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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#211

Post by Johnny555 »

bluemax wrote: post #154
Tactical45 wrote: post #53

I wonder if hybrid being more reliable than gasoline cars is simply a function of most of those being Toyota, versus any effect stemming from the car being Hybrid.

My Toyota hybrid reliably does not start after 4 weeks not driving. The 12 volt (1 year old) battery is drained too much after such a period of inactivity. I was not expecting this from Toyota, pretty disappointing.

My Honda Hybrid is the same way, sometimes I go weeks between drives and if I park it for more than a couple weeks, I plug it into a 12V battery charger to keep the 12V battery topped up.

But I blame the car's smart features (that use the cell modem to allow remote start, etc) rather than it being a hybrid. I suspect that the non-hybrid model would be the same.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#212

Post by asalahli »

WillAdams wrote: post #142
kspacewalk2 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredible how the Japanese carmakers were able to perfect the auto manufacturing process and then proceed to hold that advantage for what, 30+ years now? It's not a secret how they did it, it's been studied to death, every manner of technology/expertise/management transfer has been tried, and still no one comes quite close enough to threaten their position.

The first time the U.S. tried to study this, they asked for a sample of parts, specifying a precision range, noting that it was acceptable for up to 10% of the parts to be at the extremes of said range. The Japanese company sent them 3 bags of parts noting: The bag with the full quantity is made to match the provided blueprint, the other two bags contain 1/10th as many parts which are either larger or smaller as requ…

I've heard this story ever since I was a kid, but never been able to find a credible source. I'm compelled to believe it's no more than a story, at this point.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#213

Post by sharkweek »

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought.

"It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional.

New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look like expensive repairs to me, whereas if something breaks (again, rare!) on my extremely mechanical 4Runner, it's almost always something simple and relatively cheap.

Glad to see Yodas at the top of this list though, when mine finally kicks the bucket, will confidently get another one I suppose.

One of my favorite Onion articles: "Toyota Recalls 1993 Camry Due To Fact That Owners Really Should Have Bought Something New By Now"

https://www.theonion.com/toyota-recalls-1993-camry-due-to-fa...

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#214

Post by brewtide »

laurencerowe wrote: post #199

Note that these stats only account for reliability in the first three years: > Then the brand reliability score was calculated by averaging results from 2021 to 2023. As someone who usually buys ~10 year old cars and drives them into the ground I'm much more interested in long term reliability. It may correlate but these stats are not that!

100% share the method. If you are patient, somewhat knowledgeable, and frankly lucky you can pick up some nice things for real cheap at that point. Sometimes they can turn into money puts, but oftentimes with some preventative maintenance, things just keep going smooth.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#215

Post by [deleted] »

paxys wrote: post #205
whatever1 wrote: post #171

No way BMW is that high. I literally saw the past 2-3 weeks two X7s and an X5 stranded on the highway, on my way to work. I remember because I was joking yesterday with my partner that we should never buy a Beamer.

You are right, research involving millions of data points gathered from 330K vehicles over the course of a year is completely wrong because you saw a couple of broken BMWs on the road on your way to work.

[deleted]

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#216

Post by paxys »

laurencerowe wrote: post #199

Note that these stats only account for reliability in the first three years: > Then the brand reliability score was calculated by averaging results from 2021 to 2023. As someone who usually buys ~10 year old cars and drives them into the ground I'm much more interested in long term reliability. It may correlate but these stats are not that!

> Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?

> CR ranks the brands and reveals how their new models are likely to hold up

Literally the title and subtitle of the article, as well as the HN submission.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#217

Post by jmyeet »

You should be asking "What do terrorists and militants use?". Seriously. Look anywhere at any established militant or terrorist group and you'll see common tools. Some examples spring to mind:

1. Toyota Hilux trucks. Interestingly, for a combination of legislative reasons, you can't buy these in the US; But they are incredibly reliable.

2. AK-47 rifles. These are perhaps one of the most influential weapon systems in history. Again, incredibly reliable.

3. Casio digital watches. These are used as timers for improvised explosives but again, they're incredibly reliable. And cheap.

Back to cars, reliability is an interesting metric for cars because the manufacturers have made it incredibly difficult to maintain such cars yourself. You need to go to an authorized reapir shop that'll have the equip to access the computer systems.

Is this more reliable? If you break down in the middle of nowhere, it can be less than ideal. A simpler vehicle can be easier to get going again.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#220

Post by kyle_grove »

eweise wrote: post #89
jerlam wrote: post #77

This article seems quite similar to the one posted two days ago on HN about Brother printers - they're great because they have very low innovation. The top car brands - Lexus/Toyota, Acura/Honda, Subaru, and Mazda - have been widely scolded for not trying very hard to build EVs and would rather refine the same exact ICE cars for decades.

Subaru and Mazda are fairly small so I wouldn't expect a lot of R&D from them. Toyota has been really successful with hybrid which to me, seem like the best solution until EV range cost, and infrastructure improve.

Mazda engine R&D is seemingly quite impressive: the SkyActive X engine is an unusual ICE gasoline engine that takes ideas from diesel, with greater fuel efficiency and horsepower.
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