Most reliable cars?
Discussion
I did fair bit of research about this many years ago. One car stood out. The late 90's corolla with the 1.3 or 1.6 engine.
Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
If you want the most reliable mid-size car then you would buy one of these two, with around a 1.4 / 1.6 petrol engine, from the early to mid 2000s:
breadvan Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
i've owned both, put 125,000 miles on the Civic (over about 12 years) with nothing bar the usual maintenance and 1 ABS sensor, and about 60,000 on the Corolla (over IIRC 5 years) with nothing breaking at all that I can remember.
breadvan Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
i've owned both, put 125,000 miles on the Civic (over about 12 years) with nothing bar the usual maintenance and 1 ABS sensor, and about 60,000 on the Corolla (over IIRC 5 years) with nothing breaking at all that I can remember.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 19th March 09:02
buzzer said:
I did fair bit of research about this many years ago. One car stood out. The late 90's corolla with the 1.3 or 1.6 engine.
Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
Keep it for an end of the world scenario.Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
buzzer said:
I did fair bit of research about this many years ago. One car stood out. The late 90's corolla with the 1.3 or 1.6 engine.
Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
This is pretty much THE definitive answer to the question. Old now, but these had no inherent faults, and i have seen many over 300k miles!
I bought one about 10 years ago... And stil have it. Even now its still only done 50k miles and is mint! Everything works, its always been serviced on time, and a few years ago i even did a clutch on it as we were going to Italy in it and i didnt know how the first owner had treated it! Took it out and it was of course perfect, but i put a new one in anyway.... Even the air con has been services every few years and works perfectly!
Its been sitting in the garage unused for a couple of years... Not sure what to do with it, in real terms it worth very little...
Old Japanese cars were just right, a friend on a farm has a 89 Suzuki Swift its not moved for about 4 years, moss & grass growing on it etc. It started up with a bump start & passed its MOT with no advisories! Now used as a the spare car for the family, worth nothing but the most reliable car in their fleet bar none.
I would have thought your biggest enemy with the jap white goods, like many other cars, will be that the drivetrain will outlast the shell as tinworm takes its toll. When your car is so dull and worth £2.50, you then won't be able to justify the cost of keeping it roadworthy. At which point you've spent all that time driving a crap car.
Might as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
Might as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
Agree with Japanese comments.
My last Mazda had 365k miles on the clock when I replaced it. All it had pre 300k was a accessory belt idler pulley at 185k and a clutch at 223k. After 300k the alternator failed (the bearings were still good though). I changed alternator and starter at the same time. Neither were ridiculously expensive. Apart from that just regular service items.
As per the comments about parts being expensive, I don't agree although what I have found is often a part you expect to be expensive comes in at a reasonable price and then something you think is not going to cost a lot does. Main thing though is they don't very often need any parts.
My family have had many Jap cars over the years, certainly more reliable than anything We've had from the states or from Europe
My last Mazda had 365k miles on the clock when I replaced it. All it had pre 300k was a accessory belt idler pulley at 185k and a clutch at 223k. After 300k the alternator failed (the bearings were still good though). I changed alternator and starter at the same time. Neither were ridiculously expensive. Apart from that just regular service items.
As per the comments about parts being expensive, I don't agree although what I have found is often a part you expect to be expensive comes in at a reasonable price and then something you think is not going to cost a lot does. Main thing though is they don't very often need any parts.
My family have had many Jap cars over the years, certainly more reliable than anything We've had from the states or from Europe
lostkiwi said:
Guvernator said:
You want something Japanese or Korean. Brilliant warranties and usually very reliable, thousands of mini cab drivers can't be wrong. If you want a premium badge go for a Lexus, all the advantage of above with the added soft touch plastics of the German's. Don't go German, expensive parts\maintenance and I think they are now living off a past reputation for reliability which is no longer deserved.
Japanese parts are way more expensive than German parts. Audidodat said:
I would have thought your biggest enemy with the jap white goods, like many other cars, will be that the drivetrain will outlast the shell as tinworm takes its toll. When your car is so dull and worth £2.50, you then won't be able to justify the cost of keeping it roadworthy. At which point you've spent all that time driving a crap car.
Might as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
Depends if you care what you drive. Some people love the whole snotter scene. At least if you come back to the car and see a trolley dent in it you won't careMight as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
Rissole said:
Thanks for all the feedback, my budget is £13k and happy to consider cars of all ages but would prefer something of more recent times, say last 5 years.
Not sure what i would reccomend.... Reliability though i guess it would have to be petrol.One thing to look at with reliability is the type of faults the car has.... Our friends had a Renault Scenic.... In 18 monthes they spent £6000 on it... Turbo, head gasket, clutch and DMF, injectors, and then an injector pump.
Our other friends have a Mazda 3, and that has suffered 3 broken road springs, and an ABS fault which was fixed for free at the dealer even though it was well out of warranty. They still complain its an unreliable car!
A good way of assessing the COST of things going wrong is to look at the statistics on the warranty direct site for different cars.
Have a look here. http://www.reliabilityindex.com
Edited by buzzer on Saturday 19th March 11:28
Rissole said:
Thanks for all the feedback, my budget is £13k and happy to consider cars of all ages but would prefer something of more recent times, say last 5 years.
What about a Prius? helix402 said:
wemorgan said:
Honda Civic / Accord 2.2 CDTI.
No. Failed dmfs, cracked manifolds, etc. A friend has just spent £2000 on a 2007 Civic on wear and tear items.buzzer said:
Not sure what i would reccomend.... Reliability though i guess it would have to be petrol.
One thing to look at with reliability is the type of faults the car has.... Our friends had a Renault Scenic.... In 18 monthes they spent £6000 on it... Turbo, head gasket, clutch and DMF, injectors, and then an injector pump.
Our other friends have a Mazda 3, and that has suffered 3 broken road springs, and an ABS fault which was fixed for free at the dealer even though it was well out of warranty. They still complain its an unreliable car!
A good way of assessing the COST of things going wrong is to look at the statistics on the warranty direct site for different cars.
Have a look here. http://www.reliabilityindex.com
Thanks for this.One thing to look at with reliability is the type of faults the car has.... Our friends had a Renault Scenic.... In 18 monthes they spent £6000 on it... Turbo, head gasket, clutch and DMF, injectors, and then an injector pump.
Our other friends have a Mazda 3, and that has suffered 3 broken road springs, and an ABS fault which was fixed for free at the dealer even though it was well out of warranty. They still complain its an unreliable car!
A good way of assessing the COST of things going wrong is to look at the statistics on the warranty direct site for different cars.
Have a look here. http://www.reliabilityindex.com
Edited by buzzer on Saturday 19th March 11:28
Audidodat said:
I would have thought your biggest enemy with the jap white goods, like many other cars, will be that the drivetrain will outlast the shell as tinworm takes its toll. When your car is so dull and worth £2.50, you then won't be able to justify the cost of keeping it roadworthy. At which point you've spent all that time driving a crap car.
Might as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
That's a fairly cynical attitude and sadly typical of our generation, "chuck it away when it gets old rather than fix it...." If he likes his Corrolla why shouldn't he keep driving it? A lot less damage is done to the environment keeping an old car going than building a new one and I for one would rather keep my old "godawful" Japanese car going, than driving some cheap "godawful" tin box like a C1 or 107/8, which after 3 years and £100 per month to the finance company I still wouldn't own outright.....Might as well spend a ton a month driving a new C1 or whatever, fuel efficient, cheap to insure, warrantied, decent equipment, than tooling around in a 20 year old godawful Corolla or Civic trying to pretend you actually like it because you perceive it as cheap to own.
Had a '98 Mazda 323F for 4 years which I took from 62k to 93k miles and was totally reliable. I think the late 90s Jap cars were more reliable than the later ones, perhaps because they were also simpler and shared less engineering with other marques.
I currently run a 23 year old BMW E36 as the simplicity and DIY potential appeal to me. Hard to find simple modern cars. Maybe a Dacia Sandero but not much fun to drive.
Fords are not that reliable but cheap to insure and parts are dirt cheap. Petrol Focus or Mondeo 2.0?
Breadvan Civic 2.0 Type S?
1st gen. Lexus IS200?
Skoda Octavia petrol? Any Toyota Corolla. '90s Nissan Primera.
Mercedes 190e. £3-4k for the best.
Find a good one for much less than your budget and keep some cash back for maintainance.
I currently run a 23 year old BMW E36 as the simplicity and DIY potential appeal to me. Hard to find simple modern cars. Maybe a Dacia Sandero but not much fun to drive.
Fords are not that reliable but cheap to insure and parts are dirt cheap. Petrol Focus or Mondeo 2.0?
Breadvan Civic 2.0 Type S?
1st gen. Lexus IS200?
Skoda Octavia petrol? Any Toyota Corolla. '90s Nissan Primera.
Mercedes 190e. £3-4k for the best.
Find a good one for much less than your budget and keep some cash back for maintainance.
I have a naturally aspirated 2.5 Subaru Legacy on 186,000 miles. Looking at the history, it's only ever needed consumables. The exhausts rot like cheese though, dealer would want upwards of £500, but I got a perfectly good cat back from Germany for £100. You can get a stainless system for around £400. Parts are on the expensive side, but seem to be well built and last longer than most.
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