What car has the best ever build quality?

[Pommy]

Can't agree on the E39.

Had a 2000 528i that I bought in 2015 with 110k miles on it and sold in 2018 with 140k miles.

Was mint with FSH.

It's the only car that's ever left me stranded by the side of the road - split Rad. Apparently they all corrode and disintegrate. Oh and the rad hoses. And the PCV disintegrates. And the suspensions go. And it had small oil drops from the sump which they all do. And the screens lose pixels. Heater and cooling buttons crack. CD changers stop working. Bulbs blow- a lot. Brakes judder. Sunroof won’t properly shut above 37 degrees.

Lovely car but didn't trust it to 150k miles let alone 350k.

Edited by Pommy on Sunday 18th November 13:46

[ninjag]

RJG46 said:

But they weren't exactly cheap cars back. Even the non-turbo versions were E-Class Merc sort of money.

For sure. I've been tempted to buy a 900 Turbo in black as a treat just for me as well as a bit of nostalgia but as safe as the car was for its time, I don't think it would fair well today in a crash and I don't think the steering column collapses?

[PorkRind]

Koenigsegg or a Zonda?!

[Veeayt]

This one, mebbe?

[mat205125]

When I was younger, my dad had a 1.8S Audi 80 (1989 F Plate)

Galvanised body, and cutting edge aerodynamic body shape (flush windows etc)

After the 80, Audi traded off of their historical quality, however standards dropped

[Veeayt]

mat205125 said:

When I was younger, my dad had a 1.8S Audi 80 (1989 F Plate)

Galvanised body, and cutting edge aerodynamic body shape (flush windows etc)

After the 80, Audi traded off of their historical quality, however standards dropped

All the Audi road cars were very reliable up until Allroad came out, so 1999. And even that car only had major issues with air suspension.

[Sa Calobra]

Ironically we have quite a number of Hyundia i3 diesel's at work. Utterly battered.

Some are on 100,00miles+ now. Gears crunch alittle every so often in the odd one otherwise they are doing great.

[Mave]

Veeayt said:

All the Audi road cars were very reliable up until Allroad came out, so 1999. And even that car only had major issues with air suspension.

I don't know, we had an A6 - can't remember exactly which year, but it was the version built '97 - '04. It had a new clutch and turbo by the time we got it at 90k, then in the year I had it it needed a new CV joint, then the oil pump went on the M6 and lunched the engine :-(

[Sa Calobra]

Mave said:

Veeayt said:

All the Audi road cars were very reliable up until Allroad came out, so 1999. And even that car only had major issues with air suspension.

I don't know, we had an A6 - can't remember exactly which year, but it was the version built '97 - '04. It had a new clutch and turbo by the time we got it at 90k, then in the year I had it it needed a new CV joint, then the oil pump went on the M6 and lunched the engine :-(

The 06+ 2.0TDI has a known common/issue that can take the turbo out at circa 60-90k miles apparently too.


People see big mileages on certain marques and think 'oh that must be reliable'.

When in reality people will service and keep throwing money at certain cars as they perceive them as overall quality..

[Pica-Pica]

I wonder now, with the race to try and get eco-friendly cars out, body, trim and suspension will get lower engineering budgets than the powertrain. Quality will suffer.

[bennettse2025]

I've owned two Lexus cars in my time and they both have been solid. Built like tanks. Neither has had as much as an advisory on an MOT.

Granted I haven't owned that many different cars in my short time but the two lexuses have felt like an absolute cut above the rest of anything I've ever owned or sat in tbh

Definitely need to get my hands on an LS400 at some point.

[ninepoint2]

Reckon the D2 A/S8 must be up there with the best, like someone above said, it's one of the last Audis to be built by engineers and not accountants, mine is 16 years old and feels way better built than any of the younger cars in our family

[lornemalvo]

mat205125 said:

When I was younger, my dad had a 1.8S Audi 80 (1989 F Plate)

Galvanised body, and cutting edge aerodynamic body shape (flush windows etc)

After the 80, Audi traded off of their historical quality, however standards dropped

I agree. I had a 1989 Audi 90. The engine was a peach, and the car was incredibly well made

[slipstream 1985]

ninepoint2 said:

Reckon the D2 A/S8 must be up there with the best, like someone above said, it's one of the last Audis to be built by engineers and not accountants, mine is 16 years old and feels way better built than any of the younger cars in our family

Stunning love that.

[Mr Tidy]

Shiv_P said:

BMW are hardly a good example for this. They seem to fk up every 4 pot chain engine they make recently

That's why both of my current BMWs are straight 6 N/A petrols!

But then MB went through a less than satisfactory patch! I replaced my W201 with a W202 C280 - cam-chain didn't break, but the overall build quality was sh*t!

Which is why I haven't had an MB since.

[Pommy]

Most of the cars mentioned here are aren’t current cars - are there any current cars that would make the list?

[XB70]

I'd say the LS400 series cars without a doubt. Probbaly the Mk3 or 4 as had a few years to then address anything that popped up.

The W140 and c140 series Mercs were certainly built like tanks but still had some fairly big issues (wiring loom in pre 96, air con evaporators etc) but generally felt like the huge price they were to buy.

I'm running around in a Toyota Sequoia at the moment. No fancy suspension. Just a big understessed V8, gearbox, 4 wd drive train, big air con and all in an Amazon fulfillment warehouse sized shell.

I don't cross my fingers when I start it (W220 s600 v12 I am looking at you!!)

[lowdrag]

Pommy said:

Most of the cars mentioned here are aren’t current cars - are there any current cars that would make the list?

Since my car is an old model I can't really comment, but the 2012 S204 Mercedes I have has passed 120,000 and the only problem is that on startup the washer bottle light comes on. Probably a corroded connection and not a disaster in the great scheme of things. But mechanically and body-wise it is still faultless. Is the S205 as good? I don't know.

[Truckosaurus]

XB70 said:

...Toyota Sequoia...

That whole class of American large SUV seem to have been built with a nod to longevity. Interestingly the Sequoia is nearly half the price of the (big) Land Cruiser stateside ($49k vs $85k)

Edited by Truckosaurus on Saturday 29th December 08:59

[bongtom]

Truckosaurus said:

That whole class of American large SUV seem to have been built with a nod to longevity. Interestingly the Sequoia is nearly half the price of the (big) Land Cruiser stateside ($49k vs $85k)

Probably because the Sequoia/Tundra/Tocomas are built in the US whereas the Land Cruisers are not. Must be a tax thing.