The most reliable car you ever had?

[Rezillo]

I had a succession of Toyotas that I did 100k in before replacing. I only ever had to replace tyres - even the brake pads seemed to last forever. My favourite was this old Carina model. It was roomy, quickish for its time and a pleasure to drive. It could carry anything with its huge hatchback rear door.

Still not sure why I got rid of it.

I had one break from a Japanese car which was a VW TDi Bora. It was like stepping back in time - all the kinds of things that wore out on BL cars, like drive shaft gaiters, suspension bushes, shock absorbers etc. etc. came back to haunt me by also wearing out on the VW. I hadn't bought any such parts in years! I sold it locally and its owner wrote it off right outside my friend's house by cartwheeling it it into a deep ditch on a bend via striking an electricity pole at speed. It was literally in bits. A year later, I saw it near my mother-in-law's sheltered housing complex - the car had lowered suspension, been given boy racer wheels and a massive spoiler but it was definitely the same one. The owner appeared from presumably visiting his own relatives there. I said I used to own his car and that the last time I'd see it had been as wreckage in a ditch. He didn't look too happy about this because I got the impression that it was news to him. His near-exact words were that he had been told that it had a bit of a bump. I never saw it again.

 

[Milzy]

I’d like a classic that could be used as a daily driver tbh.
Should create a thread on affordable classics really.

 

[Drago]

We have the most excellent Old Car Theead for folk that stubbornly refuse to buy a new one...

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-old-car-thread.251557/

 

[tyred]

1996 Ford escort 1.8 diesel. No Turbo, high pressure fuel pump, particulate filter or dual mass fly wheel to go wrong.

I don't think the Escort was the best example of an old-school diesel (IMO) but I must admit to being one of the few who preferred diesels back then to what they have become - so simple to maintain and most could give incredible economy and weren't as sluggish as many thought if you made sure to keep it in the (short) powerband rather than rev it out and treat it like a petrol engine.

I know most will say the Peugeots/Citreons of the era but I love the old 1.6 "Umwelt" VW as found in MKI or MKII Golfs. Incredibly fuel efficient if driven properly and they will last pretty much forever with nothing required apart from regular oil changes and the occasional set of glow plugs.

 

[gavroche]

Don't know if this should be in this topic but here we go: as you know, I am collecting my wife's new ( used) car tomorrow from the Nissan dealer in Chester. It is a Juke Tekna 2015 plate 1.2 petrol and would like to know if any of you owns or used to own one . The car has done 34000 miles and has a full service record.
Are there any known problems with this particular model?
I have been on the Nissan Juke forum and apparently the car has a timing chain ( good, no cambelt to worry about ).
I would be grateful for your comments if any.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Don't know if this should be in this topic but here we go: as you know, I am collecting my wife's new ( used) car tomorrow from the Nissan dealer in Chester. It is a Juke Tekna 2015 plate 1.2 petrol and would like to know if any of you owns or used to own one . The car has done 34000 miles and has a full service record.
Are there any known problems with this particular model?
I have been on the Nissan Juke forum and apparently the car has a timing chain ( good, no cambelt to worry about ).
I would be grateful for your comments if any.

Lovely Wife's friend has one and it has been faultless - it's 3 years old and has done around 50000 miles and is about to be swapped for a new one.

Said friend says there is a strange beauty in its ugliness.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

All, cars are a popular topic of late, so may as well continue the theme.

What's the most reliable car you ever had? For me it was a 1989 Proton 1.5. I checked the levels and pressures every week, and it just went on, and on, and on... the bonus was that it was comfortable, well equipped, practical, with no attempt whatsoever at pretension. Unfortunately, the British like being pretentious and the brand went to the wall in this country.

BMW 540d Touring - very quick monster machine. 125000 miles in two years and it didn't miss a beat.

 

[Chris S]

Four Nissan Micra K11s. They all did over 120,000 miles without any problems before they failed the MOT emissions test.

 

[Slick]

Lovely Wife's friend has one and it has been faultless - it's 3 years old and has done around 50000 miles and is about to be swapped for a new one.

Said friend says there is a strange beauty in its ugliness.

A mate of mine could only smile in agreement that the Juke has got to be the ugliest thing on the road.

 

[keithmac]

We had a Mk1 Focus Petrol and a Mk2 Focus 1.8 Diesel, both great, the latter did 10 years fault free when we PX'd it.

Decided to go Ford again with out Mk2 Kuga Powershift, third time unlucky unfortunately!.

 

[Cavalol]

Any of the many Vauxhalls I've owned, bar maybe one Vectra that was a bit of a pain. Probably the best (out of literally hundreds) was a Mk2 Cavalier 1.8SRi. I absolutely hammered that every single day, raced anyone and everyone, had two crashes (one my fault, one not) and even the cam belt snapped the day I bought it. That car would just not die and took huge amounts of abuse.

 

[Salty seadog]

2007 Toyota Rav4 bought with 93k on now got 135k in 6 years of ownership it's cost nothing apart from tyres brakes, starts first time, over 50 to gallon

Same story for my 2002 Corolla.

 

[shirokazan]

...a Mk2 Cavalier 1.8SRi. ...the cam belt snapped the day I bought it...

That doesn't sound like a particularly good omen. Or candidate for "most reliable car you ever had".

 

[Hacienda71]

Pug 205grd 250k miles with no major issues. Current A4 is upto 113k miles with one relatively minor breakdown. Worst was a Pug 306 dturbo, conrod snapped at 40k miles ripped the block writing the engine off. Closely followed by a Merc C180 which from new stopped periodically and Mercedes couldn't diagnose the problem.

 

[DaveReading]

Mazda 626, 1990-ish.

Possibly followed by Ford Focus, though mine did try to kill me once.