Question of the Day: What’s the Most Reliable Car You’ve Ever Owned?
Nobody likes to be stranded by a vehicle that was expected to perform flawlessly. Conversely, if we’re ever lucky enough to own a car or truck that seems to last forever, chances are we’ll be a fan for life. So we ask you, what’s the most reliable car you’ve ever owned? How many miles did you rack up on it? What made you finally cut the cord? Give us your fondest high mileage memory in comments.
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ziptron
1988 Honda CRX. Unstoppable and problem-free.
The day I sold it with 100,000 miles it was as if it were new -- which is remarkable, as it was a nifty little sports car and I was a 20-something male. Although I was religious about maintenance, I thrashed that car every day I drove it -- I even autocrossed it fairly often -- and it never, ever gave me the slightest bit of trouble. An amazing car.
X3 SoB
I've owned several Hondas and never had single problem with any of them, just changed the oil regularly. I hope that BMWs are as trouble free, although I've heard some tales of woe, I haven't had any trouble yet.
HerrDoktor Dieter Zietsche
That Benz in the picture is a miniture, isn't it?
Brian
1988 Suzuki Samurai.
I put that little jeep through hell, on-road and off. Especially off-road. It just wouldn't die!
It was so underpowered I had to redline the engine just to keep-up with highway traffic. Thank goodness it didn’t have a tachometer -- I couldn't have abused the engine so much if I had any idea how far into the redline I actually was. It's amazing it held together as long as it did.
Poor little thing could only do ~70mph on it's best day. But I knew how to pull every last MPH outta that thing and actually did find it a rewarding vehicle to race through interstate traffic. And *race* is the key word here! There's no leisurely driving a Samurai at those velocities. The wind noise alone was enough to make it feel like triple-digit speeds even with the speedometer indicating half that figure.
Ahhh... the memories. Passing on a two-lane road was truly an art that involved:
1) Falling back a short distance to give yourself a little running room;
2) Waiting for a downhill straight;
3) Timing oncoming traffic just right;
4) Downshifting to 4th;
5) Accelerating the best you could while catching the draft from the vehicle in front of you;
6) Slingshoting past the traffic;
7) ...then loosing all of your momentum on the next uphill stretch.
I only racked-up 100k miles before I blew the engine. That may not sound like very many miles, but I really don't see how it stayed glued together with the abuse I dished-out. The vehicle was not highway worthy, yet somehow it kept me rolling throughout my entire high school and college career.
mo
i won't be long .... i will cut straight to the bullsh**. there are actually a lot, there is the 90's explorer that roll over (how many cars can do that).
there is plenty of these lincolns that burn the seats when turning the heated seats on.
lastly, there is the acura TL that is just being recalled for power steering hose which can melt at high temperatures.
now THAT is reliable.
M. Dillon
The current car I'm driving now: A 2003 MINI Cooper. There is not enough time and space to state all the good things I have to state about that car. However,what I will state is that the MINI Cooper gives me everything I want in a car. Great fuel savings,safety,cool looks,great warranty/service,all rapped-up in a reliable car.
Bart
3 cars tied:
04 jetta GL wagon: 93K with a throttle body under warranty, broken door window clips when frozen, and front brakes at 90K
'82 Saab 900 Turbo 148K brakes, muffler, radiator, plug wires
'91 Audi 100 Quattro 136K brakes, exhaust, thermostat, a couple of uv joints (have to think in terms of percentage of uv's on that car!), plug wires
dante
Tie with my 1984 Subaru GL wagon and my 1990 Legacy wagon. The GL took far more abuse in terms of ramming things and jumping off the ground, but it rotted away by 140k. The Legacy, redlined in three gears several times a day at a minimum and 10K+ oil changes has 260k+, but it did lose a tranny at 175K from me pulling J-turns in the work parking lot every day. Otherwise, trouble free. Even the alternator made it 250k.
aaron
I have had ok luck with my new cars
2008 nitro r/t no issues so far.
2005 forester 2.5xt never an issue
2004 dodge neons srt4 never an issue
2003 acural tl - transmission replaced, squeaks and rattles hard starting (never bvuy another) left stranded 2 times.
2000 mustagn gt, blew a wiring harness and left me stranded once.
Ironic that my nightmare experiences come at the hands of a honda.
hwyhobo
1981 Toyota Celica GT 5sp and 1994 Ford Probe SE 5sp. The second one not only was reliable, it was more fuel efficient than any other car I've owned and any of the present Fords.
Paul In Jersey
Volvo 240... times 2. A 1986 and a 1988.
Christian
1985 Toyota Supra as reliable as a car can get with plenty of power... i abused this car and had no trouble...I think pretty much anything that toyota makes is reliable some good engineering.
Zander
I'm on my second 1991 Prelude Si.....current one has 206,000 miles, gets 30 mpg, and will still smack the rev limiter in 5th gear. I think I'll replace the motor and drive it another 200k.
Donald
1997 Suzuki Sidekick Wagon JX. Still wish I had kept that car. Traded it in for a 2001 VW Golf. Mixed feelings on that idea.
Purchased a 2007 Toyota RAV4 last May, and so far the car has not only been problem free, but the maintenance schedule is so light that I almost forget when to take it in.
Steve
My buddy had the most reliable car I've ever seen... '89 Ford Escort Wagon... That little bastard wouldn't die at 298k, and we were trying to kill it. Without mercy, tried to kill it. Finally the struts got to the point where they needed replacing, and it was cheaper to buy a new car... haha. :-)
bgd73
Pro american surprise was of the worst generation v8s ever made: a 1984 grand prix LE coupe that stayed original lo powered 305 cubic inch to 258k..I had to stop feeding the fluids (mostly oil, and gas was 12mpg).But it was still running. smart open front end that must have been the accidental engineering by gm kept the lower end cool. they are too stupid to be that smart. Upon no care at all after this many junk cars claiming to be good. I bought a rusty 87 subaru DL with manual steering and flat broke. 60k miles error free. even ran without antifreeze.7 years until the belly broke so bad, the car was bent to giving up. 3 long distance trips I took it on went into mythical 60s mpg, and no other consumption. Needless to say. I think todays subarus are backwards, destructible and overglorified. the same as the rest of the repulsive industry. No favorites. Just facts. Probably for the rest of my days...hey,does all internet sites repeat themselves, or am I just finding repeats?
Dustin B.
TIE for me:
1) 1987 Honda CRX Si (my 4th car, had for 3 years)
2) 2004 Nissan 350Z (current car, owned since new)
Cicero
My 2002 Ford F-150
Garfield134
2002 Accord EX...Currently 119k. 2 repairs in 100k+ miles. Windshield wiper relay at 45k, rear brake caliper at 112k. Original clutch, exhaust and wheel alignment. Front brakes lasted 112k (changed them anyway, figured I got my money's worth). Original tires 75k. Average 32 mpg, annually. 30 mpg during New England winter (lots of highway driving). Routine maintenance.
2007 Honda Fit Sport. 20k miles ZERO issues in 14 months.
Adam
Probably our 1986 Saab 9000 turbo, which my mom bought new in 86! Has 91k miles on it, broke down twice in 22 years (once when it was 3 years old, and again about 5 years ago when we had a blowout and the spare was too low on air), and we'd drive it anywhere even today.
Also reliable has been my mom's '95 Mercedes E300 diesel, with 118k miles. It's never broken down, and is always comfortable to drive. Then again there's the (pictured above) '85 300D which, with 258k miles, still starts every time.
Ducati Minor
Current car: '02 Ford Focus. It's been the best car I have ever owned, though not the fanciest. It will continue to be as long as it runs.
uragan
Yep, the car in the picture is a toy.
Second, many of the guys here are rookies: 02 Focus? 2008 Nitro? "Zero issues in 14 months"? hahahaha I think we were talking about reliability. It means keeping your car for more than "14 months" If your car is not at least 20 years old, go watch some cartoons, kid.
The cars in the family were very reliable, all American:
'75 chevy full-size truck. small block. Sold it in 2000, don't know the miles, the odometer hadn't worked for some years. The engine still had some other 25 years on it.
'87 AMC Jeep Wagoneer. The 4.0 just doesn't know how to quit. The electric system is not as good. Still have it and will keep it for a While.
Dodge Polara
Current vehicle is a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 liter 6. 195,000 miles and it runs as good as the day I bought it. No major problems with it. Only things I have changed outside of regular maintenance is the Radiator, Water Pump and a number of gaskets to fix leaks. Great vehicle and I plan to drive it another 50K at least.
youngturk
1992 Nissan 240SX. 282,000 miles and still going. Very reliable and fun to drive. Have owned it since it was brand new when I purchased it on Sept. 9, 1991. More than 16 years old.
K-CarGuy
1997 Chevrolet Lumina nearly 270,000kms on it and it still going with original engine and transmission, very dependable and reliable on harsh roads and seasons, since High School, and 1986 Dodge Aries, great vehicle ever owned, original engine and transmission, only one problem is leak oil pan, easy to get fix and cheap parts, easy to get it, great gas mileage and been on road since 1990 and been abused for nearly 6 years when i got it from parents for first-time car, been drove on gravel road, mud road, and few fender-bender, still smooth run and still using today. it have nearly 380,000 kms on it
Wes
Accord LX, 1996, got rims and doing lotsa tricks. No, but seriously its a great car.
HOWARD MILLER
MY 1988 MITSUBISHI MONTERO HAD 166,000 MILES ON IT WHE I SOLD IT.IT WAS STILL RUNNING TWO YEARS LATER AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY MORE MILES THE PAINTER I SOLD IT TO HAD DRIVEN.I HAD ONLY TWO SETS OF TIRES DURING THAT TIME. THE ORIGIALS,WHICH WERE BRIDGSTONE DESERT DUELERS AND WHEN AT 86,000 MILES THEY NEEDED REPLACING I JUST BOUGHT AN OTHER SET.OTHER THAN REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND ONCE A YEAR PUTTING IN NEW PLUGS,WIRES,DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR AND CAP I NEVER DID ANYTHING ELSE.
FPF422
My '91 Honda Civic with a total of 189.000 km... not 1 problem in 9 years... a mon on a shool run rear ended me and killed that wonderful car (it was scheduled to be sold 3 days later to a friens)
p delorge
Out of twenty odd vehicles our 2000 Nissan Altima SE has to be the most reliable and has never left us stranded. 137,000 miles and we have done little except for the occasional oil change, tires and a power window switch; still has the origional battery and exhaust, burns no oil and returns 25 mpg on average. The end is in sight though because the rockers are rusting.
Bruce
2000 Jeep Cherokee and 1964 Chevelle tie for me. I still own both and they run flawlessly.
LEXION
The most reliable car I have ever had was the 2000 VOLVO V40 Phase 1....I went throw woods, highway, snow, sand....no problems at all, and at 500 000 km done, all Ive changed was the oil and distribution kit. Very strong car!
D.J. Martin
My current daily driver is a 91' SHO with 206k miles. It still runs great and puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. All I have to do is the normal servicing. It still loves to rev and sing when she revs past 4k. The only problem that ever left me stranded was a fuel pump at 175k. I drive it every day with no worries.
mike
2004 STI, just under 90000 miles in less than 3 years, with absolutely no drivetrain issues whatsoever. Not unusual to have that kind of reliability, but to have it in an STI is just amazing!
Tipster
Gotta agree with URAGAN, if you haven't put at least 200K miles on the car, don't bother telling us about it. My 2000 Audi S4 just turned 130K on the odometer with few if any real problems, but I don't think that's anything to write home about. It such a complex car I don't expect it to go loads and loads of miles.
Jeffy2872
My old f-150 with an inline 6 in it. That truck never let me down i drove it untill i sold it at over 300,000 miles, i drove that truck hard and often on off trail adventures and it just never stopped running i wish i would of never sold that truck it still looks almost new
Bert
1990 B12 Nissan Sentra 1.6 SGX model - All power features and we owned it, brand new, from late 1990 to mid 2006. It saw my brother and myself through college and we have a 5 year age gap.
That's 16 years straight, daily driven - no overhaul on the engine or tranny! Only had to change the crankshat o-ring twice. Original aircon compressor, evaporator, water pump, power-steering pump, wiper blade motor and power-window motors. Never had a problem with electricals or suspension. The occasional rust spot did appear but kept it at bay.
Good car and could keep up with the newer Civics that came out....with a little help from a 2 inch exhaust system :)
chartguy
My mother bought a 1979 Ford ¾-ton 4WD pickup new. I bought it from her about five years ago. I call it my cockroach (it's brown). That thing may be rusty, with a cracked dash, and just about every body panel has a dent in it, but it always starts, and always goes. I figure if we ever see WWIII, and the EMP takes out all the computers in all the fuel-injected cars, that old cockroach will run just fine. It's a survivor.
Peter
1979 Mercedes 240D just like the one in the photo only ivory in colour. Even had the sunroof deflector.
My first new car - drove it for 250,000 kms in Europe then Canada after 2 yrs. Purchased duty free for under $14,000.00 sold after 13yrs for $6000.00 .
Family had left home and rust finally was getting to it especially in the fenders. no car for a while then into a used Miata. What a change in driving experience but also very reliable .
chris
1993 Jeep GC, 305,000 + miles, original engine, trans and axles. One of the toughest vehicles I have ever owned, I sold it to a friend for his 18 YO daughter and she loves it.
Larry
1984 Olds 98,last of the rear-wheel-drive 98s. Timing chain finally broke at 205,000 miles.
DieRobotDie
1999 Nissan Pulsar (Sentra) hatch, a brilliant wee car, never skipped a beat and cost next to nothing to run, sadly we increased the size of our family too fast for it to keep up. I still miss it as a reliable fun to drive everyday car
mythicalprogrammer
Nissan Pathfinder 97 Family Car. My family first new car bought it brand new after going dealers after dealers trying to get one. We got a forest green LE edition 2x4 instead of the 4x4 version.
At around 170,000 ish miles we had to change the oil temperature sensor.
At around 250,000 miles we had to change the radiator hose.
We changed the suspension joints once somewhere along there (don't remember). My dad's keeps on hitting the curb.
It handle everything my father threw at it. That's including multiple crashes/accidents and a T bone accident where the side was crumbled. Ended up fixing it and it still riding today. I have to say the VQ or whatever that v6 engine is it's amazing. At lot better than my current 2003 C class benz Kompressor.
My only complaint is the leather materials sucks (lots of wears). The interiors are somewhat lacking.
Dane
1st Place: 1992 Volkwagen GTI16v
2nd Place: 2002 Ford Focus ST170 (SVT here)
3rd Place: 1985 Volkswagen Golf
4th Place: 1978 Renualt R17 Gordini (Belive it or not)
Robert C.
1991 Volkswagen Jetta 1.6 diesel. Slow as Christmas, had 197,000 miles on it when it finally left me (I put on about 20,000 of those). I never took care of it, pampered it or even washed it, but it never failed to start, never let me down and was willing to do another 100,000 had I not crashed it, completely my own fault I might add.
Rick
This will be a shock to some: But British Leyland vehicles have been extremely reliable for me because I give them proper maintenance. None has ever ever left me stranded on the side of the road, and the technology is such that anybody with a toolbox from Sears and basic automotive repair skills could fix just about anything that wore out. So, here's to MG, Triumph, Rover and the rest...
Abe
My 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Brougham LS, what a tank of car, it runs amazingly well considering how abused it is. It's got better offroading ability than most new SUVs. Those old GM fullsizers were rock solid and last a lifetime
BHRCUB
Well I would have to say my most reliable car was a 95 Cavalier Z24.. Put close to 300K on it and the only real problem I had was with the sunroof.. Alas I finally got rid of it to get something new and shiny...
Oh yea URAGAN, the question is "So we ask you, what’s the most reliable car you’ve ever owned? How many miles did you rack up on it? What made you finally cut the cord? Give us your fondest high mileage memory in comments." NOT what is your most reliable 20+ yr old car...
Ron Getzan
Bought my 1987 Nissan Hardbody Pick up truck in 1991 with 36,000 miles on it. Right away I drove it from CA. to Ill; Ohio; Penn: NY; and MI. Never a problem. Still own it with over 131,000 on it. Best vehical I have ever owned. It will easily go over 200,000 or even 300,000. No doubt about it.
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