Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I always check out 'carcomplaints.com' before deciding on a used car, I like that site because you can search by years and models and it gives graphs and reviews from owners, you can kind of see if there is one or two things that many people seem to have problems with, in a particular vehicle make/model.
I think newer cars these days will be more reliable than cars built 8-10 years ago. The reason I prefer Japanese because the parts are easier to come by even after 10-15 years many of the parts are still made and available for cheap.
Scotty Kilmer said in another video explaining why he prefers Toyota than Subaru because the Toyota parts are always mass produced. I agree to some extent but Subaru parts are just as cheap to obtain over time as many of their parts are used.
I've had pretty mixed experience with Hyundai. They are not terrible but just as as reliable as Toyota yet. A few colleagues I've heard driving them has had engine problems or tranny issues.
Does it bother anyone else that websites that provide reliability ratings or recommendations for new cars are so inconsistent? Obviously, everyone has their own opinion about this or that feature, but, in my mind, if a car is reliable, it’s reliable, and everyone should come to the same conclusion! I’m constantly scratching my head because one site will show a car is very reliable and it’s recommended while another will be totally the opposite. It’s an absolute joke, and you’d think I'm comparing completely different cars. It’s very discouraging because we’re talking about a major purchase. I hate it, and they have zero credibility with me at this point. I don’t know which site to truly trust, but OutdoorLover gave me a better understanding on one of my other threads.
Scotty Kilmer said the same thing at 00:50 in this video.
I realize you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, but I thought JD Power was a reliable source. I’m more inclined to trust Consumer Reports than any of them, but can I really? The reason I say this is because I was surprised that it’s dark green on the transmission when I know the 2018 and 2019 Camry’s have had some issues. On the other hand, I’ve reminded myself over and over again what southernnaturelover said in that same thread, which has really helped give me a better perspective.
But, I still have to wonder if Consumer Reports (or anyone else) has enough data to know that this new transmission in the redesigned Camry is reliable. I also don’t understand why it shows that they recommend the 2019 Camry, but the detail is only through 2018. Any insight on that would also be greatly appreciated.
The good news is that one of the reasons I’m probably going to buy a 2020 Camry (I hope more kinks have been worked out with that one vs. the 2019) is because it seems most of the sites are more consistent about the new Camry being reliable and a good choice where various sites are more inconsistent with other cars I’ve looked at.
Honestly, I’m not exactly overjoyed about buying a Camry either because I don’t think I can get leather without a stupid sunroof that I don’t want, but I need to get a new car. There’s nothing else that I’ve been able to find that has a history of reliability and longevity, doesn’t have a CVT transmission or excites me.
You are putting way too much stock into reliability reports.
Better to dig into the details regarding engine and transmission reliability on a vehicle that piques your interest. (You have to find the manufacturer's engine and transmission model codes, not just go by "3.5L" or "6 speed".) Some drivetrains are proven trouble, others may have been fixed/tweaked in later years, and some have stood the test of time. For me, if a drivetrain has proven itself, that is something I'm interested in. I keep my vehicles around 8 years and don't want to be opening up any parts of a drivetrain. The other stuff that has come up has been minor and I can deal with it myself. Used this method on US and Japanese vehicles over the years and never had any surprises.
You are putting way too much stock into reliability reports.
Agree... I already sent OP several PMs about this, but he's not listening. That's okay. I don't blame him, because our biased media today instructs him that Toyota and Honda are still the best, and so he gets this old comfortable habit feeling that Toyota is still known for reliability, instead of actual technical data inside vehicle itself.
Carcomplaints.com is a better read than Consumer Reports today, I think. Lately, the new 2018+ Camry has not done so well on reliability and longevity, due to its cost-cutting design to begin with. Edmunds.com confirms it too.
OP asks for reliability and longevity. The answer is Ford Fusion S with 2.5L engine (edited: or Hyundai/Kia 3.3L V6), in my own expert opinion who has over 15 years of experience in predicting car reliabilities. OP doesn't need to agree with me, of course, since we live in a FREE country.
The Camry is geared for Fuel Economy, so the 2020 will probably be just as annoying and slow shidting as the 2018 models.
As for Hyundai/KIA, their 3.3L v6 models seem to be very reliable, so some people may have the 2.4L or 2.0T equipped Sorento and Santa Fe models and another person has the 3.3Lv6 in the Sorento and Sonata 3row and have no problems at all.
Still not sure on GM, Ford and Chrysler long term, but even Honda has 9spd auto issues in their cars.
New cars cost alot now and seem to give more problems than before with all the added electronics now and are very expensive to fix with shops wanting $125-200hr for labor, so its like a guaranteed $3-500 bill to see the dealer, all with the repair technician gets all of $50-100 out of it.
OP, I can now easily recommend a new 2020 Kia Cadenza 3.3L V6 to you for reliability and longevity. Zero complaint since 2016 model year. Hope this news will make you feel better that it's not a Ford Fusion S.
Scotty Kilmer said in another video explaining why he prefers Toyota than Subaru because the Toyota parts are always mass produced.
Scotty is a blithering idiot.
Automakers are global enterprises. They all use mass produced parts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAAN
Still not sure on GM, Ford and Chrysler long term, but even Honda has 9spd auto issues in their cars.
FCA and Honda use that junk ZF 9HP transmission. It's a piece of crap that I would avoid like the plague.
The best automatic on the market is the 8HP, interesting enough also made by ZF.
It's used in RWD applications, some very expensive ones and others not so expensive.
I've never found Consumer reports, edmunds, or the like to be consistent. I mean when there are large variations in quality ratings between very similar models... that tells me that I'm not looking at useful information.
If I'm interested in a particular model and want to find out what kind of problems the vehicle has, I cruise the relevant internet forums. They're out there for just about any vehicle made, no matter how mundane. And if there are common problems, people will be talking about them.
Exactly! This is the reason I ended up looking at City Data and other automobile forums. At least I know I'm not the only one who thinks all the inconsistent information is useless.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't blame him, because our biased media today instructs him that Toyota and Honda are still the best, and so he gets this old comfortable habit feeling that Toyota is still known for reliability, instead of actual technical data inside vehicle itself.
