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'78 Buick Electra
Grade: C-
Years driven: July - December 2004
Mileage start / end: ~130,000
Reason for demise: Ran out of gas, said "screw it"
Problems: Carburetor / choke became bad soon after beginning to drive it (this was the car I learned in since 2002); gas mileage was diminished from 15 mpg to <10 mpg
'96 Buick Park Avenue
Grade: B+
Years driven: February 2005 - December 2006
Mileage start / end: ~145,000 / 166,000
Reason for demise: Crash
Problems: Driver's side window stopped working (fixed), cruise control went (not fixed). Otherwise perfect.
'00 Chevy Malibu
Grade: D+
Years driven: January 2007 - September 2010
Mileage start / end: 75,000 / 120,000
Reason for demise: Bought a new car; junk; stolen
Problems: Cylinder stopped firing; intake manifold gasket leak; multiple new problems (intense vibration when idling; diminished gas mileage; etc.) upon fix in private garage; fix in commercial garage resulted in hose mess-ups, etc.
'01 Buick Park Avenue
Grade: D+
Years driven: October 2010 - present
Mileage start / current: 118,000 / 131,000
Problems: Four-wheel alignment off; transmission burned out gradually, necessitating replacement (note that the 2001 Buick Park Avenue has a transmission and gearing ratio combo that is unique to that car). 146k transmission $200 + shipping $125 + labor (free thanks to the generosity of a Christian)
Every car I have owned I have never had any problems(aside from scheduled maintenance, and that's why I got rid of a few of them) with except my 1st car. 94 V6 Mustang, it had the typical overheating/head gasket problem.
early 80's Chrysler LeBaron C It was a POS when I got it after graduating HS, no clue if it was due to the prior owners care or not. I only got 8k miles out of it before it blew a head gasket and developed a bottom end knock at 92k miles
86 Jeep C Parents bought it brand new, gave it to me for college after the above car died. It also blew a head gasket at 88k, parents had the engine rebuilt, but it died 6k miles later.
Took an 8 year break from cages for motorcycle only
92 Dodge Van D Bought it with a reman trans and engine at 62k miles, needed to be replaced less than 3k miles later so I of-loaded it.
86 Porsche 944 Turbo B This was the first vehicle I'd driven with over 100k miles on it, and put 30k miles (to 140k) with Zero issues and returning mid 20's for fuel economy. It needed ball joints and wheel bearings, but was nearly 20 years old at that point.
'97 Toyota T100 A Still have this, is an appliance that just works every time, without issue. Nothing has failed or needed to be replaced in 170k miles. It only gets 3k miles a year on it anymore, but usually in big chunks (road trips to pick up large loads). I can't imagine ever getting rid of this truck as it fits all my wants and needs (for a truck) perfectly.
'01 Jetta TDI B+ At 230k miles, it has never broken down and still returns 48mpg no matter how it's driven. It's a mark down because of a few squeaks and rattles on the interior, I've had to spend a little more on replacement parts/maintenance items than for the Toyota.
My parents have a Ford Van that's done nothing but break down and have parts fail, they don't trust it to do the 15 mile trip into town btu insist on keeping it. I've never understood, but it has to be the Least reliable vehicle I've ever seen.
1990 Pontiac Sunbird - POS car that must have been made at the peak of GMs lackadaisical era of automobile manufacturing. One problem after another with this car. Eventually blew the tranny at 110,000 miles.
1989 Mercury Sable - Another POS, but this time from Ford's assembly line. Massive car plagued with a weak engine. Blown tranny at under 70k miles. 'Nuff said.
2003 Hyundai Elantra GT - Absolutely loved this car. Brand new, fully loaded for under $14k. This is around the time that Hyundai/Kia really started turning their brand around. No issues for the three years I owned it. Gave it to my parents because they needed a car and I was interested in another car. They're still driving it with a little over 100k miles on it.
2006 Pontiac G6 GT - Favorite car that I've driven thus far. Absolutely fully loaded. Powerful engine, comfortable ride, agile. Did I mention the powerful engine? Loved, loved, loved this car. Unfortunately it was a lease. I'll never do that again.
2007 Mazda 3 - So far, so good. I have the 3i 2.0L edition. At 148 horsies, it's a pretty quick little car. Most powerful in class. Hoping to ride this out until it dies so I can save up for another, more pristine car.
1987 Civic Si: shows 261,000+ on the odometer, and still running strong. Does not burn oil, the clutch is good (original), and so on. Have used conventional oils up to around 160,000 miles (NAPA, Penzoil, Quaker State, oils). Also, have used FRAM, NAPA, and ACE filters (oil, air, etc.) since new.
2002 Hyundai Accent Coupe 5spd manual: This was my first car and I abused it quite a bit. It took all that abuse with stride and nothing ever needed replacement. I sold it to a buddy later and he put another 100k miles on it without issue. Great little car. (SOLD)(9/10)
1995 Nissan 300ZX TT 5spd manual: Great car with good driving dynamics and just a general blast to drive. The only thing that needed replacing was the clutch that's to be expected with higher power output. (SOLD)(9/10)
2006 Nissan Maxima 5spd auto: Comfy car but overall too big and floaty. It had good power with 265hp on tap from its V6. The transmission needed repair at around 75k miles which proved to be costly. (7/10)
2003 Infiniti G35 5spd auto: One of my favorite cars from a driving dynamics perspective but the 5 speed auto tranny also went out on this one. I sold it at 100k. (SOLD) (8/10)
2007 BMW 530i: Great car with a comfortable yet sporting ride. Quality interior and an all out fantastic daily driver. The only thing that went wrong was the moon roof jamming up once soon after purchase. I found out the reset procedure online and it re-calibrated itself. It's been trouble free ever since. (9/10)
2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T RSPEC: Favorite car so far. Great chassis and quite fun to toss around. The turbo four is very mod friendly and good for 250whp and 330wtq (which is about 295hp and 390tq at the crank) on the stock turbo. A slight turbo upgrade produces 330whp and 350wtq with a 19T (stock is 13T). Nothing to complain about yet although the RSPEC suspension might be a bit rough for others. With turbo power, rear wheel drive, an LSD, Brembo brakes and a 6 speed manual what's not to love. (10/10)
Geez... I've owned a kind-of-ridiculous amount of cars. I started writing a little blurb for each one but it's turning into a major novel. I'm gonna resort to just simple letter grades... some of them deserve more of an explanation but screw it. These are based on the individual cars I owned and their own existing flaws alone, not these models in general.
I'm gonna go in year order (model year, not when I purchased/owned it)
1970 Pontiac Catalina Hardtop Sedan: A
1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 Sedan: D+
1979 Jeep CJ-7 Renegade: F
1980 Honda Accord Hatchback: C+
1982 Honda Accord LX Hatchback: A
1983 Chevrolet Cavalier CS Wagon: D
1985 Honda Accord LX Sedan: B-
1986 Honda Prelude: A-
1986 Nissan 200SX Hatchback: B+
1987 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer 4-Door: B
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Coupe: B
1987 Toyota Celica GT Coupe: C+
1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe (1): B+ 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe (2): B-
1989 Chevrolet Cavalier Coupe: F
1990 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4-Door: A
1990 Pontiac Bonneville SE Sedan: A
1990 Pontiac Grand Prix LE Coupe: D
1991 Acura Integra GS Sedan: A-
1991 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4-Door: B+
1993 Chevrolet Astro Van: B-
1994 Saab 900 SE Turbo 2-Door: C+
1995 Mercury Grand Marquis GS Sedan: B-
2002 Saturn SL1 Sedan: A
Geez... I've owned a kind-of-ridiculous amount of cars.
Bah, I'v eowned over a hundred cars from most manufacturers worldwide. Most of them were well used with a lot of miles and their reliability had everything to do with how they were treated. The few new cars I've had have never been unreliable, no matter how long I had them or who made them.
This list is a quick one off of memory. I may have missed a few. Most were used, some very old at the time I had them. They are in order of model year, not the order I owned them.
1974 Ford LTD - B Just had brake issues when it was 11 years old.
1977 Ford LTD - A ,until I got my hands on it and screwed it up, then B
1982 Ford Club Wagon XLT with 460 V8 - B Mostly the ignition solenoid that kept going bad, otherwise A
1982 Mercury Lynx - A Didn't have a single problem with it.
1983 Chevy van - D got it used in 1995. Had lots of issues, esp. Brakes.
1985 Ford Tempo(actually my Dad's car) B - it was okay most of the time.
1986 Ford Crown Victoria - Bought used in 1996. It was badly beat up, but very reliable. A
1986 Ford Escort Wagon - D Lots of issues during the 4 years I used it (92-96)
1991 Ford Ranger XLT - A+ the only car I ever bought new. Never a problem.
1996 Geo Metro - B Really an A until it needed a $1500 repair of electric part.
1999 Dodge Grand Caravan (conversion for wheelchair) A as in awesome.
1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager - B+
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT - B Very nice, but has needed a little too much warranty work over the years.
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