Don’t trust what people say from their individual stories. You need statistics of hundreds of cars, not single anecdotes. There must be sites that evaluate cars reliability, average spending on repairs and so on, model by model. Find those.

Can't go wrong with Honda and Toyota. They are basically tanks that keep running even when you abuse them.

+1 for Toyota Corolla

I've got -06 model with 225000km (140000mi) on the meter. Outside basic maintenance the only problem it has had was that the ABS timing ring snapped. It cost about 80€ at the local shop to clean the spot and weld it whole again.

My mechanic buddies all swear by Toyota, the Prius is rated the kind of car least likely to seen in a shop and pretty much any other Toyota is bullet proof.

Flipside, I will never own a Nissan. Worked at an auto auction for 6 months as an inspector. One thing that was hammered on us is check engine oil even before it went to the auctions mechanic for sludge. The reason it was hammered so hard is because it was a problem. Only with Nissans. In 6 months, hundreds of cars a day, Nissans were the only ones with the engine sludge issue.

I have had mazadas and toyotas run for decades with zero problems but they are also decades old and may not be reflective of the current quality of the cars. See: BMW and Mercedes. they used to be quality in the 20th century, now they are a bit shit.

Honda. The answer is Honda.

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

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.

Flawed premise.

You don't care about brands generally, you only care about the car you buy specifically.

Every brand / model has good and bad cars. If you're unlucky enough to get a shit one, it doesn't really help you if people swear by that brand.

Just figure out the format (SUV, hatch, etc), then your budget, then buy the lowest kms you can.

Don't get a jeep! Ours developed a heart defect 2 weeks before we paid it off. Turns out, it's a known issue that Jeep just doesn't care about addressing because "loyal" owners will just replace it (meaning the whole engine), and often do.

I'm currently driving a company owned Toyota corolla Fielder, with a cool quarter million KMs on the clock, 260-something thousand to be exact.

Toyota have a legendary reputation for reliability, for good reason.

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.

Honda and Toyota last forever. Incredibly reliable cars.

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.

Toyota and Honda are the most depends and reliable. There's a reason they hold value the way they do. I have a Toyota Highlander and Honda Odyssey both over 250k miles, still running like champs.

My Honda Civic is 12 years old. I just put new shocks and tires on and it feels like it's brand new. The thing is rock solid. It's needed very little work beyond maintenance for normal wear and tear.

I am not native and wanted to say I always swear on SUVs, Pickups and unnecessarily loud or stupid cars.

Dont get one of those, please.

Toyota Landcruiser with the straight 6 1hdfte engine. Plenty of power comes in several different models of car. Unfortunately because of their unparalleled reliability they are expensive and Toyota discontinued making the engine due to emissions.

I have seen these engines go over 1million kms as they are bassed of the original 1hz engine which was really bullet proof but lacked in power.

Check to see if there's a recall repair.

Recall repairs go beyond the warranty.

Toyota Camry or Corolla. If you just need transportation that you can rely on to start every morning without requiring major repairs all the time, these are your best options. Honda Accord or civic if you just like Honda better

If those are too boring buy something else from either Toyota or Honda.

I have personally seen double digit numbers of these vehicles go north of 200k miles and multiple over 300k miles with little more than basic maintenance. Some of them were outright abused with maintenance not done, driven with no oil, in accidents, etc. They just keep on ticking. These are individual anecdotes that should be taken as such but I encourage you to read others' accounts as well. My experience is not unique at all. I'm convinced you have to actively kill these cars. I live in the rust belt and I am quite sure that the bodies of our Toyotas will completely disintegrate before the engines give out. All I do is follow the maintenance plan in the manuals.

This is not to say you don't get small issues, or maintenance items. You still have to replace brakes, tires, etc. We had random minor issues with the interiors. But they always started and did their best to get us from point A to point B.

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.

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.

I drive a 2008 Honda Accord. I refuse to give it up because of how dependable it is. The best features of the this car is the electric heated seats and it’s dependability. knock on wood I’ve yet to encounter any major issues within its entire life span. I’m keeping her until she quits on me.

In fact, instead of putting money towards a new car I’m going to invest in her body and interior. I can’t stand what new cars seem like these days.

Hondas and Toyotas are expensive but last well. If you’re in the PNW, look at a suburu so you can blend in if you need to commit a crime. Seriously, if the police are looking for a green suburu outback in Washington they might as well be looking for every Starbucks.

Honda and Toyota. But since we bought 1 Honda we now own 3. I buy the Honda oil filters in 10 packs. Our van has over 300,000 and still drives ok.

Toyota and Honda have the reputation for being the most reliable. I would add Subaru to the list as well out of my personal experience.

Although, I think the best investment a car owner can make is a basic set of tools and the time to learn to do repairs/maintenance yourself. I started by doing my own oil changes and, at first, it wasn't cheaper at all with needing to buy the tools, but in the years since I think I've become quite a handy mechanic and have saved tens of thousands by doing everything myself. There are repair videos online for virtually everything so it's pretty easy to get started with basic stuff and work your way up from there as needed for your car.

Then toyota and honda are your best bet. Change the oil a little earlier than recommended and they will last 300k miles.

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.

Toyota Yaris, most reliable car ever in my eyes

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.

I personally would never buy another Ford for many reasons, reliability being one of the main ones. Actually, after all the bad experiences with cars I have had, I would probably never buy another American car unless something dramatically changed.

Toyotas or Hondas are what you want if you want reliable and cheap repairs. That said, they hold their value very well because of their reliable reputation, so even getting a used one is still going to be quite expensive. My wife and I bought a used Toyota Corolla 5-ish years ago and couldn't happier. We've needed to make the occasional repair, overall the car has not cost us much.

Toyota/Lexus or Honda.

If you can afford one, get a Subaru. They have a well-deserved reputation as being one of the longest lasting brands. In addition they are great driving cars, particularly under bad conditions. Finally, they have an amazing safety record.

That last item is not a casual one for me. I was T-Boned in the center of my front passenger door by a car going over 50 mph. My Outback rolled twice and only stopped because the roof hit the side of a van. I can remember my head bouncing off the curtain airbag as the pavement went rolling by. The car was thoroughly destroyed, except for the passenger compartment, which was intact (even the door that took the hit). My passenger and I were both unhurt.

The paramedics who examined us were more than a little surprised. They said they were expecting at least head and neck injuries. Instead, I had a minor bruise on the outside of one knee. That was it. We didn't even have headaches.

I replaced my totaled Outback with a newer one. My friend bought one too, the following year. I expect to drive Subarus for the rest of my life.

I had a Ford Taurus that I swore by for several years.

Well, swore at, mostly.

I know I'll get shit..I bought a 2004 Subaru Impreza new..and ran it for 15 I years..it never missed a beat. I put 110 thousand kilometres on it in that time. I loved driving it every time. Had it serviced when it needed. I sold it because I pivoted around a cement pole in a parking lot. Bit of damage to a door. Moved onto a WRX after that.. again, it has never missed a beat. No issues whatsoever.

I swear by any car. That is to say, I swear near any car. Get out of my lane! Three feet of space to pass at a minimum!

I would recommend pretty much any Japanese vehicle. Look closely at Honda or Toyota. I have had good experiences with Hondas, personally.

I want to be that person posting a picture of the odometer hitting 300k miles.

I am at ~280k in my Honda Insight, my dad is ~320k in his Accord, and my mom is at ~400k in her Odyssey. My husband is at ~186k in his Civic, but he doesn't drive much.

America doesn't make reliable and dependable. 3 Chevys have taught me that. Go with something from Toyota, Subaru, Honda or Nissan and you will be so glad you did. I'm never buying American again if I can avoid it.

I’ve owned 3 Subarus over the last 15 years. Drove the first two for years with 0 issues. 75k+ on both. First was a lease then buy out and was offered a great deal on the second to trade in. Only got rid of the second due to a change is need for a personal car. When I had a need again I got a third which I’m only at about 60k on but plan to drive this one as long as it’ll go. Only thing I’ve done so far outside oil changes and other routine stuff was brakes. Which I consider routine.

Another reason is swear by them is AWD in a very snowy climate without SUV gas mileage.

Where I live (we don't get most US models) Ford isn't really considered super dependable. Not the worst, but certainly not comparable to Toyota, Honda, Mazda.

German cars. Not because they're great, but because I swear whilst being in the same physical location as them. I've owned a handful of VWs/Audis and they are rather annoying vehicles to work on. Though half of them I've owned lacked any major issues. Just expensive... Fairly expensive.

Joking aside, Toyota is always a safe bet for reliability.

I've had great luck with 20 years of VWs. The last golf I had went 15 years with the only non consumable needing to be replaced was a knock sensor. I got rid of it after 160k when the clutch finally needed to be replaced. Other than that it was just brakes, belts and oil changes.

Time will tell how well the new Tiguan will hold up that replaced it.

if you're looking for reliability and repairability and depreciation you simply can't beat the car that keeps going up in value: the Honda Element

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

My Toyota ran for 25 years until it got hit N run by a Jeep

mid 90s to mid 00s corollas i know they are different gens there but any from that era are great for reliability.

Honda Fucking Accord

A civic. They just don't break.

American brands of vehicles. I swear by them and at them. They suck.

i've driven a couple of Fords recently that were very good quality.. Ford seems to be doing things right, but check forums and stuff about specific models.. but i'd also probably bet money on almost any Honda Accord easily reaching 250-300k miles with good care..

BMW

None of their drives use their damn blinkers

Ford Crown Victoria.

Big and comfy. Bulletproof engines. Easy to work on. Only issue is it’s a gas guzzler. But you’ll be saving that money on cheap insurance and cheap parts. I suggest to get the LX trim and not the police car.

What is your budget?

I've had 2 Chevys 1 Ford & 2 Hondas. I had multiple breakdowns and expensive mechanical issues with Chevy & Ford.

The only thing I ever paid to repair on either Honda was a windshield because a rock hit it.

Had a Honda that we sold after 16 or 17 years. It was not without problems, but it was cheap to fix and ran very well for it's age. Have a Chevy Tahoe now (but any full size truck is comparable) that is going on the same record. Haven't had to do anything outside of regular maintenance, runs great.

Here's the thing: don't buy a really cheap car because those probably have problems and it will always be one thing after another. A big truck will run forever (I see dozens of 30+ year old trucks on the road) if you take care of it, but they're sometimes expensive to fix and usually impractical if you don't already need a truck. Any car you really take care of -- and that means doing all the maintenance on time or early, sometimes whether it needs it or not -- should last a long time. My Tahoe I take care of meticulously because it was very expensive, and that has paid off with stress-free ownership. Had a Jeep that was a pain in the ass every other month.

You can Google for a list of the cars that will go past 200k. Most of them are Hondas and Toyotas, but some American cars are on the list too. If you can find someone who works for a car rental agency, they'll tell you the cars that are always getting repaired and the ones that never do.

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

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.

Pre-1975 FJ40 is an indestructible super car

Honda and Toyota sedans are extremely well known for their longevity. Double check their SUVs or minivans if you want that, some were misses. If the model has a CVT (continuously variable transmission) look into the reliability of it.

Miata is always the answer.

r/whatcarshouldibuy