Ultra reliable cars

[shalmaneser]

Surely a non-turbo 90's peugeot is in with a shout?

I suggest a 205 or 106 1.4D would probably still be working come the apocalypse.



EDIT: oops that's a turbo. Still a good call.

[Ghost91]

iloveboost said:

Mk1 Ford Focus isn't known for reliability. For modern cars I'd vote for the Mx-5 Mk3. Prius second generation as well.

Plenty of people would disagree with that. The consensus seems to be, now they're getting older, that they're very reliable - also cheap to maintain or fix if something does go wrong. They have very few 'typical' issues. I'm not saying theyre in the same league as the Lexus LS400, but for the current used market and price bracket they are definitely known for reliability. Of course, at this price point, if ever something does go majorly wrong, it's probably beyond economical repair anyway....

[hornetrider]

Petrol Mazdas.

[Ghost91]

I suppose I should mention the Honda Jazz here as well, apparently

[caelite]

PD diesels (pre 05 VAG).
CG10/13 from the k11 micra, These engines are literal fking cockroaches, I drove mine through ~50cm of water and stalled it due to hydrolock, pulled it out and empted the intake manifold (8 bolts off and on) and it started right up.
Lexus LS400 V8 (1UZ-FE)

Had experience with all 3 of these. CG was too low power, 1UZ drunk petrol and was too barge-ey for me & I currently have a pd130 which is a fantastic engine but the peripherals are a little temperamental on the higher power models (turbos/intercoolers/rads) but they are all bulletproof.

[dbdb]

There is probably a difference between durability and reliability - but for sheer durability, the Volvo 740 series is hard to match. They are much more durable than a Mercedes W124, for example. They are much rated on the Autoste site for that reason. They last a long, long time.

[J4CKO]

Argo,c1,107 seems indestructible, apart from the clutch on the earlier ones, otherwise not much to go wrong, never heard of one with engine woes, a quick google confirms that they don't really have any engine issues, or much of anything else.

[Rammy76]

iloveboost said:

Mk1 Ford Focus isn't known for reliability. For modern cars I'd vote for the Mx-5 Mk3. Prius second generation as well.

I beg to differ.

I owned a 1.8 Zetec and an ST 170 and covered over 100000 miles between them without a single fault.
The engines and gearboxes on these things felt like they'd go on forever, the interior felt solid too.

After owning these I bought a 1.9 PD engined VW Passat, that was a bad decision. It rusted, blew its turbo and had numerous annoying faults with the central locking, electric windows and bits of trim falling off. Utter crap in comparison.

[DukeDickson]

cib24 said:

1990s and early 2000s Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas. Bulletproof.

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.

[PomBstard]

I'll tip in with Subaru. I've had four so far. The 07 Forester I've had from new has needed both rear wheel bearings and new AC compressor/condenser in eight, hard, urban, pounded-by-family, years around Sydney, but has never stopped working or let us down.

The three Liberties needed nothing other than age-related replacements and again never stopped working or let us down. Wouldn't hesitate to drive any of them around this island.

I've now got a Volvo V70 alongside the Forester, so we'll see how that goes in comparison

[Petrus1983]

Surprised Audi haven't featured in this list more - I let go of my A3 1.9TDI with 300k miles on the clock last year to someone who's now using it as a farm vehicle, and my current hackmobile is an A4 estate with 270k miles - neither car has ever broken down and are still good drives

[so called]

My current TVR Tuscan has been very good.
In the last 6 years, 5 round trips to Spain and at least 15 to Germany.
It did break down once in the south of France with the Engine Management Computer going up in smoke but otherwise great.

[ging84]

How about we just go with all modern cars

they don't break down, of course if you read the internet about any modern car you will find a hundred threads of ' my iphone won't sync to my built in 32" tv and it's been back to the dealer 3 times, <manufacturer> <model> is the worse piece of st in the world, and <manufacturer>'s customer service is the awful, they wouldn't give a 40grand courtesy car when i showed up the dealer unannounced with my 1st world problem.

[JonoG81]

Rammy76 said:

I beg to differ.

I owned a 1.8 Zetec and an ST 170 and covered over 100000 miles between them without a single fault.
The engines and gearboxes on these things felt like they'd go on forever, the interior felt solid too. .

Similar experience here, both me & the wife had mk 1 tddi company cars, and apart from routing servicing they never saw the inside of a dealer for repair, and we did over 300k between us in 4 years. If I was after a cheap run-around/snotter I would have another in a heat beat, cracking cars.

Pitty the mk2 that she had next wasn't quite so reliable

[Ahimoth]

My 52 plate 1.6 Civic has been really reliable. Nothing but consumables in five years, taken it from 70k to 115k and will likely run it until it either breaks badly or we're down to one dog.

You can get decent slightly newer examples for about a grand now. If mine does break unexpectedly while we've still got both dogs, I'll be out looking for one at that price.

[p1esk]

It's interesting to read about the experiences that other people have had with their cars, but I've found all our cars, dating back to 1960, have been pretty reliable.

Of course there have been cases where certain parts have suffered more rapid wear and general deterioration than I thought they should, and needed repair or replacement; but actual breakdowns have been exceedingly rare.

Even the much maligned products of British Leyland gave me good reliability. I suppose I've either been extremely lucky, or maybe I treated them decently.

[Ali_T]

JackReacher said:

EP3 Honda civic

Mine was terrible. Spent more time in the garage than my Alfa 33, and that's saying something!

My most reliable car? Probably my RX8 PZ. Only had to have a factory paint defect rectified. Though, if my Giulietta keeps behaving, it could overtake the Mazda. Haven't seen the dealer in a nearly a year!

[HarryFlatters]

BGarside said:

Mazda MX5

As long as they don't get wet.

[SuperHangOn]

dbdb said:

There is probably a difference between durability and reliability - but for sheer durability, the Volvo 740 series is hard to match. They are much more durable than a Mercedes W124, for example. They are much rated on the Autoste site for that reason. They last a long, long time.

The 740 was pretty astonishing. They didn't even rust (unlike a Merc!). The 124/201 used a fancy multi link rear suspension setup, I expect the big old volvo was a hardier, more basic design.

IIRC the 740 diesel wasn't that great though (?) whereas not much touches a non turbo OM602/3 for the ability to run and run and run (except an old diesel pug or ludicrous diesel W123). Not even a basic ECU to stop them.

I'm not sure I would have the motivation to run the volvo today. Surely a newer Accord or something would be much less worn and much more frugal these days?

Edited by SuperHangOn on Friday 28th August 09:32

[MrMoonyMan]

Ghost91 said:

Because I own one, a c900 Saab

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.