Most, Least Reliable Cars (first vehicle, German, auto, tires)

[AK76]

Originally Posted by ckc3

Xetrra owner here. Gas mileage is poor.
I love driving it, but feel as though its frequently broken.

So far at 125k miles:
Rms shot
Window motor dead
Over heats in the summer, no mechanic to date has been able to diagnose this issue. Very frustrating.
AC Broke
Alternator died
Cd player died
Knock sensor went out
Transmission slips in cold weather

And the list continues. Its been stolen once too, but thats no fault of its own. Most loved vehicle to date, fun to drive, but also its had thr most repairs to date for the vehicles ive owned.

Has anyone shined a light through the radiator to check for plugged radiator fins? It is very often overlooked, especialy if there is a large amount of cottonwood trees or agriculture that produces alot of dust or seed, offroad driving through mud, etc. Many techs will checkthe Tstat, cooling fan(s), relays and so on, but never look at the radiator itself, this includes inside the radiator for internal restrictions. An infrared thermometer and a flashlight is very helpfull when diagnosing cooling system issues.

[ghostrider7811]

Originally Posted by jaypee

That would mean Dodge, Chrysler, and Land Rover owners don't maintain their cars as well as Lexus or others on top of the list?

My observation, I was a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership service manager for years. It seemed we had to wrestle $20 out of someone's pocket for an oil and filter change. We would have vehicles towed in with broken engines filled with sludge. Never did I see an engine sludged where the customer could prove they changed they oil. Then I was reassigned to a property where my employer had a Honda and a Nissan store on the same property. These customers came in with their manuals asking for a 17000 mile service. These customers would pay the price without question. We had some high line dealerships in our Automotive Group and all Service Managers would meet quarterly. All of the Managers dreaded being assigned to the DCJ or Chevy store and had simlar experiences.
I know that customers are different, vehicles are serviced differently.

[tommy64]

Back in the mid 90's I bought a 1979 Mercury Zephyr for $400. I drove it for 6 years, only maintenence I did was a cheap set of retread tires. Didn't even change the oil!

I got tired of looking at the faded blue paint and sold it for $650. I shoulda kept driving it.

[adk34]

I wouldn't buy anything other than Honda because that has been my best experience with cars so far.

[00molavi]

That list is somewhat odd. As a brand, Mini is listed as poor. In the car section the Mini Copper is recommended. I am not sure why the wide gap between different models from the same manufacturer. Does not make much sense.

[MountainGuy74]

Worst car I ever owned was a Nissan Pulsar. Bought it when I was young and naive and only liked it because of how it looked and didn't do much research on it but then again this was the mid 90's and we didn't have the type of information so easily and readily available as we do now. Car would just die at random times for no reason. Even 3 different mechanics couldn't figure out why. Never had a car do that before or ever since. Kinda left a sour taste in my mouth for Nissan and have avoided the brand ever since.

[Checkered24]

These studies are sort of flawed in that the questions ask can skew the results.

I remember a number of years ago, when the Mini first came out, it scored very poorly on the JD Power surveys. It was revealed that the main "problem" being reported was that customers were unhappy with the cup holders. Not exactly a "reliability" issue, but when the press reports the study, that is how they report it and the public perceives it.

Another example, when the Hummer H2 came out it was scoring poorly too and developing a bad reliability reputation. The main culprit was owners were reporting dissatisfaction with fuel mileage. It amazes me someone bought an H2 and then complained that it got horrible fuel mileage... but ultimately the vehicle started to gain an unfair reliability reputation for something that was not a reliability issue at all (but was a niave buyer issue).

[MountainGuy74]

Originally Posted by Checkered24

These studies are sort of flawed in that the questions ask can skew the results.

I remember a number of years ago, when the Mini first came out, it scored very poorly on the JD Power surveys. It was revealed that the main "problem" being reported was that customers were unhappy with the cup holders. Not exactly a "reliability" issue, but when the press reports the study, that is how they report it and the public perceives it.

Another example, when the Hummer H2 came out it was scoring poorly too and developing a bad reliability reputation. The main culprit was owners were reporting dissatisfaction with fuel mileage. It amazes me someone bought an H2 and then complained that it got horrible fuel mileage... but ultimately the vehicle started to gain an unfair reliability reputation for something that was not a reliability issue at all (but was a niave buyer issue).

Ask my sister about Mini reliability and she will gladly show you photos of her 07 Mini bursting into flames after a minor fender bender. I would certainly consider that to be a "reliability" issue.

[Checkered24]

Originally Posted by MountainGuy74

Ask my sister about Mini reliability and she will gladly show you photos of her 07 Mini bursting into flames after a minor fender bender. I would certainly consider that to be a "reliability" issue.

I hope she wasn't hurt!

This sounds like it would raise questions on crash worthiness more than what I would consider general reliability. That said, any car can catch fire if the right things get damaged in a collision.

[Fleet]

I drive a '60s and '70s Cadillac and a '95 Lincoln. All of which have well-known reliability records. That way I can drive roomy, comfortable, well-styled and smooth-riding cars, while enjoying reliability and longevity.