Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

When I was growing up, my dad was a Chrysler man. (Valiant, Barracuda, Satellite [which I dubbed the death mobile], Omni, LeBaron [Frank Sinatra mobile). It seemed like every weekend he had the hood up and was working on one problem after another. One day my father had enough with the unreliable vehicles. He got a Mazda 626 and eventually a Toyota Camry. His weekends could now be spent on more leisurely pursuits.
1 posted on 09/20/2024 4:51:58 AM PDT by thegagline
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last
To: thegagline

The numbers in the right hand column seem inflated.

Remember, when you buy a Detroit car you get get 3 union pensions at no extra charge! Of course, those pensions reduce the quality of the car. But go unions!


2 posted on 09/20/2024 4:58:00 AM PDT by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Nice to see MINI close to the top! I recently bought a 2017 MINI Cooper S. I’m a car guy, and it’s — by far — the coolest and most fun car I’ve ever owned. They’re not joking when they say it drives like a go-kart.


3 posted on 09/20/2024 5:05:21 AM PDT by AnglePark (My opinion is the most worthless thing I own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline
Love my pre-covid Tundra and FJs. They will outlast me. Thinking about trading in one of the FJ's for a Lexus and modding it slightly. Sure a 4runner TRD would be more logical, but I kind of like the idea of a robust overlander on the outside that is lux on the inside. Must be old age.

Land Rover didn't even make the cut, and I'm unwilling to pay for a bottom list G-Wagon.

4 posted on 09/20/2024 5:09:23 AM PDT by Sirius Lee (Trump/Vance 2024 or GFY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

I’ve bought Toyotas for decades. They are extremely reliable. I don’t think I’ve had one in the last 30 years (Camrys and Tacomas) that was not assembled in the U.S.

Even Toyota has clunker years. I bought a new Corolla during a “bad engine year”. With the constant topping off of the oil, it was like driving my old Vega!

I bought an ‘04 Tacoma, the year of the rusted frames. Mine was fine but huge numbers of those frames rusted in half.


5 posted on 09/20/2024 5:11:15 AM PDT by hardspunned (Look for the“Putin Stooge” libel, news from Ukraine you’ve gradually grown to trust over 30 months )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

After selling my Tacoma I bought a Jeep......I love it but IMO this low ranking is pretty accurate.

It’s a blast to drive but quirky as hell.....not even close to the Quality of the Toyota......which to me is the difference between a vehicle built by union workers and non union ones.


6 posted on 09/20/2024 5:14:40 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline
It seemed like every weekend he had the hood up and was working on one problem after another.

You're bringing back bad memories. A few years back I made a huge mistake and bought one of my bucket-list cars: a 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger. They're rare, especially in the condition mine was in, but -- no lie -- that car would break just sitting still in the garage. It had been garage kept its entire life, only 17k miles, and now I understand why -- you could never get it to run! I lost my shirt on that one, but I'm glad it's gone.

7 posted on 09/20/2024 5:18:37 AM PDT by AnglePark (My opinion is the most worthless thing I own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

So Porsche, Audi and VW are spread all over the mix but are the same company. Like Chevy and GMC are too but have different reliability ratings.

Not buying it.


9 posted on 09/20/2024 5:23:39 AM PDT by CodeJockey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Understandable that Lexus and Toyota are #1 & #2. Both are made by - Toyota.


12 posted on 09/20/2024 5:27:52 AM PDT by Afterguard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

MERCEDES????????????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.....................


14 posted on 09/20/2024 5:29:46 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Something must have changed. Recently I have heard nothing but horror stories about Mini’s needing service and shops being backed up for weeks. Same with BMW. Rivian…really?


21 posted on 09/20/2024 5:37:57 AM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

I don’t know much, but I know Volkswagen deserves their grade.


23 posted on 09/20/2024 5:41:03 AM PDT by babble-on
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

I am on my 4th Ford diesel truck over the last 30 years. All the previous ones went 250,000 miles plus with nothing but oil/tire changes. A couple had some small issues like my older dually dropped the serpentine belt once and the plastic clutch pin (the size of a pencil connecting the clutch peddle in the cab to the linkage) broke. Another newer one the bed camera went out. Other than that, they all ran like champs and pulled trailers like nobody’s business. The two later models (2018 and later) got 22 mpg on the interstate running 75 to 80 mph running with no trailer or heavy bed load. Top it off you can hang meat in my trucks in the summer thanks to the AC unit.

I went off script a couple times and bought a couple chev half tons for running around trucks and they were nothing but trouble. Constant electrical issues and such.

When you buy a cheap car, you get what you pay for.


32 posted on 09/20/2024 5:54:50 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Infotainment systems are a big source of problems, the #1 problem according to many surveys, Connectivity for Apple Carplay, Android Auto and also wireless charging in particular.

Cars are downgraded as far as reliability because people have problems playing songs off their playlist. I guess that’s fair if that sort of thing is major part of someone’s life, but it doesn’t tell you how reliable a car is mechanically, or how many miles the car will last.


40 posted on 09/20/2024 6:09:47 AM PDT by Roadrunner383
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

I’ve had to put some money into my 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup, but it’s still reliable.


41 posted on 09/20/2024 6:10:35 AM PDT by Orosius (“Wake America Up Again )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Kia and Hyundai? With their engine issues?


53 posted on 09/20/2024 6:36:12 AM PDT by al_c (Democrats: Party over Common Sense)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline
It seemed like every weekend he had the hood up and was working on one problem after another.

I once had a couple of Triumph Spitfires. If I wasn't under the bonnet, I was under the car. Learned a lot with those cars.

56 posted on 09/20/2024 6:38:38 AM PDT by al_c (Democrats: Party over Common Sense)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline
Are Hyundai’s SO bad that they didn’t even make the list?!
I had one for 8 years- put 189,000 miles on it from new before I traded it in.
I had almost no problems with it. (None major).
And the warranty covered the few that did crop up. Hyundai’s have
great warranties - at least in my experience.
It was an Elantra. I test drove others (Sonata) when shopping for them,
but they didn’t fit my body - were uncomfortable.

Second most reliable car of mine was an ‘86 Ford Ranger pickup (2WD) extended cab - I
won’t give it a reliability award because it ATE headlights. I had to replace 2 headlights per year, approximately. Years after I sold the truck, I was talking
to an auto mechanic about something else, and he told me: ‘bad voltage regulators - those years of Ford trucks - yup…’

You had to disassemble the entire grill every time to replace a headlight.
A real pain in the rump. But I did get over 250,000 miles on that thing.
Parked it in a GMC dealers lot when I traded it for a new GMC Sierra
4x4, and Pop! Slosh! - the cooling system Went (on the Ford) - coolant all over the lot.
That was the second thing that went wrong with the Ford
before I traded it. But I and the dealer had already ‘signed on the dotted line’
before the cooling system let loose, so no problem for me !
The first problem was the entire exhaust system - front to back - was a rusted out mess. But that was figured into the trade price.

The GMC ran like a Billy goat up & down the mountains of
VA, NC, SC, WV, PA, OR, back and forth across the whole country, and
weekly ‘commuting’ from Richmond, Virginia to Columbia, SC.

My girlfriend would see me once a week. She called me the ‘Road King’, LOL!

58 posted on 09/20/2024 6:41:28 AM PDT by GaltAdonis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

I had a Dodge Omni- first year of production. It was a piece of crap.


65 posted on 09/20/2024 6:56:42 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Long ago I saw Toyota/Lexus as an automative engineering company that was selling cars, and most of Detroit auto makers as marketing companies selling cars. The difference is not the sticker price; its the reliability.


69 posted on 09/20/2024 7:04:09 AM PDT by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: thegagline

Like to see most reliable car brands service records with electronic replacement costs, according to Consumer Reports.

A starter for some Toyotas can be $300.00 less labor.


71 posted on 09/20/2024 7:23:02 AM PDT by Vaduz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson