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Just out of curiosity, I thought it might be interesting to see what you consider to be the most reliable car you have owned. Also, let us know your least reliable car.
To start the ball rolling, here's mine:
Most reliable: 1989 Rover 213SE.Auto. Owned currently. Least reliable: Volkswagen Beetle.
I've never owned a car in all my 35 years...but my parents had a Honda Civic that they bought in '87 and it lasted over 300,000 miles, until 2003. They also had a Fiat station wagon when I was really little (from the late 70s until '87) that I think is still out there (they sold it to their mechanic). I cried and cried when they sold that Fiat.
Least reliable? I'm not sure....not surprised about the VW, I've heard they are always in the shop from multiple people.
Funny story about the Honda. I drove to pick up my dad from his job, and the odometer was just under 100,000 miles, so I drove through the parking lot until it was at 100,000 perfectly. He came in the car, went to start it and it wouldn't start! But it was fixed and kept on going...
#3 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:52 PM EDTMy car owning history is relatively short, but my dad had a Nissan Sentra for over 200,000 miles.
#4 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:03 PM EDTMost unreliable (but also most fun): 1981 Jeep CJ7
Most reliable: 1990 Honda Civic Hatchback
All-time-fav: 1969 Mercury Cougar!
#5 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:47 PM EDTFrom 0 to 10. (0 being worst)
Buick Century= 2 -SAE and Metrics apply in all facets of this vehicle
Ford Windstar GL before and after recall= a flat 0 -the worst
Suzuki Esteem=9 -After first changing out the clutch and transmission it has been a great car every since.
Great tracking system and idea. Just do the math. I believe that most cars faced the same dilemma as the (2k for computers) once they reached 100,000 miles.
#6 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:57 PM EDTVolkswagen or Toyota is all I've driven for 20 years. Volkswagen my favorite - never had a problem.
Least reliable - a Pontiac in the 1980s. Left me in the street and on the curb too many times.
#7 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:59 PM EDTMost reliable: 1985 toyota van, 187,000 miles and all i did was change oil.
Least reliable: My wife's Mercedes C-280. The engine check light is possessed by demons, purposely draining my wallet every time it accumulates a little cash. If my wife didn't love it so much I would take it out back, pump 6 bullets in the bonnet, and bury it in the swimming pool.
#8 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:11 PM EDTLeast reliable: Fiat with 17,000 miles and the motor seized up.
Most reliable: 1987 Subaru 4WD wagon.
#9 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:42 PM EDTMost reliable: My first new car! A 1987 manual transmission, 5 speed 2L engine AMC/Jeep Cherokee : it was one of the last to roll off the AMC assembly line in Toledo Ohio, before Chrysler picked up the Jeep brand. (Who knew? AMC/Renault actually produced a vehicle that was built to last. 170K miles when the water hoses began to go, and 70K miles on original Goodyear tires). The Jeep that launched the SUV Renaissance. I'm told by the person I gifted it to that the engine still turns over like a charm. ;-)
Did have problems with its hydraulic clutch and its replacement early on at 26K miles (just out of warranty, and unqualified for Chrysler's subsequent 7 year warranties that followed) The crux of the clutch problem...a defective pressure plate...also the Dana rear was notorious for leaks that bled into the rear brakes... and not a year went by when it DID NOT fail EPA emissions standards at Div. of Motor Vehicles inspections...that is, not until the last year I owned it when our state DMV had new and improved defective emissions detection computers...and I was allowed to bypass that item of inspection.
I got rid of it in August of 2001.
God! I loved that Jeep!
#10 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:47 PM EDTWe think the reason it leaked higher CO2 exhaust levels was due to an unknown issue with the catalytic converter, can't remember now.
Most, an awesome '95 Toyota Camry. That car never gave me an issue and lasted forever. Great car.
Least, a 1991 Nissan Sentra. Total P.O.S.
#11 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:03 AM EDTVoted Car of the Year by Road and Track= 1974 Audi 100 LS
Voted Lemon Car of the Car for 1974 also, Audi 100 LS. That car when is ran, was nice, however it never made it more then 1800 miles without a major expensive service call and for a poor college student, that was a disaster. Never ever again. Total Junker.....
My best Car ? 1979 Mazda RX7 5 Spd. Total Maintenance, One Clutch, 6 sets of tires, oil change every 5K miles and at 389,000 miles it still had never failed me once. (well one headlight did actually) and the paint faded a little,
#13 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:12 AM EDTBravo! '79 R-X7....had one of those, silver. Bought used in '84, and unfortunately turned out to be a northern car that had hidden rust problems....died a slow death. I held a wake for it. But for three years ran terrific, and gave even the Porsches a surprise in the curves....felt like it had glue on the tires when cornering.
Boy I miss that 5 speed.
Boy I miss that cornering.
Boy I've gotten old and practical........I'm going off to cry on the hood of my sensible car now................
That was a wonderful car. I put all synthetic oil in it from day one as when I first got it I was living in Northern VA and everything was so silky smooth on that car. Loved the "electric motor" torque and horsepower of that engine and 5 spd, just a perfect balance. And just amazing when I got it to Seattle and hit the winding up hill mountain roads the Porsches were in for a surprise, me to on the handling....
Little rough on the gas milage, but heck....sure was a fun go cart car ☺
Don't mention old, I get even older in 3 days....I am looking for a wheel chair with Crager wheels and a Holley 780 carb...
"I am looking for a wheel chair with Crager wheels and a Holley 780 carb... "
I don't think 'Hoveround' has that feature....but I could be wrong.
My RX never had a strong 'off the mark' acceleration......but it made up for it in the curves, and just the pure fun of feeling the road so well. Of course dates just said it was 'bumpy'. But I think she was mostly annoyed that by the time we'd get to a restaurant, her hair was fully horizontal and behind.
I didn't think to suggest it was 'chic'......my life was at stake.
ps- Happy Almost.
Think I will skip that Hoveround option, those electric vehicles look kinda slow, if I went electric, the Telsa sounds way more fun,,,
Yeah my "date" never liked my RX7 either since the first thing that got added were a set of Koni shocks which made the ride ever worse then normal. But no, off the line, they are not the worlds fastest, but after a few years I went with a different exhaust and intake and that made some real difference on mine. My only real problem is at 6'2" it was a great car once I put a seat lowering kit and had the sunroof open, but I did end up with a sore neck or a headache from bumping my head to much.
Budget constraints kept mine mostly stock, except for minor tweeks I could do myself, with my very limited skill. That was fine, it was fun the way it was. Did develop a short-lived problem, that went away on it's own after a couple weeks....one headlamp would come up, and the other down when I'd hit the lights....confounded the mechanic.
Yeah, it was not made for the tall. I had to drive an older family member once, and to get him in I had to remove the sunroof. Naturally it started to sprinkle. Minor disadvantage.
Loved the odd sound of the rotary engine, but had to get used to it.
one headlamp would come up, and the other down when I'd hit the lights.
Hah ! You might have discovered a top secret add on kit. There was (maybe still is) a very popular company in California called Rotary Engineering and another here in Seattle called Rotary Beat and for a long time, the number one add on for a RX-7 gadget was the "Headlight Winker" which did almost what you said, would raise one at a time and finally get both up.
I had some real problems in the winter with ice freezing the doors solid shut and also the headlight covers, that was weird. I thought the sound was awesome of the rotary, like a little jet engine to me. almost thru the girlfriend out the window when she made a comment about "vacuum cleaner sound" !
Fortunatly the problem went away before the yearly state inspection, or I'd have had some 'splaining to do'.
Definetly not a car for the snow. Got caught on the D.C. beltway during a hard 'out of nowhere' snowfall in the late '80s. Front spoiler was plowing the snow it sat so low. Had to fall in behind a truck and follow it to Richmond before the snow let up. Very exciting! Nervewracking.
" almost thru the girlfriend out the window when she made a comment about "vacuum cleaner sound" !"
Just look for a hard left curve and downshift/gas.
Real high rpms as I recall, even at idle.
Have to go. Happy B-day. Almost.
Yeah me too.
Snow and that car was a joke. I worked at Tysons Corner, VA at the time and lived about a mile away in Vienna, VA, if it snowed, it was better to walk. I even would get stuck in the flat parking lot. When I started to work in DC, then I gave up on using the car in the winter or rain. It just was not worth it...
Thanks for the early B-Day !
My least reliable car was a 1979 two-tone yellow Mercury Zephyr that I drove 1988-1989. It would never start on the first 15 or 20 tries and would NEVER EVER start when I was trying to get home before curfew. The people who owned it before me had replaced the radio and didn't do a very good job of it. My friends and I would be driving around singing along with the radio. If I hit a bump the radio would cut out and not come back on until I hit another bump.
My most reliable and fuel-efficient vehicle was a little Ford Ranger pickup.
#14 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 1:37 AM EDTI found a picture that looks exactly like the Banana from Hell. It labels it as a Ford Fairmont, which was the "sister" car available at the time.
I had a 90 Ranger that did over 200K miles before someone totaled it by running a stop sign and hitting me.
I think they tried that model in the F150 pick-ups...or so I'm told.
I think that is a very bad subject also for Ford at the moment...
I forgot to mention that on the Banana from Hell (a.k.a. Mercury Zephyr), I could take the keys out of the ignition after I started it and it kept running. I freaked my friends out with that one a couple of times. It was nice though, because it didn't have automatic locks or a "clicker" to unlock remotely. On cold mornings I could go out and start it, lock it up and take the keys in with me.
Banana from Hell (a.k.a. Mercury Zephyr)
That is a perfect description also....That one I have never heard.
Well, it was yellow and the electrical stuff seemed to be possessed...Banana from Hell just seemed appropriate.
The 90 Ranger saved my life. It took a Dodge Intrepid at 60 MPH in the front left quarter panel. Practically destroyed the truck but I was left intact with some bruises in the cab. Fair warning to everyone: if I wasn't wearing my seatbelt my ass would have went out the passenger side window. The seatbelt caught just as I was going over the center console and jerked me back into my seat.
The 2006 Ranger just hit a deer at 65 MPH on the interstate and left Dad uninjured. Ford makes good vehicles.
Yay! This is an easy question.
Last summer I paid $700 for a '93 Isuzu Rodeo 4wd at an auction. It's had a few problems, but as of today, I have a grand total of $1300 in it, and it's running beautifully. It has nearly 200,000 miles on it, and I've had to replace the water pump and the timing belt. They are easy to work on (or I have a really good mechanic). The only complaint I have is that they (manufacturer) hid parts of the jack in places that don't exist. (The manual says "Look here", but their 'here' is not there.)
The least reliable vehicles I have seen are Ford Rangers. I've had 2 that had recurring starter/alternator/ignition problems. They regularly left me stranded, in spite of spending several hundreds on them.
#16 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:15 AM EDTWD40?
The Isuzu locks do have a tendency to freeze up, making it a chore to get in it in the mornings during winter months. Forgot to mention that little aggravation.
Use Silicon based spray and it will last for about a year and the cold will not bother it, that is one nice advantage over WD40, however it does run a little more money also..
Yeah the electrical systems on the older Rangers are horrible, they were all third party vendors making that stuff with different grades of copper and steel and you cannot mix and match those two elements or they corrode real fast. I was always helping a friend replace their system.
WD40, a well known Anti Damp spray for electrics and mechanical parts. Also acts as a lubricant and rust preventer.
Oh. I use it on my keys, and to help unfreeze locks. I'm not familiar with the Anti Damp concept, though. :-0
I don't remember ever having an issue starting the 90 Ranger... always turned over on a dime.
I agree with you ChristopherL except there are some cars that have far exceeded the big 100k. I had a corvette for what seemed like forever until hit and destroyed. 126k miles on it. Its big downfall was the fiberglass body.
Suzuki Esteem is a very nice car 2000 model still going at 71,000 miles and counting.
#18 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:04 AM EDTI had a corvette for what seemed like forever until hit and destroyed. 126k miles on it
I put 172K miles on my 2001 ZO6 Corvette and 3 clutches, one alternator and 3 sets of tires and that was it. Never failed to start, always ran like a rocket, and even got decent milage. Loved that car.
Sorry to hear about the death of your Vette...ouch !! Hope you are OK...
Most reliable 2003 Cadillac Deville
Least reliable - 1987 vw rabbitt Diesel
#19 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 1:27 PM EDTI mentioned my 1987 Subaru 4WD wagon back there as being reliable. No doubt. The car has power steering, A/C, gas door release, extra interior lights, cloth seats, dual-range 4WD option, and other little cute stuff. Everything works. It's on its second engine, and has 216k miles on the car total. I take it everywhere, although it's not my main car. EVERYWHERE=The Forest and the Mountains.
Mileage: about 33mpg highway. 28 city.
More weird stuff: I've had this car since 1995. It was STOLEN on Christmas Eve night in 2000. Two and a half years later...the cops found it intact! Let me tell you, it's WEIRD when you get your car back in this manner. Sort of like the Prodigal Son returning home.
'...and where the heck have YOU been all this time?'
They (theives) switched dashboard and VIN plate, but the dummies didn't take them from the same car, so when they got pulled over, the VIN's on the dashboard and the door post didn't match. Then...when the cop finally looks under the hood, there is a THIRD VIN on the firewall, the welded-on one. (The REAL VIN)
'I'm Officer Friendly...and YOU'RE BUSTED!'
Well, the dashboard matched in color. The cops told me...leave the door VIN and dashboard alone, and just direct cops to the underhood VIN in the event of getting stopped, if they want to look beyond your usual paperwork. It hasn't been a problem. (laughs)
#20 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 1:59 PM EDTYou're lucky it wasn't taken to a chop shop or sent overseas to be sold as that is normally what happens to stolen cars. I bet it was a hell of a surprise to get it back intact after 3 years, eh? LOL
1959 Borg Ward Station wagon. To overhaul the engine required a sleeve pack and a socket wrench (provided with torque slip). Bought the overhaul kit at 600k then was deployed.
Came home 7 years later and the new owner still had the crate in his garage. Metal fatigue got to it before the little 4 cyl and was finally corn-flaked with 1+million miles with its final days spent hauling hay to cattle in the snow.
#21 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 4:35 PM EDTMost reliable.......1993 Honda Civic.....43mpg on the hywy on the rare occasions I stayed at 55mph. 30-32 in the city.
Mileage dropped to 33mpg hywy (at 55 mph), when they mandated gas/ethanol mixtures. 25-26 city.
Least reliable.....1988 Chevy Celebrity. Don't remember the mileage, I think 20-22 hywy.....
...but what I remember most about it, was that it would shut off the engine when making a left turn.....any left turn. I was an expert in the art of 'coastingwhilerestartingwhilemusclingsteeringwheelintimetobeatoncomingtraffic'. I also learned a lot of routes that allowed for right turns only!
#22 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:31 PM EDTI had a similar problem with a 97 Lincoln Town Car although it only happened occasionally. You had to have quick reactions to avoid getting killed.
Most reliable was a '97 Honda Accord--no problems whatsoever. It was totalled during a storm in '02 when a limb fell 60 ft and pierced the console (I like to say it was murdered.)
Least reliable was an '85 Buick LeSabre. Among other things that mysteriously went wrong was the antennae. Somehow the metal part broke and when the radio turned on, the limp antennae would shoot up through the opening and then dangle down the side of the car like spaghetti. Truly pathetic
#23 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:53 PM EDTMost reliable 1997 Toyota Tacoma extend-cab, just traded it for a new one.
Most Fun and reliable 1987 Nissan 300ZX - Drive only in summer.
#24 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 9:11 PM EDTFirst Car was a 1968 Dodge Dart 225 slant 6 cylinder when 16 and traded for a 1970 Cuda 440 shaker hood with 3 deuces stock at 550 HP and got 3 miles per gallon maybe 5.? At 16 years old won a trophy at So. Glens Falls NY drag-way and it was all downhill from there, should have kept the Dodge Dart 6 cylinder.
Least reliable: 1972 Chevy Camaro, 1978 Plymouth Arrow. The Camaro died a death of a million mechanical failures, the Arrow was a rust bucket.
Most Reliable: 1987 Corolla FX-16, 2001 Subaru Forester. The Corolla was spunky and fun, easy on gas and required only regular maintenance. The Forester is still in service, still seems to drive like new with only scheduled maintenance.
#25 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:13 PM EDTI've actually had 2. The first was a 1979 Olds 98 that started life as my parent's car and became mine when I went to college. It never gave me any major problems and I finally sold it in 1998 after putting 200,000 miles on it. I last saw it about 3 years ago and it was still running. The second car was a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage. I called it the "Rolling Death Machine" because it had the lowest crash safety rating of that model year but I put 283,000 miles on it with no major problems before selling it to buy my current car, a 2003 Ford Taurus. It only has 104,000 miles on it, but we'll see how far it can go.
#26 - Sat Jun 21, 2008 10:19 PM EDTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
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