Cars you've owned which you never had any problems

padma

I've not seen a thread on this anywhere, but I thought it would be a great source of information for people to hear from you good folks your first hand experience of cars you've owned that never gave you hassle. I predict a few surprising cars will pop up here.

First off
Honda Civic 96 1.4 saloon,130,000 miles when sold, bought at 80,000 owned for two years perfect car, miss it.
Toyota Hiace 85 lwb, bought with 390,000 miles on the clock, had it for 6 months in New Zealand, wracked up 23,000 miles on it, sold it got the same price I bought it for, perfect in everyway.
A renault clio 97, no problems, lots of mileage again on it, cant remember, no stress for me, though had my fingers crossed all the time.
Mitsubishi spacestar 00, Not one thing wrong with it for two years, sailed through the N.C.T,
Opel Corsa 95, 1.2 bought it in 2009 with 23,000 genuine miles on the clock from an old lady across the road from me, did 15000 miles on it in 9 months then it got stolen and was involved in a high speed chase across Limerick. They got away from the Guards and burnt it out that night in Southill. What a waste of a beauty.

Beyond that other cars I've had gave me issues.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

I have owned 2 cars and neither of them gave me any trouble!
- 1999 1.4 Honda Civic
- 2000 Integra Type R

_Kaiser_

99 & 98 Mitsubishi Mirage (import version of the Colt) - hatchback and Coupe respectively.

Both 1.3 petrol autos.. never gave me any problems (unless you count the first one getting written off when a woman in a Volvo pulled out in front of me on the N3!).

Only sold the Coupe cause my mileage was going up in my (then) new job but it was a great car

If only the 02 Passat TDI I traded it for had been as reliable... but that's another story!

Forest Master

I've owned 6 cars - only 2 never gave me trouble:
Mazda 323F
Mazda Xedos 6.

I currently have a 2011 Fluence which hasn't given me any trouble - but it's too early to tell. Had 2 Jags before that: XK8 and an XKR - both had issues. Peugeot 406 coupe before that was horrible.

Ardennes1944

01 8v mk2 punto. as lightning said, great on juice and nippy enough and never ever let me down

Alfagtamini

alfa 156 1.6ts (had for 8 months)
alfa 156 1.9jtd *11 months)
the other 10 or so cars i had to do various things to most very minor

bijapos

1991 Merc 300TE Auto. got it with 240,000km on it, it was written off in an accident at 891,000km when we were using it as a company car, never had anything go wrong with it apart from wear and tear stuff. the fact that the oil and filter was changed every 20,000km helped.

1979 Merc 300TD manual, bought it with well over 400,000km on the clock. Sold it to a neighbour at the time, she still has it, it now has well over 600,000. Never had a breakdown.

01 Renault Scenic, owned by myself or a friend since 2003, 74,000 miles, never had a breakdown, clutch changed once due to abuse by the first owner but no other problems.

Have to say though that I do all servicing on my cars myself save for the really big stuff and am pedantic about changing oils, filters, etc.

Guy:Incognito

I've owned 8 vehicles (6 cars and 2 vans), only 2 gave trouble.

Ones that ran with only normal maintenance

00 Clio bought new (this poor car, as my first suffered badly and saw nothing but petrol for the first couple of years of it's life)
93 Safrane
97 Safrane
00 Xantia
97 Partner van
97 Expert van

Ones that died

94 Accord
94 Rover 620 (same as the accord)

colm_mcm

95 mitsubishi fto, nothing went wrong except a caliper sticking. Quickly sorted, that was in 18 months of ownership, had another before that for 18 months, just needed a battery.
Mother had a 93 corolla 1.5 Jap back in The 90s for 6 years that just needed some bulbs, no problems other than that, after that she had a 1.5 323 for 2 years that only needed a battery, replaced that with a 1.6 323 that shes had for the last 4 years, that needed a battery, coil pack, and caliper unstuck.

1995 Celica bought when it was 12, kept her 9 months, faultless.
1993 520i bought in 2010, kept that 6 months, spent nothing on it except a 2nd hand tonneau cover off ebay.

Didn't do a lot of miles in either of them though.

rubberdecky

00 VW Polo - first car, loved it. 1.4l engine was plenty nippy and it handled well, had to park on a slope and it developed a leak into the footwell but I was still sad to trade it

07 Suzuki Swift - 1.3l, superb handling, obv a bit slow to get going on motorways but great city car. Never a days hassle until I hit a patch of black ice and rearranged the front of it. Got it all fixed up but then knocked up the wife so had to trade in for

05 Ford Mondeo 2.0Tdci - very frugal on diesel, great motorway car, handles well around town also. Full leathers inside, former company car but lowish mileage, never any hassle apart from one blown brake bulb.

Ozziej

03 Opel Astra 1.4 hatch in unlovely green. Ran like a dream for 5 years I had it. Sold it to friend's sister and still running like dream. Bullet Proof.

padma

Anyone notice how surprising it is with the variety of cars coming up?

KERSPLAT!

Rover 200 1.2 1999, for all the stick Rover get,I had this a full year without even a service and never had a problem with it, doing a good amount of mileage aswell

Anan1

I think owning a completely trouble-free car might be as much down to the owner as the car itself. I've been in many cars that 'never gave the owner a moment's bother', as often as not it was because the owners didn't notice/weren't bothered by a list of faults as long as my arm...

Cionád

almera 98 2.0d, bulletproof @ 191,000 miles & counting

Anatom

Apart from my first car, which was a '92 Lancer 1.5 and which fell apart (literally) on the M50 one night, I've had no trouble. The next ones were...

'98 Skoda Octavia - brilliant car, and absolutely no trouble at all. I still see it around in fact.
'02 Skoda Superb - another excellent one - no trouble apart from me taking the front and back off, thereby speeding its demise...

padma

Anan1 wrote: »

I think owning a completely trouble-free car might be as much down to the owner as the car itself. I've been in many cars that 'never gave the owner a moment's bother', as often as not it was because the owners didn't notice/weren't bothered by a list of faults as long as my arm...

Ignorance is bliss and all that

W123-80's

1989 Opel Kadett Hatch - No bother until I drove in to a wall.

1990 E30 BMW 3 Series 1.6 petrol - Kept it for 25,000 miles then ended up under a mini bus! (1 clutch otherwise excellent)

1993 E34 BMW 3 Series 1.8 petrol - Sound except for some bother with an electrical unit of some sort. Eventually got it sorted. Otherwise no bother. Bought with 85,000 miles sold it with 105,000 miles approx.

1996 Peugeot 406 1.8 petrol - Disaster. Somethng broke every other week until eventually the head gasket went. Sold for parts!

1993 Carina 2.0l diesel. Dirty & rough. Never let me down.

1994 Merc C Class 2.0 Diesel - Bought with 225k on clock sold with 255k on clock. No major problems. Had to replace brake lines. Sound besides.

2005 Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 petrol. Only have it 2 months. Awful happy with it.

stimpson

1991 Honda CR-X Drove it for 5 years and the only thing it needed was the odd drop of oil, tyres, break pads, timing belt and a clutch (original had 120000 miles on it). Never let me down and always put a smile on my face.

ottostreet

A 2000 Fiat Punto 1.2. Had it over a year, was brilliant.

A 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage (coupe version of the Colt), only had it a few months but was bulletproof.

A 1995 Mitsubishi FTO. Had the exhaust on it split in the cold weather, but thats not really car dependant...Again, only had it a few months, was a brilliant car.

A 2001 Mitsubishi Colt...faultless....great car.

All my other cars (mixture of BMWs and Fiats) gave problems, fairly frequently)

BuzzFish

1998 renault megan - Cursed with cracked head
1999 renault megan - Head gasket blew and engine seized (Thanks to AA callout guy revving the crap out of it to "burn off excess water:eek:")

1999 - Focus 1.6 Zetec - No problems besides 1 wheel bearing and suspension work... god the bushing in the trailing arm was a nightmare to get out

2005 Alfa 156 - No major problems but with the high mileage came suspension (wishbones) work, new front anti roll bar (absolute nightmare as I had to dismantle the subframe on driveway), new air flow meter and a clutch (at 115,000 miles). Never left me at the side of the road though and he's 186,000 odd on it now.

knipex

1986 Opel Ascona 1.6. Bought it for £1,200 with 110K miles sold it for £1,250 with 140k miles

1992 Opel Vectra 1.6. Bought it with 90K miles on it and put up 50K before selling it. never had an issue.

2000 Opel Astra 1.7tdi Diesel

2001 Citreon Xsara 1.4.

2003 Seat Toledo 1.9tdi (130). Bought new, put 130k miles on it before selling. Only problem was pulley seized on alternator due to over tight belt.

2009 Opel Insigia. Burst a power steering hose when about a year old. Rang number provided by Opel. AA arrived in 15 minutes and dropped me to rental car company where I picked up a complimentary rental car. (replaced under warranty and no one knows why it went). A few recall jobs that were completed during service (nothing that topped me driving or that I even knew about until garage told me). 60K miles so far and other than the power steering hose no issues.

I have had a number of other cars most of them company cars that gave me considerable grief including a 2000 Mondeo, a 2003 Primera estate diesel (worst car I ever drove, hated it with a passion, company refused to change it so bought the Toledo and claimed mileage).

I also had a Westfield that broke my heart (every water hose burst, electrics broke my heart, the oil collection can on the re-breather line leaked sending oil all over my offside wheel and brakes, kept draining batteries for no reason) until I stripped and rebuilt it (had been parked for 3 years before I bought it so didn't expect anything else, and had planned on rebuilding it before I bought it.once I got it rebuilt it was trouble free.

A 1972 Mustang which I put 10K on and never had an issue.

a 1971 opel Kadett C 1.2S auto. Front brake caliper seized just rubbing the disk and boiled the brake fluid which resulted in me having no brakes.

A 1973 Mustang who's front left caliper seized open on the M50 so when you braked hard the car pulled (really really really) hard to the left. Of course this happened just before a twat in a micra pulled straight out from the Tallaght on ramp doing 35 long before it merged with the M50.

A 1985 Kadett Estate 1.3. That engine was a disaster, the petrol tank was full of rust so once a week I used to have to strip and rebuild the carburetor and replace an in-line fuel filter. 2 separate brake lines burst on that care within a week of one another. The hand brake came off in my hand at a set of lights once, my brother put his foot though the passenger floor getting onto the car the day after I picked it up. (I took it in as a trade in against the Ascona and to this day I have no idea why but I knocked £50 of the asking of the Ascona to take it... Ended up selling it for scrap)

Funny thing is that the cars I remember best (and which still bring a smile to my face) where the ones which did cause me grief. (except for that Primera which to this day makes me mad when i think about it and is the reason i will never ever drive another Nissan)

ShiresV2

2005 Fiat Punto 1.2 8v: 30000 trouble free miles, takes absolute dogs abuse from me but serviced regularly.

The only problem it has exhibited is squeaky handbrake cable mountings, but 5 minutes with a bit of copper grease sorts that for 6 to 8 months at a time.

boffy

1993 Mazda 323f 160,000 miles and was still going strong when I sold it. Only thing that went wrong was that it turned Pink

Mc Love

04 206 1.4
08 Focus 1.6 TDCI

Ha ha my next one should be a 2012

bladespin

08 Toyota landcruiser, only had it a year though but no issues.
02 Fiat Punto, low mileage but had it 8 years without missing a beat.
05 Alfa 156JTDM - one bushing required for the NCT otherwise it never let me down until someone squashed it

padma

bladespin wrote: »

08 Toyota landcruiser, only had it a year though but no issues.
02 Fiat Punto, low mileage but had it 8 years without missing a beat.

I'd say that was a big change, coming from a punto, to a landcruiser?

mothershaboo

Citroen Xsara 2.0 td van (bullet proof so it was)
Skoda Octavia Ambiente 1.9 Tdi (also bullet proof)

I did own a Peugeot 306 meridian for my sins, I swear that car had some form of automotive lepresy

RobAMerc

I've had lots that have given trouble but because I generally buy stuff I like I tend to forget about the issues.

I had a 5gt turbo that I'm sure broke down loads of times but I cannot fault the car - it was so much fun I totally forgot about the trouble till now.

Funny but I was left almost physically mentally and financially ruined by my Fulvia and yet I still think about buying another on an almost daily basis !

I don't think my 106xsi nor gti's gave an ounce of trouble. 3 BMW's and only 1 needed a new part covered by BMW because it was a known issue.
MX5 never missed a beat.
Volvo - no, Mazda 929, no, Toyota Cressida no ( had it one day ) -

Honda CRX - yes and it was awful anyway.

Ford Puma - nope.

Numerous Fiats - nope
Alfa 33 - not that I remember

too many other cars I can't remember

I Was VB

1994 Toyota Corona, liberated it from the auctions in Aug 09 with 346K Klms for pocket money, today she has 407K and is still running 100% no problems, bar a starter motor but i think thats down to taxi work.

_Conrad_

My standard for never had any problems is:

-didn't break down/otherwise let me down
-didn't have to replace anything that wasn't due or expected due to wear/mileage/me breaking it through hard use/abuse
-didn't annoy me in any way


So here are a few
(i have a bit of a problem with/addiction to motor vehicles of all descriptions there have been a lot, of both bad and good)


1990 isuzu trooper 2.8 td SWB (jdm yo!)
1989 Isuzu trooper 2.8 td LWB with over 300,000 miles (Irish market version)
1995 isuzu trooper 3.1td LWB

1992 mitsubishi pajero swb
1998 mitsubishi pajero lwb

1994 ford granada 2.0, nothing ever went wrong with that which i didn't break due to excesive abuse
1991 ford sierra 1.8 td
1992 ford sierra 2.0 gls
2002 ford mondeo diesel
2003 ford focus diesel
1990 ford P100 ("sierra pickup")
1997 ford mondeo 1.8td
1995 mondeo 1.6
1989 sierra 1.8
1993 transit

1990 toyota carina II
1994 toyota carina E
1988 landcruiser
1988 hilux
1990 hilux

1991 nissan micra K10 1.0
2004 nissan terrano 2.7 td
1990 nissan patrol 2.8 td

1990 volkswagen jetta 1.6d
1991 volkswagen golf 1.6d
1994 volkswagen vento 1.9d
2001 volkswagen passat

1996 bmw 318 tds (200k)
1994 bmw 525tds
1995 bmw 520i and 525i

volvo 740
volvo 940
volvo V40



And quite a few others in fairness to them, but it's at least partly due to believing in maintaing car, not just the typical irish thing of buy it, drive it, never even service it and expect nothing to go wrong or never to even need to replace shocks, bushings, bearings etc (how could anyone expect those to last on irish roads?)

the only things i've seen to put up with that long term are 90s toyotas, diesel ventos/golfs/jettas, older 4x4s mainly troopers hiluxes and landcruisers, but even those will wear out eventually, but rust due to neglect and lack of being washed after getting caked in mud and cow ****e, combined with people being too stingy to pay for a small bit of welding to pass a DOE has killed off (or at least consigned to rotting in fields/farmyards) many of the old 4x4s long before they'd ever show any unreliability

_Conrad_

I Was VB wrote: »

1994 Toyota Corona, liberated it from the auctions in Aug 09 with 346K Klms for pocket money, today she has 407K and is still running 100% no problems, bar a starter motor but i think thats down to taxi work.

Just spotted that there above mine, took a while writing it lol

to be fair to your corona, it started A LOT of times over the 407k!
Similar to the utterly faultless (reliabilty wise) ex taxi carina E 2.0TD i had. "only" 270,000 miles on that when it was sold on though, if i hadn't wanted the money to put towards another old 4x4 then i'd probably still have it.

DanWall

1990 Mitsubishi Galant, Got rid of it at 190,000, never changed the clutch, inside was still imaculate.
I am surprised at some of the favourites above, some that I would not go near, eg Renault for electrical problems, Opel, Fiat. Mazda for timing chains etc.

I am sure if you did a forum the other way around and listed troublesome cars, the same names would crop up + a few that have a good reliability record

zinzan

Wow huge variations in cars!

for me:

1986 Subaru L series 1.8l running on LPG/Petrol (kind of precursor to Impreza)
(252000 miles.. still mechanically sound, chassis rusted through though, still have it by house as a 'someday' restoration!)

1990 Volvo 740SE 232000 miles on it when sold on..

1997 Suzuki Swift 1L - so far 155000 miles on it and still going...

bladespin

padma wrote: »

I'd say that was a big change, coming from a punto, to a landcruiser?

I'd imagine it is but I didn't, the Punto was bought as a second 'private' car as I had commercial jeeps since I started driving, I actually changed from a Trooper to the Landcrusier.

bijapos

knipex wrote: »

A 1973 Mustang who's front left caliper seized open on the M50 so when you braked hard the car pulled (really really really) hard to the left. Of course this happened just before a twat in a micra pulled straight out from the Tallaght on ramp doing 35 long before it merged with the M50.

So it was a bit like this other 73 Mustang?

Miscreant

1999 Daewoo Lanos - No Trouble, only consumables needed doing at service times.
1997 Pug 106 Gti - Little rocket and no trouble at all, although I only owned it for 4 months before selling it on.
2004 Punto 8v Auto - Broke my heart with this one and I actually shed tears. €2000+ on a new gearbox a few weeks after the garage "engine and gearbox" warranty ran out only for it to go again about 6 months later. Got that fixed and it was finally reliable when it was written off by a goon in a Transit!
2007 Suzuki Swift - Loved this car, not a moment's trouble and serviced on the button. Sold it at the weekend.
2004 Volvo S60 - Had to replace a rear shock (did both of course) after hitting a HUGE pothole in Galway, surprised the alloy didn't buckle. Been a perfectly reliable car and fast too

-Corkie-

88 Corolla

94 Carina

96 Corolla.

I started buying Vag after that and my heart and pocket are broke since.:rolleyes:

colatube

88 Ford Fiesta - My first car! Not a lot went wrong mechanically, just developed a few small leaks which is to be expected with age.

97 Fiesta - Every couple of weeks something small, radiator, thermostat, MAF, exhaust fell off on the motorway :eek: And bulbs seemed to go after a month of use! But I was young and loved the car, so all was forgiven.

98 Pug 106 GTI - Head went after 6 months of ownership. Great car and I miss it dearly.

00 Ford Fiesta Zetec S - Again, MAF went, and niggly problems with electrics that were cheap and easy to repair. Absolutely fantastic car to drive, and quite reliable.

99 BMW 318is - Everything under the sun went wrong with this car, must have blown 2.5k in one year of ownership. :mad:

96 Toyota Corrolla - The most reliable car in the universe. It's owned by Dad, but I drive it a lot more than him. Previous owner was a priest, so he must have blessed it. In three years of ownership not so much as a bulb has been changed! Like driving a matress.. so it's a comprimise!

00 Honda Integra Type R - My current car! No problems whatsoever after 1 week of ownership and 1000 miles. Best car I've ever driven!

Big Nasty

Nearly every daily I've had has been a BMW - never had any major issues with any of them. Usual ware and tear stuff but never left on the side of the road.

Had two Audi's one of which was fine ('94 2.8 Quattro Coupe) and a company car, '99 2.5TD A4 Avant S-Line. The A4 was bought for €8k, spent €4k in repairs in two years and sold for €4k - so cost us €8k over 2 years!

David09

I've had lots of cars but by far the most reliable was a 95 Ford Escort 1.3 with old type pushrod engine.
I put up massive mileage. I commute from Sth Carlow to Dublin and back daily. The escort had approaching 300k on the clock and was on its original engine and gearbox. I drove it for two years and it never once let me down.
It was serviced on the dot and care was taken to tyres, bushes and wear and tear items.
The only thing that was ever fitted to it outside service parts was a driver door latch when the door jammed and wouldn't open.
I still have the car and it still has almost a years test on it but it was left up when I bought a cheap focus.
Sadly the focus hasn't been a patch on the escort's reliability which is a pity as it's a really nice car to drive.

red sean

Have owned lots of different makes over the years which were mostly trouble-free. But the surprise package was a 99 Hyundai Lantra 1.6Gls Exec. Bought it new because I liked the shape and the spec. Traded in 2008 after 210,000mls and changed nothing except the oil, filters, spark plugs and tyres.Still had the original battery. Great to go but loved petrol!!

peasant

What a totally subjective thread

In the four years I've had my van I have replaced (other than oil and filters):
- clutch
- 1 CV joint
- viscous coupling
- all four injectors and pipes
- tank straps
- exhaust

and brakes all round shall be next.

Now ..to me ...that equals not an ounce of trouble*. Another person, mechanically minded but a non Syncro enthusiast might call it iffy.
Your average ignorant motorist would call that a desaster.

* mostly because all of it was advertised / expected and fixed before it left me stranded in an awkward situation

pcardin

Car that never gave me any trouble in 5 years while I was having her was Lancia Kappa.

Most problematic were all the BMW's I had. One was stolen and other 3 were sold as non runners.

TrailerBob

Had a 98 polo for 3 years in college back in the day, changed the tyres on it once:D
Have a 03 (old model) landcruiser since '08, think it would take an anti-tank missile to stop it

dodgydes

The Bad ones
1986 Rover Metro - broke my heart, my pocket, and left me on the side of the road many times.
1993 Xantia - bought it cheap, there was a reason for that...

The good ones
96 Almera 1.6 petrol- sold it a few years ago with 230k miles on the clock, its still going.
04 307 1.4 Hdi - got new, now has 120k. Never a hiccup, but its a pain to drive (lo power but great economy)

bbability

Good ones..

1992 Mazda 323 interplay. What a car. It was my first sports car and fond memories of it.

2002 VW Bora TDI my first Diesel car. Sadly missed for the faultless driving I did. Glad to say my brother in law looks after it now and had toruble free driving also. Still original clutch at 170000 miles. ]

Wetbench4

My 1990 1 litre starlet. Bulletproof

mickob16

1997 Peugeot 206-First car and never gave a days trouble.Only sold it as family grew.

2000 Lancer 1.3-Lost power on motorway at 70mph and never trusted it after that.Had a few problems with the dealer that sold it which soured my view of the car.

2003 Focus 1.4-Great car but after 18 months started to hate it cos of how bloody slow it was.Also used to cringe when i put foot down and heard that horrible sound engine used to make.

2004 A4 TDI-Good car and any problems were covered under warranty.Really good on juice.

2000 Golf TDI-Still have this and just gone over 100,000 miles.Its the baseline version so no fancy stuff like elec windows etc.Therefore very little to go wrong.Best car ive ever had.Stuck a towbar on and ive pulled half a house in a trailer no bother even though she only 90bhp.Beast of a car!!!

2005 BMW 525D M-Sport-Only have it 7 months and apart from low enough MPG and a couple of oil leaks so far so good.

physioman

93 Nissan Sunny- Hated the car. Put 20k on clock. Had to replace shocks, gearbox, clutch, fuel pump. My bro wrote it off thank god

04 Audi TDI (130bhp) Tiptronic- Worst car I ever had. CPU and gearbox went on it. Got both replaced for nothing even though it out of warranty Managed to get rid of it luckily

94 Toyota Carina 2.0d- Best car I've ever had. 60k put up on clock. Only replaced track rod end and cv joint. Ran pure vegetable oil on it for 30k. No problems. car died cuz I didn't replace timing belt and it broke

01 VW Golf- Only had it 2 weeks and wrote it off

96 Toyota Coralla 1.3- Put 20k on clock. Shocks only thing changed on it. Excellent car