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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#511

Post by _AzMoo »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #346
sharkweek wrote: post #213

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 lik…

FWIW, the computers don’t tend to break. The things that do break are essentially the same as they were 20 years ago. The bells and whistles are mostly for creatures comfort. The mechanical components haven’t changed much. The only thing that I couldn’t fix on my own in my 2020 vs my 2006 was re-alignment of lane keep system after replacing the windshield.

I have a 2021 Subaru Forester and the sensors are a nightmare. The computers are fine, but the sensors are extremely problematic.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#512

Post by HPsquared »

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #490
vondur wrote: post #453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People drive horrible now. Running lights, crazy lane changes, excessive speeding etc. Here in the US is started during the pandemic and hasn’t improved.

Replacing old style headlight bulbs with LEDs in housings not designed for them is an increasing problem too, making driving at night often something that is best done with a pair of sunglasses.

Also headlights are simply higher on average than they used to be (larger vehicles). Very noticeable if you drive a low car. Yet another "arms race" dynamic.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#513

Post by julianlam »

MikeTheGreat wrote: post #424
calamari4065 wrote: post #416

I've had a regrettably excellent experience with my 2015 Mazda. Easily the most reliable machine I've owned. Which is unfortunate because it's a soulless, joyless shitbox and I hate it. It just starts every single time, but it's not fun to drive. I see dozens of the exact same model on the road every day and they're all boring. The interior is fine, the handling is pretty good, the power is fine, fuel economy is fine…

2015 Mazda, you say? If you could also include the model I'd be grateful, because this all sounds great. We're talking about a car that gets you to and from work, not about dating in your 20's :)

A reliable soulless Mazda sounds like a 6 sedan. Larger and weightier than the engine can handle, but otherwise a solid car.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#514

Post by ct0 »

jacquesm wrote: post #255
TacticalCoder wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happened to my wife's ex-Toyota CHR hybrid (not plug-in hybrid) after 5 weeks of vacation. I hooked a CTEK charger to it for 8 to 12 hours and all was good again. I didn't leave the car on the CTEK charger for five weeks because it was parked outside and not at our place. Otherwise CTEK chargers are really nice. Certain car brands like Porsche while sell you a "Porsche charger" for two or three times the price but it…

I have a VW bus that doesn't see a lot of use and with a bit of fiddling it was easy enough to run a (fused) connector to just behind the grill with a little rubber lid to make it waterproof. That allows me to plug in a trickle charger without having to open the hood. That little trick has saved me multiple batteries already.

I can use the cigerette lighter on my tt roadster's trickle charger. Does the bus have one?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#515

Post by Infernal »

smoyer wrote: post #431
sharkweek wrote: post #213

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 lik…

I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna that's approaching 300k miles and a 2001 Mercedes that's got about 220k miles. That's almost the top and bottom of the list and IMHO it's all about regular maintenance. I have a 2008 Honda FIT with under 100k and it constantly needs something.

I’ve got an 08 Fit as well, in 15 years and 150k miles I haven’t had to do anything outside of brakes/ignition coils/spark plugs. What sorts of things have gone wrong with yours?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#516

Post by morepork »

starkparker wrote: post #496
connicpu wrote: post #492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely not, at least in systems where both the engine and motor-generator mechanically connect. You only reduce complexity when it's basically just an EV where the ICE can recharge the battery, such as the Chevy Volt or Mazda's new rotary engine vehicle.

Oddly enough, then: > There are interesting insights with the reliability of electrified models this year. Overall, hybrids have 26 percent fewer problems than cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE). Some standouts include the Lexus UX and NX Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, and RAV4 Hybrid. > Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are more of a mixed bag. As a category, they have 1…

I think the data is a bit skewed as Lexus/Toyota are the most reliable, and make many hybrid models.

The question should be, for a particular make, are hybrids more reliable than ICEs?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#517

Post by fsckboy »

usefulcat wrote: post #370
Roark66 wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>New vehicles are much safer from a structural standpoint than older ones. Perhaps if you compare the same model 15 years ago and now that is true, but people rarely buy the same model used as they would new. At least among my aquitances it is common to consider a higher class used car, or a much cheaper lower class new car. I doubt a 6 years old lexus rx350 is less safe than 2023 Toyota Yaris for example. Two cars o…

> I doubt a 6 years old lexus rx350 is less safe than 2023 Toyota Yaris for example. Ok, but those two vehicles are significantly different sizes regardless of year, are they not? And that’s usually very relevant where safety is concerned.

that may be true of these two cars, but I don't think he was cherry-picking those just to make his general argument. are you making the general argument that this larger vs smaller car issue will always be the difference? what happens to the difference in safety improvements over time, always overshadowed by size in the used market?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#518

Post by stephen_g »

denvaar wrote: post #343
sharkweek wrote: post #213

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 lik…

> extremely mechanical 4Runner Same sentiment for my washer/dryer. Bought an older (used) set for $300, They have lasted 7 years so far, which is in addition to however long they were in use before: I would guess at least 7 more. Seems like lots of people lament how things like cars, refrigerators, washers, etc. are becoming less mechanical and more electronic. Maybe there's a market for "bespoke" mechanical items.

Maybe our family have just been lucky with the brands we pick, but I definitely haven't found this... My Electrolux fridge has been 100% solid for over seven years now, which I bought because my parents had had one for eight or nine years at the time (which is still going). My Bosch Series 8 front-loader washing machine has also been a tank, same age, no signs of anything going wrong, same story - I bought it because a friend had had a similar model for years, theirs is still going to...

Seems like there are still reliable appliances to be found, it's just probably that there's more low-quality cheaply made appliances on the market than there used to be, so it used to be easier to get a good one without researching so much...

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#519

Post by metabagel »

dunco wrote: post #364
paxys wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing happened. They have always had a terrible reputation for quality, and the results show it. People buy it for the brand name, and that's about it.

Tell that to the all the ~80s w118's etc. around the world still working as taxis and running off vegetable oil

This comment doesn’t say anything about the maintenance/repair cost to keep those cars running.
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