Better than Expected vs Worse than expected
Discussion
Name one car you owned that has been much more reliable than you expected and one which you hoped would be reliable that wasn't 
1. Vauxhall Vectra C :- Paid £900, has covered 60,000 miles in 3 years only thing of note that failed was the Fuel pump failed but I replaced it with a Polish version which improves it.
2. BMW 330 CI paid £4000, everything went wrong Power steering pump, Fuel Pump, Gearbox, Heater Blower, DISA valve, Entire cooling system, loads of sensors, Fans + more.
So one that outperformed my expectations and one that did the opposite.
Austin
1. Vauxhall Vectra C :- Paid £900, has covered 60,000 miles in 3 years only thing of note that failed was the Fuel pump failed but I replaced it with a Polish version which improves it.
2. BMW 330 CI paid £4000, everything went wrong
Power steering pump, Fuel Pump, Gearbox, Heater Blower, DISA valve, Entire cooling system, loads of sensors, Fans + more.So one that outperformed my expectations and one that did the opposite.
Austin
Better than expected: Ferrari 348 Spyder. Owned it 3 years and apart from the battery failing it needed nothing other than usual servicing.
Worse than expected: BMW M4 cabrio. Only had 5000 miles on the clock but spent months with BMW as sensor after sensor failed and sometimes they couldn’t identify which sensor had failed….after one summer of it spending a total of 7 weeks inside a dealers we got fed up and sold it…we were just waiting for the next “bong” to go off telling us of another fault, that it lost its enjoyment for us.
Worse than expected: BMW M4 cabrio. Only had 5000 miles on the clock but spent months with BMW as sensor after sensor failed and sometimes they couldn’t identify which sensor had failed….after one summer of it spending a total of 7 weeks inside a dealers we got fed up and sold it…we were just waiting for the next “bong” to go off telling us of another fault, that it lost its enjoyment for us.
1. Dacia Duster bought last year, new for £10500.
Thought I was giving up my old e36 for some white goods because of ULEZ.
I was so wrong. I have been everywhere in the UK in this chunky little car and it's been comfy, fast on the M roads, very economical and has comical handling that just makes me grin as it bounces everywhere and just reminds me of driving as a yoof back in the 70s/80s.
It's useful, it can be a van, a people carrier and an office plus it's not bad off road.
Best bit is that it's currently worth more than what I paid for it.
2. Discovery 3, bought new for £32k back in 2005. Thought I was buying a tough yet slightly luxurious family car but it was back at the dealership within a week with soaking wet carpets. Leaking AC.
Broke down and had to be towed on two family holidays. Keys stopped working and LR took months to get replacements. The doors would lock and couldn't be opened due to some module frying.
Constant problems seen by sensors that turned out to be faulty sensors.
The car was such a headache that once the warranty was finished I had to get rid but it was 2008, big anti 4x4 stuff in London.
Talk of higher parking charges, permits etc and it was badly keyed on all panels by some eco nuts.
Sold for £11,000. Most I have ever lost on a car, £21k in 3 years.
Thought I was giving up my old e36 for some white goods because of ULEZ.
I was so wrong. I have been everywhere in the UK in this chunky little car and it's been comfy, fast on the M roads, very economical and has comical handling that just makes me grin as it bounces everywhere and just reminds me of driving as a yoof back in the 70s/80s.
It's useful, it can be a van, a people carrier and an office plus it's not bad off road.
Best bit is that it's currently worth more than what I paid for it.
2. Discovery 3, bought new for £32k back in 2005. Thought I was buying a tough yet slightly luxurious family car but it was back at the dealership within a week with soaking wet carpets. Leaking AC.
Broke down and had to be towed on two family holidays. Keys stopped working and LR took months to get replacements. The doors would lock and couldn't be opened due to some module frying.
Constant problems seen by sensors that turned out to be faulty sensors.
The car was such a headache that once the warranty was finished I had to get rid but it was 2008, big anti 4x4 stuff in London.
Talk of higher parking charges, permits etc and it was badly keyed on all panels by some eco nuts.
Sold for £11,000. Most I have ever lost on a car, £21k in 3 years.
1. VW Tiguan, ordered new 8+ years ago for my wife,
wasn't really a fan of SUV's at the time, and didn't even bother getting a test drive or anything before placing the order,
was quite surprised at how well it performed, and completely changed my opinion of SUV's after experiencing the benefits it gave
we've still got it and despite using it for everything from taking broken up concrete etc to the dump to family trips across Europe it's been completely faultless
2. AMG C32 paid £29K at nearly 3 years old when I got it with 18K miles on the clock,
I was expecting Mercedes bullet proof build quality and reliability but what I got was the most unreliable car I've ever owned, mostly electrical, but I did have a few mechanical issues as well,
towards the end of our time together something was going wrong almost every month which forced me to get rid as I could no longer afford the repair costs and it was putting a strain on my marriage,
to make matters worse it was now 2008 and thanks to the global melt down nobody wanted it, so I had to let it go very cheap (less than £5K), in part exchange for a Ford Focus, meaning along with all the repair costs I took a massive hit on depreciation.
despite this I still enjoyed driving it and on the occasions it was running well I felt like keeping it for a long time.
croyde said:
It's useful, it can be a van, a people carrier and an office plus it's not bad off road..
You are David Brent AICMFP Joking apart, I’ve had one since 2014. Wash it about twice a year, don’t really give a toss about it but it is quite chuckable around the country lanes, is reliable and can’t really fault it.
I bought a 100k mile 1.4 Astra H with no service history for my inlaws. It's now on 250k miles with nothing except routine maintanance, consumables, and a few sensors. It was even sold as "air con just needs a regas" and indeed, I got the air con regassed when I bought it and it's still working perfectly 10 years and 150k miles later.
. VW Tiguan, ordered new 8+ years ago for my wife,
wasn't really a fan of SUV's at the time, and didn't even bother getting a test drive or anything before placing the order,
was quite surprised at how well it performed, and completely changed my opinion of SUV's after experiencing the benefits it gave
we've still got it and despite using it for everything from taking broken up concrete etc to the dump to family trips across Europe it's been completely faultless.
We have a 2013 Tiguan owned it from 800 miles, now over 150000 on the clock. Apart from all 4 coil springs and a couple of suspension bushes it's only had routine servicing. Had a Golf for 11 years before that, a fuel pump and a couple of window regulators were all it needed.
Can't fault VW Tdis.
Also has a Discovery 2 overlapping the VWs. In 130000 miles it had 2 clutches and dm flywheels, 2 exhaust manifolds, 2 fuel pressure regulators, fuel pump, steering box, recon cylinder head, 4 rear airbags, multiple electric window motors, abs regulator module along with the usual service items, brakes, suspension bushes etc. If I hadn't been able to diy most of it I'd be destitute. Loved every mile in it though and forgave it's shortfalls. Still miss it nearly 5 years later.
Current Freelander 2. 2 split turbo hoses and 2 tailgate switches in 4 1/2 years along with routine service items. Pleased with it, often described as landrovers most reliable car. The best 4x4xFord?
wasn't really a fan of SUV's at the time, and didn't even bother getting a test drive or anything before placing the order,
was quite surprised at how well it performed, and completely changed my opinion of SUV's after experiencing the benefits it gave
we've still got it and despite using it for everything from taking broken up concrete etc to the dump to family trips across Europe it's been completely faultless.
We have a 2013 Tiguan owned it from 800 miles, now over 150000 on the clock. Apart from all 4 coil springs and a couple of suspension bushes it's only had routine servicing. Had a Golf for 11 years before that, a fuel pump and a couple of window regulators were all it needed.
Can't fault VW Tdis.
Also has a Discovery 2 overlapping the VWs. In 130000 miles it had 2 clutches and dm flywheels, 2 exhaust manifolds, 2 fuel pressure regulators, fuel pump, steering box, recon cylinder head, 4 rear airbags, multiple electric window motors, abs regulator module along with the usual service items, brakes, suspension bushes etc. If I hadn't been able to diy most of it I'd be destitute. Loved every mile in it though and forgave it's shortfalls. Still miss it nearly 5 years later.
Current Freelander 2. 2 split turbo hoses and 2 tailgate switches in 4 1/2 years along with routine service items. Pleased with it, often described as landrovers most reliable car. The best 4x4xFord?
Worst - BMW E36 325tds. Ok, I didn’t pay much for it but was hoping for a solid bit of engineering, with that 6 cylinder lump of pig iron up the front to plod about as a decent work horse. What I actually got was a car that had an intermittent fuel pump issue, and also threw its cam chain a few weeks into ownership. Sold it for scrap value.
Best - £600 worth of Audi A4 B5 1.9tdi. Bought with about 150k on the clock as a short term stop gap car following divorce. It did me 3 years & 50k miles on just consumables all done by home servicing. Cheapest most reliable motoring I’ve ever had.
Best - £600 worth of Audi A4 B5 1.9tdi. Bought with about 150k on the clock as a short term stop gap car following divorce. It did me 3 years & 50k miles on just consumables all done by home servicing. Cheapest most reliable motoring I’ve ever had.
Better than expected:
TVR Chimaera. Had two now over 4-5 years and nothing major has gone wrong. Lot's of miles in both and never let me down.
Worse:
Mazda RX8. Apart from the ubiquitous recalcitrant hot starting, it would put its oil level light on sometimes just for fun (the oil level was fine), the exhaust backboxes rusted and the tailpipes fell off.
Then the starter motor stopped starting.
All in 3 months, it went from a perfectly working car I spent £2000 on to a garden ornament.
TVR Chimaera. Had two now over 4-5 years and nothing major has gone wrong. Lot's of miles in both and never let me down.
Worse:
Mazda RX8. Apart from the ubiquitous recalcitrant hot starting, it would put its oil level light on sometimes just for fun (the oil level was fine), the exhaust backboxes rusted and the tailpipes fell off.
Then the starter motor stopped starting.
All in 3 months, it went from a perfectly working car I spent £2000 on to a garden ornament.
Most surprising was a £1500 Citroen berlingo, bought as a tip run/dog walk/mountain bike bus. Essentially something I didn’t need to worry about and could clean out with a leaf blower.
Had it about 3 years, I serviced it once and it transformed the power as all the filters had obviously been there for a while.
It didn’t really go wrong, just kept on being a really handy little vancar. Also sipped fuel and was surprisingly comfy.
Sold it for a Subaru Legacy as I wanted something with a bit more go.
Worst was my BMW 645, I’d already had 7 BMWs so knew what I was looking at. Bought carefully with low mileage.
By far the least reliable car I’ve ever owned, loads of oil leaks, sensor issues, vanos issues, coolant leaks, all engine related stuff. Plus one active anti roll bar link that failed in the Lake District and had to be recovered back to Aberdeen.
Eventually traded it in for a 420d because the fuel bills were silly plus some more very large repair bills were on the way.
I loved the car, if I hadn’t it would have lasted about 3 months. As it was I kept it 4.5 years and still miss it.
Had it about 3 years, I serviced it once and it transformed the power as all the filters had obviously been there for a while.
It didn’t really go wrong, just kept on being a really handy little vancar. Also sipped fuel and was surprisingly comfy.
Sold it for a Subaru Legacy as I wanted something with a bit more go.
Worst was my BMW 645, I’d already had 7 BMWs so knew what I was looking at. Bought carefully with low mileage.
By far the least reliable car I’ve ever owned, loads of oil leaks, sensor issues, vanos issues, coolant leaks, all engine related stuff. Plus one active anti roll bar link that failed in the Lake District and had to be recovered back to Aberdeen.
Eventually traded it in for a 420d because the fuel bills were silly plus some more very large repair bills were on the way.
I loved the car, if I hadn’t it would have lasted about 3 months. As it was I kept it 4.5 years and still miss it.
Ah, this is easy because its current!
Better - BMW i3 - bought over 2 years ago for $20k, sold it a couple of months ago for $22k. All we did was an annual service at $150 and a front brakes that I did myself. Fun to drive, cheap to run and minimum servicing / extra costs. I really can recommend them if you are looking for a city EV to run around in. Great piece of design too.
Worse - Mini Cooper S Convertible - bought last year for $8k. Just paid for even more suspension work on it to bring the total to $4k and probably $1k worth of parts that I have had to replace myself over several weekends (belt tensioner, all three engine / transmission mounts, gearbox flush x3, drop links and more!). It now doesnt leak oil and drives well, but still is leaking power steering fluid everywhere it gets parked. Probably a further $2k to get that fixed. Yeah, its not been a fun exercise to this point..... might be at the end of the road on the deferred and hidden maintenance items though, fingers crossed.
Better - BMW i3 - bought over 2 years ago for $20k, sold it a couple of months ago for $22k. All we did was an annual service at $150 and a front brakes that I did myself. Fun to drive, cheap to run and minimum servicing / extra costs. I really can recommend them if you are looking for a city EV to run around in. Great piece of design too.
Worse - Mini Cooper S Convertible - bought last year for $8k. Just paid for even more suspension work on it to bring the total to $4k and probably $1k worth of parts that I have had to replace myself over several weekends (belt tensioner, all three engine / transmission mounts, gearbox flush x3, drop links and more!). It now doesnt leak oil and drives well, but still is leaking power steering fluid everywhere it gets parked. Probably a further $2k to get that fixed. Yeah, its not been a fun exercise to this point..... might be at the end of the road on the deferred and hidden maintenance items though, fingers crossed.
2000 Renault Megane 1.4 owned 2003-2011. Repairs were new alternator, new battery & new windscreen washer pump. Way better than expected for a Renault.
Late 2002 Audi A4 1.8T Sport from new for 6 months & in dealer 4 times for faults - rear door won't open, etc. Not a good example of 'German engineering.
Late 2002 Audi A4 1.8T Sport from new for 6 months & in dealer 4 times for faults - rear door won't open, etc. Not a good example of 'German engineering.
Better than expected
Current 2007 Renault Megane DCI shed that I have owned for 5 years and 42K miles. Total expense other than tyres, oil and filters has been a single injector for £80 that I fitted myself. Oh I also replaced the battery as the original 14 year old one was struggling a little in the winter. £30 road tax and 60 MPG everywhere, it has been the cheapest car I have ever run by some considerable mile
Worse than expected
Brand new Subaru Impreza turbo, I thought it was going to be the best car in the world the way the magazines went on about them. As reliable as a swiss watch with the performance of a supercar.
After the 1000 mile running in period, I had the oil changed, put my foot down on a dual carriageway, prepared myself for the savage acceleration and..... "Is that it?"
Once moving a BMW 330i would be as fast if not faster, I hated the interior and cheapness of the Impreza, I started to wish I got an E46 330i instead.
Sold it after 22 months, lost the most I have ever lost on a car and didn't miss it for one second. I was so disinterested I ended up buying a new Clio 1.2 16v which was much, much cheaper and easier to live with and I enjoyed the experience more.
Current 2007 Renault Megane DCI shed that I have owned for 5 years and 42K miles. Total expense other than tyres, oil and filters has been a single injector for £80 that I fitted myself. Oh I also replaced the battery as the original 14 year old one was struggling a little in the winter. £30 road tax and 60 MPG everywhere, it has been the cheapest car I have ever run by some considerable mile
Worse than expected
Brand new Subaru Impreza turbo, I thought it was going to be the best car in the world the way the magazines went on about them. As reliable as a swiss watch with the performance of a supercar.
After the 1000 mile running in period, I had the oil changed, put my foot down on a dual carriageway, prepared myself for the savage acceleration and..... "Is that it?"
Once moving a BMW 330i would be as fast if not faster, I hated the interior and cheapness of the Impreza, I started to wish I got an E46 330i instead.
Sold it after 22 months, lost the most I have ever lost on a car and didn't miss it for one second. I was so disinterested I ended up buying a new Clio 1.2 16v which was much, much cheaper and easier to live with and I enjoyed the experience more.
Transit Custom bought 4 years ago new. Swb 2.2 155hp version. Top spec air con , nav leather ect.
Remapped by Celtic tuning to 200hp ,370lb tf once out of warranty.
Converted to a semi camper (we use it with an awning) fully carpeted out and insulated with fridge, sink , cooker ect .
We've used it to Sth of France,Italy , Poland , Czech Rep ,
Spain x4, Austria and Switzerland and its never missed a beat. Economical, great to drive and goes well.
Mitsubishi Pajero swb 2.8 bought in 98 .
Broke down numerous times, pump, injectors, gearbox problems, heater leaked and drank like a fish.
Worst pos I ever bought,i spent thousands on it..
Remapped by Celtic tuning to 200hp ,370lb tf once out of warranty.
Converted to a semi camper (we use it with an awning) fully carpeted out and insulated with fridge, sink , cooker ect .
We've used it to Sth of France,Italy , Poland , Czech Rep ,
Spain x4, Austria and Switzerland and its never missed a beat. Economical, great to drive and goes well.
Mitsubishi Pajero swb 2.8 bought in 98 .
Broke down numerous times, pump, injectors, gearbox problems, heater leaked and drank like a fish.
Worst pos I ever bought,i spent thousands on it..
Better: Citroen C5 2.0d with hydropneumatic suspension. Utterly reliable for 9 years. Traded while still going strong for a …..
Worse: New Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 diesel. Utterly reliable for 5 years and 30k but then turned into an absolute borkmonster I was glad to see the back of.
Worse: New Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 diesel. Utterly reliable for 5 years and 30k but then turned into an absolute borkmonster I was glad to see the back of.
Best
2016 BMW M135i, now on 60k miles. Other than consumables. Just been in for a service as part of a service pack with BMW Soper Aparejtly the diff is weeping . Nothing on the driveway and I was planning on changing the oil in there soon anyway.
Worst
Porsche Cayman S, cam chain tensioners weeping, AOS twice. Exhaust manifold bolts snapped. Headunit constantly resetting itself or just switching off. Multiple engine sensors. Radiator crossover pop cracked. Eventually started burning oil at 1L per tank of petrol. Traded the piece of s
t in and vowed I would never look at a Porsche again.
2016 BMW M135i, now on 60k miles. Other than consumables. Just been in for a service as part of a service pack with BMW Soper Aparejtly the diff is weeping . Nothing on the driveway and I was planning on changing the oil in there soon anyway.
Worst
Porsche Cayman S, cam chain tensioners weeping, AOS twice. Exhaust manifold bolts snapped. Headunit constantly resetting itself or just switching off. Multiple engine sensors. Radiator crossover pop cracked. Eventually started burning oil at 1L per tank of petrol. Traded the piece of s
t in and vowed I would never look at a Porsche again. Best - 2003 Mercedes E320cdi : This era of for Mercedes was not a good one, yet I had this car four years, I did just over 40k and it was an absolute pleasure to own and drive. Bought it with 100k on the clock, spent out a few quid on bushes and wear and tear items come MOT time but overall it was genuinely cheap to run. I holidayed in it, did 1k a month up and down from Surrey to Bristol and back, everything worked and it was comfortable. I only lost £2,500 on the overall value.
Worst - I'd probably say the VW Lupo I owned for a couple of years back in 2008. Considering I come from a line of Renaults and RenaultSports, regularly mocked by other car mates as 'unreliable'. Yet my first and only VW was just not that reliable. Always found that a bit ironic!
Worst - I'd probably say the VW Lupo I owned for a couple of years back in 2008. Considering I come from a line of Renaults and RenaultSports, regularly mocked by other car mates as 'unreliable'. Yet my first and only VW was just not that reliable. Always found that a bit ironic!
Best:- Volvo S40 Mk2 1.8 GDI
Needed a cheap motorway hack years ago and bought this as a Cat C with 80k on for £900, expected it to last about 9 months.
3 years/25K later and the only thing that ever went wrong was the bonnet catch stuck, gave it a grease up and perfectly fine. Never put a single foot wrong and was one of the most comfy cars I’ve driven.
Worst :- Volvo V50 2.0D
Bought this to replace the S40, one extreme to the other. What could do wrong did. DPF, DPF sensor, numerous suspension components, AC, drive shaft, drivers door lock, ECU… many other things but I lost count. Never once passed an MOT first time in the 3 years I had it.
Needed a cheap motorway hack years ago and bought this as a Cat C with 80k on for £900, expected it to last about 9 months.
3 years/25K later and the only thing that ever went wrong was the bonnet catch stuck, gave it a grease up and perfectly fine. Never put a single foot wrong and was one of the most comfy cars I’ve driven.
Worst :- Volvo V50 2.0D
Bought this to replace the S40, one extreme to the other. What could do wrong did. DPF, DPF sensor, numerous suspension components, AC, drive shaft, drivers door lock, ECU… many other things but I lost count. Never once passed an MOT first time in the 3 years I had it.
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