Bulletproof cars of the 2000's

unfit2006

I would be interested in your opinions as to what model of car produced from 2000 to date would be considered "bulletproof" in the same way as the older Carinas and 1980's Golf/Jetta diesels etc. were renowned.

GTE

unfit2006 wrote: »

I would be interested in your opinions as to what model of car produced from 2000 to date would be considered "bulletproof" in the same way as the older Carinas and 1980's Golf/Jetta diesels etc. were renowned.

Enginewise I'd go for the 90hp AGR 1.9TDI, though thats routed in the early to mid 90's I think. Id say the 110hp one would be very similar.

Too many little things went wrong in a Mark4 like rear windscreen washer pipes coming off for the whole car to be bulletproof.

Anan1

Subaru Forester/Legacy/Outback would probably fit the bill.

andyseadog

the k11 micra.

johnos1984

Anan1 wrote: »

Subaru Forester/Legacy/Outback would probably fit the bill.

The problem is when something does go wrong it tends to be massive and expensive

My vote would be a basic Yaris

Notch000

None !!

\\\close thread ///

Toyota_Avensis

98-03 Series Avensis, still to be seen all over the country. And In my opinion, they still don't look too dated, especially the facelift model (2001-3)

david

EP Civic 1.4 - never skipped a beat for me

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Donkeygonads

Just to push the time frame a little further back, the Ford Focus made its launch at the end of 98 ..... and it set a new standard for the mid size hatchback / sedan segment .... won every award out there and changed the image of Ford and compared to older escort it was a huge leap forward..... Focus 1.4 5dr was the top selling car for years ! Great looking car, superb driving dynamics, safe, reliable .... it ticked all the boxes.

EPM

Petrol hondas or subarus for the most part

Cosmo K

Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz, Mazda 323 all pretty dull, but very reliable motors.

Cosmic Penguin

IS 200 - Never a hint of an issue in 3 years (7 year old car)

-Corkie-

Vw Passat B5. That 1.9 TDI is a fantastic unit and the car was well built. I had a 01 with over 180k miles on it. Pity the new one isnt the same.

Tea 1000

The B5 Passat was plagued with electrical faults and problems.
The Accord of that era is pretty well known to have no known faults. Some magazines rated it as the most reliable car available, according to surveys.
Honest John seems to rate the S2000 as incredibly reliable, however you take HJ's info!

squod

I don't trust surveys.

johnos1984

If we're going to use surveys then it has to be the Toyota PIOUS

Donkeygonads

-Corkie- wrote: »

Vw Passat B5. That 1.9 TDI is a fantastic unit and the car was well built. I had a 01 with over 180k miles on it. Pity the new one isnt the same.

Are you the same Corkie who once said :
VW Polo 1.0 are cheap to insure and are still a nippy little car..

How did you manage the power of a 1.9 TDI .... wear a g-suit perhaps ?!?!:p.....:D:D. (sorry corkie, i could'nt resist )

Gumbo

any jap car tbh.

EK Civics.
DC2 integra Type R's
micras
starlets
decent services and these cars will more than likely go forever.

homer90

Pains me to say this:

But, I know of a 1.6 mitsi carisma knocking on 150k and running original everything!! Damn thing refuses to die ! Doesn't burn a drop of oil, starts first time everytime.:(

Also, in own experience, a vote for Subaru ej20 engines

MidlandsM

-Corkie- wrote: »

Vw Passat B5..

no chance, lots of problems on these yokes.

Donkeygonads

Donkeygonads wrote: »

Focus 1.4 5dr was the top selling car for years ! Great looking car, superb driving dynamics, safe, reliable .... it ticked all the boxes.

Hardly bulletproof though the 1.4s

The up to 2003 Accords and Civics would get my vote. I'd sooner have a fully specced Accord than the Civic. All the early 00 Honda stuff would be in fairness.

Also the Maxima would be me thinks (2.0 anyway)

Plug

Transit connect, for a van its bullet proof. No arguing there.

Petrol Hyundai cars of the late 90s, early 00s. As good as the legendary Toyota stuff of the 90s.

Max Power1

Honda Accord.

Particularly the 2 litre petrol

Matt Simis

Early (B5) Audi A4 1.8T?
Never had one, but I knew people that never took care of them and they seemed to keep on truckin.

dr.fuzzenstein

We had 04 Ford Focus 1.9 TDDI vans as fleet vehicles.
Previous where Renault Megavan.
Of the Renaults usually 20% of them where out of action at any one time.
In come the Fords in 04, which where replaced in 09. Each of them did around 130000-160000 km.
Apart from normal servicing, a few sticky boot releases and a couple of loose earth cables on the battery nothing major went wrong with them, they are definitely more bulletproof than a Renault, Renaults aren't even Croissant proof.

-Corkie-

MidlandsM wrote: »

no chance, lots of problems on these yokes.

Like what???. I had one an it never failed me.The diesel one now.

dr.fuzzenstein

Plug wrote: »

Transit connect, for a van its bullet proof. No arguing there.

Had one for a year, brill.
VW Caddy is softer and has more gadgets, but no use if it's being fixed and can't take loads.
transit will take a ton.

toshy321

1.9 tdi vw golf 02 to 05 and new 1.9tdi golf 05 to 08 very reliable engine and cars have used both for last five years and have not had to spend anything on repairs touch wood(looking for wood now).

ShadowHearth

people will hate me, but i will still say it:

pug 406! moust reliable yoke i ever owned, 00' 1.8. i have a policy thought: " do not touch anything pass 2000".

Donkeygonads

There is really only one vehicle out there which you could call bullet proof reliable ...... even in 20 / 30 years time, it will still be running .... 70% of all models produced are still in use today , when was the last time you saw an old Jetta or Mark 2 golf on the road ??? ...... but yet, you'll still see plenty of these ..... my personal favourite .... Land Rover Defender !!!:cool:

bazz26

The last Mitsubishi Galant sold here from 1997 to 2003 was pretty bullit proof. Mazda 626 upto 2002 was pretty much the same along with any petrol Mazda 6.

Generally though I would say cars built in the 1980/1990s were more reliable as they had less electronics. These days everything is electrical, sensors here there and everywhere, all prone to fail.

coolbeans

Pug 406 HDi is a very reliable car. They could do interstellar mileages that people used to make out Mercedes would do but didn't really. I know they were introduced in the '90s though...

unfit2006

Quite a wide range of cars so far.

But also quite a few that hasnt been mentioned yet:

Opel, fiat, Volvo, Saab, Nothing British, nothing French (except the Pug 406), Alfa, Lancia Suzuki, Mercedes, BMW, Porche,....

Anan1

My family had an Alfa 156 2.0 from new for 9 years and 130,000 miles. During this time it never skipped a beat, and never needed oil between services.

robtri

well for bullet proof cars you have to check this crowd out....

http://www.texasarmoring.com/

Seth Brundle

These are all bullet proof

Figerty

Has to be any Honda..or Toyota - Lexus

top of the reliability list year on year

unfit2006

Certainly the electronics of modern cars seem to be a weak spot in many models.
Would it also be true to say that more stringent emission regs that gave rise to Cats, Lambdas, EGR valves etc have also introduced an additional layer of things that can go wrong.
Would the introduction of fuel injection across the board have added to or taken from overall reliability ?
Has the take over and merging of individual car manufacturers by some of the major manufacturers resulting in collective research and development led to better build quality and reliability ?

Row

ShadowHearth wrote: »

people will hate me, but i will still say it:

pug 406! moust reliable yoke i ever owned, 00' 1.8. i have a policy thought: " do not touch anything pass 2000".

I have to agree with you on the 406..I have a 96 406 Td with 220k mls and running/driving like new...:)
The don't make'em like they used to...:(

Absurdum

no BMWs, Mercs mentioned yet, one maybe for an Audi (isn't the 1.8T the one that's poxy to change the timing belt in?)

Go on the petrol Japs!

Minister Boyce

andyseadog wrote: »

the k11 micra.

Was the K11 Micra the model up to 2002? In fairness the engine in those wee things were very reliable - went all pear shaped from 2003 onwards

galwaytt

unfit2006 wrote: »

Quite a wide range of cars so far.

But also quite a few that hasnt been mentioned yet:

Opel, fiat, Volvo, Saab, Nothing British, nothing French (except the Pug 406), Alfa, Lancia Suzuki, Mercedes, BMW, Porche,....

Let me address that for you : 1993 Porsche 968, 166k miles, all original engine/'box, etc.

I bought a spare gearbox 20k miles ago, 'just in case', and it's still under the bench. Actually, the fuel pump relay went dud a while ago, and I bought a new one. The original was dated 1992, and lived a remarkable 165,000 miles. Not bad for a €16 part.

I think, in general, that any mid '90s Porsche, say 91 to 97 would serve you well.

EPM

-Corkie- wrote: »

Like what???. I had one an it never failed me.The diesel one now.

Suspension made from chocolate, window regs, air con, dash electrics...and my pet hate...rattles...

Sorry fellow county man....family got burned by them badly...

unfit2006

I have had two BMW 525tds since 2003. Have to say they were both super cars and other than bushings and drop-links never gave me any bother.

eamon234

I saw a 04 1.9 TDI Octavia a while back with 395,000 miles on the clock and still running like new! Owner said the only thing he ever had to do was replace the clutch.

My last car was a 99 316i Touring had 150k on it and is still running well as far as I know. Kinda sorry I sold it!

Does anyone find engines with timing chains rather than belts are actually more reliable in the long run or is this just a myth?

maidhc

unfit2006 wrote: »

Would the introduction of fuel injection across the board have added to or taken from overall reliability ?

I think the K-Jetronic system has been one of the biggest leaps forward in automotive reliability. You never know what you are getting with a carb. A fuel injected car generally just starts even after months of lay up.

I think the 2000's were not as good as the 90's for cars. The Germans went down the toilet at the start of the decade and the japs were there by the end of the decade. Also the decade of the dreaded DMF and unreliable diesels.

Also the decade when Ford cars established themselves as being as good/better than the germans/japs. Although a late 90's car, the Focus is up there with the best.

VolvoMan

I reckon a Rover 75 with a 1.8 K Series, easily.

unfit2006

unfit2006 wrote: »

But also quite a few that hasnt been mentioned yet:

............. Nothing British...........

If it wasn't for the fuel pumps I would have put the Rover 25, 45, MG ZR & MG ZS diesels forward But solely because of the fuel pumps I didn't

VolvoMan

VolvoMan wrote: »

I reckon a Rover 75 with a 1.8 K Series, easily.

Surely not :eek: