Who makes the longest-lasting cars?
Discussion
Imagine you are buying a new car to run as your daily driver for the next 20 years. What car do you think would go the distance without costing a fortune in repairs? Traditionally, I would imagine that the names that would come up would be Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, Saab and Volvo but I'm not so convinced that these are any more over-engineered than any other cars these days. I know that Mercedes went through a dip in quality at the turn of the century (bad structural rust and radiators wrecking automatic gearboxes etc) and I'm not sure if they have yet returned to their legendary standards of build quality and engineering. I can't see any of the Mercedes cars from that era lasting 20 years.
I'm sure modern cars have better "turn-key" reliability than their predecessors but when they go wrong I'm also sure that they cost more to fix so come off the road sooner. For a normal car, I was perfectly happy with my 2000 W-reg Golf but the cost of repairs (mainly electrical faults) became prohibitive and priced me off the road at only 83k. Which was disappointing!
If I had to put my money on a new car to last 20 years it would probably be a Land Rover or Volvo but now that the Japanese cars are better rustproofed perhaps something like a Subaru or Honda. Who do you reckon makes the longest-lasting cars these days?
I'm sure modern cars have better "turn-key" reliability than their predecessors but when they go wrong I'm also sure that they cost more to fix so come off the road sooner. For a normal car, I was perfectly happy with my 2000 W-reg Golf but the cost of repairs (mainly electrical faults) became prohibitive and priced me off the road at only 83k. Which was disappointing!
If I had to put my money on a new car to last 20 years it would probably be a Land Rover or Volvo but now that the Japanese cars are better rustproofed perhaps something like a Subaru or Honda. Who do you reckon makes the longest-lasting cars these days?
What you want is something relatively uncomplicated. With simple systems, nothing much to go wrong.
But still engineered properly, not a cheapo special.
So you want something Japanese or German; and my choice would be a Toyota Aygo. I'd expect to be able to poodle one of those about for 20 years, no worries.
For a sportscar? Almost certainly something like a Corvette: big simple engine.
But still engineered properly, not a cheapo special.
So you want something Japanese or German; and my choice would be a Toyota Aygo. I'd expect to be able to poodle one of those about for 20 years, no worries.
For a sportscar? Almost certainly something like a Corvette: big simple engine.
missed that line!.
Old Landrovers I'm sure had the record for the most still in use, although military stuff would cover a lot of that.
As for others, maybe I am biased, but there's plenty on BMW E36s on the roads still, as well as Mercs etc.
Try looking out for any cars you see older than a M or N plate, and see what turns up.
As for others, maybe I am biased, but there's plenty on BMW E36s on the roads still, as well as Mercs etc.
Try looking out for any cars you see older than a M or N plate, and see what turns up.
Gizmo! said:
my choice would be a Toyota Aygo. I'd expect to be able to poodle one of those about for 20 years, no worries.
I have my doubts, Peugeot build the Aygo (admittedly based on a Toyota design) but they already have their well known faults, clutches lasting 15-20k miles are not uncommon.PumpkinSteve said:
Gizmo! said:
my choice would be a Toyota Aygo. I'd expect to be able to poodle one of those about for 20 years, no worries.
I have my doubts, Peugeot build the Aygo (admittedly based on a Toyota design) but they already have their well known faults, clutches lasting 15-20k miles are not uncommon.I'm pretty firm on the conviction that you want something from the land of lemonlaws...
C
EDLT said:
Cars only last long if they are worth fixing, you wouldn't spend £500 fixing a £300 car but you would spend it on a £3000 car. So if it never falls into the banger price range (Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin etc.) its always worth fixing therefore is lasts longer.
True but these are unlikely to be cars that you would use every day or do a lot of miles in.Think you head the nail on the head with the honda.
Mate of mine had an 80s civic that just refused to die or rust. When it started to run a bit rough and not like starting, they finally got around to giving it a set of plugs and new filters and some nice new oil. Ran beautifully for another 3 years until they traded it in.
I see all the 90s accords still running around that used to be rep mobiles. Still going, not rusting, not falling to bits.
My missus has a 13 year old volvo v40 which she's loathe to get rid of. There's a few spots of rust on it here and there and the engine's a bit tired, but it shows all the signs of giving another 100k miles (currently on 113k) without anything more than wear and tear.
Mate of mine had an 80s civic that just refused to die or rust. When it started to run a bit rough and not like starting, they finally got around to giving it a set of plugs and new filters and some nice new oil. Ran beautifully for another 3 years until they traded it in.
I see all the 90s accords still running around that used to be rep mobiles. Still going, not rusting, not falling to bits.
My missus has a 13 year old volvo v40 which she's loathe to get rid of. There's a few spots of rust on it here and there and the engine's a bit tired, but it shows all the signs of giving another 100k miles (currently on 113k) without anything more than wear and tear.
Mercedes G-Class. Bit pricey but should go forever, last of the truly over-engineered cars built for anything and assembled without compromise.
Reckon an UAZ would be a good bet though, or maybe a Toyota Century, as that's another car that time forgot and still built by hand by only the best workers with time-honoured mechanicals...
Reckon an UAZ would be a good bet though, or maybe a Toyota Century, as that's another car that time forgot and still built by hand by only the best workers with time-honoured mechanicals...
Tidybeard said:
Toyota Landcruiser. Not pretty, but effective and will run forever and a day.
Yep, just look at how many of them there are in Australia with a billion miles on the clock.Having said that, cars have a much harder life in the UK so a Volvo would probably match a LandCruiser for the urban jungle.
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