Ok Here is my list of not to buy cars

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

POS My wife wants / wanted one....I said NFW!!!!!

that might be selling a slightly used Jeep. Very low miles!

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

that might be selling a slightly used Jeep. Very low miles!

for carfax

[Zippy]

In a former life I was a mechanic. A Land Rover came in with a piston/cylinder problem. On any other engine it would have been repairable (bore the cylinder and sleeve it), but the cylinder walls were so thin the manufacturers recommended repair called for replacing the entire engine block.

Every Land Rover I've ridden in that wasn't brand new rattled and squeaked; interiors fell apart just outside of the warranty. What a roach.

[bighit8]

Originally Posted by ryandood

Good list. To be honest (and I know your biased) I'm surprised not to see a couple more euro manufactuers. But hey, you're the pro, what do i know.

I'd be interested to see what your Top 10 cars (based on reliability, like this list?) would consist of.

Ok heres my list based on reliability and lack of problems.Were not talking exotic cars,race cars or modified cars.This list is for the poor who want a good car.
1)Toyota Camry
2)Toyota Tacoma
3)Nissan Sentra
4)MBZ C class
5)Subaru wrx/forrester ect..
Mitsubishi Lancer.
6)BMW 3 series
7)Saturn, yes Saturn or any GM with the eco tech 4 cylinder.
Honda Element

Man its really hard to make a 'Perfect list" but overall these cars are cheap and reliable.Of course you have Infinity's,Lexus ect... but thats is a whole new can of worms.

[mtbmichael]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Ok heres my list based on reliability and lack of problems.Were not talking exotic cars,race cars or modified cars.This list is for the poor who want a good car.
1)Toyota Camry
2)Toyota Tacoma
3)Nissan Sentra
4)MBZ C class
5)Subaru wrx/forrester ect..
Mitsubishi Lancer.
6)BMW 3 series
7)Saturn, yes Saturn or any GM with the eco tech 4 cylinder.
Honda Element

Man its really hard to make a 'Perfect list" but overall these cars are cheap and reliable.Of course you have Infinity's,Lexus ect... but thats is a whole new can of worms.

my C has 90k mi and still running strong. no major mechanical issues. reasonable easy to fix minor things yourself (suspension, brakes, oil, spark plugs, etc)

[slo65]

Originally Posted by bighit8

How many miles are on it.If its low mileage, get rid of it while you can.After 60 K you will have a lot of probs. Trust me!!!

69 , i got a good deal on it (haven't had it for too long) i think i'll keep it another year, unload it and get something else

[1FG rider]

Originally Posted by mfoga

Not sure but my Dads old Bug ran forever, I think it was almost 20 years with one engine change and minor work here and there.

Plus what other car can you do an engine swap with 2 people in under 15 min?

I remember the old Bug-Ins at OCIR. They had an engine pull contest where a team of two would drive their bug to a line, jack it up, drop the engine and pull it past a line, push it back to the car, jack it up, bolt the engine back in and drive it away. I'm pretty sure it was some outrageous time in less than 60 seconds.

[ODB]

I hate my car ... mostly cuz it won't die and I really wanna drive something new. It's a beat-down '99 Corolla with more than 180K on it. I don't do more than the bare minimum to take care of my cars (oil changes every 5K-6K; tune-up when I damn well feel like springing for it--no sooner), but it's still going strong. I'm driving it at least until I hit 200k, or I have to be towed home.

[mtbmichael]

Originally Posted by ODB

I hate my car ... mostly cuz it won't die and I really wanna drive something new. It's a beat-down '99 Corolla with more than 180K on it. I don't do more than the bare minimum to take care of my cars (oil changes every 5K-6K; tune-up when I damn well feel like springing for it--no sooner), but it's still going strong. I'm driving it at least until I hit 200k, or I have to be towed home.

my dad had a similar "problem". it was a old 89 integra ls and the car just wouldnt break even after 250k mi. finally the car got rear ended and was considered a total loss. lol, car was so cheap that a replacement bumper exceeded the cost of the entire car.

[rmesa1]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Well ya cant go wrong with Toyota or Honda.Subaru,Mitsubishi and Nissan are a close second.Cheap poor built interiors, but bullet proof mechanical wise.If you have a car in mind PM me and I will let you know from my test driving how a particular model is.
Now as far as hybrids I have seen post about how much it cost to replace the Battery/power source.But the failures are few and far between.If you have a factory warranty the cost to you is minimal.So yes hybrids are a very good option, even though they need a lot more "testing"

Hybrids are a great car if you only plan on keeping it short term because of the higher repair cost. Also keep in mind with the extended warranty to check before you buy. Some extended warranty don,t extend the hybrid warranty. Toyota hybrid warranty is 10 year 150,000 most extended only go to 100,000 also look into what falls under the "hybrid" system. I had a prius last week that needed a transaxle toyota did not cover it because the electric motor in the transaxle went bad and electric motor are only covered under the 3 year 36,000 bumper to bumper warranty. So do your homework when it comes to hybrids.

[bevaaler]

Love my 98' Tacoma, she just turned 10 yrs old and is still just as pretty as she was in 1998...: ) My longest relationship ever!!! Erik

[autoduel]

91 Acura integra with 225,000 miles and I still drive it like I stole it.

[dutch]

I will cautiously add my '99 saab 9-3 to the don't buy list.

Its just about to break 120,000 miles.

I bought it with 79000 on it and very soon after had a $3500 service which required replacing hubs, brake rotors, and more.

Last summer, the thing overheated (pretty bad), and I had to get the water pump and some other things replaced (~1500 bucks). A few weeks later the car wouldn't start, mechanic replaced the battery, and then realized it was the coil pack (650 dollar part, regardless of where you get it).

So all told, I paid 8000 for the car in 2005, and have spent about another 6000 since to get it in working condition. The front suspension needs replacing, but I was assured that it wouldn't randomly crap out on me, it just won't ride as nice as it could.

The car works, was cheap initially, and is pretty practical (hauls a drumset with room to spare), but it suffers from a horrible affinity for expensive replacement parts.

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Well ya cant go wrong with Toyota or Honda.Subaru,Mitsubishi and Nissan are a close second.Cheap poor built interiors, but bullet proof mechanical wise.If you have a car in mind PM me and I will let you know from my test driving how a particular model is.
Now as far as hybrids I have seen post about how much it cost to replace the Battery/power source.But the failures are few and far between.If you have a factory warranty the cost to you is minimal.So yes hybrids are a very good option, even though they need a lot more "testing"

My wife drives an Infiniti G35 now but is thinking about a Civic. Not sure if we will get a Civic hybrid or not. She doesn't like the Prius.

[Seat Sniffer]

+1 on Land Rovers sucking.

-The V6 in the Discoveries was blueprinted from a mid 80s buick block.

-The aluminum body panels on Discoveries are held together with steel rivets that rot away before the rest of the panel does

-To replace the front license plate frame on Discoveries you pretty much have to disassemble the whole front end of the truck to get to the fasteners.

-The Defender door hinge bushings wear out to the point that the bottom of the door is rubbing paint off of the rocker panel.

[silverspot]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Ok heres my list based on reliability and lack of problems.Were not talking exotic cars,race cars or modified cars.This list is for the poor who want a good car.

4)MBZ C class

I love my black C230K. Seems I'm about the only one in the OC with a roof rack on it. No major issues thus far with about 62k on the odo. Gonna drive her to Whistler this year with a couple of bikes on top. Should be fun... I guess the drive will be fun too

[Blue Rat]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Ok heres my list based on reliability and lack of problems.Were not talking exotic cars,race cars or modified cars.This list is for the poor who want a good car.
1)Toyota Camry
2)Toyota Tacoma
3)Nissan Sentra
4)MBZ C class
5)Subaru wrx/forrester ect..
Mitsubishi Lancer.
6)BMW 3 series
7)Saturn, yes Saturn or any GM with the eco tech 4 cylinder.
Honda Element

Man its really hard to make a 'Perfect list" but overall these cars are cheap and reliable.Of course you have Infinity's,Lexus ect... but thats is a whole new can of worms.

I'm glad to see that my toaster makes your list ... last, but on it none the less.

[BFloFoxRider.]

So danny, based on your "cars that suck" list, what car would you reccomend as a first car?
Not neccesarily a car, but what about even a small truck?

[SIK SD]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Ok heres my list based on reliability and lack of problems.Were not talking exotic cars,race cars or modified cars.This list is for the poor who want a good car.
1)Toyota Camry
2)Toyota Tacoma
3)Nissan Sentra
4)MBZ C class
5)Subaru wrx/forrester ect..
Mitsubishi Lancer.
6)BMW 3 series
7)Saturn, yes Saturn or any GM with the eco tech 4 cylinder.
Honda Element

Man its really hard to make a 'Perfect list" but overall these cars are cheap and reliable.Of course you have Infinity's,Lexus ect... but thats is a whole new can of worms.

Man, i agree with both of your lists almost 100% except for the Mercedes C-class. They are garbage, in fact the last model line was taken out of production a year earl