Who makes the most reliable new cars? • Hacker News Board

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#851

Post by verisimi » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:23 PM UTC

vondur wrote: post #453

yaomtc wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> car safety has drastically improved Safety between cars, and within cars, has improved. However, due to the increasing size of the average vehicle on the road, among other factors, car safety for pedestrians/cyclists has decreased. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184034017/us-pedestrian-deat...

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.

Perhaps they have been damaged by medical treatments? Could be due to lower mental and physical capabilities.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#852

Post by verisimi » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:24 PM UTC

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.

I totally agree.

What exactly are government safety agencies for exactly, if they can't even sort this obvious problem out?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#853

Post by SandunGunn » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:27 PM UTC

taurath wrote: post #758

piperswe wrote: post #745

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you do maintain them in that certain way, they can be brilliantly reliable. Problem is, many people (especially in America) don't. And getting the proper fluids for them can be a pain in the ass in America, since BMW LL oil is basically impossible to get anywhere except dealerships and specialty websites. I'm surprised Mercedes is so low in the list. They've traditionally been one of the more reliable German b…

Chrysler has had some of the least reliable for most of my entire lifetime and Mercedes shares a parent company and presumably a lot of parts with them.

Mercedes is owned by Daimler

Chrysler (30 out of 30) by Stellantis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellantis) along with: Fiat, Alfa Romeo (unranked), Dodge (21) RAM (15) Jeep (26)

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#854

Post by tim333 » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:28 PM UTC

sspiff wrote: post #840

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'm in a similar boat. I drive an 07 Volvo wagon, and it's practical, mostly reliable besides the odd repair and replacing wear items. It's still relatively safe, at least in terms of passive safety (it has a well engineered crash structure, curtain side impact airbags, etc). It drinks fuel like a drunk uncle drinks wine at a wedding, burns and leaks a little oil, etc. Fuel is very expensive where I live (currently a…

$30-35k would be a good price. I've seen quotes like 3x that.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#855

Post by thsksbd » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:30 PM UTC

lnsru wrote: post #668

thsksbd wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish my cars were merely boring. One car (KIA) has electrical problems, probably the CAN bus. Parking shifter has to be overridden with a screwdriver to shift, the ABS sensor is on, and the cruise control doesn't disengage when I press the brake. This car has a glove box of recalls letters Im going to have done when I finally have an appointment w/ the dealer. The other one a VW, otherwise the "reliable one", had a…

Obviously you can check coolant level by yourself. Roundish coolant container has min indicator. And looks similar for all VW cars.

That's why I know it's low ;) In fact, after picking up some G12, I can even refill it myself!

But why is it low? Is it because the seals in the cap are getting old and slightly out gassing? Or is it because I have a hairline crack in a gasket that's about to be a catastrophic crack?

There's almost two orders of magnitude difference in price between those two repairs!

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#856

Post by ghaff » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:33 PM UTC

fingerlocks wrote: post #818

ghaff wrote: post #494

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand anecdata, I had a 13ish year old 4Runner with only about 70K miles lose a transmission line on me a couple years back. The dealership shrugged and said maybe it was a chip on the coating from a piece of gravel. Though it may well have been a manufacturing defect. In any case, ended up having to nurse the vehicle home and basically nurse it 2 months until I could get a new Honda. Which I actually lik…

What is a transmission line?

Automatic transmission hydraulic fluid line.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#857

Post by tim333 » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:34 PM UTC

saulrh wrote: post #285

AmVess wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep the 4Runner and buy something new for a family hauler. New vehicles are much safer from a structural standpoint than older ones. Modern high strength steels form the safety cage of the vehicle, and greatly reduce the risk of injury in offset frontal impacts, side impacts, and rear impacts. And then you have the multitudes of air bags. Finally, the various electronic gizmos that further reduce risk of injury. The…

To expand... - Improved FEM makes modern crumple zones deeper and smoother - Heavy use of composites dramatically improve the raw amount of energy absorbed by the car instead of the passengers - Better manufacturing methods mean parts can be shaped/placed to be less likely to enter the cabin - Better placement of more airbags means you're more likely to hit something soft - Better seats and better placements of bette…

Having watched some youtube of most dramatic webcam recorded crashes, I can believe that. They often start with some car losing stability and going sideways.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#858

Post by tim333 » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:38 PM UTC

Roark66 wrote: post #298

AmVess wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep the 4Runner and buy something new for a family hauler. New vehicles are much safer from a structural standpoint than older ones. Modern high strength steels form the safety cage of the vehicle, and greatly reduce the risk of injury in offset frontal impacts, side impacts, and rear impacts. And then you have the multitudes of air bags. Finally, the various electronic gizmos that further reduce risk of injury. The…

>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 can believe that. I've currently got an oldish Merc E class which is statistically one of the safest cars and didn't cost so much to buy. Servicing and petrol are a fair bit more than a small new car though.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#859

Post by anymouse123456 » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:46 PM UTC

SkyPuncher wrote: post #625

anymouse123456 wrote: post #507

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My 2015 Dodge RAM with a failed ECU begs to differ. Wouldn't be so bad except replacements aren't expected to be available until April 2024.

But, that's not unique to a "computer loaded car". ECU's have been a standard component for decades.

Granted. Good point. :-)

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#860

Post by tormeh » Thu, Nov 30, 2023, 12:51 PM UTC

German Tüv recently released their annual car inspection statistics report. This is of course backwards-looking, but I suspect manufacturers preferred trade-offs and culture don't change that fast. Volkswagen did a clear sweep, and on the other end of the scale were Tesla and Dacia. The discrepancy with this report makes me wonder what to believe.