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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#11

Post by 10000truths »

qup wrote: post #5
CamperBob2 wrote: post #2

Hard to answer the question because "reliable" means different things to different people. Infotainment system keeps dropping Bluetooth connections? "Unreliable." Engine seizes at 70 MPH? "Unreliable." Car only has minor mechanical problems, but dealers can't get parts for months? "Unreliable." A car is too complex a thing to be characterized with a single scalar value.

I prefer the opinions of mechanics. There was a reddit thread this year where someone asked "what brand would you tell everyone to avoid", and it was a pretty unanimous "Toyota wins." Hopefully they'll quit making infotainment systems. I like my phone->FM adapter. Edit: I worded my comment poorly. The mechanics all love Toyota. Everything else was on many guys' shit-lists.

Any details on why? I was under the impression that Camrys and Corollas are infamous for lasting a long time.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#13

Post by [deleted] »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #2

Hard to answer the question because "reliable" means different things to different people. Infotainment system keeps dropping Bluetooth connections? "Unreliable." Engine seizes at 70 MPH? "Unreliable." Car only has minor mechanical problems, but dealers can't get parts for months? "Unreliable." A car is too complex a thing to be characterized with a single scalar value.

[deleted]

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#14

Post by wyldfire »

smlacy wrote: post #6

Very weird how EVs and ICEs are intermixed. I would expect vastly different results across different drivetrains, and probably even more differences across shape/size platforms (compact, sedan, truck, van, etc.).

There's a chart "How Electrified Powertrains Compare" which shows "Problems compared to gasoline-powered vehicles." You might be surprised to see that in fact EVs fare significantly worse than ICEs. I'd wager that they're mostly newer designs that naturally have bugs but instead of making modest changes to the car design in a new model, they're making significant/sweeping changes.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#15

Post by jgalt212 »

qup wrote: post #5
CamperBob2 wrote: post #2

Hard to answer the question because "reliable" means different things to different people. Infotainment system keeps dropping Bluetooth connections? "Unreliable." Engine seizes at 70 MPH? "Unreliable." Car only has minor mechanical problems, but dealers can't get parts for months? "Unreliable." A car is too complex a thing to be characterized with a single scalar value.

I prefer the opinions of mechanics. There was a reddit thread this year where someone asked "what brand would you tell everyone to avoid", and it was a pretty unanimous "Toyota wins." Hopefully they'll quit making infotainment systems. I like my phone->FM adapter. Edit: I worded my comment poorly. The mechanics all love Toyota. Everything else was on many guys' shit-lists.

> There was a reddit thread this year where someone asked "what brand would you tell everyone to avoid", and it was a pretty unanimous "Toyota wins."

Interesting, as I was under the assumption that Toyota and Honda were the cheapest to repair.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#16

Post by explaininjs »

qup wrote: post #5
CamperBob2 wrote: post #2

Hard to answer the question because "reliable" means different things to different people. Infotainment system keeps dropping Bluetooth connections? "Unreliable." Engine seizes at 70 MPH? "Unreliable." Car only has minor mechanical problems, but dealers can't get parts for months? "Unreliable." A car is too complex a thing to be characterized with a single scalar value.

I prefer the opinions of mechanics. There was a reddit thread this year where someone asked "what brand would you tell everyone to avoid", and it was a pretty unanimous "Toyota wins." Hopefully they'll quit making infotainment systems. I like my phone->FM adapter. Edit: I worded my comment poorly. The mechanics all love Toyota. Everything else was on many guys' shit-lists.

Surely Toyota didn't win "most avoided", but rather most recommended?

But same re. infotainment. I have a suction cup MagSafe charging mount for my 2004 4Runner and I patched a bluetooth receiver into the stock head unit. Nothing better than that glorious amber glow when driving late at night. LCD's are blinding by comparison.

Plus this way I don't ever have to enter the iPhone's crippled CarPlay navigation mode, or really deal with CarPlay ever. I just use the phone the same as any other time, no new UI or "safe driving" features to obstruct me.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#17

Post by smlacy »

raajg wrote: post #7

I don't see how 'Tesla' is not top of the list here. For the 'Trouble Areas' I suspected they're normalizing over the 'length of ownership' which would bias the scores towards older car companies.

Often times "Reliability" is calculated as "fraction of cars that have a recall or other unscheduled maintenance during the initial N months of ownership" and I believe Tesla is actually quite high in this regard?

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-us-vehi...

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#19

Post by dheera »

There's also whether people ignore warning signs or not. I previously had a long-term rented Ford Focus via Canvas (which is no longer around). There were lots of issues with it. A bumper valence that had some screw holes that had expanded and would fall off if only 1 additional screw failed. They were unwilling to fix it, and it did in fact fall off on the highway later due to their unwillingness. Tire treads had almost worn bald, they were also unwilling to fix it until a flat actually happened. Car idled at high RPM, I told them about it, they were unwilling to do anything about it, and the engine started stalling on the highway a few months later.

Almost every single problem with the car had a warning sign that I had told them well in advance, but they were always unwilling to do anything about it.

If you do your due diligence by taking action at every warning sign (strange noise, RPMs not the usual value, etc.) a LOT of "reliability" issues would not happen in the first place. A car is a fast-moving piece of mechanical equipment and needs regular servicing.

Don't do what doctors do and "wait till shit happens" to diagnose you so that they can make a buck off of you in the hospital. Prevent shit.

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