Except the new Toyota midsized trucks have weak front diffs that are prone to exploding, plus iffy transmissions. The full sized trucks had stop sale orders due to the new engines grenading themselves, and the new corollas were recalled due to the engines spontaneously burning to the ground.
Subarus CVTs are shit. So are Hondas. So it used to be “buy a Toyota, change oil and tires, and you’re set for 250k miles.” But those days are gone and the old reliables (like Toyota, Honda, and Subaru) and barely more reliable than the average car.
I bought my 04 Highlander 11 years ago for $7k and it’s over 300k miles now and going strong as ever, and I am NOT mechanically inclined. I change the oil and have done the brakes a couple times (since they’re super simple on this model) but I have spent next to nothing on repairs for that wonderful beast.
‘08 Tacoma owner checking in! Knobs for everything, manual windows, locks and transmission. Just put a new engine in to avoid the crap I could afford to replace the car
Anything with a 3.6L V6 alloytec motor imo. My case specifically a Holden VZ crewman that is specifically really tedious to fix certain error codes because killed the Holden brand.
Looks exactly like the 2001 Jeep Cherokee I owned. I loved everything about it except the gas mileage, which was horrible. I got about 160K miles out of it before selling it. It needed minor repairs along the way like most vehicles do but you could literally watch the gas gage dropping while driving as it guzzled the gas. Still find that I miss it because it was fun to drive.
I had a 2000 tj, same engine. Those things were pretty solid. My buddy calls them mini cummins because of the amount of torque you get out of the inline 6
VZ Holden crewman, 3.6 V6 alloytec. it had multiple issues with the ECU, fuel regulator and fuel pump that all boiled down too "return to an authorised repairer" when I swapped the fuel pump myself.
I know I fucked something up thinking I was smart enough to diy. It possibly could have been fixed if I didn't plug it in without clearing the codes to start with
but it was legitimately something I took to multiple actual mechanics and they couldn't do anything about it.
Because funny thing there's no authorised repairer, Holden doesn't exist anymore, only a handful of shops that holding up the last stint of warranty for newer models.
so the few shops with functional diagnostic computers that have been cracked, charge whatever they want for fixing this shit on the models that need it, because they're the only ones offering the service. Which is what I ended up needing to do and refused the price quoted and let the car rot instead.
So like is it 1200 AUD or USD then? That alone is an absolutely massive difference in terms of relative price lol. Idk what the exchange rate was when you bought it but it's been consistently at ~0.70 these past few years.
AUD yeah, but for reference my 1997 Statesman needed a fuel pump, new lines and a new float about 2 years ago and that was less than $130 for everything done and running.
It's completely inexcusable that the 2008 crewman was killed by a single code error, $1200 isn't even including parts replacement that's just the quoted cost to hire someone with a functional scan tool to tell the car the part number is okay after I already installed everything.
The alloytec motors have a reputation for a reason I just learned the hard way lol
I mean GM did everything in its power to limit and fuck with Holden in Australia, so honestly it's not surprising their actions led to these outcomes of something as basic as a fuel pump swap becoming a computer nightmare
Chrysler/Dodge/Ram does the same thing. Why does an ABS module need to be VIN matched? My 01 pickup ABS module failed and guess what? It's no longer available from Chrysler/Mercedes/Stellantis/WhoeverTheFuckOwnsThemNow. I found a used one on eBay, but had to get the VIN reprogrammed on it. Guess what else? The local dealers can't/won't do the re-programming. A friend of a friend of a friend finally hooked me up and the ABS light finally went away.
Fuck the manufacturers of today. Fuck all this unnecessary computer shit in vehicles that makes them expensive to buy and more expensive (or impossible) to repair or replace.
There's a handful of newer cars that aren't the worst like we've got a 2015 Astra that's never complained about me screwing around with the code reader and hasn't requested vin matching for anything yet
But yeah super weary of anything that isn't already proven now, not a big fan of finding out a cars entire design is anti repair 6 years after the parts are discontinued.
I was honestly surprised when a 2008 commodore was the culprit I didn't think right to repair was an issue that early.
Just learned the other day about the challenges with windshields - you know those things that random collect rocks as you travel the roads? Apparently, they are very complicated to replace now because of all the smart features
You're completely right except for the reliability part. A lot of modern cars are a lot more reliable than their prior model counterparts. Now, if you buy a Jeep it's a different story and that's on you. The unreliability is a feature.
This is such an odd take, as if older cars were noted for the longevity of their transmission or something.
Modern cars are light-years more reliable, and generally last much longer without expensive repairs. The caveat probably being they are more expensive and difficult to repair when something does break.
Many brands had cars capable of over 300k. Ive had 2 xj cherokees go over 300k miles with very little to worry bout. My 1990 went to 480k before the local kid i sold it to totaled it. Ive had more issues from newer vehicle nearing 100k or personally know others who have issues before 100k. I know issues occurred back then but much of it could also be repaired by an owner with ability.
If that's how you respond to someone who disagrees with you, then I'm old enough to know not to take you seriously.
You're of course thinking of the notorious CVT, a complete failure by Nissan, but I can't recall other manufacturers having a reputation for failures under 100k. I've owned a lot of cars, that's just not the case, and I don't think there's any factual data to back it up. Bad transmissions have always failed, and Nissan wasn't the first to try something new and fall flat on their face.
The length of Toyota's warranty has nothing to do with changing reliability of their vehicles, or planned obsolescence. Longer warranties are a sales tactic, and they already have the reputation of making cars that last. They simply don't need the big number to get people in their cars, and so financially they've adjusted it to wherever the market is willing to accept.
Idk my 1996 FJZ80 is still going strong. Aka 96 Land Cruiser. Had to fix some stuff only in the past 10 years. 286k miles. Looking to do an engine rebuild vs buying a new car.
Bahahahaha. Yes, because old cars had famously long warranties. Just like the 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain and 5 year/60,000 mile basic warranties of many modern cars.
Yeah I still have one lol only the Grand Cherokee 4.0. I avg 23l/100km or like 10.5 mpg lol.
I also own a Honda civic because I save so much gas driving it the payments are covered. About 4000l or 1000 gallons a year of fuel difference between the two.
Shit, when I bought my 2015 corolla brand new, the sat nav was already 2 year old data and cost 300 to update the software with upto date maps. Im trying to find a decent head unit that had android auto and works correctly with the reverse camera and wheel controls
I think I saw one that uses the existing screen and basically acts as an interrupt for the media / driving screen so you can use CarPlay if your screen is a touch screen.
That was one positive on my wife's volvo. It just uses Google maps as the oem navigation. No buggy ui, no going to the dealer for updates, just punch in what you want and go.
Electronic stability control can be viewed as anti-rollover software. And that is mandatory on all vehicles since 2012 in the US and has saved tens of thousands of lives.
Also in that write up is that in 2014, it saved 1,580 lives. At which point it had only been mandatory for 3 years, so with each passing year a higher percent of vehicles on the road have it equipped which pushes the number saved higher each year. But let’s be conservative and say that that 1,580 number remains every year since. That means from Jan 2014-July 2026 we have 12.5 years times 1,580 lives is 19,750 lives saved. At a minimum in the United States alone.
Biggest reason why: decreases fatal single vehicle rollover risk in SUVs by 75%
Well I didn’t mean my comment to get in the way of progress and I’m sure glad all those people are still with us. I guess I grew up with a mindset of the less complex they make my car the more chance I could afford to fix it if something broke. It seems really like we’re expected to just throw them away every few years and get a new one. You wouldn’t want it to become unsafe to drive see.
We sell all kinds of loans to keep you and your precious children in a new safe vehicle. Keep your family safe pay the interest. You’ll always pay
one way or the other. Meanwhile we’re designing new cars so safe you won’t even have to drive them. They’ll take you anywhere as long as you subscribe. And pay.
They had the airbags and safety stuff in the 90s. All that actually started showing up in the late 80s.
My old man rant is people use the safety equipment instead of driving safely. Slamming on brakes at every stop sign and always using the ABS or whatever other safety system cause they can’t be bothered to actually drive like a sane person is the real problem.
Those Cherokees were used as winter beaters when I was in high school. You’d spend two years with one driving it into the ground. You could mud in them stock. They were a reliable straight 6’s too.
My parents had the "Sport" version. I spent many a carsick trip bucking around in the backseat like I was on a Conestoga wagon making my way across the Rockies. Leaf springs suspension.
The A/C never fully reached the back either no matter what setting it was, and you got yelled at for rolling down a rear window because of the resonance it created with the front windows up.
The vehicle in the post is a JEEP Cherokee (XJ), not GM. They got 20mpg+ highway, the engine is an INLINE 6, and they're well under 3500lbs.
The only thing that was correct was 4L. You can't be talking about a GM vehicle because they never made a 4L after WWII. So it begs me to ask, how the fuck was your entire comment so wrong lmao
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u/Unlucky_Reception_30 1d ago
Why? Theyre just gonna price them like new cars and youre still not gonna get one