular 4 cylinder units (found in the S40/V40 and the 6 cylinder units found in the 900 series
BGarside said:
Maybe the petrol cars. Had a Mark 1 TDCi for 3 years and it had a few faults including failed door locks, cam sensor (disabled car), tailgate struts, CD player packed up, intercooler pipes leaked, rusty suspension springs at 3 years old etc. Also plenty of horror stories involving fuel pump, injector and DMF failures.
Nice enough car to drive, but the Mazda 323 I had before was much less problematic as was, ironically, the 1994 Rover 214 I had owned prior to that...
I was on about the TDDI lynx/endure-d engine, which is known for it's reliability, not the late TDCI duratorq engine that was shared with PSA, which are known for having several problems (including what you have mentioned).Nice enough car to drive, but the Mazda 323 I had before was much less problematic as was, ironically, the 1994 Rover 214 I had owned prior to that...
My wife also had that exact engine in her mk2 focus and it was fine up to around 70k, but after that suffered numerous faults/problems.
2001 Toyota Avensis 2.0 petrol. Paid £900 for it. Did 20k in it. Never let me down. Just tyres and an oxygen sensor in 2 yrs. Sold to a mate for £800. He's spend nothing on it besides tyres. Still going strong.
Currently got a 2005 CRV diesel. Bought at 110k miles. Currently on 126k miles and feels like it will go on forever. No rattles or squeaks. Not the best steer in the world, but feels strong.
Citroen C1/107/Aygo are good too. Had two C1s in the last 6 yrs. Never a problem. Discs and pads for the front are £35 for the set. 60 mpg. Great little things. Sadly ours is now for sale because too small for kids.
Unreliable stuff we've had:
VW Lupo 1.4 petrol. Gearbox
SEAT Leon 2.0 diesel. ABS pump failure, CD player was rubbish, turbo hose failed and left us stranded
Currently got a 2005 CRV diesel. Bought at 110k miles. Currently on 126k miles and feels like it will go on forever. No rattles or squeaks. Not the best steer in the world, but feels strong.
Citroen C1/107/Aygo are good too. Had two C1s in the last 6 yrs. Never a problem. Discs and pads for the front are £35 for the set. 60 mpg. Great little things. Sadly ours is now for sale because too small for kids.
Unreliable stuff we've had:
VW Lupo 1.4 petrol. Gearbox
SEAT Leon 2.0 diesel. ABS pump failure, CD player was rubbish, turbo hose failed and left us stranded
There's a good argument that the Mercedes W124 E300 Diesel, with the non-turbo E606 diesel fitted between 1994-1996, is one of the strongest, most reliable cars ever made. In the hands of a respectful owner, there's little reason not to think that it couldnt do 500k miles and 30 years of service. Simplicity is the key, no ECU, turbo, EGR, DMF, DPF and an unstressed 4-speed auto.
I ran a W124 E280 estate from 2007-2014. Amazing car, but I wish I'd paid a bit more for the E300 diesel.
If there's a set of criteria for reliability, it could well be:
Japanese
Built in Japan
Petrol
Automatic
Our family runaround is a Honda FR-V petrol auto, with the 1.8 iVTEC. No issue in 4 years of ownership. Feels like it will go on and on and on. It's well-geared too, with a nice leggy 5th gear doing 2250rpm at 70. 37mpg is easy to achieve.
I ran a W124 E280 estate from 2007-2014. Amazing car, but I wish I'd paid a bit more for the E300 diesel.
If there's a set of criteria for reliability, it could well be:
Japanese
Built in Japan
Petrol
Automatic
Our family runaround is a Honda FR-V petrol auto, with the 1.8 iVTEC. No issue in 4 years of ownership. Feels like it will go on and on and on. It's well-geared too, with a nice leggy 5th gear doing 2250rpm at 70. 37mpg is easy to achieve.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff