What Cars do You Swear By?

Just found out that my current car will die any day now due to a known defect. It’s out of warranty and I have no money to replace it right now.

I’ve been cursed with car problems my whole life, no matter how well I take care of them, I keep getting screwed.

All of the cars have been Fords because I always heard they were generally dependable and cheap to repair/upkeep, but so far they have all failed me.

What cars do y’all recommend? What cars do you have that just won’t give up the ghost no matter how old/beat up they get? If your life depended on your car lasting as long as possible, what car would you drive?

I want whatever car I get next to last me 10-20 years. I want to be that person posting a picture of the odometer hitting 300k miles. I also don’t care much about features, reliability is key.

legion,
@legion@lemmy.world avatar

Pickup owners shit on the Honda Ridgeline and call it “not a truck”, meanwhile their big manly Rams and F-250s live their lives in pure “mall crawler” mode.

The Ridgeline just quietly outlasts all those trucks and does all the furniture hauling and jetski towing that a homeowner needs. And the in-bed trunk (with drain plug!) is a tailgating champ.

Pickle_Jr,

I’m kind of surprised nobody said Kia (and for that matter, Hyundai) yet?

JD Power has ranked Kia in the top 3 in dependability for the past few years and gave them the #1 spot last year. They also have a 10yr/100k mile warranty so theoretically they’ll survive for a very long time.

They do have a bad wrap with the car thefts going on, but that issue is addressed with their newer models. I do suppose though that to a dumb “thrill seeker” that doesn’t mean you’re immune to attempted thefts.

dog_, (edited )

To be honest, even though you brought up them and the car thefts, the car thefts are what ruined Hyundai Motor Group for me. Their lack of caring about the safety of others and their lack of spending a couple more dollars to put in immobilizers means more to me than them being “dependable.” Their vehicles looked cool, but they ruined their chance with me as a potential customer. The way Hyundai Motor Group has been handling the situation has been a complete pigsty and everything else after that means nothing to me as a consumer. They could have the best safety/longevity, but at what cost? Thousands Tens of innocent lives being taken because they were too cheap to put in immobilizers? Cars can be replaced. Humans cannot.

Edit (September 6th, 2023): Made a correction. At the time of this correction, according to a user below this conversation, there have only been 8 deaths. That’s still 8 deaths too many in my honest opinion.

PorkTaco,

Maybe I missed something, but how have thousands of lives been lost due to this?

dog_,

People stealing cars and crashing into people, houses, etc.

PorkTaco,

Well the good news is it hasn’t been anywhere near thousands of deaths. Everywhere I’ve looked says “at least 8” have been killed. Bad news is that is still way too many.

One source

dog_,

Appreciate the correction. Thank you.

LastYearsPumpkin,

Problem is that even if you have a newer kai or Hyundai, if you live in an area with a lot of car thefts, they’ll still break the window and try.

So you might not lose your car, but you’ll still be more susceptible to damage. You’ll probably be fine, but it is worth noting.

CmdrShepard,

Totally agree. I worked at a few lube shops over the years and was always impressed with Hyundai and Kia as they rarely ever had as many issues as a lot of other manufacturers. They totally screwed the pooch with the interlock decision, and have had some recent reliability issues with certain engines, but I think they build pretty good cars overall. Hyundai has also been doing some pretty good styling with their newest models

dog_,

Would you like to retract this statement by any chance? I mean a family member of mine’s kia caught on fire, so I’m wondering if you’re still firm on your decision or not.

CmdrShepard,

If you can name a single manufacturer that hasn’t had a recall for an issue that lead to death/injury/property damage maybe I’d consider it, but I know there isn’t one so I stand by my statement.

dog_,

All the cars my family has owned have never caught on fire until now.

CmdrShepard,

Unless you’ve owned millions of cars, that has no statistical relevance.

existenzmaximum,

Miata is always the answer.

djmarcone,

Toyota or lexus are most reliable, Honda (Acura) is a close 2nd. After that it isn’t even close.

Yes ford’s aren’t all bad, especially their international designs are not bad.

After Toyota and Honda the reliable cars to buy are going to be specific models and specific years, you’re going to have to find the many youtube mechanic commentary videos “buy this not that” and do your research.

It may be that rather than buying the most reliable vehicle you avoid buying one of the known worst vehicles. I’ve been there and now I own 2 Toyotas and a Honda.

And it goes without saying, before you buy anything have it inspected by an impartial mechanic you trust.

You will see that Toyotas cost a lot more than other cars. It’s because the cheaper cars end up costing thousands more in the long run because of the many repairs you’re going to have to do. Pay now or pay later.

braiseit420,

You know what “Ford” stands for, eh?

Fix It Again, Tony.

But to add something to the conversation, my vote goes to Toyota and Honda.

Anecdotally: Had a 1999 Corolla that I drove into the ground, ignored oil changes, was a stupid teen, and it ran fine until I wanted automatic windows. Currently riding in a Nissan Altima, which seems to be pretty great (as long as the transmission doesn’t fail, which they can do sometimes).

Parents had a Ford Eacort that was a lemon, and a Ford Escape that was a money-pit.

KitDeMadera,

deleted_by_author

    •
    kryllic, (edited )

    It’s a joke from King of the Hill, one of the main characters misquotes the joke the way the OP commentor wrote it.

    I will say the variation of the Ford joke I’ve always heard growing up was “Fixed Or Repaired Daily.”

    InternetUser2012,

    First On Race Day

    diggit,

    Fucked Over Rebuilt Dodge

    (But I like yours)

    dingus,

    Idk… I’ve had my Escape since 2015 and it hasn’t been a money pit. There was one massive issue it had with a cable for the transmission snapping, but it ended up being a recall so I was completely refunded the money it cost to fix it. I’m not saying they are necessarily the best, but it’s been fine for me is all.

    I think with any of these questions, picking a specific brand seems silly. Hell, even a specific model isn’t always a good idea because some of the models made in a specific year might be shit and the next year they might be great. You have to do a lot more research in depth rather than just blindly picking a brand imo.

    someguy3,

    FIAT is “fix it again Tony”.

    ryathal,

    Ford is Fix Or Repair Daily.

    Juice,
    @Juice@hexbear.net avatar

    I scream next to any Italian sports car I see, like I just stand there screaming until I go hoarse

    mackwinston,

    Honda. The answer is Honda.

    InternetUser2012,

    As long as you don’t take your a/c into the equation, or have one of the 3.5s that have ring problems.

    SkepticElliptic,

    Friend had an insight with oil consumption issues, so not those either.

    InternetUser2012,

    Most of the newer stuff with miles on it uses a bunch of oil, it’s crazy.

    PlexSheep,
    @PlexSheep@feddit.de avatar

    Depending on where you live, you might be able to consider not getting a replacement. Public transportation and cycling is vastly superior if the infrastructure is available. Costs less, keeps you healthier, better for the environment, less noisy cities, more flexible, etc etc.

    TheHotze,

    Not to mention that a replacement doesn’t need to be a car. An e-bike or a motorcycle might cover needs. Also as to once a year needs, if you go with a cheaper option, you can always rent a car or moving van if you want to.

    callouscomic, (edited )

    Honda, Toyota, Subaru. Specific models with high sales and as such high parts availability. I’d avoid new models or low sales. It’ll be harder to pick-n-pull parts. The prius claims to be low maintenance and I believe it based on experience. Most issues I’ve had with those brands have been fixable and not too soul crushing. Even the worst prius issue i ever had with a stuck coolant valve I was able to fix myself wigh youtube vids.

    Of course this comes with the caveat that you take care of your vehicle. Don’t drive like a moron being harsh on it, perform regular maintenance at proper intervals, do your fluid and filter checks and changes, don’t swing for only cheap products, use full synthetic oil when you can. Use higher quality oil, air, cabin, etc filters within reason. Follow the manual. Set maintenance reminders for yourself. Don’t add unnecessary performance mods. Don’t go to jiffy lube. Be skeptical of mechanics that will screw up your car. Check their work when you can, or do it all yourself. If your car allows it, use better fuels.

    Reliable doesn’t equal zero maintenance or zero cost.

    On that note. Michelin tires are worth it. Cheap tires are cheap and get replaced more. Tire performance under braking is perhaps the most important safety feature. I’ve never been disappointed by Michelin for performance, safety, or life. Worth every penny every time.

    By the way, if you want some fun, go to the car dealer area of your town on random days and check out their service departments. I laugh every time I see places like Hyundai packed in the waiting room.

    Hazzia, (edited )

    I second Subaru. On top of them generally lasting really long if you maintain them well, their ads about safety aren’t lying.

    An anecdotal story: One of my coworkers has a Subaru family, and at one point his son was driving and got T-boned by a semi on the drivers side. He walked away with just a few scrapes and bruises. The only person who wasn’t shocked by the story was the Subaru dealer when they went to find a replacement car. Apparently that surviving that kind of incident is pretty normal for people in Subarus.

    ETA: If long-term reliability is the only concern, Toyota is def the one you should go with. If you’re at all concerned about a catastrophic accident though, Subaru is still the king of safety, from what I’ve seen on the interwebs. Looks like Toyota’s doing its best to catch up though, so maybe they’ll be the best choice for that, too, in a couple of years.

    MaungaHikoi,

    My mum swears by Subaru cars as well for the same reason - she walked away from what should have been a fatal accident without hospitalisation.

    twistedcarbon,

    Subaru is great. I live in the land of eternal winter, and it’s unstoppable. Bought my Impreza diesel two years ago and put 50k kilometers on it with zero mechanical problems. Plenty of used parts out there for a 2011 as well.

    haych,
    @haych@lemmy.one avatar

    Honda and Toyota last forever. Incredibly reliable cars.

    ArchmageAzor,
    @ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world avatar

    BMW

    None of their drives use their damn blinkers

    Valmond,

    Fucking BMW, fucking Audi, turn on your blinkers when turning!

    Iron_Lynx,

    If your city plan allows for it, I swear by no car. Cars are expensive, and if you don’t need a car for your daily errands and your commute, it may be help to consider ditching it altogether and go by bike and bus/train. After all, you don’t need to worry about paying for & maintaining a car if you don’t have one and the responsibility for keeping your ride rolling is handled by the business. And a plain bicycle takes almost no maintenance and runs on whatever you had for breakfast.

    Of course, if you live in a place like Florida or Texas or Ontario outside of central Toronto, you’re fucked.

    tryptaminev,

    Toyota Prius. I’ve seen people in central Asia rock mud and dirt trails with it, that most Westerners wouldn’t dare to go on with their SUVs

    Semi-Hemi-Demigod,
    @Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social avatar

    2WD cars can do some amazing stuff, especially because the Prius is heavy because of the batteries and has more traction as a result

    mjsaber,
    @mjsaber@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

    I agree completely. I have a 2009 that I got second hand, just passed 7 years and I’ve only had minor repairs in addition to regular maintenance.

    One caveat - if you have to park on the street, invest in a cage for your catalytic converter. Mine and literally everyone else I know who has a Prius had theirs stolen. That’s the biggest expense I’ve had with mine.

    Kissaki,
    @Kissaki@feddit.de avatar

    Swear by? Is that like a drive by but with swearing?

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