I also on occasion see a Datsun 1200 and B-210, plus the first, second, and third generation Datsun pickups.

 

I believe this info to be pretty accurate. Its is emotion and opinion free data. they are reported the reported services required on newer cars and that doesn't seem very subjective. How owners actually judge their can be though. Its actually the main reason I hate Volkswagen. Everyone I know who's owned one has always had problems with their cars, but go on to say what great car they are. If you asked them how many problems they've had, the number would be high tho.

Years ago, I had a roomate who's fiance got a job in Barrie (4 hours out of town). She would live there during the week and drive home on weekends. They decided she'd need the reliable car, so he sold his Civic and she got a newer VW Cabrio for $12,000 and he got a $400 Tempo. No less than a dozen times the Cabrio broke down on the highway and he'd be off to rescue her in that Tempo (which never failed). I don't think they ever figured that car out really. The dealership just kept throwing parts at it and my buddy had to pay for it all. I bet he threw back another $4000 in repairs and towing. My point? Ask my buddy - that Cabrio was a great car!

If it had been my car and money, I would have burned that thing at the side of the highway by the third breakdown (if not sooner).

I'm not surprised to see Chrysler and VW near the top of that list at all. Mass production is a b!tch

 

I owned a Vega once you could depend on at least once a day there would be a fire under the hood.

 

I suppose that could be good if you were using the Vega to heat your house or somethin' Maybe if you were really into roasting marshmellows?

 

Ask Dustin (Augi), there's a fair amount of the older Z cars running around this area as well.

That's why I was surprised that Infiniti was on this list while Nissan (same engines and other major components) is consistently among the most reliable (even though that's not generally publicised as much as Honda and Toyota are).

 

I agree with the comments that most automotive reviews done by magazines and tv shows can't be trusted as reliable. Many of them have a blatant bias against anything domestic.

I don't know if it's pressure to keep sponsors happy, or what. But 9 times out of 10, any domestic vehicle they review gets trashed as the worst of it's segment. Consumer Reports (with it's no advertising) is one of the biggest offenders of this. Very few domestic cars ever get a good review.

I honestly think many (not all) import owners buy imports because they read that domestic cars are sh*t.

I know people who have owned Volvo's, VW's, and BMW's. They too spent more money on getting their car fixed. Their car spent more time in the dealership's garage than it did in their driveway. A former neighbor of mine is a mechanic at a local BMW dealer. He told me many times that BMW's are a great car when they work. But they're problematic, and expensive as hell to fix. Said he would never buy one. He drove a Chevy Astro van that he bought new, and sold it almost 15 years later still running perfectly. His wife drove a Chrysler 5th Avenue for almost 10 years, and traded it in for a Ford Ranger pickup.

 

I agree whole heartedly with this line of buying. THAT'S why my wife, LadyT just purchased a new DODGE Avenger STX. One of the Administrative Law Judges she works with is a HUGE car guy. He's one of those guys that judges the extremely classic and high dollar car shows. He himself has several really nice classics. What's his daily driver? A Dodge Avenger. A co-worker of mine drives 80 miles a day commuting with another co-worker. Together they weigh about 600 lbs (BIG guys). He drives an '08 Avenger, and has had zero problems. LadyT got her Avenger for under $16,000, plus a decent amount on her trade. Try buying ANY new Honda or Toyota, or for that matter, just about anything else that will comfortably carry 4 adults, and has a HUGE trunk for that kind of $$$. No, it's not a sub-compact, but that's not what she was in the market for.

I believe that MOST of the companies like JD Powers and Consumers Reports can't see past their nose. Agreed, if it doesn't say Toyota or Honda on it, they believe it's crap. Maybe the Avenger isn't the same quality as a Camry or an Accord, but you know, it's only half the price too!

So far, with almost 3K on the clock, her Avenger has been everything she was looking for.

Kudos to personal references.

 

Most of the magazines an companies are inconsistant in there info too.
One might say a car does 14.1 in the 1/4 mile an another might say the very same car does 14.8 in the 1/4 mile.

 

I forgot about the Z cars. I see those with a fair amount of regularity as well.

 

I have a friend that has a transmission shop here in Lakeland. He was telling me how great Honda's are. Since about around 2006 those geniuses have designed transmissions that are in a majority of their cars that can't be serviced. It has an internal filter that you have to remove and dismantle the transmission to clean. So at around 125,000 you are guaranteed a transmission rebuild to the tune of upwards of 2500.00 dollars. Just what I want to buy for sure. No thanks